Arc 1: 07 Silhouette

by Macx

The Dinobots have a new team member and she is called Silhouette....

Silhouette
by Birgit Staebler

Warning #1: this story takes place about a month after 'The Matrix Gambit' and is strongly related to the aforementioned story because I'm wrapping up yet another loose end. :)

Warning #2: There's a lot of human stuff in here, mainly dealing with Daniel, his parents and the whole Headmaster scenario. If anyone doesn't like to read these human oriented things, skip the story. There are Transformers guest-starring here as well, though (look out for Rodimus Prime and the Dinobots).

'CHOOSE NEXT FILE'
The cursor blinked patiently, waiting for a new entry or order.
Carly Witwicky, wife of Ambassador Adam Witwicky, mother of their son Daniel, sat on the lab's human sized chair, going through endless construction files. Now and then she studied one closer than the others, but mostly continued.
'HG67/8.kld', she typed and waited for the file to open. The technical specifications popped up and she scrolled the screen until she arrived at the most important parts, reading them thoroughly.
Carly didn't know what exactly she was still looking for -- they already had enough specs to work with --, just that this was keeping her mind from wandering to more unwanted topics. Like her son. It had been two weeks now since Daniel had bodily separated from Arcee, but except for a sulky look now and then he had shown no reaction to his mother's or father's visits at the hospital. Dr. Jonathan McGregor had told her that Daniel would need a lot of time to work through this separation because it had not only been a bodily link, but also an emotional one, and she now believed him. Carly had never imagined that it would come to this. Daniel had been severely injured on Nebulos and the only way to safe his life had been to let him become a Headmaster, joining him with Arcee. When Spike had told her what they had had to do, Carly had been shocked. She liked Arcee, who always looked out for Daniel whenever the boy accompanied the Autobots somewhere, but she was also just a robot. She wasn't human, held different values.... she wasn't his mother. But Carly was.
Being a Headmaster meant that unless Arcee transformed into her car mode, Daniel was her head and would remain there. The head had been reconstructed to serve as an encounter and life suit, protecting him, keeping him alive. Daniel had been very happy with this development, mainly because he had always felt close to Arcee and the other Autobots, something Carly never had tried to
suppress. Being the wife of the Earth's

Ambassador to Cybertron and someone who had grown up with the Cybertronians, she hadn't wanted her son to develop hostilities or intolerance toward the robots. That he was very attached to Arcee was something she had explained away with childhood fascination. She had never thought it would become this .... this bond.
When it had become apparent that Daniel was getting closer and closer attached to Arcee by the day, the Witwickys had acted. Maybe it would result in Daniel hating his parents, but Carly could at least say she had given her child an opportunity to be human again. She had even talked about the whole subject with two people who were as different as Arcee and Daniel, but even closer bonded. Captain Steven Parker, a human who had been Interfaced with a robot for a long time now, had explained to her that if Daniel got some distance between himself and the events on Nebulos he would see that there was another life just in his reach. She had to give him time to adjust back to being human and he would be willing to talk to him if Carly wanted to. Being Interfaced wasn't like the Headmaster partnership. Steve could phase back in and out of his Sentinel friend Midnight at random and at his own will. He wasn't dependent on him and he was still an individual. Like Carly and Spike, Steve had seen the danger that Daniel might one day merge into Arcee's consciousness, creating a new personality mixed of former separate ones. It was a danger that was too real to be waved away.
Carly sighed deeply and went through another batch of tech specs.
Some weeks ago she had talked to her husband and they had both agreed that Daniel's injury was minor enough to make an exo-skeleton or an implant possible. This would mean he would be able to walk freely again, that he would no longer be bound to Arcee. They had proposed this to Daniel, but their son had objected vehemently. Arcee had promised to talk with him later, and so she had done. She had managed to get Daniel as far as to agree to get examined by First Aid. The Autobot medic had confirmed that an exo-skeleton would help him. But this meant separating him from Arcee. She would then no longer be a Headmaster. There had been further discussions and finally, after a long fight against her stubborn son, Carly had seen him to Dr. McGregor's clinic. The neurologist had implanted part of the exo-skeleton Daniel would have to wear from now on and had then adjusted the other parts to fit him smoothly. No one would ever see those metal parts bulge anywhere under his shirt, because they were attached to the skin, barely two millimeters thick.
"Hello, Carly."
She looked up, startled. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard or seen First Aid enter. "Hello, First Aid," she said, rubbing her eyes. "How's it going?"
"Better than expected." The medic looked very pleased. "We downloaded the memory cube's contents into the new brain unit and then checked it, confirming the transfer was a one hundred percent success. How are you faring?"
The way he said it Carly thought he must have read her mind. Then again, how would First Aid know her doubts, her fears and her hopes? Daniel would return to Autobot City in a few days and she prayed that he would finally open up and talk to someone!
"I found some more specs," she said with a forced smile, banishing all dark thoughts and concentrating on the task she and First Aid had set themselves. "I think we can get this to work."
First Aid nodded, sifting through the files. "This one looks good."
Carly looked at the large screen of the sickbay, which now displayed one of her chosen specs. She nodded. "I think it's much better than a cassette, though unusual."
First Aid had to agree. "But it's also something I had wanted to try a long time. The fact that this body needed a more sophisticated brain unit than the others kept me from trying."
Carly frowned. "Speaking of greater sophistication: you think they will accept a new member?"
The Protectobot medic nodded. "I don't have a doubt about it. Let's do it," he decided.
Carly rose from her chair and followed him to the next room, which was more or less a small assembly room. They had their work cut out for them.

*

She woke in an unfamiliar environment. Everything around her was strange. She had never been to this place before. Trying to remember how she had arrived here, she suddenly saw a small, blinking light, looking like a cursor. She moved toward the cursor and found herself in what looked like a computer room.
'Please enter login', a screen told her.
She frowned, unable to remember any login, but she sat down anyway. The moment she sat in the chair the screen changed.
'Login accepted,' it said. 'Wait for transfer of code and prepare to receive files.'
And she waited. Finally the screen gave her a list of possibilities, programs to enter, a new web. Smiling, realizing she had discovered a yet unknown part of her home, she started to explore the web. As she touched the keyboard she felt the world around her melt into a new shape, her new home. And she learned.....

*

"She's inside," First Aid said and sounded pleased. "I think we'll give her some time to get used to her new home, then we'll activate her."
Carly nodded, feeling tired but pleased. She hadn't had so much fun working with electronics and computer systems since she had married Spike. Being an Ambassador's wife demanded a lot and being a mother demanded even more. That reminded her that Daniel would come home today.
"All right," she agreed, stretching and working the kinks out her back. "Time for me to take some time out and get some sleep. I think I'll need all my strength when Daniel comes home." Her wry smile reflected her emotions.
First Aid nodded and Carly once more suspected he knew more about her thoughts about the subject than he let on. If he wanted, he could be as good as any psychologist. Then she left, casting one last look back at their new creation. If all went well the Autobots would soon have a new friend.

* * *

Adam Witwicky, mostly called 'Spike' by his friends and more used to this nickname than his actual given name, sat thoughtfully on the driver's seat of the brightly colored, slightly futuristic truck, his thoughts miles away. The truck was speeding down a deserted freeway, headlights cutting through the twilight of dawn. The sun would rise in another twenty minutes or so. They had been on the road since midnight, with Spike catching a nap after just returning from another conference only hours before they had left.
"You think he still holds a grudge?" Rodimus Prime asked carefully, breaking the silence.
He had decided to drive Spike to the city since there wasn't too much happening around Autobot City that needed his immediate attention right now. Several of the Sentinels, including Midnight and Wild Card, were on Alean; Shanygn had retreated to her room and was doing some kind of research with Chip Chase, who had, after a long absence, returned to Autobot City for exactly that research project; Optimus Prime was on Cybertron; and the Autobots in the City had yet to encounter some kind of new crisis. So, with a period of real quiet, Rodimus got himself some time off by accompanying Spike. Carly had wanted to come as well, but her husband had convinced her that it would be better if only one parent showed up. Rodimus suspected he didn't want her to experience the probably icy rejection Daniel had developed toward his parents.
Spike sighed explosively, running a hand through his hair. "Daniel's always been good at sulking. Since he was a little boy he could pout with the best of them when something went against his will. This time, though, it's worse than any childhood adventure we forbade him to undertake." He shook his head. "I wish this would be just another case of running around with a certain Autobot and coming home either late or with torn and dirty clothes."
Rodimus chuckled, remembering those adventures only too clearly. He had been a participant in them as well, then under the name of Hot Rod. Daniel had been five when the two of them had received their first scolds from the worried parents. It hadn't been that the Witwickys had been afraid their son would get hurt; Hot Rod had been always very careful with the child. But their son was quick to dismiss paternal advises, and later homework and school, to go out and have fun with Hot Rod.
"You know it was for the best," Rodimus said.
"Yeah, I know that, but Daniel doesn't. He thinks we punished him, forcing him to leave Arcee." Spike shook his head, watching the first rays of sun creep over the desert ground.
"Arcee said she, too, decided to separate," Rodimus pointed out. "It wasn't your decision alone, Spike."
"Yes, but in his mind he's fixed on the thought that we as his parents are the bad guys. The last time I tried to talk to Daniel he simply turned away." Spike sounded slightly despaired. "Rodimus, he's my son, I had to make a decision. Arcee is a good guardian, she would have taken care of him forever, would sacrifice her life for him, but he's too young to make such decisions about his future. He's only fifteen! True, Danny's a bright kid and knows more about Cybertron and Autobots than any child his age, but he would have given up everything, his life, friends, everything, to stay a Headmaster! I can't permit it; not now anyway. He's not aware of the consequences."
Rodimus was silent for some time, driving along the sloping road into the city where Dr. McGregor's clinic was. He understood his friend's problems better than Spike thought. Hot Rod had spent a long time with Daniel in the past, before he had become Rodimus Prime, before everything had changed all of a sudden. And he had seen how fascinated Daniel was by the Autobots. He hung out with them, spent every waking minute in Autobot City. Carly and Spike had always thought that this would somehow change if he got older, went to school with other kids, but it hadn't. The fixation on the robots had worried Spike. He had grown up with the Autobots as well, but it had been different. He had still had other friends, human friends, and he hadn't been borne into Autobot society. When he had met them for the first time he had been Daniel's age now.
"He will understand in time," Rodimus said. "It's not as if we separated a lifeline. Arcee will still be around and they can hang out together. Just like in old times."
"You know that, I know that, he knows it as well, but he's not about to confess it. Right now the grown-ups have punished him." Spike leaned back against the seat. "I wish this whole mess on Nebulos never happened."
"We all have those wishes."
The ambassador smiled, knowing exactly what Rodimus meant. Nebulos had meant a lot of change for the Autobots and with the change a lot of new problems, especially concerning the Head- and Targetmasters. All the Targetmasters had by and by decided that, since the crisis that had required for them to join with robot life forms was over, they wanted to be Nebulans again. The Headmasters, and with them their Autobot partners, had stayed on Nebulos, still joined, and none of the two factions, robot or Nebulan, had wanted to severe the close bond, which was more intense than the Targetmaster partnership.
Optimus Prime had watched the new development with unease, Spike knew. He and Prime had talked about it right after one of the joined partners had started to merge in mind, not just in body. Two entities were slowly becoming one, only showing individual streaks when they separated. It was as if the separation downloaded the Nebulan mind into the Headmaster part, so both could function independantly. That Daniel had not yet merged with Arcee was mostly due to Arcee not giving him access to herself. She had realized herself that this would be wrong and the Witwickys were forever thankful to her.
Spike himself had finally separated from Cerebros, deciding that he wanted to be an independent body whenever he wanted to be. And Cerebros had been only too happy to return to being what he had been before. Both of them had never been as close partners as the other Headmasters, which was a positive trait for Spike. With the war being over and peace settling in, Cerebros had felt more than at home, unwilling to leave for any conferences or talks Spike would have to attend in his function as Ambassador to Cybertron.
And then there was the intimate bond between himself and a machine that Spike had always had dreaded, had had nightmares about since he had been Autobot Spike. He didn't know if he would ever get past that and if he did, could he face something like it ever again?
"I mean," Spike went on, banishing the memories of the past, "I know what it's like to be a robot. I was one myself for a short time, but it's nothing I'd like to repeat. It's been over twenty years since that experience, but I still get nightmares from it sometimes! I felt like a ... monster. Sorry, Rodimus, no offense meant."
Rodimus chuckled. "No offense taken, Spike. I became human once and I've to confess I didn't like it either. We are borne one way and that's what we are and that's how we always will feel. I'm a robot, you are human."
Spike smiled. 'Only too true, he thought.'
"And then the Sentinels appeared and their abilities to Interface with humanoid life forms made everything even more complicated," he said aloud.
"It's not the same as the Headmasters principle, Spike. Daniel knows that."
"Of course he does, but he also sees a group of humans who have a robot partner, Rodimus. That's Daniel's dream, but the way he wants to pursue it is not the right one!"
Rodimus slowed as they crossed the city limits and drove down the main street leading to the city center. The sun was now up and it promised to be a bright and nice day. Spike's face darkened as the clinic came into view, not at all thinking of bright and sunny days right now.
The clinic was an imposing stone building with a large parking lot in front of it. Dr. McGregor was a renowned neurologist and had more than once helped a paralyzed victim to walk or move again. He was studying the art and use of exo-skeletons, trying to perfect them in many ways.
"All right," Spike muttered. "Let's see if he's still staring acid daggers."
Rodimus came to a halt in the parking lot, choosing a large, empty space to park, and Spike got out, inhaling deeply again. Rodimus didn't transform but stayed in his car mode.
"You think that as an Ambassador you get used to confrontations," he said softly. Then he entered the clinic building.
No one took greater notice of him and Spike was glad about it. He had chosen not to wear any insignia that could relate him to the Autobots or hint that he was the Earth Ambassador to Cybertron. He wasn't here on official business; this was a private matter.

* * *

When she awakened it was like being swamped with sight, sound, smell and touch, all together, but instead of moving away from the sensations, she welcomed them. It felt so good! Then she worked through her senses one by one.
Sight. She saw a room, in which she apparently lay on a table, flat on her back. Above her was a grey ceiling, made of metal. Several instruments grew out of the ceiling, attached to arms.
Sound. She heard soft talking, footsteps, objects being moved, but it seemed to happen outside the room and it was distant.
Touch. She felt the cool surface of the table and she felt her body, stronger, more powerful than the body she had been used to.
She sat up, surprised at the effortless movements of her limbs. She was different than before, she realized, though without panic, simply curiosity.
"Hello," a voice suddenly said and she turned, for a fleeting second expecting someone familiar, though she wasn't sure whom. She had the impression that she'd somehow recognize him if she ever met him. This stranger wasn't him. His voice was wrong, as was his .... overall feel. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he wasn't the right one.
She looked down on her hands, realizing they were made of metal. She titled her head in puzzlement. Those weren't her hands.
"I'm First Aid," the stranger said and stepped closer. He was a robot, she now saw, with no eyes or mouth, just an optic shield and a cover over nose and mouth area. His voice was warm, friendly, probing. "And this is Carly Witwicky." He pointed at a slim blonde, female humanoid, dressed in a kind of working overall.
"Hello," she answered, hearing her voice for the first time. She liked it. "I am ....." She thought hard about her name, her human name, because she knew she had been humanoid. It didn't come to her. Instead another name rose, a name fitting her new existence as a robot. "I am Silhouette."
First Aid seemed to smile, his optics reflecting the smile. "Welcome to the Autobots, Silhouette. I think you have a lot of questions."
Silhouette looked at the human, who was smiling at her as well, and for a fleeting second she saw another person there, someone with a patterned skin and long, slate grey hair. Then the image was gone, but not the least forgotten. Curiously, she didn't have too many real questions, but those she had needed answers.

* * *

"Laserbeak returns."
The emotionless statement was accompanied by a high whine of thrusters and the appearance of a birdlike robot, landing on the rack of computers and screens. Galvatron, leader of the Decepticons, frowned at the small spy cassette. Laserbeak plugged into the screen and rewound the tape he had made. A picture appeared, showing Autobot City from an angle that suspected the spy cassette had hidden somewhere on one of the many towering constructions. They were looking right into a yard. Three of the Dinobots were present, among them their leader, playing in a pond. Galvatron sneered as he saw that. What a waste of warrior potential!
An Autobot he recognized as First Aid strode into the yard. When Grimlock discovered First Aid he turned his head and then stopped, his optics narrowing. And then another robot stepped into the picture and Galvatron's curiosity was roused. He had never seen this one before. It closely resembled a velociraptor, a small Earth dinosaur predator, small compared to the other Dinobots. It walked on two powerful legs, its human proportioned arms free to grab things. There were three, long grasping fingers with sharp, curved claws, and one thumb at each hand and the tail stood out stiffly, counterbalancing the two feet long head with the pointy snout. Its shoulder height was about seven feet, the strong neck and head adding a foot to that. Its skin was a bluish grey, slightly striped, giving it the look of a tiger. Grimlock walked slowly over to them and bent his head down in curiosity.
"Who that?" he demanded, his voice booming through the loudspeaker system.
"Grimlock, this is Silhouette, a Dinobot, though not like you or the others," First Aid explained. "Silhouette, this is Grimlock, leader of the Dinobots."
Grimlock sniffed at the new Dinobot. Silhouette kept motionless. "Not Dinobot like us," he then declared.
"Yes, that's correct. Silhouette has been recently constructed and has just awakened a few hours ago," First Aid explained.
'Very interesting', Galvatron thought and his mind was already busy going through likely further action. 'A new Autobot, a young one .... The possibilities!'
The other two present Dinobots came a bit closer. Snarl made his name all honor and rumbled and snarled a bit, waving his tail, apparently testing for a reaction. He got one. Silhouette's optics flashed and he hissed a warning, his lips curling back from sharp teeth. Snarl looked a bit perplexed by the reaction.
"Who new Dinobot?" he asked. "What name? Why him unfriendly?"
"Him Silhouette," Grimlock explained. "Him new friend." He scowled at Snarl. "And him unfriendly because Snarl unfriendly to new Dinobot. You have no manners."
Silhouette looked up at the tyrannosaurus, cocking his head, then seemed to flash a toothy smile at First Aid. Suddenly the new Autobot transformed. Galvatron's mouth curled into a cruel smile. A female -- how unexpected. And how full of potential. A plan shaped in his mind.
Grimlock gave a short rumble as he looked at the female Autobot, then he cocked his head. "Him not him. Him her." He appeared a bit confused.
"Well, Grimlock, you now have a sister," First Aid said with a bit of amusement shining through in his voice.
"Sister?" Sludge repeated, eyeing Silhouette closely. "Never heard of sister."
"She new," Grimlock told him. "You stupid because First Aid explain to Dinobots."
"Oh." Sludge gave her a last look, then seemed to shrug and walked back to the pond. Snarl followed, clearly loosing interest in the new Autobot.
Grimlock transformed and stretched out one hand, which was massive compared to Silhouette's small one. "Don't mind other Dinobots," he said. "You welcome."
"Thank you," Silhouette answered, taking the hand and shaking it.
"Yes, you are very welcome," Galvatron purred at the screen. He turned to Soundwave. "Is Ravage still on Earth?"
"Yes."
"Good. Tell him to watch the new female Autobot. If she leaves Autobot City, have him follow her."
Soundwave nodded, relaying the orders through a unique link he had with his cassettes, which even worked over such distances like between Charr and Earth. Galvatron rose from his throne. There weren't many Decepticons on Charr right now, among them Cyclonus, his second-in-command. He was leading a research party for energon resources.
"I think I'll have a little chat with Silhouette," he then said, still smiling, though it was a cold and predatory smile.
"Autobot City is a dangerous place," Soundwave reminded him, his voice as flat and emotionless as always, though someone who knew him could read a lot of tone differences in it.
"The Autobots are no match for the might of Galvatron!" the Decepticon leader growled and stared at Soundwave, challenging him to add something to that.
Soundwave kept his silence, watching his leader leave the room. Laserbeak transformed into his cassette mode and disappeared into Soundwave's open chest. Soundwave let him run the whole scene again, this time only for him, then decided that whatever Galvatron planned, he hoped it was worth the risk.

* * *

"Hey, kiddo," Rodimus Prime greeted Daniel as he, accompanied by his father, exited the clinic. The boy had grown a bit since he had last really seen him. Daniel had always worn the encounter suit and this had made it difficult to judge his size or overall development. His hair was no longer that long and like his father he wasn't dressed in the official 'uniform'. It let him appear so different.
"Hi," Daniel answered, sounding not at all like the Daniel Rodimus knew.
"Get in," Rodimus said cheerfully, trying not react to the sulking teen, but to act as if this was the Daniel he remembered. He opened one of the doors and Daniel climbed in, strapping into the seat belt.
Spike sighed silently and walked around the truck, getting in on the driver's side. He appeared even more beaten than the other times he had visited his son at the clinic. Rodimus started the engine and they drove back to Autobot City. The whole time Daniel stayed silent, answering in monosyllables to every of Rodimus' attempts to get him talking. Finally, the Autobot gave up, wishing he could tell Spike this would pass. But with Daniel present he didn't want to talk about the boy as if he was not really there at all.
As they arrived in Autobot City late in the afternoon, Daniel seemed to come to life again, looking around, his face growing a few shades darker and more disappointed when he didn't see who he had expected. As Rodimus transformed he watched Carly greet her son, shooting him a quick look. Spike joined his family and they walked into the family.
"Where's Arcee?" Daniel asked.
"She and Optimus Prime are on Cybertron, Danny," Spike explained.
Rodimus winced a bit. Optimus, Arcee and he had talked about the imminent return of Daniel, and Arcee had agreed that it might be best if she wasn't there when he came home to his family. Even if it hurt him, it was for the best. If she and Daniel met so shortly after the separation he might attach himself to her again.
"Oh," the teen said. "I see."
Rodimus sighed and nodded at Spike as the Witwickys went to their quarters, then he decided to catch up on the latest news. Maybe something had finally happened and duty no longer had such a dull undertone to it. The latest news caught up with him, as he nearly bumped into an Autobot rounding the corner. Rodimus was startled, then surprised, as he looked at the female.
"Uh, hi," he said, looking her up and down. She was a head smaller than he was and colored in grey and blue.
"Hi," she said, amused by his apparent confusion.
"I haven't seen you here before," he said, smiling and stretching out his hand. "I'm Rodimus......"
She nodded, taking the offered hand. "Rodimus Prime, I know. First Aid gave me a file about all the Autobots. My name is Silhouette. Call me Sil."
Rodimus was struck with a thought at the mention of the Protectobot's name. "First Aid? Then you are ...? The memory cube!"
"I'm the memory cube, yes," she chuckled.
The Autobot second-in-command shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. "Sorry about that. Let's start this again. Hi, Sil, welcome to the Autobots."
"Thank you." She bowed a bit. "I think I remember you from the battle ..." She looked thoughtful. "There isn't much I really do remember from my time before the joining, but I know a lot about what happened afterwards."
"You saved Optimus' life," Rodimus said, smiling. "And for that I'm thankful."
"It was you who saved him as well," Sil answered as they walked down the corridor leading to the outlook.
"I wish we could do more for you than giving you an artificial body," Rodimus sighed as they stood side by side on the balcony overlooking the forest and the mountains.
"This is more than I ever dreamed of inside the cube," Sil said, gesturing at her body. "And don't feel sorry for me. My people have a philosophy saying that you have to accept changes; most of the times they are for the best." She smiled again.
"And you don't know who you were before?"
She shook her head. "Not really, no. I have a few memories of my former life, but not much. I don't even know the planet I came from, but I remember my mother's teachings and my father's speeches. I think this is for the best."
"How about a little tour through Autobot City?" Rodimus asked, changing subjects.
Sil smiled. "I've already met my 'big brother' and he showed me the City -- his favorite places, that is. I'm actually looking for First Aid. He wanted to check my systems."
"Big brother?" Rodimus was confused.
"Grimlock."
When he still looked confused, Sil transformed, looking up at him out of her blue optics. Rodimus stared at her, again surprised.
"You're a Dinobot?" he asked, baffled. "First Aid gave you the body of a Dinobot?"
"Silhouette was not designed after the other Dinobots, Rodimus," First Aid explained, walking onto the outlook platform. "Hi, Sil, I was looking for you."
Sil nodded. "So was I."
"Silhouette has a Dinobot design for a body, but her mind was supplied by the memory cube," the medic went on with his explanation. "Effectively, she is a Dinobot, but not a typical one. And it wasn't me designing her body, this was Carly's idea."
"Oh."
Rodimus eyed the raptor mode of the new female. A female Dinobot. That was a first! And especially since her personality was so very different from the other Dinobots. She was more intelligent, smaller and too soft spoken to be called a Dinobot like Grimlock or the others.
Suddenly remembered that he still had some other stuff to check on and Ultra Magnus had wanted to talk to him. "Listen, I'll have to catch up on a few things. I'll get back to you later, okay?"
Sil nodded, transforming again. "See you around."
Both she and First Aid walked to the sickbay labs. Rodimus watched them, clearly intrigued by their new friend. Then he sighed, going back to being officially present again and Prime's second. At least dullness had now become a new flavor in form of Silhouette.

* * *

Daniel had excused himself and had returned to his room, staring out of the window, watching the clouds gather in the sky. The wind coming through the open window smelled like rain. The teen sighed deeply, burying his head in his hands. Why had they done this to him? He was able to walk on his own again, but he had lost Arcee. He had been so happy as a Headmaster.
'Were you really?' a tiny voice asked softly. 'Didn't you miss running around where you wanted to?'
Yes, there had been limits to what he had been able to do, because being apart from Arcee had meant she was stuck in car mode and he was in an encounter suit. He hadn't been able to play, hadn't been able to be alone, but had it really been such a great sacrifice?
Lightning flashed through the ever darkening sky, making him look up. The sky was black and looked the way Daniel felt: depressing.
His father had been a Headmaster as well, had been joined with not only Cerebros, but also with Fort Maximus. When he had told Daniel he'd give all that up, Daniel had been unable to understand why. Why give up such a marvelous opportunity to be a robot?
'Because I have duties and because I'm not a robot, my son,' his father's voice said in his head. 'I'm human and I age. What can I do with my life when trapped inside a robot? What happens when I die inside Cerebros' head?'
And, of course, there had been the merging process taking place between Headmasters and Autobots...... A tiny spark of fear had then ignited inside Daniel. Sure, he wanted to be with Arcee, be a part of her, but merge alltogether? Become .... what? A program that downloaded when they separated?
Daniel remembered how shocked his mother had been about the whole Headmaster development. He had tried to tell her how cool it was to be a Headmaster, but she had apparently been unable to understand.
Rain started to fall and was now beating against the walls of Autobot City. Daniel rose from his bed and closed the window, feeling droplets against his skin.
"This is so unfair!" he whispered.
Why could others Interface with robots and he was forbidden to be a Headmaster? He envied the Sentinels and their partners. They were special, unique! They were cool! Maybe he could become an Interface, even though it meant not being with Arcee. But what did it take to be an Interface? He had no idea how to become bonded to a Sentinel.
"Why couldn't they let me stay where I was happy?" he asked the empty room.
'Were you really happy or did you just want to be different?'

* * *

Silhouette had spent the last few days with the Dinobots, learning about their individual traits, likes and dislikes, and she had come to know them quite well. All of them reacted differently to her. Grimlock was very protective, Snarl appeared indifferent to her presence, Slag and Sludge accepted her without questions, and Swoop was fascinated by the fact that she was female. She liked them all very much, even if their minds were not like hers, not as quick on the uptake of more complicated matters. But Sil suspected that the Dinobots, in their own special way, had a unique intelligence, especially Grimlock. She believed he knew and understood more than he let on, playing his role as a 'dumb' Dinobot.
All five were strong fighters and she got to know her body more thoroughly through their plays, which sometimes tended to get rough. But Silhouette's body was a Dinobot body and even though her much slimmer exterior belied it, she was not easily stomped by her brothers. Like a child being taught the usage of its limbs, she learned how to move, how to react, how to fight back. Her agility and speed helped her. Only Swoop's air attacks were something she still hadn't learn to counter. The airborne Dinobot took great delight in surprising her by his quick attacks.
Today Sil had decided to get to know this planet a bit better after witnessing an awe-inspiring, natural phenomenon: a thunder storm. It had started with a few, dark clouds gathering, then there had been lightning, rain and loud clashes of thunder. She had watched the storm raging over the ground outside with a child-like fascination. She remembered her own planet, which had never displayed so strong storms. She remembered a lot about her life previous to this one, she reflected, but some things, like her name, were lost forever as it seemed. She knew she had been a Historian and she knew she had no offspring or mate, but she couldn't remember her planet's name, nor that of even her city.
First Aid had explained to her that their theory was she had written herself into a program, storing her most important memories there while everything else had been lost after the Interface, dying with her body. She couldn't say she regretted not having certain memories. It made it easier to adapt to this new existence.
Grimlock had his own philosophy about her forgotten name, telling her that if she didn't know her old name, then her new name had always been her true name. She thought there was a truth in those words, which she accepted easily.
Silhouette had left Autobot City when the worst of the storm had been over, walking over the muddy ground toward the forest and the mountains, choosing to stay in her robot form. She didn't want to scare anyone by confronting him as a dinosaur. Carly had told her that the velociraptor mode was frightening to humans, if someone didn't expect her.
Right now she was in the forest, touching the wet leaves and the bark of the trees, examining everything. This was so great! Her memory banks stored the information she gathered about this planet, while her mind was reflecting about her present state. The Autobots had felt obliged to give her back a body .... her life. She didn't blame them for her death. She would have died anyway. Braintrust had planned to use her for his experiments a long time before he had had Optimus Prime in his claws. It had been accidental that she had been the one guinea pig present then. If not her, Braintrust would have used another poor soul, who might not have been able to do what she had done, though most of it had been subconscious.
Silhouette stopped as she came to a clearing between the trees, finding she was not alone. There was a human, sitting on a boulder, staring at the mountains rising a bit further away. She had crossed the forest, she realized with surprise. Then she concentrated on the human again. She recognized him as Daniel Witwicky, son of the Earth Ambassador to Cybertron and the woman who had helped give Sil a body. The teen was dressed in casual, though not very warm clothes, his hair wet from the still slightly drizzling rain. He seemed oblivious to the world around himself, his face edged by emotions she could only partly guess. Sil decided to find out what was wrong with him.
As she stepped closer, the boy looked up, his brown eyes widening first in surprise, then curiosity as he saw the red Autobot symbol on her chest.
"Hi," Sil said with a friendly voice.
"Hi," he answered, slightly wary. "Who are you?"
"My name's Silhouette. My friends call me Sil. Who are you?"
"Daniel. Daniel Witwicky."
"Hello, Daniel," she answered. "What are you doing here?"
He sighed. "Trying to be alone."
She looked around. "Well, you managed that. Pretty lonely out here. And not exactly dry," she added.
"So what?"
Sil sat down beside him, drawing her knees to her chest and putting her arms around them. "You might catch a cold."
"Yeah, because I'm only a human," he snarled, his eyes flashing with emotions.
"Well, you were borne a human," Sil pointed out.
"Uh-hu," Daniel muttered.
"What's wrong about being human?"
Daniel turned, staring at her with disbelief. "What's wrong? I was a Headmaster! I was with Arcee and was something I always dreamed off: a Transformer. Now I'm only human, weak and mortal and small! I had to leave Arcee because my parents said so, because they said it was the best for me!"
"Weren't you still mortal while being with Arcee?"
"It's not the same!" Daniel contradicted.
She cocked her head. "Don't you think it is the best if you can live your childhood with friends among your own kind? When you grow up you can always decide what to do."
Daniel shook his head. "It's not what I want to do now! I want to be a Transformer!"
"Why?"
"Because it's cool. You don't understand this, Sil. You are a Transformers; you don't know what it means to be human."
"Oh, yes, I do. I was human once and was reborn in this body."
Daniel stared at her. "Huh?"
"I was killed by Braintrust when he tried to Interface me with Optimus Prime," Sil explained, her voice reflecting the emotional upheaval those memories brought. "Optimus saved my memories and my personality in a memory cube and First Aid and your mother gave me this body." She gestured at herself. "Believe me, I know what it means to be human and I know what it means to be a robot."
"Then you know how cool it is to be in such a body!"
"Well, when I woke I didn't really think it was cool; for me it is a necessity to be alive again. Believe me, Daniel, if I could have chosen, I would have wanted an organic body again," Sil said softly. "Being a robot means power and near immortality, but it also has drawbacks when you consider that you were once human. I had other standards; now I have to learn anew."
Daniel turned away, shaking, tears gathering in his eyes. "I wanted to be a Headmaster with Arcee, to help her, to fight battles with her! You can't possibly understand this!"
Sil carefully laid one hand on his shoulder. "Daniel, I know you won't understand this now, but unless you have completed a full circle in one life, you are not ready to start a second one. You have a lot of life still ahead of you. A robot body seems cool and impressing to you, but you, as a child, would soon miss your peers, your parents, everything. Do you think I can return to my friends like this?" Sil shook her head. "I'm now forever stuck, just like you would be."
Daniel shook his head in denial. "I don't want to be human! I want to be a Headmaster again!"
"How did you become a Headmaster?" Sil asked.
Daniel slowly told her about his accident, his father's decision and the result. Sil listened silently.
"I see," she then said. "If this accident hadn't happened, what would you do now?"
The boy frowned. "I dunno."
"Would you want to follow in your father's footsteps? Be an ambassador to Cybertron?"
"Dunno. Could be." Daniel rose abruptly and walked a few paces back and forth. "But the accident happened and then they forced me to go back to being just Daniel again!"
"So you want to something special?" Sil asked.
He hesitated, then nodded.
"Aren't you something special? Every person is special. You don't need an extraordinary body to be someone." Sil shook her head as she looked at the dark features of the teen. "Daniel, tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up? What dreams did you have, beside becoming a Transformer, which isn't that much of a job?"
"I dunno. What does it matter now? Everything's unimportant anyway." He kicked at a stone, shooting it across the small clearing.
The female Autobot rose as well. "On my planet they said everything happens at the time and place it is supposed to happen and everything happens for a reason. It was your time to go back to your life again, Daniel, to be an individual again."
"How can anyone live by such a crummy philosophy?" the human teen demanded angrily. "It's crap!"
Sil smiled. "And how can you be such a pain in the ass when your parents only tried to help you?" she asked, her voice never becoming offending. "You can still be with your friends, but you can also decide on your own what to do and when to do it. If you grow up and still feel the same way about being a Headmaster, then you have the necessary life experience to decide for sure. Right now you're acting on emotions alone."
Daniel trembled. "I already am grown up! Everyone treats me like a child!"
Before Sil could answer she heard a sound. She turned and discovered a dark grey, four legged robot creature standing between the woods. It looked feline and was watching them with red eyes. She also saw the symbol on its body: Decepticon! Sil stepped between Daniel and the approaching, snarling Decepticon. Daniel gave a cry of alarm.
"Ravage!"
Sil followed every movement of the Deception. When it came too close for her liking, she transformed. Daniel gave a gasp as he looked at the female Dinobot, clearly surprised by her dino mode. She drew back her lips, revealing her sharp teeth, her head lowered, ready for an eventual attack.
"Hello, Silhouette," a voice suddenly said, sounding falsely pleasant.
Sil's optics narrowed as the much larger robot stepped out of the shadows cast by the tall trees. She moved back a bit,
"Galvatron!" Daniel whispered.
Sil kept her body between the Decepticon and the human, low rumbles coming from her throat.
"I don't want to hurt you," Galvatron said soothingly. "I have come to talk."
"About what?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice. "And how do you know my name?"
Galvatron smiled, but the smile missed the true meaning of a smile. It wasn't friendly, simply pasted on. "I know a lot about you, Silhouette, and I know you have been given false information about me and the Decepticons."
"I don't think so."
"Just listen to what I have to say," the Decepticon said.
"No, don't listen to him, Sil!" Daniel cried. "He's lying."
Sil looked at the human and then at the large robot again. "Tell me about what I don't know," she said calmly.
"NO!" Daniel protested, but his protest was drowned by Ravage's loud growl. The boy fell silent, his eyes wide with fear.

* * *

Carly was worried. Daniel wasn't in his room and he didn't seem to be anywhere in Autobot City. She didn't want to cause a big alarm by asking for help in her search for her missing son. Maybe he was just outside. She was crossing the large inner yard and aiming toward the exit when she heard and felt loud footsteps.
"Hi, Carly," Grimlock said as he caught up with her. "You see Sil?"
Carly had to smile at the Dinobot leader's question. He was quite fond of the female Dinobot, accepting her as a sister, just like First Aid had said he would. Sil was different from the other Dinobots because she was clearly more intelligent and because she was of humanoid origin, but both sides had accepted the other and since Grimlock liked her, the other Dinobots liked her as well.
"No," she answered. "I'm looking for my son Daniel. Have you seen him?"
"No see Daniel anywhere. Daniel no like being with Dinobots anymore." Grimlock sounded a bit disappointed. "He say he want to be alone. Daniel sulking because he no longer Headmaster."
Carly smiled at the Dinobot, who had apparently taken a good look at his human friend and seen exactly what was going on. "Daniel is having a rough time, Grimlock. He needs to learn to be human again."
"Daniel always was human," the Dinobot pointed out.
Carly nodded. "Yes, of course, but he was also a Headmaster and when he joined with Arcee he became a robot in part."
"Daniel still human," Grimlock insisted. "Me Grimlock help look for Daniel. Maybe find Sil as well," Grimlock announced.
"Count me in as well, guys."
Carly turned and discovered Rodimus leaning against the door leading outside, smiling.
"You all don't have to make such a fuss...." she started.
"Who's making a fuss?" he asked. "I need to get out anyway or I'll go crazy!"
She smiled thankfully. Rodimus transformed and she climbed onto the passenger seat. Grimlock simply followed them in his dinosaur mode.

* * *

"So you see, Silhouette, the Autobots have programmed you with their pathetic lies," Galvatron said sweetly, spreading his hands. "They want you to believe they are right and we are wrong, we are the enemy, but all the Decepticons want is the best for Cybertron. Have you ever been to your home planet?"
Sil shook her head. "No."
"Why do you think they don't let you go there? Because you would see the wrong they do. Optimus Prime is a liar and a thief. He stole Cybertron from us and he conquered this planet Earth through more lies, making the flesh creatures his minions."
"That's not true!" Daniel cried. "He's the liar, Sil!"
Ravage growled and advanced on the teen, who stumbled away from him, falling over a protruding rock. Ravage gave a hiss of expectation as he saw his prey fall. Sil stepped quickly into the cassette's way, snarling at him. Ravage's red eyes glowed, but he was indecisive as to what to do.
"Leave the boy alone!" she hissed.
"Silhouette, you don't understand. These humans are just mindless slaves of the Autobots," Galvatron explained, stepping closer. "They have been implanted intelligence to make them appear independent. They are merely insignificant creatures, who don't understand what this is all about."
Sil looked at the much larger Decepticon. "Prove it, Galvatron."
"If you come with me I'll prove to you that I'm telling the truth," he promised. "You will see that the Decepticons are the ones who have been telling the truth the whole time and that the Autobots are the true enemy. We want to bring peace and prosperity to Cybertron and we want to free Earth, so that the humans can develop freely."
"He's lying!" Daniel said in desperation. "We are not controlled by the Autobots! It's the Decepticons who want to control and to rule."
Galvatron's eyes flashed and his hands clenched into fists. "You see how programmed they are?" he asked, but his voice held a dangerous tone. "This human would die for the Autobots and the Autobots are willing to sacrifice them in battles against us."
Sil looked back and forth between the other robot and Daniel. Galvatron allowed himself a triumphant smile as he read the gesture as growing doubt. He had her! She was doubting her creators' programs! If he managed to get her to Charr, he could thoroughly convert her to the Decepticons' cause!
"Come with me," he said. "Let me show you the truth."
Sil stepped toward him, carefully, hesitantly, still keeping her body between Daniel and the Decepticons. Ravage followed her every move, knowing that if he attacked too soon he'd fall victim to her sharp talons.
"Yes," Galvatron said, stretching out one hand. "Come to me."
She stopped again. "Let the human go first."
He let his outstretched arm fall to his side, frowning. For a second something seemed to flicker over his face, then he nodded. "He can go."
"But...." Daniel protested as Sil gestured him to go.
"Go away, Daniel," she said, her voice firm, her eyes never leaving Galvatron.
The boy slowly away, then he turned and ran. Sil transformed and took the once again outstretched hand Galvatron. The Decepticon leader quickly gestured at Ravage to go after the boy and the black-grey cassette transformer followed noiselessly. Sil, who had seen the hidden gesture quite clearly, turned and looked into the direction the human teen had vanished into the woods.
"Don't worry about humans any longer, Silhouette," Galvatron said. "As a Decepticon, they are beneath you."
She stared at him. "Didn't you say you wanted to save them from the evil Autobots?" Her voice carried a tone he couldn't identify, but which told him he was loosing her.
"Of course I will."
"I don't believe you!" she hissed, letting her mask of pretense fall. "You are the liar!"
Silhouette had known from the very first second Galvatron had stepped out into the open that she wouldn't be able to get herself and Daniel out of here alive if she fought against the much stronger Decepticon. She had to make him believe her that she wanted to change sides; that she was too recently awakened to see who he was. But Sil wasn't an ordinary Cybertronian; she was a consciousness from a dead humanoid and the humanoid had seen what the Autobots were. She knew the truth.
Galvatron still smiled, but now it was no longer a pleasant smile. "So you don't?" he asked. "Well, if I can't use you against the Autobots, then I'll use you to bring the Autobots to me and then destroy them." He raised his weapon. "You're now my prisoner. Once Ravage has terminated the flesh creature, we will go back to Charr. The Autobots will run in circles to get you back -- and they will circle right into my trap!"

*

Rodimus drove down the little path leading into the forest around Autobot City. Any normal car would have surrendered to the stone-plagued and uneven path, but the Autobot drove on, not minding the bumps and blows against his tires. The tires were of superior construction to those of Earth vehicles, so they wouldn't blow that easily. His passenger felt the bumps, but Carly was too busy looking for her son to take notice of it. The shock absorbers couldn't cushion every blow, but for her it was unimportant. The truck plowed relentlessly through the forest. Of course Rodimus could have transformed, but he knew that Carly wouldn't be able to keep up with their walking pace and he also knew from experience that she regarded being carried as being undignifying. And there was the fact that they might miss something on ground level when walking, mainly because their optics would be somewhere up in the branches.
Grimlock followed the brightly colored truck, his large feet stomping small roots and stones into the ground, shaking the Earth. Rodimus was reminded of what the humans said about the t-rex: his steps had shaken the ground. Yep, that was probably true. Now and then the Dinobot ducked under a large branch growing into his way.
"He couldn't have gotten that far," Carly said, leaning over the dashboard and looking at the forest, willing Daniel to pop up somewhere.
"Maybe he went off the path," Rodimus muttered. "Then we're in real trouble. Those woods are large!"
Carly sighed. "Maybe I'm just overreacting," she said softly. "He's a growing teenager and after all he went through he probably just wanted to be alone."
"Maybe. But he left Autobot City without a communicator device and that's pretty thoughtless." Rodimus sounded stern, as he usually did when someone went against set orders. Taking a communicator with themselves was the first priority for humans leaving Autobot City for a stroll through the forest or the mountains. If they were accompanied by an Autobot, fine. But alone .... no way!
"Me Grimlock think me hear someone calling," the Dinobot suddenly rumbled.
Rodimus stopped and let Carly out. Then he transformed. They listened for about half a minute, but he heard nothing but the normal sounds of nature.
"I don't hear anything," he told the Dinobot.
Grimlock cocked his head and tapped a finger against his left temple. "Me hear calling here."
Rodimus frowned. "You hear a transmission? Why can't I pick it up?"
"Me Grimlock hear fellow Dinobot call for help. Sister needs help!"
"Sil? Where is she?"
Grimlock looked around, listening intently, then pointed at a dense cluster of trees. "Come from there." He strode purposefully toward the trees. "Me help little sister!"
"Yo, wait up!" Rodimus called and followed the Dinobot, Carly in tow. "You might need some help!"

*

Daniel was running as fast as he had never run before. He stumbled over protruding roots, stone and through little bushes, but he kept on running, aware that he was pursued by Ravage. The feline Decepticon was hot on his trail and if he didn't find a safe place, Ravage would get him. His breath was coming in gasps now, his body no longer used to being without a much stronger support. His muscles, since he hadn't used them anymore, had grown weaker and now he was paying the price. Tears gathered in his eyes, blurring his vision. Branches slapped into his face, tore at his short andhis jeans. His foot suddenly caught in a larger root and he fell flat onto the ground, the wind being knocked out of him. For several seconds he was only aware of the pain in his chest and the low oxygen supply, then he heard another thing beside the roaring in his ears. A snarl.
He turned around and saw Ravage coming out of the undergrowth. He moved gracefully, soundlessly except for a whisper of leaves he brushed by. His red eyes glowed with triumph and he revealed sharp teeth. Daniel scrambled away from him.
"No, get away from me!" he yelled and grabbed a piece of branch that had been torn off a tree by the storm from some hours ago. It was still wet, just like the ground he lay on. He brandished the branch like a sword.
Ravage's jaws made short work of his weapon, snapping it in half, tearing it out of his hands. Daniel got to his feet, trying to make another run for it, but the Decepticon cassette effortless overtook him, planting himself in his way. He growled, advancing slowly. He was playing with him, Daniel knew, and sooner or later he'd jump for the kill.
"Help!" he yelled. "Somebody! Anybody!"
It was a futile task, he realized. He was too far away from Autobot City or any path in the forest for a passerby to hear him. Ravage seemed to mock him with his growl, coming even closer.
Suddenly the earth shook like under heavy steps. Ravage turned his head, his sensors scanning for the origin of the tremors. Something crashed by very close and the feline growled deeper, ducking a bit. Daniel took his chance and ran. He came as far as the next cluster of undergrowth when he ran into something hard and .... metallic! With a flash of fear he looked up from his sitting position and discovered that this was a friend he had bumped against, not a foe. Rodimus Prime.
"You!" he breathed in relief.
"Daniel!" His mother was at his side in a second, gathering him into her arms. "God, you're all right!" she whispered, hugging him tightly.
Daniel returned the hug, holding on to her with all his strength. It felt so good to touch another human being again, really touch someone. No encounter suit between them ....
A roar shook the forest and Rodimus, smiling at the reunion, looked up. "What the...." He didn't finish the sentence because Ravage broke through the undergrowth, stopping abruptly when he discovered the Autobot.
Rodimus aimed at the Decepticon and fired several short bursts into his direction. Ravage howled and returned the fire.
"Get Daniel out of here!" the Autobot's second-in-command told Carly.
"You have to help Sil!" Daniel called. "Galvatron has her!"
Rodimus' eyes flashed. "Galvatron!"
Another roar came through the trees and it was followed by blaster fire. Apparently Grimlock had found the Decepticon leader. But right now he couldn't worry about this. There was still the small pest known as Ravage. The feline was very persistent, blasting him with rockets and laser fire, though it had no real effect. The Matrix had reconstructed Hot Rod's molecules and turned him into Rodimus Prime, which meant he could deflect most of the fire, though prolonged exposure made him as vulnerable as anyone. And Ravage had the advantage of being more agile in this enclosed environment as well. Rodimus cursed as the feline evaded another shot and disappeared between the trees, only to reappear several trees to his left and fire into his back.
All of a sudden the ground exploded in a mighty fireball and something rushed past Rodimus, angling upward into the sky again. Ravage was thrown into the clearing where the Autobot stood and Rodimus used his chance, placing a well-aimed shot between the Decepticon's shoulder blades. Ravage screamed and collapsed, a smoking hole in his back. He wasn't severely wounded, just momentarily out of action. Rodimus hoped it gave Carly enough time to get Daniel to safety, and him to see how Grimlock fared against Galvatron. He looked up into the sky, where he discovered Swoop, circling over his position.
"Thanks, Swoop!"! he called and waved one hand.
Swoop gave a cry and angled his wings to dive toward a specific point. This had to be where Grimlock was, Rodimus decided and began to run there.

*

Grimlock charged into the clearing and took in the scene in a second. Silhouette was standing with her back to him, threatened by Galvatron, who had his gun aimed at her. Grimlock didn't need more. He roared and attacked. Galvatron changed his aim from Sil to his attacker and Grimlock had to dodge out of the way of the powerful and painful blaster fire. Sil took her cue and transformed into her dino mode, attacking Galvatron, who hadn't counted on her being that daring. Her jaw closed around his weapon arm and her claws dug into his body.
Galvatron gave a yell that was a mixture of disgust and surprise, flinging her easily off himself. She was much smaller than any Dinobot and much lighter. But she was also as powerful as a Dinobot and very fast. She landed gracefully on her hindlegs, whirling around and catching the Decepticon with her stiff tail. Galvatron stumbled back under the blow.
"I'll kill you!" he raged and fired at her.
"You not kill anyone!" Grimlock roared and attacked as well.
Galvatron caught him with a blast from his fusion cannon and the Dinobot leader howled in pain as the shot hit his optics, nearly shattering one. He tried to shield his sensitive eyes with his small arms, stumbling away. Galvatron added another shot, which bounced more or less harmlessly off the Dinobot's thick hide, but left a burn mark nevertheless.
"No!" Sil hissed, her eyes flashing like that of a wild animal.
She wasn't used to fighting like this, but her games with the Dinobots in the last few days had shown her how to make use of her robot body. Like in a game of pouncing with Slag, she attacked Galvatron. Sil wasn't as aggressive by nature as the other Dinobots, but right now she reacted to a threat and energon rushed through her. She used her powerful hindlegs to catapult her onto Galvatron's back and her hands clawed at him, leaving several scratches. They were superficial, but annoying nevertheless. The dagger-like claws of her hind legs did the most damage, though, one of them puncturing Galvatron's thigh.
Galvatron managed to shake his attacker off again, stumbling away from the female Dinobot. He raised his fusion cannon and took aim. Sil wasn't fast enough to evade the coming blast completely and she was thrown onto her side, sliding several feet over the clearing. Dazed, she shook her head, trying to sit up. Her side was steaming with the power of the blast, but it wasn't pierced. Her stronger Dinobot construction had seen to it that she merely had a nasty looking burn mark. She growled, her eyes flashing in a dangerous blue. With a graceful movement she got to her feet again, her lips curling back over her teeth, her head lowered in an attack position.
The Decepticon leader frowned, then shot at her again. This time she was faster than him, jumping out of the way. With lightning fast moves she closed in on him and jumped. Galvatron screamed in rage as she threw him to the ground, her speed giving her enough weight to manage this. But Galvatron-- flung her off, using his feet to push her away. He rose to his feet and was suddenly caught between two powerful jaws. Grimlock, still half blind, lifted him bodily from the ground and shook him, then releasing him. Galvatron flew straight into a tree. Seething with rage he fired at the Dinobot leader again.
"Galvatron!" a new voice shouted and Rodimus broke through the trees.
Galvatron stared at the Autobot, clearly confused. "Rodimus Prime?" he then said, his voice mirroring the confusion.
Rodimus became aware of the fact that none of the Decepticons had apparently heard about his change and so Galvatron was confronted with someone he had thought no longer existed. The resulting confusion was his advantage and he took aim. A high pitched whine could be heard and then two rockets sought their way toward the Decepticon leader. He was thrown off his feet by the explosion and Rodimus saw Swoop gain height again as he completed his attack run. The airborne Dinobot screamed in triumph.
Galvatron moved away from the Autobots, clearly fuming with rage. His body was covered with scratches, burn marks and dents. "I'll be back!" he announced as he retreated into the sky. "And then I'll kill you all!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Rodimus muttered as he watched the Decepticon leader retreat. "What else is new." He stowed his weapon and turned to the two Dinobots. "You okay?"
Grimlock transformed and so did Silhouette. "Me Grimlock all right. You too?" he asked his sister.
"I'm fine, thanks to you guys. Where's Daniel?" Sil looked around.
"He's safe," Rodimus told her. "Carly is getting him back to Autobot City and Swoop and I took care of Ravage."
Swoop transformed and landed. "Galvatron leave," he said. "Took other Decepticon with him." He looked at Silhouette, smiling. "Me Swoop glad you all right."
Sil flashed him a smile as well, clearly amazed by the Dinobot's protective friendship.
Rodimus turned to her. "What did he want from you, Sil?"
"He tried to convince me that all Autobots are liars and killers, and that the Decepticons are the real good guys in this game." Sil shrugged. "I played along to gain some time and to try and get Daniel to safety."
"You called Grimlock and Grimlock came to help," the Dinobot rumbled.
"Yes, and thank you for coming so quickly. I didn't know if this would work because I'm so very different from all other Dinobots."
"You no different," Swoop declared. "You sister and we listen to calls for help from fellow Dinobots."
"You heard her as well?" Rodimus asked, aware that he was only now learning about a special link the Dinobots shared and which included the new Dinobot as well.
"Me hear call, though was far away," Swoop explained. "Other Dinobots no hear because Swoop closer."
Rodimus nodded. He made a mental note to pursue this subject in the future. "Let's go back to Autobot City, people. I think we've had enough action for one day."
"Never enough action for one day," Grimlock muttered, but followed Rodimus.
Silhouette chuckled. "Brothers," she said to Rodimus.
Rodimus only smiled. Swoop transformed and took into the sky again.

*

Galvatron was seething with rage, feeling humiliation course through him. How could they dare! How could this female dare! He stomped through the throne room on Charr, with only Soundwave watching him. The communications expert was silent, a pool of calm and serenity that was a clear opposite to Galvatron's storming emotions. Ravage had transformed into his cassette mode the moment he had arrived on Charr, flying back into Soundwave's chest to get some necessary calm and quiet to let his repair programs work.
Someone stepped into the throne room and Galvatron halted his pacing and growling to look at the newcomer, who dared to interrupt him. It was his second-in-command, Cyclonus. As most of the times recently, a black bird set perched on his shoulder, its yellow eyes glowing softly.
"I heard you have been away," Cyclonus said, his voice as neutral as he could keep it.
"Bwah!" was all Galvatron spat, then slumped down onto his throne. "I'll make them pay for this!" he hissed.
Cyclonus cocked his head, aware that right now it was too dangerous to inquire further what exactly had happened. He might end up with a blaster hole somewhere in his body. Raven, sitting motionlessly on his shoulder, agreed silently, using their still rather new empathic link. Cyclonus had heard rumors about a new Autobot female, a Dinobot, and that Galvatron had tried to win her over, trusting on her not yet development programming. Apparently he had been wrong. Well, there would be time to find out later; maybe, no, very likely, from Ravage. Right now he simply shrugged, then gave his report about the discovered and stolen energon to his leader. The good news would appease him enough to make his mood bearable again -- at least for some time.

* * *

The shuttle landed perfectly in the large inner yard. Optimus Prime was glad to be back on Earth. Cybertron was a hectic place, much more hectic than Earth, though Earth had its politicians and mayors, who demanded the Autobots' time. Prime still preferred any conference with humans to a council meeting on Cybertron. Humans got tired after some time, robots didn't apparently. He smiled humorlessly, reminded of the long discussions about the soon to be finished Moon Base One. Some wanted to start a second Moon Base, while others objected vehemently, seeing this as a waste of efforts, since there were no more real threats to Cybertron. Why build a second defense base?
Prime sighed. Some Autobots were so narrow sighted, it made him want to scream! But as a near legend among his own kind he couldn't really give in to those moods. He envied Rodimus Prime, his young second. The others were used to his youthful temper outbursts and accepted it. Optimus was known to be calm and serious. Few knew that beneath the outer shell of calmness was a sometimes flaring temper, which never showed.
Of course, Unicron was dead and the Decepticons had not shown their faces in the last weeks, though it didn't mean they weren't a threat anymore. Optimus considered Galvatron an even more dangerous leader than Megatron, who had at least known the word honor. Galvatron was as ruthless as he was completely mad. He would send all his troops into a hopeless fight, just to prove he was superior. Shaking his head, Prime had left Cybertron and the arguing council behind to get some relative peace and quiet on Earth. Maybe he could convince Rodimus to change places with him and take over the council on Cybertron, though Optimus suspected he wouldn't have much success.
Arcee had voted to stay on Cybertron, mainly because she believed seeing Daniel now would have negative effects on his healing. They would meet again soon enough. Prime had agreed, though he didn't know if evading Daniel was such a good idea. Arcee and Daniel needed to talk, but then again, there was always time for a talk later.
As he stepped down the shuttle's ramp he was greeted by Rodimus Prime, who smiled lop-sidedly. The smile made Optimus immediately suspicious. Whenever his young second-in-command smiled like this, there was something lurking just around the corner.
"Okay, spill it," he ordered instead of a greeting, which made Rodimus smile even further. "What's up, Roddy?"
"Oh, not much, Prime," Rodimus said cheerfully. "Just a little Decepticon encounter, which we managed to bring to a successful end with the Dinobot's help."
Prime frowned. "Decepticons? Here?"
Rodimus shrugged as he walked his leader toward the City entrance. "Galvatron decided to pay us a visit, but we had no problems handling him. He came alone. And speaking of visitors.... There is someone who wants to get to know you, Optimus." He gestured at the open door.
Someone stepped out of the shadow and Prime stopped, clearly very surprised. He looked at the female robot, wearing the bright, red Autobot symbol on her blue-grey chest. She was about as tall as Arcee, but her head and face were shaped completely different.
And inside him something woke and recognized her as .......
"Optimus Prime, this is Silhouette; Sil, this is Optimus Prime," Rodimus introduced them to each other, a pleased expression on his face. He was smiling broadly. "She's a Dinobot."
"Dinobot?" Optimus exclaimed.
Silhouette nodded. "Yes. Carly and First Aid gave me this body. And you gave me my mind, Optimus Prime." She smiled softly.
If Prime was surprised by her clear speech pattern and voice, then this surprise was buried under the rising knowledge who this Autobot was. "You are...?" He stepped closer to her. "You are the one who saved me....." he whispered.
Rodimus decided it was time to leave the two alone so that they could finally talk about what had happened to them both in Braintrust's lab. This was a conversation that had been long coming and was needed on both sides.
"And you saved me, giving me a second chance," Sil replied. Her smile was warm and full of thankfulness.
"I think we have a lot to talk about," Optimus said slowly.
"We do," she agreed.
They walked into the City.

* * *

Daniel's body ached from the unaccustomed running and the bruises he had taken when he had fallen. But somehow this felt good. It was a different feel from what he had experienced in the encounter suit. Very different. For the first time he saw the reality between life in an encounter suit and life as what he had been born: a human. He still felt disappointed that he had had to separate from Arcee, but that was all he felt now: disappointment. It was no longer anger or pain, just the knowledge that he was still himself, Arcee was still there and that in the future there might be a time when he could decide what to do.
"Daniel?" There was a tentative knock on the door and then his father looked into the room.
"Hi, Dad," he answered, actually able to summon up a real smile.
His father appeared surprised, then stepped into the room. "How do you feel, son?"
"Bruised and aching," Daniel admitted ruefully. "But otherwise I'm fine."
Spike sat down on the chair and studied him. "Listen, I know you are angry because of what we decided," he began, "and I understand you don't want to talk about it, but if you ever decide to .... your mother and I are here."
Daniel looked into his father's face and recognized the emotional pain there, a pain Daniel had inflicted. He had pushed his parents away, had told them through his actions that he solely blamed them for everything that had happened to him. Now he regretted his actions, because they had been childish and had hurt his parents deeply. They had only tried to give him a chance to decide what he wanted to do, look at being a Headmaster from a different angle. They had not denied him his wish to be with the Autobots.
"I'm sorry, Dad," he finally said. "About everything. I think I've been a real pain in the ass." He remembered Silhouette's words only too clearly, mainly because they were true.
Spike smiled. "Trade of being a son," he answered.
"Yeah, maybe." Daniel rubbed his left hand. "I know it was wrong to act like that and I think I now understand what you meant with m waiting for some time before I decide."
His father looked a bit surprised at the sudden change. "May I inquire what made you change your mind so suddenly?"
Daniel gave a half-smile. "It wasn't so sudden and I didn't really change my mind, Dad, but I started to think. And I came to the conclusion that I can still be a Transformer later in my life, maybe at the end of my human life. Maybe I can then start a second circle," he added, using Silhouette's words.
Spike nodded, clearly not happy about what Daniel implied, that he was still set on being a human mind in a robot body one day. His own memories of Autobot Spike were still too clear and too painful to accept that his son wanted this fate willingly. Then again, mind transfer techniques had changed and he had seen that Silhouette showed no mental instabilities and had no negative feelings toward her robot existence. Maybe it was a matter of approach. When his father had decided to transfer Spike's mind into Autobot X he had not informed his son about what was to come. Spike had woken in an unfamiliar body, his mind trying to cope with the nightmare he had considered himself in. He had been a teenager then, just like his own son, but Daniel had a totally different approach to forever living in artificial bodies than Spike would ever have.
"Okay," he said, summoning a smile. "I'm glad you give us humans a chance, son."
Daniel studied his father's features, seeing the acceptance of his decision, present
and future, there. "Where's Mom?" he wanted to know, aware that he had to talk to his mother as well.
"She and First Aid are doing a check on Silhouette," his father explained.
Daniel nodded, rising from his bed where he had sat on. "I think I need to make up to a lot of people and Autobots," he decided.
Spike rose as well, laying an arm around his son's shoulders. Daniel had really grown in the last months.
"Maybe not as many as you think, son."
Daniel looked at his father, then they left his room. Inside of him, the healing process had started.

* * *

A sparkling cloud of ectoplasmic energy floated through space, homing in on the rocky planetoid known as Mernan. It was drawn to the deserted and lonely place by only one desire: life. And it found life in form of a body, a large one, nearly completely uninhabited by any other mind. The pieces of the former occupant's mind were in disorder and random, no opponent for his superior powers. He let his self flow through the unaccustomed circuits, the strange construction, then smiled in satisfaction as he felt the muscles react to his will, felt the energon course through him.
Yes!
Starscream had returned!