Arc 2: 03 Islands in the Twilight Dark

by Macx

Friends and allies come in many guises. But can Tji really be friends?

Islands in the Twilight Dark
by Birgit Staebler
One: Dawn

He stumbled, feeling weak, his vision blurring. His energon-pump was beating frantically, but he didn't get enough fuel anymore.
Have to make it, he thought frantically. Don't let them catch me!
But it was too late. A robot loomed up in front of him, dead eyes staring down on him.
No! his mind protested, his vocal unit unable to produce a sound.
Strong hands grabbed him, lifting him bodily off the ground. He writhed faintly in the hold, but managed only to hurt himself more. He was thrown into some kind of shuttle and heard the thrusters kick in. Someone pressed something down on his neck and he felt a short, violent pain. Then his systems shut down.

* * *

Daniel felt marginally better today than he had the past few days. His muscles were regenerating nicely, as his physiotherapist had told him, and he should be back to normal in a few weeks. Normal. He sighed. Normal didn't really apply to him, did it? He had spent the last years as part of a robot/human team, better known as Headmasters. It had been the result of an accident on Nebulos, which had left him paralyzed, only able to survive at all because he had merged with Arcee. Being a Headmaster had been fun, but not for his parents. They, together with Arcee, had decided that a separation was needed. He had to grow up as a human and an exo-skeleton, partly implanted into his body, would enable him to move without the encounter suit.
Daniel sighed again.
No one had understood what it meant to him to be a Headmaster, though he had to confess that being just Daniel again was nice..... It felt good....
"Hi, Daniel!"
He looked up and discovered a female Autobot standing in front of him. "Hi, Sil," he greeted the female, who flashed him a smile.
Silhouette had been his constant companion lately, giving him a chance to sound off and discuss things he couldn't talk about with his parents. Sil understood somehow. She had been human once and was now in this robot body. They had talked a lot, though, Daniel had to confess, he had done the most talking, telling her about what it felt like to be part of this unusual team. She in turn had asked him one important question one day, a question that had changed his whole attitude toward Headmasters: was he ready to merge with his Headmaster partner so completely that they were one? Only separate when they transformed? Daniel had wanted to say yes, but then had thought again. Lose himself inside Arcee? Change her through his merging with her mind? No, he had to confess. No, he wasn't ready to do that, to go to this extreme.
"Would you be mad at me if I told you I have no time today?" Sil now asked, sounding a bit apprehensive. "Since First Aid heard about the connection all Dinobots have he wants to check every one of us." She grimaced.
Daniel laughed. "No problem. Dad's driving me to the clinic for one last check on the skeleton today anyway. And I wanted to bring along a visitor as well."
"Oh?" Sil smiled. "Who is it?"
"Someone I met at the clinic. Her name's Kimberly."
Silhouette grinned devilishly. "Well, have fun then."
"Aw, come on!" he groaned.
She laughed. "Okay. See you later!" She waved good-bye, transformed into her raptor mode, and then walked off.
Daniel watched her, then walked slowly back to the human quarters, trying not to concentrate on the task of walking so much.

* * *

When he came to the next time he lay on some kind of table, surrounded by bright light. Something seemed to flow toward him, another bright light, somehow different from the rest. He tried to get away, but the restraints didn't let him. Something touched him, his body, moved deeper, through the skin. He screamed as sensations hit him, sensations of his skin ripping open and something moving into him. He struggled more, but to no avail. This.... thing.... the bright light, moved deeper, inserting itself into his body. He whimpered as it encountered his central core. His last conscious thought was denial, then darkness claimed him again.

* * *

Spike felt nervous. He and Carly had talked about it for some time, expecially how to relate the news to their son, and every time he had seen the young man his son had grown into, his face set in an angry scowl. Daniel had worn this scowl constantly throughout the last half year and it had taken some time for him to losen up and act natural again. Spike knew Danny was still somehow blaming them for the separation from Arcee, but it had been the only way. Silhouette had been a great help dealing with the teen and now there was the young woman at the clinic, Kimberly, who had some very positive influence on him as well.
He sighed. Hopefully this influence would help Danny to get over the news. ..... the news that he'd soon have a sister.

* * *

Rodimus watched First Aid check Silhouette and compare the results with what he had from the other five Dinobots. It had been over five months ago that Silhouette had been borne and only now had the medic the time to start this examination. Apparently all Dinobots shared some kind of link which gave the ability to send out distress calls to one another if one was close. Silhouette had demonstrated this shortly after her birth and Grimlock had confirmed that they all had this ability. First Aid had been puzzled and Perceptor fascinated that this had not been discovered sooner. Then again, all Dinobots had always gone into battle together, so there was no need for a out-of-sight call.
Silhouette hopped from the table and smiled at him as he greeted her. "Still in one piece," she joked.
Rodimus chuckled. "So I see. Where's Danny? I expected him to be here."
"He went into town to pick up someone." A devilish smile crossed her lips. "Someone female."
Rodimus grinned. "So?"
Silhouette shrugged. "Call it my humanoid side, but it's about time!"
The Autobots' second broke out laughing. "He's still a kid, Sil!"
"He's fifteen and spent all his life among your kind, Roddy. Our kind," she added at his strange expression. She touched his arm. "I am an Autobot. I just have to get used to it."
He nodded.
"Anyway," the female Dinobot continued, "I'm glad he can set his mind on something else -- like a girl. A girl his size."
"You think he had a crush on Arcee?!" Rodimus exclaimed.
Silhouette smiled. "Not in the sense of the word, but he liked her a lot. Children see this differently from grown-ups."
They walked down the corridor.
"So, what do we wanna do tonight?" Sil suddenly asked.
Rodimus looked a bit trapped for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, suggest something. My office is closed for the day and Optimus is on Cybertron. Shanygn and Chip are buried deep in their research as well. Everything is running smoothly for a change."
Sil smiled broadly. "Well, my schedule says I have three days until Lab and I want to go off scouting one of those planets he is so interested in, so I think we can squeeze something in this three-day window."
Rodimus chuckled again. "I bet we can."

* * *

The checks turned out just fine, though Daniel was barely able to concentrate. What his father had told him was running through his head again and again.
His mother was pregnant again.
He'd soon have a little sister.
Daniel tried to recall his mother's state, to remember if there had been any sign of pregnancy when he had seen his parents the last time. He couldn't. He had been too busy being a pain in the neck to notice anything.
The doctor nodded that he was done and that Daniel could go, and the teen dressed, walking absent-mindedly out of the examination room. A baby. Why would his mother get pregnant once more? He was nearly sixteen now!
Because they don't love you anymore, a small voice whispered. Because you gave them more worries than happiness. They want a new child to love.
He shoved those thoughts aside. His parents loved him.
Then why did they ask you to separate from Arcee?
Because he needed to get back to his own kind, to grow up and then decide what he wanted to do. Not because they didn't want him to become a Headmaster. There was time for that later, when his body was grown-up, as was his mind.
But still ..... a baby sister.
They will fuss about the child and forget you! You are nothing but trouble for them!
Daniel clenched his hands into fists.
Kim awaited him in the day room already and smiled as he walked in.
"Hi, Daniel. How are you?" she greeted him.
"Great," he answered, but he knew he didn't sound like it. He tried to mask his doubt and fear as best as he could. "I don't have to come back so often anymore if I keep up the exercise." Her face fell a bit and he quickly added, "But I'll visit you every day!"
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Kimberly Moya told him and reached for her crutches. She looked at him and he knew she'd soon ask what was bugging him. Kim had a way to ask just the wrong questions: those he didn't want to answer because they were personal.
Daniel watched her get to her feet and lean a bit on her crutches. Kim had been in the clinic as long as Daniel, maybe even longer, receiving treatment to heal broken bones. She had been involved in a nasty car accident and Dr. MacGregor's clinic had been her home for weeks now. Kim's parents lived far away and visited her as often as possible, but the young woman was alone most of the time. She had been the one to make the first step to befriend the grumpy young Daniel Witwicky. Daniel had not wanted to be friends with anybody, but Kim had been persistent, showing him that his fate was neither unique nor was it a reason to pout and exclude himself from everything. She had also given him a piece of her mind after she had witnessed how he had treated his parents.
They walked slowly outside to where Spike was waiting. He smiled at the young woman and opened the door of the white Porsche.
"Hey, young lady!" Jazz called cheerfully. "Want to drive?"
Kim laughed. "No, thanks, Jazzy. I don't have a license."
Jazz laughed. "Nobody will know!"
Daniel climbed into the back and Spike took his place behind the wheel. Jazz ignited his engine and they left the property of the clinic. Jazz gained speed and breezed over the highways toward Autobot city. Kim watched the landscape speeding by, talking to Spike. Daniel kept his silence, his thoughts miles away.

* * *

Jaimaa flowed into her new body reluctantly, feeling disgusted at violating this robot's body like this. He was a living, thinking individual, not an empty shell she could claim or conquer! But she had to act like everyone else or she'd be exposed and this body would fall to someone else -- who wouldn't be so gentle. She carefully circumvented the personality core, enveloping it in layers upon layers of protective walls, then continued to flow further, inserting herself into every cell of this body. She encountered Interfacing circuits which looked marred and twisted-- scarred she saw.
:: Who did this to you, child? :: she asked softly, feeling pained by the sight.
What had happened to this robot? All his Interface circuits were mangled, covered by what could only be described as scars. She left them now, but she knew she had to remove them later. Right now it had to look like every take-over. She let the lights in his optics die, then settled carefully around his core once more to be close when he woke again. To the outside, she had successfully taken over the robot's body; on the inside, she prepared the first confrontation when he woke, all the time acting normally for a Tji who had just taken over a body shell.

* * *

Kim sighed and looked at Daniel, who sat beside her on the ground, overlooking the valley beyond. They had slowly walked as far as Kim could with her crutches, which was surprisingly far. She had grown stronger and the doctors were quite pleased with her health. In a few weeks she would be able to walk without crutches. Daniel looked like the day she had met him the first time, sitting in the day room, staring out of the window and generally radiating an aura of anger.
"Dan?" she asked.
He blinked and turned his head to look at her. "Hm?" he made.
"What's wrong?" she wanted to know.
"Nothing."
Kimberly sighed again, this time louder. "Please, don't give that crap again! I thought I had told you once how much I hate this!"
He evaded her eyes.
"What is it?" she demanded.
"Mom's pregnant," Daniel muttered.
Kim stared at him, then her face split into a smile. "That's great!" She frowned. "Why is it bothering you?"
"Because I'm already 15, nearly 16, and suddenly she gets pregnant. Right after they separate me from Arcee!"
Kim mentally prepared herself for an old argument. She had never been able to understand most of Daniel's reasoning concerning the Headmaster partnership. He had told her everything throughout their talks and she had tried to imagine what he had been, what it meant to be connected to a robotic life form. Kim liked the Autobots a lot, mostly Jazz, who managed to get her into a good mood immediately, never mind what mood she had been in before. But joining with one on a physical level? She couldn't understand it. Of course, it brought a prolonged life with it, at least in a way. The body would die after its natural cycle, but in theory the mind would live on inside the robot's mind.
"And?" she now prodded.
Daniel looked angrily at her. "Don't you see it? They were never satisfied with me, they disliked what I did, that I felt close to the Autobots! Now they have a new child to love!"
"That's complete crap!" Kim told him bluntly. "Your Mom got pregnant and it happens to be at the wrong time for you. They are not trying to throw you away or lock you out! This isn't a punishment! Danny, you are so stubborn!"
"Oh, yes?" he returned furiously.
"Yes! You are always so angry, even if you laugh or have fun. You don't see the world around you anymore! You just see what you want to see, what you project into people!" Kim told him, feeling her own anger rise.
"How would you know?" he snapped.
"Because I did the same!" she shot back.
He blinked.
"Do you think I was always happy at the clinic? I had a nasty accident, I couldn't move my legs properly anymore and I thought I'd never be able to walk! My body was broken in so many places I wished my neck was broken as well! My parents couldn't come every day and visit and I felt abandoned. I thought no one loved me anymore! The nurses were nice, but like the doctors they kept on insisting I do stuff I didn't want to!" Kim inhaled deeply, then exhaled again. "You see, I began to focus my hate on everything. First I hated the driver of that car that ran me over and ran away. Then I hated my parents for leaving me here, so far away, and the doctors for inflicting such pain! Daniel Witwicky, I know what you are doing. I did it for a long time as well!"
He stared at her, then hung his head. "Maybe," he muttered after some time. "It's just ..."
"It's just that you think your parents won't have time for you anymore," she finished the sentence.
He sighed.
"Listen, Daniel, your parents found time for you while you were in the clinic. Your Dad visited every other day, your Mom daily. You had friends coming by. It's just you who never appreciated it." Daniel's dark brown eyes flared angrily again, but Kimberly went on remorselessly. "You glowered and glared and snapped. You kept on projecting anger and rage at everyone all at once. You hurt your parents and now you think they are retaliating by having a baby. It's utter crap!"
Daniel stared at the ground, playing with a leave. "Yeah," he confessed after some time.
Kimberly sighed in relief. Step one accomplished. "But everyone is still your friend, don't you see? Your parents love you and I know several of those Autobots are waiting for you to snap back to normal. Silhouette is a nice lady and she is a good listener."
Daniel smiled. "Yeah, Sil is great....."
Kim smiled as well. "They are all great and they care for you, even if you are not an Autobot or a Headmaster. Why don't you wait until you are grown up, then decide what to do with your life?"
Danny chuckled.
"What?" she demanded.
"You sound like my Dad or Sil."
"Thank you, I take that as a compliment." Kim grinned. She was two years older than Daniel. "How about we go back and have something to eat?" she asked. "Kayla said something about her doing a special for lunch...."
Daniel coughed, his eyes displaying mock horror. "I wouldn't try any of Kayla's dishes if you don't want to be introduced to a stomach pump!"
Kimberly chuckled and got herself laboriously to her feet, using the two crutches expertly. "So you say. Your stomach isn't used to any good stuff!"
Daniel grimaced. "Just wait and see," he laughed then. "We'll talk about it after lunch -- your lunch. I'll have a simple sandwich, thanks."
The two teenagers walked slowly down the sloping path. Halfway back to Metroplex they were greeted by Silhouette, in her raptor mode, who had been in a training session with her brothers outside the complex. She accompanied them as far as the main entrance, then went in search for someone. Kim and Daniel continued toward the human quarters.

* * *

Thriller seemed to be hovering in some kind of limbo. He knew he wasn't dead because this didn't feel like death. It felt like..... paralysis. He was confused. A part of him remembered what had happened, but another part tried to deny it. He had heard about the events, the abductions, who had happened lately. Robots had disappeared, robots of all kinds and races. No one had found a trace of them anywhere and there were rumored reports about a gigantic fortress and the robots with dead eyes, who kidnapped the others.
Dead eyes.
He shuddered as he remembered his kidnapper. Dead eyes, no expression, incredible strength.
But what did they want with him? And why him?
Thriller tried to move, but he couldn't. His body didn't respond to the energy impulses and he felt slight panic rise inside of him. Why couldn't he move?
Bright light.
He trembled a bit.
And then he felt something move inside of him. He felt more panic. The presence inside of him seemed to pulse, to grow, to flow everywhere.
:: Calm down :: a voice whispered.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice rough. He was surprised he even had a voice in this limbo world.
The voice had been female and it had felt warm and gentle, but also commanding.
:: My name is Jaimaa. Please calm down or I have to suppress you more. If they find out you are still alive they will kill you ::
"Who? And what have you done to me?"
:: We are Tji :: Jaimaa explained.
"Tji? I never heard of you? And why did you want my body?!" Thriller demanded.
Jaimaa sighed. :: Because my kind, my tribe, is acting under a grave misjudgment :: she told him softly. :: We have no bodies and so we take robot bodies. They are the only ones we can possess. Sadly enough, the robot's personality is killed in the process ::
Thriller was confused. "Then why am I still alive? And what do you need us for?"
"We just need you as shields -- when we fight. As to why you are still alive..... I don't believe in our cause and I want to warn those we are fighting against, tell them about everything ::
"You want to change sides."
:: Yes. Your body was the only one which seemed to be able to take me without immediately deleting your personality through shock. You are a Seeker. You were borne with Interface capabilities ::
Thriller flinched a bit. "Yes," he whispered. "Interfacing."
:: But your circuits are scarred :: Jaimaa went on.
He winced even more and tried to shove her away from the his mind, but Jaimaa was everywhere around him.
:: Why? :: she asked. :: Who did this to you, child? ::
"It's nothing I want to talk about," he hissed, trying once more to move away. This time there was no one holding him back, but he also couldn't really escape. Jaimaa was everywhere around him, keeping him inside himself.
Jaimaa was silent, apparently pondering this. :: Okay. Listen, try to keep calm inside yourself. Let me handle everything until we are safe. If you so much as flare your optics, we are dead ::
"Okay," Thriller said reluctantly. He hated to relinquish control over his self. Then again, he didn't even know if he could regain control over himself anymore.....
Jaimaa smiled and he felt her brush past him. :: Trust me ::
"Why?" he asked openly. "Your kind is abducting my kind, killing the personalities and trying to exterminate every last Cybertronian ever borne, and you want me to trust you?!"
:: Yes. Because it's your only chance to survive in one piece and with your mind intact. If you fight me I have two options: I can let you get out in the open and be killed by my kind, who are not gentle with survivors. Then I will die myself shortly after for betrayal. They don't take it lightly if a Tji becomes 'weak'. The other option is that I'll kill you myself to survive, which is no option at all. I don't kill ::
Thriller was silent for a long time. Finally he sighed. "I have to play along, don't I?"
:: If you want to live ::
"All right!" he snarled. "I won't fight you, but right now I also won't trust."
:: That is agreement I can live with :: Jaimaa replied softly. :: Thank you ::
Thriller didn't say anything. He simply remained inside his central core, watching.

* * *

Kim had turned her first visit to Metroplex into a regular occasion. She visited Daniel as well as the Autobots there, especially Jazz. Her friendship with Daniel had grown closer and both knew they might just be steering toward something, but neither was ready to admit it yet and so it simmered slightly between the two. Over the time she had finally got rid of the crutches one after another and had substituted them with a sketch book and a pencil. Kimberly Moya was an artist and had applied for art school just a few weeks before the accident. The accident had thrown her back in her goal to get to an art college and she was only now nurturing the hope that she could once again apply for a place. Her body was able to take a normal day's stress again. Most of the time she sat somewhere outside and painted and drew and penciled the Autobots, the landscape, the city.
"Hey, beautiful lady!" Jazz called and sauntered over to where she sat in the shade of a tree.
"Hey, Jazzy," she greeted him cheerfully. "What's up?"
Jazz grinned at her. "Nothin' much. No party, no groovy stuff anywhere. Boring."
She laughed. "Anything about Carly?"
The Autobot sat down beside her. "Nah. Still waiting for the news." He glanced at her latest sketch. "Hey, looks good, Kimmy. Missin' just one thing."
She raised a questioning eyebrow. Jazz grinned irrepressibly.
"Me in the front of the city," he joked.
Kimberly snorted. "I don't want to ruin the picture!"
"Ey!"
He shot her a mock-hurt look and Kimberly broke out laughing again.
"How about a tour into the city?" Jazz asked. "I'm dying of boredom here!"
"All right, no problem. I could use a bit of shopping today. And we could drop by the hospital as well....."
Jazz transformed and opened one door. "C'mon in, pretty lady and away we go!"
Kim grinned. "Don't let Powerglide hear you're stealing his line!"
Jazz shot away from Metroplex and toward the city. "Pah! He got that one from me!" With that he turned on the radio, switched to Kimberly's favorite CD and they roared over the highway.

* * *

Jaimaa steered clear of many of her kind and walked unhindered down one of the corridors inside the giant fortress called Scorponok. She nodded at one of the Tji steering another body through the corridor, then stepped into the main computer room. The room was empty, except for a technician, who was checking on the controls for the space drive. Since Jaimaa was a high ranking Tji in the order she didn't have to answer any questions as to why she was here; she simply sat down at one of the terminals and started her work. The technician completed his work and then left. Jaimaa was alone.
Okay, she thought. I have to be quick and thorough.
Jaimaa was a scientist, one who had been deeply involved in developing the sentient robots and even though the Quintessons had produced the bodies, she knew her way around the systems of any robot ever borne. The Quintessons weren't so different in their idea, but they had no imagination, no other drive to develop or create things but greed for money and recognition. Jaimaa had once worked a time with Quintessons and had found their approach to a subject unimaginative and too limited in thought. For them there was only one way to do things and everything else was dismissed as unproductive or alien, even if it was better.
She sighed as she rapidly keyed in commands and watched the small programs insert themselves into the larger command structure. The programs were too small to be detected by sweeps and they operated on a minimum level, far below anyone's notice.
Jaimaa closed down the program and then began to erase her traces. After that was done as well she ran a quick check on her host body. Thriller was still protected by her body and no scan would ever show her own kind that he was alive. Now she had to get off this fortress as quickly as possible for him to stay that way; for both of them to stay alive. She rose from the chair and left, walking randomly down the corridors to confuse everyone who might be watching. She met many of her kind, some of them nodding at her, others, those higher ranking than her, ignoring the body shell. She didn't have to greet them the way others greeted her because she held the same title, though her position was different, and she didn't.
Finally she arrived in one of the more remote parts of Scorponok. Jaimaa hesitated. She had done everything possible, even before she had possessed this body; she had tried many ways to stop her kind from killing the project. Nothing had worked. Now she had to apply different methods: force. But not direct and brute force. Jaimaa liked to work behind the scenes and she now had to manipulate the course of events as much as possible.
It was time to go.
She punched in an override command and the hatchway opened. Her time window was narrow, but she could make it. Stepping into the airlock she then closed the door again, pressurized it and opened the outer hatch. Space loomed in front of her. Jaimaa activated the transformation sequence and Thriller's body shifted into his second mode, a jet-like one. She ignited the thrusters and shot away from the fortress, silently counting the time.
The deserting Tji was out of range of the sensors by the time the override was discovered. She was even further away when Anrhenjx found out who had left the fortress. And she was nowhere to be found after a thorough search by the time they called out a ship-wide alert.

* * *

Nightmare froze into a solid statue, his red eyes wide and glowing. The only part of his body that showed any movement at all were his ears, which flicked nervously back and forth. Someone touched his left front leg and he tried not to pull it away. He couldn't have pulled it away even if he had wanted to. He was too frozen in shock.
"Are you all right?"
Nightmare rolled his optics several degrees and looked at Carly Witwicky, who returned his despaired pleading expression with a gentle smile.
Bat sat on his friend's broad back, faceted eyes glowing with amusement as he watched. He was clearly enjoying Nightmare's discomfort.
"Would you please take her away?" he breathed, keeping his voice low, as if he was afraid the very sound might result in any damage.
"Nightmare, it's all right to move, really," the blonde human told him. "You don't have to play statue. You can move your head and neck and tail, just be aware of where your feet are."
Nightmare rolled his optics down and stared in terror at what was happening between his legs. There was a human child there. The child was about five years old and happily playing between his four legs, using his dinosaur tail and the legs to amuse herself. The child's name was Melissa and he had last seen her at the age of two. Now she was back and with her the terror of hurting her.
"Please," he begged.
Carly sighed and shrugged.
"Mel, come on out from there. Nightmare wants to stretch his legs a bit."
Mel obediently walked out from under the horse's belly and looked up at him with wide eyes. "I want to ride," she declared.
The declaration resulted in more terror in the Gatekeeper's eyes. They were glowing brightly now. Bat chuckled and it earned him a nasty look from Nightmare.
"Nightmare has to work, darling," Carly explained. "Why don't you go and play with Knight?"
"Aw, Mommy....." Mel pouted. She loved Nightmare and Nightmare loved the child, but he was so terribly afraid of hurting her that he always froze when she bounded around him.
"Raven can take you there, maybe even fly with you...." Carly added.
"Flying?" the child now asked a new gleam was in her eyes. "Yes!"
Carly shot the black female a look and Raven smiled at her. She had a lot of experience with the girl, though like every robot she was a bit apprehensive. Humans were small and human children were tiny compared to the robots' size, so there was always the danger of injuries. Carly had already raised Daniel among the Autobots, so she had no trouble introducing a robot to the care of a human child, especially one who loved to play with them. She always told herself that she had managed to teach Hot Rod how to properly watch out for little Danny, so she could teach Nightmare how to loosen up around Mel. Well, Hot Rod had been a differente topic at the time, she also reminded herself, thinking back to the time both of them had come back encrusted in mud. She still had to grin at the sight, one Autobot and one five-year-old looking like they had just mud-wrestled and were grinning from ear to ear.
"Nightmare, I think we have to talk," she now said.
"Oi!" Bat agreed.
The Gatekeeper shot her an apprehensive look. "If it concerns Mel....."
Carly nodded. "It does. Now, as I told you before ......"

* * *

They were save here, at least for a time. Her kind would find her soon. Jaimaa scanned everything around them but found nothing except empty landscape. She maneuvered the body shell she was possessing out of the open and toward a small forest. It was a lot of work to control the robot body and most of the time she had to concentrate on what she was doing. There was nothing casual about this. Thriller's body had so many functions she had to keep going, as well as protect the central core from harm, that she was straining herself in a way she had never imagined. Her kin who were possessing robot shells as well were just as hard pressed, though they no longer had any living central core to nurture and keep from harm. They had killed their shell's self the moment they had flowed into it.
Jaimaa shuddered in disgust. How could the very Tji who had helped create the robots now kill them in cold blood? How could they be so cruel? Jaimaa couldn't imagine extinguishing the small flame she was keeping alive under all those shields. She had the power and one thought would terminate Thriller's life, but she couldn't. She couldn't kill.
The forest enveloped them and she stopped deep inside, surrounded by trees, a bit of light filtering through the canopy of leaves. She knew she had to work fast because her kin would soon discover her. Right now they were too involved in planning their attack on Trbeca and gaining control over the doorway. Jaimaa thought it would end in a disaster. The Gatekeeper would sooner destroy the doorway than let the Tji use it. But no one had ever listened to her; they believed they would be able to act quickly enough to terminate the Gatekeeper before he or she exploded the doorway. Well, it would take them some time to reach Trbeca, so she could use her gained knowledge and send it to those who could at least put up a fight: the Cybertronians.
Jaimaa sighed and felt once more disgusted to belong to the Tji. Then she reached inside and carefully approached the ball of light that was Thriller's self.
:: It's time :: she said softly.
Thriller was confused for a second and she felt fear from him. He still needed to get past the stress the joining had put him under. Jaimaa had periodically checked on him, kept him comfortable. Now and then she had taught him what it meant to be joined. She gave him a chance to get accustomed to her way of communicating, which was through a more or less complicated use of energy patterns and emotions, not words, and he worked on getting it down pat. Jaimaa could talk normally, but the almost telepathical connection was quicker. Thriller was a fast learner and Jaimaa found he could talk very clearly the way Tji did. Soon he would be put under even more stress, but after that Jaimaa would have healed him and regained them both a chance to survive.
"How long?" he asked.
:: Since you were abducted? :: Jaimaa went through a quick calculation. :: In standard: two years ::
"What?!" he exclaimed. "Two years?! You kept me under for two years?!"
:: Calm down, my friend. I couldn't act faster. They watched me and for the first months I couldn't even let you know what had happened to you. Are you still ready? :: she asked.
"Yes," Thriller answered after a second. "It's either that or spend my life as a passenger in my own body."
Jaimaa felt sadness. :: No, those are not your choices, child. I could vacate this body if you wish me to ::
Thriller was silent again, then said, "You would die and I would fall victim to the others again."
:: Not necessarily. You could hide or return to your friends on Cybertron ::
"But you would die."
:: No :: she contradicted. :: I can and always have lived outside a shell body ::
"I'm talking about your kind hunting and killing you," Thriller clarified.
Jaimaa winced a bit. :: Maybe ::
"I will do it, Jaimaa. It's the only way, our only chance to survive."
She was relieved for a moment, then added, :: It won't be easy and it will hurt ::
"I know," the Seeker answered slowly.
Jaimaa caressed his central core and began stretching out carefully. :: I will be careful, though ::
Then she started her work
Thriller shuddered, his fingers twitching faintly as the Tji touched the first Interface circuit. It had been mangled and scarred and to Jaimaa it looked like something incredibly powerful had burned it. She hesitated for just a second, then enveloped the scar tissue and gently removed it. Thriller winced as he felt a sting of pain inside of him. The sting transformed into a dull ache and he was suddenly acutely aware of the part of Jaimaa that was around the once again open circuit.
She felt -- strange. He had never felt something like this before. Her body was energy, most of it anyway, and he had imagined her to be like an electrical current: sparkling, spiking, cold or hot, but not this..... this soft and wavy, slightly warm and overall gentle to the touch.
Jaimaa moved inside of him, coming up against another scar. She carefully, gently started to remove it as well. She continued her work calmly and methodically, always staying where the circuits were now open, ready to encounter another Interface.
Suddenly Thriller groaned in pain as more sensations swamped him. He had not felt anything like this since the failed Interface millennia ago. The moment Braintrust had killed the humanoid Interface he had also effectively killed a part of Thriller. The Seeker had continued to live, but at what price? Part of him was numb, dead, and he had wished for death as well. Now he was slowly, painfully reborn.
His mind went white for a brief second and his equilibrium was momentarily disturbed. He fell forward, hands digging into the ground as Jaimaa undid more of the damage, simultaneously connecting to him. His raw circuits and sensors screamed. He sobbed softly, pain racing through him on all levels.
:: Relax :: the Tji muttered soothingly inside of him.
"Hurts," he whispered.
:: I know. It must have hurt when it happened ::
Thriller shuddered again, this time from memories. His mind supplied him quite clearly with the gruesome pictures of what had happened. Braintrust, who had killed his potential Interface; the mangled body of the young man; blood; pain; part of him dying. He whimpered and felt Jaimaa curl around his central core, embracing him.
:: It won't happen again :: she whispered gently, all the time working on his Interface circuits.
"What if they remove you?" he groaned, his hands lodged in the ground, his body shivering violently.
:: They can't. Never. We are one ::
"One?" Thriller whispered.
Jaimaa removed the last scar and touched the circuit beneath it. :: Yes ::
Thriller's body stiffened and his mouth opened to scream. Sensations -- pain, love, fear, hope, everything -- flooded him. His mind went on overload, threatening to shut down. He collapsed completely, hitting the ground of the forest, shuddering, twitching. He felt Jaimaa, felt her thoughts, her very being, felt what a Tji was.
"You ... you ... are..." he croaked, his voice hoarse.
:: Yes. I am one of the Creators :: she told him, faintly amused.
New pain shot through him, but no longer as agonizing as before. He groaned, shuddering again, but his circuits were starting to get accustomed to the new presence. They activated, in turn activating more circuits. He felt better by the second.
"I'm ... confused," he confessed.
:: I'll explain everything to you in time. Right now we need to get to safety. They will find out about my ... defection .... soon enough. The others never trusted me because I refused a body for so long. ::
"Then why did I get so lucky?"
Thriller stumbled to his feet, experiencing a slight nausea, which cleared immediately. He felt different, not just merely better. Stronger somehow; new; improved.
:: I saw you and I thought it would work. You are a Seeker. I saw that. Now you are ... well, my protector, as I am yours."
Thriller felt a sudden sting where his Seeker symbol sat. He winced and touched it. It felt hot. When he looked at it he thought he saw something overlapping his Seeker symbol briefly, then dissipate slowly, as if hiding beneath it.
"What ... did you do?"
:: Marked you :: Jaimaa replied softly.
"Uh, thanks, I think." He smiled slowly.
:: But you have to change ::
"Change?" he exclaimed.
:: They know you now and they will search for you. You have to change. Your old life has to end for a new to begin ::
Thriller was confused. "How? And into what?"
Jaimaa chuckled. :: I mended your body, didn't I? I can also change it. Since it might be too much for you to take, I'll put you under ::
"It can't be worse than what happened just now," Thriller muttered.
:: Oh, it can :: Jaimaa answered softly.
He shuddered. "What will I be?"
:: Surprise, surprise :: the Tji smiled.
Thriller sighed. "I hate it when you get mysterious! This is my body, my life....!"
:: Your death ::
"You don't play fair."
Jaimaa smiled slightly. :: Life isn't fair ::
"All right," he said after some time. "I'll do it."
Thriller deactivated his functions one by one and went into deep sleep.

* * *

Two: Twilight Rising

There was a certain beauty to the city at this time of the year. Summer was already over, but most of the flowers and trees still showed life in abundance. Autumn was taking a hold, but it would still be some time until Winter broke in with heavy snow and icy cold
Kimberly sat in one of the many small cafes of the city and worked on her latest picture, which was nothing but a rough sketch. She was waiting for Daniel, who had promised to come by later this afternoon. The cafe was frequented by students, but not as much as those close to the campus. Here a visitor could expect some calm and quiet and Kimberly liked to do her work here.
"Hey, looks good," someone said and she looked up.
In front of her stood Liv, one of the part time waitresses here. Kimberly liked her a lot, mainly because she had a good eye for perspective and helped her with the tricky stuff whenever Kim complained something was wrong but she just couldn't see it.
"Thanks," she laughed. "I've been trying to do this one for weeks. Looks like I'm finally getting it done now."
Liv nodded and set down a large steaming mug of coffee on the table. "Where's Daniel?"
"No idea. He said he wanted to be here by late afternoon. You know how bad he is with time." Kim grinned.
Liv returned the grin. Daniel was notoriously late for appointments, though he was always right on time when it concerned something really important or official.
"How's the art show at the gallery going?" she asked curiously.
"Very well. I never knew so many people were interested in it!"
"Hey, you do good work on those Cybertron pictures. Many people want to see how the Autobots live, what they look like. Many have only seen them on TV or driving by or from a distance. Your art brings them alive!"
Kimberly blushed a bit. "Uh, don't exaggerate!"
Liv gave her a serious look. "I ain't. You're good."
"Thanks."
"And I hope it earns you good money as well," Liv added with a sly grin.
Kimberly chuckled. "It does. It's a good way to finance my last year at college."
While Liv made her rounds to the other customers, Kim continued sketching her latest artwork, now and then taking a sip from her coffee.
Suddenly someone covered her eyes and a voice whispered into her ears, "Guess."
She laughed. "Where have you been, Dan?"
Daniel removed his hands from her eyes and sat down on the opposite chair. "Oh, here and there. Got held up a bit, sorry." He grinned.
Kim put aside the sketch. "As long as you still make it in time, I'll continue forgiving you. Well, how's it been going?"
Daniel shrugged. "They said yes, though I'm not sure whether it was Dad's position influencing their decision or not."
Kimberly gave a cheer. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! And I don't think your Dad being ambassador and all had anything to do with it. It was the Nebulans' decision and they made it."
Daniel shrugged again. He had received the good news an hour ago and had at first not believed it. He had been accepted at the Nebulan university to continue his studies, receiving the official approval and honors of the Nebulan government to live on the planet. Of course, the Witwickys had always been one of the few humans allowed to stay on Nebulos without restrictions and Daniel guessed this had a lot to do with it. And his former Headmaster partnership with the current Autobot liaison of Nebulos to Cybertron.
"Possible," he said and his grin grew wide. "But whatever it was, I got the permission!"
"Have you told your parents yet?" Kimberly asked.
He shook his head. "I want to go over now and tell them.... and something else if you ...err... say yes."
She gave him an inquiring look. "Say yes? To what?"
Daniel fidgeted a bit, looking indecisive for a moment. Then he dug out a small box from his pocket. He played around with it, looking like on the day of their first date, Kimberly thought with amusement. That had been a long time ago, but she would always remember the suddenly shy looks and complete indecision as to what to do now.
"Kimberly .... I ... you see, I thought about this and .... Damn, why is this so hard!?" He inhaled deeply. "It isn't much and it's only as a kind of advance payment, but ..." He looked into her eyes and took all his courage together, opening the box. "Will you marry me?"
Kimberly stared at him, jaw dropping to the floor. She got herself together in a hurry, trying to get her mind straight. Of course they had talked about their possible future together. Of course they had once or twice thought about the topic of marriage, but they had always both reminded themselves that they were both students still and Daniel's future was very vague. If he was accepted on the Nebulan university, continuing his Xenobiology studies there, it might give them some trouble. Daniel had to move to Nebulos, which was more than just moving to another state and there was no guarantee that the Nebulan government would allow his wife to do the same. The Nebulans were strange people.
"I....." Kimberly looked at the fine golden ring in the small box. "Yes!" she finally whispered. "Yes, I will!"
Daniel looked like a big weight had just been taken off his shoulders. He took the ring and gently stuck it on her finger, then kissed her softly.
"I think we should go and tell your parents the good news," Kimberly whispered. "All of it."
He chuckled. "Mom's gonna cheer when she hears it."
Kim grinned. "You betcha!"

* * *

He felt strange. His body felt strange. Thriller activated his optics and tried to stand. His body didn't react as predicted and he stumbled. Something was on his back and he was kneeling... no, he was standing on four legs.
"What....?" he breathed.
Jaimaa moved inside of him, as always wrapping most of herself around his central core. :: Easy :: she whispered. :: Slowly ::
Thriller breathed deeply and slowly looked down his body. His colors had changed. His basic color was now a dark anthracite, highlighted in light blue. At his sides were a large pair of wings, which were designed so it appeared that he had feathers. The feathers were actually carved into the metal in an intricate, fascinating pattern. As he stared at the unusual sight of wings, they bristled slightly with energy and he felt Jaimaa chuckle. A long tail stretched behind him, decorated with two rows of spikes and ending in two long, sharp looking stingers.
Thriller went to find a reflective surface and when he found one, he gaped at himself. He was a creature out of a fantasy dream. His head was that of a horse, with massive eye ridges. They swept back a bit. His neck was also covered by spikes and just behind his head were several, feather-like plates, which moved when he tried it. They flare into a kind of crest. His legs were bent a little, but his back was straight, not falling toward his hind legs. He wasn't a real dragon, he saw, with the feathered wings and the feather ornaments on his shoulders and thighs.
:: Transform :: Jaimaa told him.
He did, which was easier than he had thought. His robot body had changed as well. He no longer had a mouth. It was covered by a mask. His optics two golden orbs, which looked slightly like his dragon-eyes. The wings were gone, but the feather ornaments were still there. He was slimmer now and a bit taller. His Seeker symbol was on his arms.
:: Your weapons are on-line and you can check your systems if you want :: Jaimaa told him as he still stared at himself. :: Usually we don't transform a shell by ourselves. We use machines and energy that is not ours. Since I had nothing of that available, I used my own energy, my own powers. This had the effect that I am now everywhere. We are completely one."
"Yes," he muttered, stunned.
:: Do you like it?:: she wanted to know when he didn't move or access his systems.
Thriller chuckled. "Yeah. It's different. Smoother." He touched the feather symbols. "Where did you get the design from?"
:: Imagination :: she told him. :: And from what I encountered in so many travels ::
"It's very different from what I was," Thriller muttered. He had been smaller, with a broader body, dull colors and an aerial transformation that could be called an attack fighter. He had been short, swift and deadly. Now he was.... something. But he like it. "Needs some getting used to," he added.
:: You are different now. Thriller exists no more. Twilight does ::
"Twilight?" He looked at his new body. "Twilight," he muttered. "And you could do this all on your own? Transform me into another being?!"
:: Yes. We all can do it, but it takes a lot out of one being -- and it has the aforementioned price. No one wants to risk being bonded for life ::
Twilight frowned. "But you did."
:: We have no other chance to survive ::
"What now?" he asked.
:: Now we have to go. We have to watch my kind for further movement ::
"Watchers, eh?" Twilight shrugged. "Fine with me. What else?"
Jaimaa smiled grimly. :: Stop them. Sabotage their missions. Destroy the dead body shells they are gathering ::
"Destroy?!" Twilight was aghast. "But....!"
:: They are already dead, Twilight. We simply give their bodies the last honor by denying the Tji to take them over, to .... misuse them ::
He inhaled deeply. "Okay," he muttered reluctantly.
Twilight transformed again and launched himself into the sky.

* * *

"You were accepted?" Spike exclaimed and he stared at Daniel in a mixture of surprise and pride.
Daniel grinned. "Yeah. Came in the mail today. They said it would be an honor and all."
Carly hugged him. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Firebolt said he'd arrange quarters for me when I called him," Danny explained. "Arcee picks me up and accompanies me to Nebulos when she returns there in a few weeks."
"Then I guess you better get packed, eh?" Spike chuckled.
"Yep. But not before you get the second part of the latest news." Daniel took Kimberly's hand and inhaled deeply. "Kimberly and I are going to get married."
There was a second bout of speechlessness among the Witwickys, then Carly gave an exclamation of disbelief and joy. She embraced Kimberly tightly.
"Congratulations," she whispered into the young woman's ear.
Kim grinned. "Thanks."
Spike, who was smiling just as broadly, gave his son a pat on the shoulder. "You really are trying to wrap things up, don't you? Do you know when you want to marry? And where?"
Daniel looked caught. "Uh, no."
Kim giggled a bit. "We should wait until you get everything on Nebulos straightened out."
Daniel stared at her. "Okay," he then said. "I just don't know where to marry.... I mean ...."
Carly laid an arm around her son's shoulders. "Take your time, honey. Kimber is right. No sense hurrying everything before you move."
"And I hope we get an invitation to Nebulos when you are settled in!" Spike laughed.
Daniel grinned. "Of course you will."
"I'm proud of you, son," Spike said calmly and smiled.
"Thanks, Dad."

* * *

The Gate spewed him out and he leveled his wings, gliding gracefully down to the ground and transforming.
Twilight blinked in the bright light of the greenish yellow sun and looked round. He was in the middle of some kind of city. The city had been erected completely out of sandy brown stone and appeared deserted. Dust billowed in big clouds along the streets which were not paved. All in all there were only seven buildings and something that looked like a graveyard to the robot. Around the city was nothing but bare desert. The sand reflected the sun and it hurt his eyes to look at it too long. And then he saw the islands. Floating islands! There were several of them, the nearest about a hundred meters away from him. They had a conical shape and were covered with dried grass and dead bushes.
"Fascinating place," he remarked. "Where are we?"
:: Close to one of the old doorways :: Jaimaa answered. :: One who was destroyed through the incredible power output that came with the sealing of the main gateway ::
"Won't there be a Gatekeeper?" Twilight asked cautiously.
:: Not with this one. Since the doorway was so old and nearly impossible to use without endangering the travelers, it was generally not thought worth the attention ::
"Ah, then what do we want here?"
:: First it is a place to rest for us. You need to recharge after the battles. But I also want to see if there is any energy stored in the ruins of the doorway ::
"Energy? For what use?"
Jaimaa smiled. "To contact the main source running the doorways: Ralyk ::
Twilight was confused, but he followed Jaimaa's direction and left the abandoned city, walking deeper into the desert. He found the doorway not far away and it looked rather like a caved-in pyramind.
:: I can sense the energy :: Jaimaa told him. ::
Twilight didn't feel a thing.
:: We can use it to send the central control a message, give it the plans we stole ::
"Okay. How?"
:: Relax and let me access your controls. It won't hurt ::
Twilight sighed, but did as he had been asked. He trusted Jaimaa. She moved into the foreground and gently steered him toward the doorway

* * *

The wedding had gone nearly as well as Daniel had expected it, though with some minor catastrophes. They had both planned it to be a small wedding, but had ended up with a hell lot of people and Cybertronians. Kimberly had broken out in laughter as she had seen her parents' puzzled frown at so many and so unusual guests. Spike had told Kim that at their own wedding hadn't been less crowded. Kimber's parent's had flown down from Chicago and her brother and his wife had come in from Miami as well. The priest had been a bit baffled at first, finally realizing what the wedding of friends of the Autobots really meant. Daniel and Kim had told him what to expect but he probably hadn't really thought in these dimensions.
The organization had been well done, though, and Kim knew she would have to thank a lot of people for handling this so well. Melissa, Daniel's younger sister, had been the flower girl, Shanygn had acted as bride's maid and -- Kimber was proud that it had been possible -- Jazz had acted as best man. The Autobot had readily agreed, but had been very nervous just before the wedding.
The minor accidents had been really just that: minor. Bat had eaten the flower arrangements prior to the wedding, claiming he was so hungry. Talon had nearly shredded her dress, which she had borrowed from Shanygn, who was her size, after wheedling and pleading and begging for over a week. The reason had been a near-transformation after a little friendly fighting with Rodimus. Shanygn had come between them just in time to save her dress from being completely ruined. Shanygn had told Kimber prior to the wedding that she had no idea why the falcon-transformer wanted to wear a dress so badly. It wasn't as if she was naked without one, but Talon always loved to copy human behavior -- and if she couldn't she pestered every Cybertronian she found and copied him or her -- and denying her the fun to dress up would have resulted in complete disaster.
When the whole ceremony was over, everybody had cheered and gone over to the buffet tables, which had been arranged out in the open. This way robots and humans could walk around freely. The party had been a wild one, especially with Jazz dancing the night away with some of the female guests, supplying his own music, and Bat devouring the wedding cake. Talon had finally managed to shred Shanygn's dress when she had started to play chase with Bat and some teenagers, which had resulted in Rodimus trying not to laugh and Shanygn glaring at him for over half an hour.
Kimber had told Daniel that she didn't want to leave throughout the party to go on their honeymoon because she thought it was rude and not especially fun for the guests. He had agreed and they had left early the next day for their two weeks of nothing but enjoying themselves. Jazz had offered to drive them, but Kim and Dan had declined, smiling. They would use their own car -- which wasn't a Transformer.
Now, two weeks later, reality had them back and Kimber packed the last of her stuff into the overflowing suitcase. "I never knew I had so much stuff," she muttered and forced the lid shut.
Daniel chuckled. "And it isn't all that much women's stuff either. You have half an art studio in there!"
"Hey, I gotta make a living!" she laughed. "I have customers who expect me to travel well-prepared."
Daniel knew what she was talking about. Kimber had finished her studies and had left the university a few weeks before their wedding and had taken on a job as freelance artist for one of the biggest galleries in New York. She had a contract, though, and when they had heard she was moving to Nebulos, they had nearly jumped her with offers. Kimber had been so surprised that she had needed to sit down They wanted her pictures and had already made contracts for two books to be published with her art of Cybertron and the Autobots.
The approval for Kimberly's move to Cybertron, joining he husband on the faraway planet, had come a few weeks before the wedding and she had been relieved. The Nebulans were a bit strange concerning offworlders and their marriage had been a key argument. Earth had tried to negotiate settlement rights on Nebulos, but the Nebulans had denied that right. There would be no offworlder settlements anywhere on the planet and everyone who planned to stay for either studies or to trade was checked and received only a limited visa. The visa could be prolonged, but most of the times it wasn't. Nebulos was strict in that regard. Their past had made them wary and Kimber was one of the few offworlders who had an unlimited visa. Only few others had this honor.
Daniel had one more year to go at the Nebulan university and would then work on his doctorate as a Xenobiologist. After that he had already been offered a several jobs and he still had to decide what to do. He was very interested in working with the Nebulan government and the Cybertronians on exploration and the study of Nebulos. A lot of the planet was yet unexplored because the main focus was on the quickly developing the main city. Many Autobot and Nebulan expeditions had already taken place, but too much was still lost to the aspiring population. They had only lately finished the excavation of the underground city of the Hive and were now beginning to archive what they could.
"Ready?" he now asked his wife.
Kimberly nodded and took a last look around her old room, a small apartment off campus. She would miss it, but her excitement of going to Nebulos on a permanent basis was far outweighing her sadness about leaving her home.
"Let's go," she said and carried the last of her stuff out.
Outside Rodimus Prime was waiting, transformed into his truck mode, trailer opened to take in the last few boxes. Daniel had been surprised when the Autobots' second had told him he'd help moving Kim's things out of her old apartment and to the Metroplex space port. Rodimus had simply grinned and explained that this was an excuse as good as any to get away from the bustle of bureaucratics at Metroplex. Daniel understood it completely.
"Okay, guys, let's roll!" Rodimus now called and started his engine. The brightly colored truck moved away from the curb and drove down the street.

* * *

....... Time passed quickly and brought changes with it. One major change was the alliance between Autobots and Decepticons. It was a truce, to be correct, but both Megatron and Optimus knew that in reality it was more. If the Cybertronian races wanted to survive, the civil war had to stop, with neither side winning or losing it. If they continued fighting among their own while their warriors and civil population was abducted and killed by a powerful enemy, their own creators, then they deserved to perish. Neither lost a thought about what would happen if they won against the Tji. They only thought about what would be if they lost: they would be terminated.
Another change happened to Optimus Prime personally, at least a small one, and even after a few weeks had passed, Optimus still gnawed on what had happened. Mainly because he had been completely unprepared for it and because he had never expected this reaction to come from the person it had come from.
It was an open secret that he didn't trust Nightmare more than he would trust a Decepticon, though even with Decepticons there were differences. Octane and Blitzwing were one example. But Nightmare was different. He was a Decepticon Assassin -- had been one, he constantly reminded himself; the leader to be correct. Since their encounter in the Inner Maze, which had nearly led to Nightmare's death when he had tried to save Optimus, the Autobot leader had tried to straighten out his emotions and found that he was able to see an ally in Nightmare, not only the former enemy Static. But he still acted with a lot of reservations toward him and Nightmare accepted this, keeping out of Optimus' way as much as possible.
After Melissa Witwicky's birth, though, this had changed. At least the very moment Mel had been introduced to the Gatekeeper. Spike and Carly had brought the toddler along once and the two-year old girl had immediately fallen in love with the large equine. At that time no one had suspected or known about Mel's soon-to-develop empathy abilities. Optimus had watched the rapidly blooming friendship between the former Decepticon and the small human with wary distrust and a lot of anxiety.
Mel had first shown she was empathic to some degree, at least where robots were concerned, shortly after her ninth birthday and everyone had been confused what to do about it. Kayla had taken the child under her wing and taught her a few things about shields and control of her powers, and Mel had then started to experiment with the empathy, mostly on Nightmare and Raven at the time, then stretching her 'feelers' and learning more. The friendship had fused more and more into a tight bond, and with the bond came more problems for Optimus. He was somehow unable to find the assurance inside him that he could trust Nightmare with a human child. Optimus had no idea if he showed this openly or not, but he was soon shown he showed it quite clearly.

Mel hit the door opener with her fist and waited for the Autobot-sized door to slide open. She stormed into the office of Optimus Prime, her body radiating that she wasn't happy. Not at all.
"We need to talk!" the teenager told the Autobot leader, who sat behind his desk, signing papers.
Optimus looked up, his blue optics expressing startled surprise. Mel picked up his emotions quite clearly and she put her shields up. No unfair advantage.
"Yes? What can I do for you, Mel?"
"You can stop behaving like a complete idiot!" she told him bluntly.
Optimus blinked. "Uh, come again?"
Mel glowered at the much larger robot. "You heard me correctly. I'm talking about you and your stupid suspicions!"
"Suspicions?" he echoed warily. "What....?"
"Oh, stop it!" Mel exploded. "Do you think I'm blind? Do you think I'm stupid? I have eyes, I have a brain and when I add one and one I come up with an Autobot who is behaving like an idiot!"
Optimus clasped his hands. "Mel, I think....."
"You better stop thinking as well!" she interrupted angrily. "You think I'm a weak human -- okay! I am human and compared to you I am weaker, but I'm not helpless. You think I'm too young to understand what it means to be a former Decepticon, but I do! I have parents and a brother who can tell me all about it! You think I'll get stepped on by Nightmare one day because he simply has enough of this fleshling or because I'm in the way, but you are dead wrong! He is my friend!"
"He is a Decepticon!" Optimus told her.
Mel's face took on a different shade of red. "He was a Decepticon and he is a Gatekeeper! He is no danger!"
Optimus shot her a dark look. "You have no idea what he really is, Melissa....."
Mel looked like she was short of exploding now. "No idea? I am empathic, Optimus Prime! I read emotions! I read Nightmare better than any one of you! I know him inside out and I know he is as worried about me as you! But he is worried that he will get me into trouble because he is my friend! Damnit, I grew up among you big guys and I also have a bit of an advantage over many! I know the emotions of the robot I'm confronted with!"
Optimus tried to say something, but Mel gave him no chance.
"Keep out of my life, Optimus! Keep out of my relationships! You are neither my father, nor my commanding officer! And you sure as hell aren't Nightmare's! It's my life, our relationship! If I want to waste it with Nightmare, let me! If I want to gamble, let me gamble! Because I do! I gamble that Nightmare isn't projecting false emotions twenty-four hours a day, whether I'm around or not!"
She turned on her heel and stormed out of the office. Optimus stared after her, his mind blank, completely blank, for a second. Then he stared at the reports on his desk, unable to focus on them properly. Mel was right, he knew. Nightmare wouldn't hurt her for the world and he was so careful around the child, as if she was made out of glass. They had a deep friendship and Optimus knew he had to give them the leeway they were entitled to. He had to forget Nightmare's past. It would be hard, but it was either that or be confronted by this teenage vulcano again.
Optimus chuckled slightly, wondering where Mel had gotten that temper from. Spike was a very calm personality most of the time, as was Carly. Maybe it was a hidden family trait that surfaced only every other generation, he mused. With that he concentrated on the reports again.

........ More changes came with the arrival of Sparks, the pet Transformer who had no pet personality at all, but was fixed on Megatron as her 'owner'. Neither of them liked this 'relationship' very much and Sparks battled valiantly against the programming, using her individual personality to fight the pet side, though sometimes she lost. Optimus knew that over the months Megatron came to accept the small black and white cat, mainly because there was no other choice. Sparks was Sparks and there was no denying her constant presence.
Something no one had counted on, though, was her ability to reproduce, though not in any way an organic creature would. Sparks could produce personality cubes, but not the bodies. She had to depend on someone else to do it and the only one who would be any help was Vector Sigma, or better: Ralyk. The entity had a hidden sense of humor, having supplied Sparks' personality to the pet body before, and it had supplied the bodies to the small personality programs.

Megatron strode into his office, wishing there was a way to get through a day without some fight breaking out between the Autobot and Decepticon troops. The alliance had been necessary to fight a larger and more powerful enemy. Without joining their forces both Autobots and Decepticons would perish. Megatron knew more about their common enemy than the average Cybertronian and like Optimus and Rodimus he had agreed to keep it a secret that their enemy were their very own creators. Since the Decepticons under his command had no idea what they were really facing, except for the fact that the Tji they were going up against were the deadliest of all enemies their race had ever fought, they were not inclined to keep this alliance a peaceful one. Whenever individuals met, individuals who had always been fierce enemies, there was a fight. Thank Primus there had been no casualties or bad injuries, but it upset the alliance quite a bit. Like Optimus, Megatron tried to get his troops to settle down, to hold back their tempers, but to no avail. He had bashed in several heads over this and he was gaining some ground, but it was like running up against a wall of titanium steel!
Now, as the doors of his office closed after him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Why was it that he felt he was drowning in his command responsibilities when he had done it every day for the last nine million years or more? Why did it seem to be so much harder now? His current position was not much different than before, except that before he had been in the middle of an almost eternal civil war, acting as a battle commander. His main concerns a few decades ago had been to hold his position at the top of the Decepticon army and not fall victim to some usurper or other -- Starscream came to mind here; lead his army to victory against the Autobots; obliterate every last Autobot who would not bow to him and his aspiring empire; and strengthen the Decepticon power and empire. Now this had changed. He was still leader of the Decepticons, but everything else was no longer of the same importance as mere two decades ago. Now he was trying to get two hostile armies to act together to fight a larger threat. It was hell. It was worse than checking his quarters every night for assassination devices in his early years when his position as leader had not been as firm as millions of years later; when Starscream had undermined his every order; when the Decepticons had not yet learned that without Megatron there would no longer be a Decepticon force to be reckoned with.
Starscream.
Yes, that was another nagging problem. Starscream had been killed by Galvatron, but his ghost had survived. The ectoplasmic entity had continued to exist, finally meeting with someone who supplied him with not only a body but also a new purpose in life. He had turned into a Gatekeeper, guarding the main doorway on the space station Ralyk had once inhabited and fighting against their enemy for more than a century before turning up on Cybertron again. Now he was part of a team consisting of him as a Gatekeeper and the female Sphere as a Key. Sphere was is sister, created by the same entity, and also of much interest to Megatron, though he had to be careful in that regard. He was treading on dangerous ground. Since Megatron had returned as an ally, Starscream had been keeping as much distance as possible, which was just as well. Their first confrontation hadn't been a pleasant one and Optimus Prime had remarked several times that if they couldn't work together they should keep apart. There was no room for animosities.
Megatron entered his quarters and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Sparks sitting on his desk. His red optics flashed brightly. He was in no mood today to have the cat around. As he walked toward the desk he became aware of four more shapes, all moving around his desk.
"What the hell is going on here?" he growled.
Sparks stood up and stretched, yawning a bit. Megatron didn't like the glint in her emerald eyes. Sparks was no mere pet, he had found out soon after she had shown up in his quarters for the first time. She was a sharp-minded and also sharp-tongued individual, whose only problem was a faulty machine giving her the body and half the mind of a pet while Ralyk had supplied a normal personality.
"The family just came over for a visit," she said casually.
"Family?" he asked, his voice cold and dangerous. He really was in no mood for having this cat around. He needed some time alone to get his mind straightened out.
"Yes, the kids."
Megatron's optics darted over to one of the shapes, which was chasing one of the others around the room. The two shapes turned out to be cat-like robots. One was bright red and had the same white paws Sparks had, though its body was not covered with fur. The second one looked.... Megatron blinked. This cat was black and gray, also with metal skin, and looked like Ravage! The other two were a long-haired gray cat and .... he blinked again. A griffin?
"Kids?" he finally echoed, his voice losing several degrees more and turning icy cold. "Your children?"
Sparks nodded proudly.
Megatron walked around his desk and viciously punched one of the buttons on his terminal, calling the current commander on Cybertron: Rodimus Prime.

*

Rodimus blinked as he saw the family of cats sitting, or in case of the kittens: playing, in his office.
"You had kittens?" he asked Sparks in confusion.
"Yep."
"But ... how?"
Sparks gave him a critical look. "Rodimus, I think we two have to talk," she said.
Rodimus shot her a nasty look. "What I meant is: who is the father and why did you have them? Where did the bodies come from?"
Rodimus watched Maverick, the black and gray one who looked so suspiciously like Ravage chase Red, the red and white one, around the room. Sparks had explained to him that the four youngsters needed a bit of time to get their personalities settled in. Normally personalities were created by Vector Sigma and when borne into a body the robot would be mature. Now a Transformer, one who was trapped inside the body of a pet, had joined with another Transformer and had managed to create her own personality cores. Well, it wasn't unheard of that Transformers could reproduce like that. Hell, Firefall had reproduced, though she wasn't an Autobot and her condition was a bit different from anyone. She hosted a symbiont who played no small part in developing the offspring. But still, Sparks' reproduction was a surprise. No Transformer Rodimus knew had ever tried it because of the risk involved. If the personality was damaged or the 'parents' were unable to find a body shell, the program would either be irreparably damaged or destroyed. And anyway: Vector Sigma housed so many personalities that creating some on their own had never been an option and Rodimus had to confess he had never even thought about it in all his life.
"Ralyk supplied the bodies," Sparks informed him.
"Ralyk?" Was there anything the entity didn't have its tentacles, or whatever, in?
"Yeah. I asked..... " She shrugged. "As to the why: I thought it would be fun."
"Fun?" Something whisked past him and he thought it had to be Maverick. "This could have gone horribly wrong, Sparks! The risk involved in creating offspring is incredible!"
Something flapped angrily and there was a soft 'thump'. Rodimus sighed, bent down, and picked up Xanadu, the small griffin who was trying desperately to get his large wings straightened out.
"Who's the father?" he repeated the as to yet unanswered question.
Sparks kept her silence.
Rodimus glowered at her and then watched Maverick finally catch Red and start a fight. The two cats clawed at each other, but kept their talons sheathed.
"Ravage?" he then hazarded a wild guess.
Sparks sighed. "Yes."
The Autobots' second sighed as well and placed Xanadu down on the floor, where he walked over to Fuzz, the fourth of the litter and who was cleaning her long, gray fur.
"Okay," he finally muttered. "You are responsible for them as long as their personalities are still developing. And I want you to get them over to First Aid for a check, understood?"
Sparks transformed and snapped a salute that made Rodimus groan. "Yes, sir!"
She transformed again and jumped off the table. As she left the office the four kittens followed their mother without protest, Xanadu dragging his uncooperative wings on the floor.
"Ravage," Rodimus muttered and shook his head. "I wonder if Soundwave knows....."

*

SMACK!
Optimus stopped immediately and looked down on the floor. Whatever had just flown straight into his chest like a speeding bullet, it now sat on the floor, looking rather confused. And whatever it was, it had wings that seemed to be too large for his dark brown and sandy colored body.
"Ouch!" the little creature muttered. "I am never going to learn to fly right..."
The creature, to Optimus it looked like a cross between a feline and a bird, started to rearrange his large wings, trying to get them back up on his back.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Optimus finally asked since the small robot ignored him.
The small robot looked up and up and up, finally tumbling over backwards as it lost its balance. One of the wings slid down and it tripped over it in the process. It sat down hard on its lion-like tail.
"Meowtwip!" it exclaimed and tried to get away from big figure.
Optimus reached down and held on to the small transformer, but that made him struggle even more.
"Leggo of me!" it protested and now that Optimus saw it up close, it looked suspiciously like a griffin. And it had no insignia anywhere.
The griffin growled, though the growl was a rather small one and sounded unconvincing. It pawed at him, but since it had no sharp claws, the paw did no damage at all. The griffin gave a frustrated snort at the ineffectual attack.
"What's you name?"
The griffin glared at Optimus, trying to at least look dangerous
"Who are you?" Optimus repeated.
All he got was a stubborn stare and that the little robot drew himself up to his full height and puffed up his chest. He had something looking like feathers covering his head, neck and chest, though the feathers were not real and just carved into the metal skin.
That was the moment another airborne Transformer flew into the room. Talon gave an enraged screech as she saw Optimus with the griffin in one hand. The griffin struggled again, giving a heart-wrenching wail
"Optimus let go of him!" Talon cried.
"What is this here?" Optimus demanded.
"Let go of kitten!" Talon repeated, enraged.
"Kitten?" Optimus was confused. "Whose?"
"Mine." Talon smiled proudly.
"You can't have kittens, you are a bird." Optimus didn't add that Talon was also unable to reproduce like this, at least not to his knowledge. He knew the ability existed, but it was dormant in many of them and no one had ever tried it because of the dangers involved.
"And Sparks'," Talon added as if in an afterthought.
Optimus blinked. Sparks? "She ... had kittens? How?" His hold on the griffin had relaxed and the robot glided more or less gracefully -- more less than more -- to the floor.
Talon gave him a frown. "You not know how?" she asked.
"Ahhh .... " Optimus was glad he couldn't blush. "Who's the father?" he then managed.
"Cassette cat."
"Ravage?!" he exclaimed. Soundwave's cassette?
"Yep." Talon gave the griffin a once-over. He was trying to settle his wings on his back. They kept sliding down again.
"What's his name?" Optimus then asked.
"Xanadu. Talon is aunt. Takes care of him. Teaches him to fly!" Talon looked proud.
"Ah. I see."
Talon hopped over to Xanadu.
"I'm a cat, not a bird," the griffin muttered, staring at his wings in disgust.
"You are a griffin," Talon said, her English clear and without fault. Optimus sometimes wondered if she only talked like this to hide that she had grown up and was no longer a 'child'. People tended to forgive Talon her manners, actions and behavior since her personality program was damaged.
"I'm still a cat! My Mom's a cat, my Dad's a cat....."
"And you have wings," Optimus chuckled. It earned him a dark look from Xanadu.
"Griffin!" Talon cried happily, switching back to her old, child-like voice and behavior. "Fly. Easy. See?" She flapped her wings
Xanadu groaned. "Easy for you!"
He transformed into a bipedal robot who wasn't very much taller than Sparks. His wings lay on his back, tightly locked into position. He kept his color scheme, his chest and arms a dark chocolate brown with the feather ornament, the lower body a sandy brown with silver highlights.
Talon sighed. "No fly?"
"Nope, I'd rather walk," Xanadu replied and then started to walk down the corridor.
Optimus, who had been on his way to Rodimus Prime when Xanadu had bumped into him, shook his head and continued his own way to his intended destination. He hoped Rodimus could explain this to him!
But Optimus never had the chance to get to the conference room. Something seemed to brush by him.
-- She is coming back -- Ralyk whispered.
Optimus knew what it meant and he lost no time feeling enraged by Ralyk's way of intruding upon his thoughts. He ran back the way he had come.

* * *

Ath'antheia was not happy. The attack on Trbeca had gone horrible and he had lost many valuable body shells, but luckily enough no Tji had been killed. Some were wounded through the sudden death of their shells or weakened by being forced to retreat out of the dead shells so quickly. Those needed time to readjust to a new one.
"This didn't go too well," Anrhenjx muttered angrily and watched the small planet fall away beneath them.
Ath'antheia growled something and walked over to the plotting table, leaning heavily onto the edges, staring at the display of their current trajectory.
"Where to now?"
The Tji leader looked at his second and even though the dead face of the robot was expressionless, Anrhenjx thought he saw cold anger there. "We are not far from another doorway," he mused out aloud.
"But it is probably just as well protected," Anrhenjx told him carefully.
"This one wasn't protected! We could have taken it!"
"But we didn't."
Ath'antheia growled again. "It wasn't the Gatekeeper who exploded the doorway," he then said coldly. "It was done by an outside force."
Anrhenjx frowned, which was not visible on the dead face of his body shell. "If not the Gatekeeper, who?"
Ath'antheia started to pace. "There are few things that could get into the system and explode a doorway. Since we destroyed all Controllers, I suspect it was Ralyk."
"What?! Ralyk was shut down and has not been reactivated!" Anrhenjx exclaimed. "My team is still trying to figure out where the key reactivation codes are."
Ath'antheia gave him a thoughtful look. "Ralyk is no longer on the station. It left. As for the reactivation codes, I don't believe they are on the station any longer. Ralyk is highly intelligent. It resisted our first attempts to take over the station and it then locked everything down all of a sudden and left. Now it destroyed the first doorway we tried to conquer..... it knows."
"How?"
The Tji leader gave a cold smile. "How did it ever know, Anrhenjx? Since it was borne it gave me the creeps. At the time Drijat was all for raising the entity and giving it a home in the station. I think she never knew how much further the child developed, compared to the parent entity. Ralyk is highly intelligent and the dormancy time did it a lot of good. It's too damn dangerous and cannot be controlled by us anymore. We never could control it anyway. Now it's somewhere out there and watching us."
"Maybe it had an informant as well -- Jaimaa," Anrhenjx muttered.
Ath'antheia shook his head. "No. Ralyk doesn't need informants. It is the system and the system reaches out into every corner of the known universe so far -- maybe even further."
"So what now?"
The Tji leader frowned. "A new plan," he muttered. "A new strategy." He looked at the map of their flight trajectory. "Something to distract them while we hit them hard; hard enough to make them vulnerable, to let them bleed to death before we take them out completely."

* * *

The doorway opened in a bright explosion of light and Firefall stepped out of it. The doorway remained open and the pattern on Firefall's chest was glowing brightly in red and purple as she forced energy into the opening to keep in stable.
"It's safe," she said. "Get them."
First Aid didn't hesitate for a moment and walked into the doorway, closely followed by Starscream and Nightmare. Rodimus had first argued that he should accompany them as well, but Nightmare had told him that if there was a sudden attack, they couldn't afford to lose any of the leaders. Rodimus had argued for some time, joined by Midnight, but then had agreed. Optimus Prime had arrived only a few minutes before the doorway had suddenly opened and only because Ralyk had warned them through Sphere had they been able to prepare. Spook was among them as well, anxiously watching the rescue procedures.
Starscream was the first to return, carrying the badly damaged form of Archer.
Shanygn gave a moan. "Oh, no.....!"
Archer had lost his paint job, as well as his second layer of skin. Most of his mid-section had been blown away and he was missing a leg. There was a deep and fluid-encrusted cut along his left arm, running from his wrist to his shoulder. The medical team moved in immediately.
Nightmare and with him First Aid returned half a minute later and Firefall's artificial doorway closed with a snap. Rodimus felt sick as he saw the state IceAngel was in. He had never seen the Gatekeeper before and Nightmare had only given them a rough idea of who was who, but there wasn't much left of the female. Optimus' blue eyes grew dark and Rodimus knew he felt as sick as everyone did, maybe even more.
IceAngel had had a dragonic transformation mode, or so Rodimus guessed. The body was four-legged, but two legs were badly mangled and nearly torn off. The wings had been blown off completely. and she looked like someone had tried to gut her.
"Take them down to the emergency medical ward," Optimus said calmly, his voice so devoid of emotions that Rodimus winced a bit.
The two severely injured robots were carried off and Optimus shot a dark look toward Firefall, who had not moved an inch. She returned his look, just as coldly, and Rodimus knew there would be another 'argument' between those two soon. If Firefall had been sooner to retrieve IceAngel and Archer they might be in a much better condition, but the Venerakkin leader hadn't. She had argued that no Sentinel was worth the risk of returning to a planet that had just recently been attacked by Tji and that the Gatekeeper was either dead or, if alive, useless anyway, for the doorway was destroyed. Well, now the Sentinel and the Gatekeeper were back and with any hope, they might even survive.
"Let's go," Rodimus muttered and Shanygn nodded.
Firefall remained behind, her pattern still glowing brightly, her golden eyes cold and angry. She watched the Autobots and Sentinels disappear, then transformed and shot off into the sky.

* * *

Three: Midday Heat

It had been another exceptionally long day and Nicholas Cavanaugh was yearning for a nice, hot cup of coffee and somewhere to put his feet up. On days like these he also wished he had never left Springwater the relative quiet of Doug's garage. Sure, he had had his stressy days there too, but working on Metroplex gave stress a new definition. And it didn't help that Raoul Simone the chief engineer, had more or less declared that Nicholas was his second. Whenever there was a problem with either Metroplex himself or the city beneath and all around him, it was Nicholas they came running to. Nicholas had suffered through this for some weeks, then had asked one of the engineers if there weren't deputies or something. Why was he the main person they came running to? It had worked and taken quite a load of work off his shoulders -- only to get new work. Now he was on Cybertron, called there by Rodimus Prime to help on some new project or other -- the young commander had been really close-mouthed about it -- and waiting to be called for a briefing. It gave him a bit of time to get over the lag from the flight and catch up on a bit of relaxation.
Nicholas had a unique talent no one could explain by scientific means. He didn't need instructions or plans or scans to fix something. He simply started the repair or check and his brain worked out the complicated structure of what he was working on. He didn't need to know how a Transformer was designed. It came to him in the first few minutes of the repair. Raoul only shook his head in amused confusion, but he let Nicholas work the way he wanted to. This way they had redesigned major parts of Metroplex and work was still continuing, even though Nicholas had been laid off for a few weeks. He had been involved in a major accident, nearly killing him. The engineer rubbed his eyes as memories as to why he had survived came back.
Tornado.
Midnight had told him in no uncertain terms that it had been Tornado who had held him until the medics had stopped the bleeding and closed the nasty wound which had left him with quite a scar, which he also refused to have cosmetically removed. It was a reminder, he told the doctors. He would keep it,
Nicholas sighed. Tornado and he had Interfaced months ago, but neither of them was overly thrilled by it. For Tornado it meant having an organic close his mind, able to get closer than anyone, to possibly read him. He didn't care if it enhanced his abilities. He was simply terrified by the concept, as he had always been. Nicholas on the other hand had been angered, then frustrated, then depressed, somehow everything all at once, because Interfacing meant you stopped aging and were bound to a robot partner, doomed to live as long as he lived. There was no chance of having a relationship with a woman, have children, have a family. He would see his wife and children grow old and die while he stayed the same and continued living. Nicholas had just turned forty last summer and even though it might be a bit late to have a family, he had at least hoped to find a lasting relationship. Now .... he shook his head.
It wasn't Tornado's fault, he told himself. He was just a victim like Nicholas; a victim of his design, which had triggered the Interfacing. How, that was everyone's guess. No one could explain how the circuits inside the Seekers and Sentinels chose the perfect Interface partner. It just happened. Even Nicholas had his problems explaining it. He understood Interfacing, but the initiation he couldn't explain. It was a mystery.
Nicholas got himself a coffee, which was as always exceptionally bad and he wondered if they would ever manage to get some good one here, and sat down on a chair, putting his feet up on the table. He felt incredibly tired. The tiredness had been a constant companion throughout the months after his Interface. Since neither Tornado nor he wanted to acknowledge what had happened, they both shielded like mad, which drained them both, leaving them tired and with a constant nagging headache no pain killer could fight. Nicholas didn't know about robots and headaches, but he knew that Tornado was suffering some effect or other.
Both Rodimus and Optimus had talked to him, trying to make him see that they were destroying each other with that, but Nicholas argued that he didn't want to burden Tornado, who already had enough problems on his own. Rodimus had told him quite clearly that this major crap.
He looked at the clock hanging on the wall. The briefing was not about to start for over two hours and maybe he should take a walk and have a look around the South Port complex. He hadn't been here for a long time. Nicholas got his jacket and walked unhindered out of the complex. As he made his way up to one lookout points, which would give him a better idea of what had changed here, he became aware of a tingling feeling, similar to the one had felt when had first Interfaced with Tornado. Next came the distinctive sound of jet engines.
"Oh, no," Nicholas moaned and stared at the dark blue jet passing overhead. He stumbled against a building as the shields he had so painstakingly erected started to crumble. Tornado's presence was overwhelming
The jet turned in a tight circle and transformed. Tornado touched down not far away from him, looking likewise confused, swaying a bit. His silver optics were brightly lit. The Seeker stepped unsteadily closer to where Nicholas was hanging on to the wall to stay upright. Their eyes met and Nicholas knew there was no more denying what should have happened months ago. They had come to accept each other, that they were bound together on a very intimate level, but neither had wanted to acknowledge it through a phasing. Both were too much afraid of it. Nicholas felt the shields crack and crumble, his head swimming, his knees weak. The power of an Interface was enormous, even if both partners were not 100% Interfaced. No one understood what it really meant, except for those who were Interfaced. And Nicholas understood that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that two Interfaced partners could separate or even try to live separately.
The last shield went down and the world around him went pure white.

Phoenix had followed Tornado as closely as she had dared, keeping out of his sensor range, but still close enough to interfere if something unforeseen happened. This meeting wasn't by chance. It had been engineered and staged by Optimus, Rodimus, Midnight and herself. All four knew that Tornado needed to let Nicholas phase into him to complete the Interface process, to get the shields down and open up. The Seeker leader had been suffering just as much as the human and Phoenix' worry had been reflected by the others. Even though both partners had come to accept each other, neither had made the last step. Now it was time for someone else to take over command and do it for them.
Rodimus had called Nicholas to Cybertron under the cover of having something important he needed Nicholas' unique talents for. Midnight had made a call to Skritakaar and told Tornado he was needed on Cybertron concerning a very important meeting of the Council. Tornado had been in a very bad shape by then, unable to concentrate properly and in constant pain coming from his abused Interface circuits. Every Seeker under his command had told Phoenix that it was madness to deny the Interfacing. But Tornado had not wanted to listen.
Now he had to listen.
Phoenix watched the two partners meet and then saw Nicholas body dissolve into nothingness.
Yes! she cheered silently and sent a signal to Midnight. The Sentinel leader had been close by as well, but keeping more distance than Phoenix. Tornado stumbled against the building closest to him and sank to his knees, his skin suddenly turning the usual deep dark blue and his silver eyes bright and aflame with different emotions. His hands dug into the ground and he trembled, then quieted down.
Midnight passed overhead and Phoenix watched him transform and touch down. She edged closer. Tornado got to his feet, Nicholas still phased into him, and looked at the Sentinel.
"Cheap trick," he whispered, his voice wavering with emotions.
Midnight grinned irrepressibly. "But it worked. How do you feel?"
"Better," Tornado confessed, sounding slightly surprised.
"Good. Bear with it and don't fight it, Tornado."
The Seeker chuckled softly. "I couldn't even if I wanted to anymore......"
Midnight smiled gently. "Can you transform? I'd like you to get checked by First Aid."
Tornado nodded and both of them took off. Phoenix smiled and did the same, following them, intent to talk to her leader now that he had finally realized where his future lay.

* * *

The night sky around him was filled with lightning, but not of the natural kind. It was artificial lightning, deadly and aimed at him. He curved his wings a bit, gliding down toward the ground, hoping to shake off his pursuers somewhere in the maze of stalagmites growing out of the rocky ground of this planet. He changed the angle of his wings and sailed like a speeding bullet through the maze.
But they were not easily shaken off. Their vision as good as his in the dark, they aimed their weapons, firing again and again. It was getting too close for his comfort now. He was already injured, the wound bleeding sluggishly, but bleeding nevertheless, losing coolants and servo fluids. Jaimaa was doing her best to close his wounds as quickly as they were inflicted, but since he was moving all the time, this was a difficult task.
One of the lightning bolts got too close, burning his wing and making him tumble. He gritted his teeth. He had to make it. Twilight transformed, turning and aiming at his pursuers. They had begun a full scale attack. He targeted the robot closest to him and fired. Twilight was rewarded with the sight of the robot veering off, one wing in flames. But there were more of them and even the damaged one still kept in the air, though it looked like it a drunken bird
:: Gate! :: Jaimaa whispered.
"Not enough energon," he groaned.
:: Do it! :: she ordered.
Twilight had to trust her. Their lives were one; if she sent him into death, Jaimaa would die as well. He locked on random coordinates, transformed and Gated.

* * *

Spook looked down at the much smaller robot, who sat on the small mount of rubble with a slightly lost expression in her eyes.
"You never told them," he remarked.
Firefall sighed. "No."
"Why?" the half-serpent asked.
"I ...." she started, then stopped. "I'm a Guardian," she finally continued. "It's my job to protect Gaelon and her kind."
"At every cost?"
Firefall looked at him and Spook knew she was deeply troubled. She was always so controlled when around the others, but he knew her too well, had known her back in the old times, to be fooled by the facade. Of course she had changed, but outside changes couldn't detract from inside troubles. And she was very troubled, especially by the lies she had to uphold every day.
"Maybe," she finally said.
Spook gently touched the Venerakkin with the tip of his flexible tail. "Maybe not. They were your friends in the past and they are trying to show you that for them nothing much has changed. Try to trust them; just try it."
Firefall's optics flashed. "I don't know if I can, Spook."
His own golden optics darkened. "This web of lies you constructed will break one day, Firefall. And if the web breaks, there is nothing left to catch you. The results might be catastrophic."
She sighed. "I know. Listen, Spook, I know that you always knew the truth. Please continue to keep your silence on the matter. I promise I will tell them the truth one day; but not just now."
The ancient robot shook his head with a silent sigh. "As you wish. But please remember that I warned you. If the web fails, you will plunge into a bottomless hole."
"I'll have to learn to fly then," Firefall answered and rose, walking away.
Spook watched her sadly. "With broken wings?" he asked softly.

* * *

Goldbug saw the attack coming, but he never had a chance. He was a spy, not a warrior. The much larger robot charged and the first shot went into the small Autobot's shoulder, piercing the armor and destroying several relays and circuits. Goldbug gave a gasp of pain and fell back against the nearest building. This had been a bad idea. Very bad. Goldbug was part of an exploration team, consisting of Mirage, Sunstreaker and himself. Their task was to map out an assigned part of Cybertron and send the results back to South Port. Goldbug had ventured deeper into one of the abandoned parts of an old city and now he was in deep trouble.
The city as such had to be ancient and many of the buildings were nothing but ruins anymore. Between the buildings lay rubble and debris, as well as the occasional body shell. Goldbug had felt extremely unwell, but compared to his situation now, the previous had been just fine. Rumors had it that this was Decepticon territory and that some renegades were still hiding out here, but rumors had never held him back. Maybe, he thought now, he should have listened to them.
The Decepticon towered over him, grinning down on him, his weapon trained on Goldbug's chest. "Say your last prayer!" he hissed.
The Decepticon looked like he hadn't had a maintenance check for millennia. His armor had a patched-up look to it and he was a mix of different colors and materials used to repair him. He had to be one of the many renegades left, those who defied Megatron's order to stop this senseless fighting and continued with their own little war.
"Good advise," a female voice suddenly said and the Decepticon whirled around.
"You!" he hissed. "I thought we had finished you for good at Mignas Point!"
Goldbug blinked as he became aware of the owner of the female voice. It was another Decepticon, he judged, though the symbol on her chest had a rather worn quality. She was about as tall as Optimus Prime, maybe only half a head smaller, slim and colored in the weirdest color he had ever seen. It looked like her body had the bluish steel gray color of the planet itself. Red eyes glowed softly in the dark face and Goldbug tried to attach a name to the strange looks. He couldn't find one.
"It takes more than the likes of you to finish me off, Masquerade."
Masquerade laughed harshly. "Don't think you can scare me with that, female! First you die, then the Autobot." And he attacked.
Later, Goldbug couldn't quite recall what had happened then, only that after a flurry of movements from the female and some heavy firing from Masquerade, the male Decepticon lay on the ground, a stab wound in his chest, bleeding heavily. The female stood over him, holding a rather large sword, which she now stowed on her back between two weird looking constructions, which Goldbug guessed were wings or something. The wings lay over her shoulder like a cloak, then crossed on her back. They weren't flexible.
Now the female looked at the small Autobot, her face devoid of any triumph he had thought she might feel. She approached him and Goldbug tried to get away.
"I'm not your enemy," the Decepticon said, smiling a bit.
"How do I know?" Goldbug asked roughly. His injury wasn't all that severe but he would never be a match for the Decepticon, even if he was in perfect shape.
"If I were, I would have waited for Mask to take you out." She looked around. "We should get out of here right now before his friends find him."
She reached down and Goldbug let himself get pulled up. "What's you name?" he asked as he followed her through the streets and noticing that they were going back the exact way he had come. He wondered if she had watched him.
"Riverdance," she answered.
Goldbug frowned. He didn't recognize the name. They arrived outside the city without problems. Goldbug couldn't help staring at Riverdance, who kept looking around warily.
"Hey, Goldbug!" someone suddenly called. Goldbug discovered Sunstreaker running toward him. "What happened to you? You didn't venture into the city, did you?"
Goldbug touched his shoulder wound. "Nothing serious, and yes, I did go into the city."
"And you met Decepticons," Mirage remarked and appeared beside Sunstreaker.
Goldbug shrugged. "Yeah, but someone helped me." He turned and blinked. The spot was empty.
"Who?" Sunstreaker asked.
Goldbug shook his head. "She was here a second ago...." he muttered.
"She? A female Autobot?"
"No, Mirage, not an Autobot. A Decepticon."
The other two Autobots looked at each other. "A female Decepticon? There aren't many of them anymore...." Sunstreaker shook his head. "I think Prime will be very interested in that."
Goldbug nodded, looking at the ruined city, trying to discover a trace of Riverdance. There was none.
"C'mon, Goldbug!" Mirage called as he transformed.
Goldbug nodded and transformed as well. The three Autobots drove off back to the South continent and the South Port complex. As they disappeared something shifted in the shadows of a near building. Riverdance let her skin shift back to its usual pattern and smiled, her dark red optics glowing softly. Then she turned away and walked along the city border, vanishing into the shadows once more.

* * *

Twilight had the feeling of being cut apart molecule by molecule, then reassembled, but in the wrong way. Lights danced around him, suddenly replaced by darkness, then light again. He wanted to scream, to yell, to shout, but he couldn't. Then, all of a sudden, the feeling was gone. He gasped and looked around. Wherever he was, it wasn't the planet he had been at mere seconds ago anymore. This planet was no wasteland, it was a green forest.
And he was not alone.
Two humans stood not far away from him, one male, the other female. The male one was tall, dark-haired and dressed in what looked like an official overall. The female had long, much darker hair and was wearing the same official clothes. Both stared at him in a mixture of surprise and fear.

Daniel stared at the large robot, moving back instinctively, shielding his wife. The robot stared back at them, its golden eyes confused. Daniel noticed the wounds on the body, recent wounds, and the overall tired look. Red, who was at their side in his cat mode, hissed dangerously, his shoulder weapons sliding out of their hidden compartments and aiming at the newcomer.
"Who ..... who are you?" he asked.
"Where am I?" the robot asked, the voice clearly male.
"Nebulos," Daniel explained calmly, though he didn't really feel calm.
"Ah." He blinked. "Uhm, my name is Twilight," he added.
"I'm Daniel Witwicky, liason to Nebulos, and this is Kimberly, my wife" Daniel introduced themselves. "And this is Red," he added and gestured at the brightly red cat. "How did you get here?"
"I'm not sure," Twilight muttered. "Can't stay.... have to leave...."
He looked around and his ears suddenly flattened to his head. The wings rustles slightly and energy arced between the stylized feathers. One wing looked badly burned.
Daniel looked into the direction Twilight did and discovered a cloud of dust. The Headmasters? Possibly. Twilight moved away from Daniel and he noticed the limp. One of the hind legs was slashed up.
"You need help," he told the stranger.
"No, no, I'm fine." Twilight looked nervous. "I'm sorry if I frightened you. It wasn't intended."
The robot spread his wings and launched himself into the air, flying away faster than Daniel had expected. About two minutes later Chromedome arrived and transformed.
"Are you two all right?" he asked.
Daniel nodded and so did Kimberly. Red transformed, his emerald eyes still glowing from the energon rush he had had.
"We picked the stranger up five minutes after he appeared," the Headmaster explained. "He just popped up on the security cameras. Who was it?"
"He said his name is Twilight," Daniel told him. "I have no idea where he came from or what he represents, though the insignia looked a bit like a Sentinel's."
"Seeker," Red supplied helpfully. At Daniel's raised eyebrow he shrugged. "The things you pick up while hanging around on Cybertron ...."
Chromedome looked thoughtful. "Give me a sketch," he finally told the human. "I'll send it to Midnight."
Daniel smiled at Kimberly. "That's your department, Kim. I'm not good at drawing."
She chuckled. "No problem. I can even give you a sketch of this weird guy." She tapped her head. "Artist's memory."
Chromedome smiled. "Perfect."

* * *

"Rakhaya?"
Riverdance transformed out of her bat mode and touched down without a sound. Her body was tense, ready to fight or flee if things got nasty. She eyed the male Transformer, who looked like no one she knew. He was colored in silver and dark blue and some parts were highlighted in dark red. He seemed to be an aerial fighter and he wore a Decepticon symbol, but below the familiar symbol was a very strange one; one she had never seen before.
"Who are you? How do you know my name? How did you know my personal com line?"
"It's me, Raya, Starscream. You saved one of the Autobots and I heard about it, heard the description of the female in question." He smiled slightly. "You always did inspire fascination with those camouflage colors and the fact that you are female."
She looked at him with narrowed optics. "Starscream? You can't be Starscream. He looked different! Who are you?!"
"I changed, yes. I have a new body and a new life." Starscream shrugged. "Dying once and fighting to keep your conscience alive changes you. But it is still me. Few know your old name and even fewer know the frequency."
Riverdance frowned. There were few who knew her old name, the name that had died when she had left the Decepticons millions of years ago, so much was true. Megatron and Starscream, as well as Soundwave, were some of those few.
"Prove it."
He smiled and the smile reminded her of the sarcastic grin Starscream when he was about to reveal something she wouldn't want to get out in the open with strangers listening in.
"How? By telling you about our 'relationship'?" He grinned wryly. "How we met? About the Diyah Central ruins? How we spent hours in a caved-in room and you nearly took me apart?" The grin turned sly. "How you defied Megatron in every way and still made it to the top of the ranks?
Riverdance frowned, aware that some of it might be known to several Decepticons, maybe even Autobots if rumors spread, but Diyah Central was something none of them had ever talked about outside their private talks. It had been a short and intimate moment and it had not happened again. The war had driven them apart and Starscream had turned from a scientist into a warrior, rising to the post of second-in-command to Megatron and leaving Cybertron. She had always thought him dead until a few decades ago, when news of the crashed ship had filtered through the net. But Riverdance had never come back to the surface, facing her former friends and enemies. She had fought her own battles. And now she thought that what had happened then could never be recaptured. She had grown, Starscream had changed; there simply was no chance.
"You changed a lot," she finally said, her eyes wandering from the Decepticon symbol to the latest addition, the Gatekeeper insignia.
"Yes, on the outside."
"And on the inside?" she inquired.
"A bit," he confessed.
"Why have you come?"
Starscream smiled slightly. "To see if I was correct, that you are still alive. And to see if I can convince you to come back with me."
Riverdance's optics narrowed. "Back where? Megatron? No, thanks, Screamer. I'd rather go up against the renegades here."
He shook his head. "A lot has changed in the world, not just the outside shell." He gave her a brief version of what had happened in the last years and Riverdance tried not to stare at him in open-mouthed shock.
"An alliance?"
He nodded. "And a new war. Riverdance, we could need your help. Trust me."
Riverdance looked at him in silence for a long time. She was tempted to believe. She was tempted to see if there was an alliance and if the constant fighting could finally end; at least the fighting against renegades and the daily hiding in shadows, the lurking, the fear and the death.
"I will trust you, Starscream," she finally said. "But if this is a trick to lure me into a trap, you will scrape your parts together for the next millennia."
Starscream grinned. "Just like in the old days."

* * *

Twilight was in pain and he knew Jaimaa couldn't handle it anymore. He needed to find a secluded spot and rest, give his partner a chance to heal the wounds and mend the broken parts. His wings still carried him, but he was sagging and soon he wouldn't be able to stay airborne anymore.
:: Land :: Jaimaa whispered intensely.
"Can't," he answered. "If I do, they catch us.... can't let them...."
:: They won't kill you :: she said softly.
"Wanna bet?"
His left wing gave way a bit and he started to tumble.
:: Land! ::
Twilight sighed heavily and did. He knew they were close behind him and he had no chance. He gathered his wings at his sides and looked around, already seeing them approach. A Sentinel, he realized, shivering a bit.
:: Trust :: Jaimaa told him. :: They won't shoot to kill. You know Midnight. I know him through you. He is not a killer ::
Midnight transformed and landed smoothly, gracefully. Twilight tensed, moving back a bit.
"Who are you?" Midnight demanded. "And how did you get here?"
"My name is Twilight," he answered carefully.
"How did you get through the security?" Midnight asked.
Security? Twilight wondered.
:: They have very high level security bubble shields around the planet :: Jaimaa informed him. :: We passed through it without setting it off. But I don't know how ::
"I .... I don't know," he said aloud.
Another robot arrived and Twilight felt Jaimaa wince violently inside himself. :: NO! :: she called, clearly aghast. :: No, no, no! ::
Twilight felt her shiver inside him, trying to curl tightly around his central core as if to protect him. He looked at the newcomer, a black female robot with a flaming red and purple pattern on her chest. Her golden eyes fixed on him and he shivered, feeling Jaimaa prepare herself for ... a fight? What was wrong?
:: She is Venerakkin :: Jaimaa whispered intently. :: They still exist! We need to get out of here. I didn't count on that! ::
He let her feel his confusion.
:: She carries a Veneran, one of my kind, but from another tribe. We Tji are renegades, hated by our kin for what we did and are still doing. She will soon know what you are and try to kill me! ::
Twilight sent her a wave of emotions, telling her he wouldn't let that happen. He moved away from the female.
"You are a Seeker," Midnight continued in the meantime, glancing only briefly at the female. "But I never saw you. Where did you come from?"
Twilight knew that Midnight knew Thriller, but could he tell the Sentinel leader who he was facing? If he did, what would happen? He decided that he couldn't. He felt Jaimaa's slight panic at the sight of the Venerakkin. If the female was an enemy, or carrying an enemy, he had to get out of here. He tensed, searching for a way out.

Gaelon was a bit confused at first, mainly because she didn't know the Seeker in front of her, either by name or design. And thinking about the design -- it was faintly familiar in a way that was not knowledge, but memory. The stylized feathers ..... the strange patterns growing over the shoulders ... almost like doorway runes..... And then there was the sensation of something, not someone, close by. Someone of her own kind, though not of her tribe.
No! This couldn't be. But what if ... how had the robot survived this?
:: Tji :: she whispered.
Firefall flinched. "Tji?" she asked. "He is possessed? But how could he come here? Past the shields!" Cold dread rose inside of her. "Have they control over Ralyk?!"
:: No. I do not believe so ::
Firefall tensed, her systems already prepared for a confrontation. Her optics took in the badly damaged state of the Seeker and she knew he would be easy to overcome if it came down to a fight.
"He is Tji," she told Midnight.
The Sentinel's head whipped around and he stared at her in shock, then he looked back at the dragonic creature, who looked equally shocked. But the shock was quickly replaced by determination.
"Are you?" Midnight asked.
Twilight growled. "I'm not what you think I am. I'm not possessed."
"But you are Tji," Firefall nearly spat. "Tji never let the robot mind survive!"
"This one did!" Twilight hissed.
She stepped closer. Midnight grabbed her arm and she shot him a warning look. The Sentinel was not impressed. He stayed at her side. Twilight stared at her in what could be called nervous.
"Leave this body then," she demanded.
"Impossible," Twilight answered.
"Tji possess a body and they can leave it. Do it!" the Venerakkin demanded.
"I told you it's impossible!" Twilight repeated.
Firefall smiled coldly. "Why?" she asked.
A tremor ran through Twilight. "I can't tell you," he whispered. "But I live, as does the Tji .... she is my partner." His golden eyes glowed slightly as he stared at her. "Just like you have one."
Firefall was momentarily surprised, but she got her surprise under control again. "Tji don't join, they conquer," she said icily.
Twilight growled deeply and the wings vibrated.
"You have no proof," she went on. "If you were joined, your Tji 'partner' could leave."
"She can't because we are one!" was the sharp reply.
:: One? :: Gaelon echoed inside Firefall. :: That is impossible! That would mean ... no! A joining of that kind has never been tried! ::
"But could it?" Firefall asked calmly.
:: If the Tji were to insert herself completely, yes. But why? It's too dangerous!::
"Apparently this one did do it. How can we be certain?"
:: I have to talk to the Tji, see if it is true::
Firefall looked at Twilight. "The Veneran I carry can determine the truth. Let her see you."
Twilight's head shot up and he bared an impressive row of teeth. "NO!" he roared.
Firefall prepared herself for a violent encounter.
:: Wait :: Gaelon whispered. :: He is afraid ::
"Of course he is," she sneered. "The Tji is afraid to die!"
:: Yes. But also afraid for the robot ::
Before Firefall could do anything, Twilight launched himself off the ground, transforming in mid-leap and landing on the building behind him, starting to run.
Midnight transformed and raced after him. Firefall did the same and caught up with him.
"He's mine," she told him. "Stay back!"
"No way!" he shot back.
"Stay!" she hissed, her voice carrying a cold note.
The black aura around him seemed to increase several times and she knew he was extremely angry.
"Please," she added after a short silence.
Midnight gave a hiss. "All right!" he finally exclaimed. He veered off to the right and Firefall sighed with relief, then increased speed to catch up with the fleeing robot.

*

"What the hell is going on?" Rodimus nearly exploded. "First we have a stage one alert, then Firefall goes out on a wild chase after some intruder or other! What happened to informing the guy in charge, eh?"
F/X flinched a bit as he felt the young Autobot's anger. He knew Rodimus was right, but right now there was nothing anyone could change.
"Looks like someone managed to get through the shields and Firefall went after him, taking Midnight along. Mainly because he was the only one around when she heard about the intruder."
Rodimus sighed explosively. "Fine!" He shook his head. "Any idea how this guy managed to get through the security?"
"None. Hound, Smokescreen and Kup are working on it. I think Firefall mentioned the word 'Tji', though....."
"What?!"
"That's all I know," F/X said calmly.
Rodimus drummed his fingers on the desk. "Just swell. Thanks, F/X."
The Sentinel left the office and Rodimus glowered at his terminal screen. He knew there was no use in trying to contact Firefall. She would simply ignore him, as she always did when she thought something was beneath her notice.
How had the intruder managed to get in? Ralyk had surrounded the whole planet with several shields, all designed to keep out the enemy and let only the friendlies in. What if Ralyk had malfunctioned and the shields had failed? If this was really a Tji in the body of one of the robots they had abducted... if he had managed to break through......
Rodimus cursed loudly.
-- I didn't 'malfunction' --
He flinched violently as he heard Ralyk's voice, but he got himself together immediately.
"Oh, no? Then how do you explain a Tji penetrating the shields?" he challenged.
-- I let them in --
"What?! You let them in?! Why?"
There was only silence.
"I hate that!" Rodimus exploded. "I really, really hate that! Can't you for once answer a straight question?"
More silence.
Into the silence his com console beeped and he punched the button with a bit more force than really necessary. "Yes!"
"Not in a good mood, are we?"
Rodimus sighed. "Cut the sarcasm, Starscream. What do you want?"
"I have someone you might want to meet," the former Decepticon answered.
"Who?"
"Her name is Riverdance."
Rodimus immediately remembered Goldbug's report about the mysterious female called Riverdance wo had saved his life.
"She is here?" he asked.
"Yes, right here. I thought you might want to know." Sarcasm dripped heavily in Starscream's voice.
Rodimus shook his head and would have rolled his eyes if that were possible. He couldn't deal with that right now, but he knew there was someone who could.
"Inform Chromia. She'll handle it. Rodimus out."
Why was it that one problem always flowed neatly into the next crisis without a second's hesitation?
[Roddy? Are you all right?]
[No! I'm not all right!] he yelled angrily, his temper finally exploding for real. [I want to go through one single day without a major catastrophe looming over me!]
Shanygn sighed. [What happened?]
[I have no idea and that's the trouble!] He briefly told her about the intruder, the possibility that he was a Tji and that Ralyk was once again keeping its silence why it had done what it had done. He also added Riverdance's sudden appearance.
[I see] she answered.
[Oh, yes, I see too. But I want to understand!] he hissed. [I'm in the command center] With that he stalked out of the office.
Shanygn, who was several levels down, decided it might not be such a bad idea to get up there as well and keep an eye on her temperamental partner

*

Twilight knew he was losing. His body radiated pain with every step and his fuel-pump was close to arrest. Jaimaa was desperately shielding him against most of the pain and she also tried to give him enough power to reach a safe haven. But it was already too late. Something slammed into him and he went to the ground, his back aflame with pain. He rolled around, optics glowing brightly, all systems going on-line and running up to full battle readiness. Jaimaa gasped in surprise as she saw the Venerakkin and she trembled. He felt her dread, her fear, and her desperation. And Twilight knew he'd fight till the end to protect her. He materialized his gun and shot.
The female jumped out of the way and fought back. She evaded most of his shots and advanced steadily until she was near enough to administer close combat strikes. Twilight felt metal dent and tear under her attack and Jaimaa was busy channeling the incredible pain somewhere else. He felt anger rise inside of him, mixing with the fear of Jaimaa and his own desperation, and he defended himself.

Firefall was surprised by the skill the badly wounded robot displayed and the intensity of his eyes puzzled her. The eyes had puzzled her from the start. They showed life and it was widely known that the Tji killed life inside a shell. Why was life here.
:: Get me in contact with him :: Gaelon whispered. :: If I can get close enough, I can feel the Tji -- and the essence if it still exists ::
Firefall rammed her flat palm against the anthracite chest and Twilight gasped. Her fingers curled and the hard metal gave way slightly. His armor was strong, very strong. She had never felt anything like this before.
Inside her, Gaelon touched the metal as well, feeling more, feeling sensations run through her that Firefall was no witness of.

Twilight's back arched with pain that was not his. Firefall's grip on his chest wasn't strong and he thought he could break it, but his body was wracked by such an incredible wave of pain that he was unable to even move anymore. His optics flared brightly gold and he heard Jaimaa inside of him scream. Fierce protectiveness rose high on his emotional wave and through the pain he rammed his own hands into Firefall's sides. He was too weak to penetrate her skin, but he dented it severely and cracked it in one place. She stumbled back with a surprised exclamation of pain.
He collapsed back, grabbing his chest, which seemed to burn with pain, radiating agony into his very core.
"Jaimaa?" he whimpered, stumbling further back.
:: ..... ::
"No," he groaned. Jaimaa wasn't responding in words anymore, just pure emotions.
Get out of here.
Flee.
Safety.
His knees gave way and his hands, which tried to get a hold somewhere, left deep marks on the wall as he fell to his knees. Fluids gushed out as a tube finally rupture under the strain. Jaimaa was unable to help him anymore. She was purely emotional right now.

Firefall stared at the robot, which lay shaking on the ground, a pool of fluids slowly increasing in size below him.
"Are you sure?" she whispered.
:: Yes! :: Gaelon answered forcefully. :: He is alive and he is joined to a Tji. They are joined on every level and what we did hurt them both! We have to get them to safety! ::
She approached Twilight, who turned his head to look at her, his golden optics flickering badly. He was in terrible pain and this triggered a memory of a similar situation, when she had been in a much worse state but in the same pain. Firefall held up her hands and slowly knelt down beside him.
"I did wrong," she told him, slowly touching him.
He trembled. "Don't .... hurt her," he whispered.
"No one will hurt either of you anymore."
Twilight's optics were flickering again, this time staying dark too long for her liking. He was losing his grip on consciousness. Firefall gently touched the place she had gripped before and let Gaelon touch him once again.
:: The Tji inside is suffering just as badly, like I suspected. They are connected on a molecular level! ::
"Molecular?!" Firefall was mildly shocked.
:: Take him to a med bay! ::
Firefall opened a com line to Midnight, but it proved to be unnecessary. The Sentinel was already coming toward her at a fast pace. She shot him a curious amused look, which he returned as a cold glare.
"Was that necessary?" he hissed, checking Twilight, who was out cold.
Firefall sighed. "We discuss this later. Let's get him to med bay first."
Midnight nodded and from his whole black aura she knew they would talk about this later, if she wanted or not.

* * *

Rodimus strode into med lab and passed through the waiting area without anyone trying to stop him. Everything had happened at once and he had been unable to even intervene for a second. Midnight had taken over the task of finding and identifying the possible intruder and he had been the most likeliest choice. He was an Interfaced Sentinel. If a Tji had managed to break through the shields he wouldn't be able to take over Midnight. When Firefall had joined in, Rodimus had not said anything as well because the same reasoning applied. But now this. Firefall had taken over like she was running the show and he was angered beyond words. Of course he didn't object to an individual working on his or her own without asking him to approve of every move, but Firefall was outright subversive. She had no respect for the chain of command and command structure was a foreign word to her. She showed marginal respect for the Autobot leaders and/or the Council, but that was about it.
Now she had gone over the top, Rodimus thought angrily. She had continued from arresting the intruder to questioning him and risking not only her own life, but also that of the intruders through the 'interfacing'.
He stopped inside the main lab and discovered First Aid, who was talking to Perceptor in one corner. Firefall was nowhere to be seen and Rodimus had the dreadful feeling she was with their 'guest'.
"What's the situation?" he asked briskly as he approached First Aid.
The medic looked up. "Right now I can't give you many facts. We are still working on a lot of things. The robot Midnight and Firefall brought back is the strangest I have ever seen, including Firefall," he added dryly. "His molecular structure is weird to say the least."
"It seems that our guest's molecular composition is made up of organic and inorganic material, which intermixes on a level that makes it impossible to separate the two," Perceptor supplied helpfully.
"A mix?" Rodimus echoed.
Both scientists nodded.
"A fusion. There is something like an organic net stretching through his body and touching every molecule. The connection seems to be very delicate and barely detectable. We still have to work on that," First Aid went on. "He suffered massive wounds which make it impossible to concentrate on his design now. His energon level is not yet critical, but something is using up a lot of the feeds we connected him to. It reminds me of Firefall's condition."
"So it's true that he is a Tji?" Rodimus asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral.
"I'm not sure. We all thought Tji took over a body and killed the former personality. That isn't true with this robot. His personality core is very much alive, though heavily protected. We can't access it. Firefall said her symbiont detected two minds, both active on the same level, like a partnership between every Interface." First Aid shrugged. "I wish I could tell you more."
"Where is Firefall now?"
"In the quarantine room. She said she'll watch him."
Rodimus strode over to the glass window. He looked into the room and was surprised by the stranger's design, especially the ornaments.
"Is he a Seeker?" he wanted to know.
"Midnight has asked Tornado to come here for identification purposes," Perceptor answered. "He doesn't know the stranger himself."
Rodimus opened the doors and stepped into the room, his eyes fixed on the motionless robot. Twilight. He was really in a bad state, though Firefall had been much worse when they had found her. The monitors showed life signs, but also a strong energy web penetrating every part of his body. Firefall was leaning against one wall and looked up when he entered.
"You shouldn't be here," she said in ways of a greeting.
"But I am," he answered.
"He is dangerous."
Rodimus smiled coldly. Of course Twilight was dangerous, as was the Tji inside. Rodimus had first hand experience of going up against those energy beings and it had been pure luck that he had survived -- and Talon intervening and destroying the Tji who had tried to take over the young Autobot. Since that encounter Rodimus feelings toward the Tji had been a mix of hatred and fear. Now he stood only a few feet away from one......
Firefall frowned at him, then settled back to just watching.
"What do you know about him?" Rodimus asked.
"Not much."
"But enough to say he isn't possessed by a Tji, but more or less Interfaced like you."
She looked at him again. "Not like me. He is very much different. While Gaelon can detach herself from me, the Tji can't. She is connected to him and would die if he does."
"She?" Rodimus echoed.
"He said it was a 'she'." Firefall frowned a bit. "Gaelon verifies this."
"So where does this leave us?"
The Venerakkin shook her head. "I have no idea. I don't know how a Tji could have managed this."
"Well, maybe like Gaelon did with you," Rodimus suggested.
"No. No, that's impossible. Gaelon has one place inside me. She is not connected to my every molecule!"
:: She could have tried to shape him :: Gaelon could suddenly be heard through Rodimus' Interface link. The young Autobot flinched and his optics darkened briefly. He still hated it when Gaelon did that.
"What?" Firefall exclaimed. "That's impossible! No single Tji or Veneran could do that!"
:: It is possible -- in desperate times. We possess the energy to do it, though it leaves us incredibly vulnerable afterwards. If this Tji took over the robot's body, kept his personality core alive and then reshaped his body, the molecular fusion could be explained. She paid a high price for keeping him alive. Why she reshaped him is a puzzle though ::
"To give him a new identity? He is a Seeker judging from his symbol, but no one knows him," Rodimus mused out aloud, looking thoughtfully at the motionless robot. Somehow he had constantly expected something jumping out of it and attacking him.
"Good point," Firefall agreed. "I have no idea at all why and how it all happened, only that it did and that this robot is the strangest I ever saw."
Rodimus looked at their guest once more. "What about the strange ornaments?" he asked. "Those wing designs."
Firefall shook her head. "No idea."
First Aid entered the room and checked the readings on the monitors. "He's still in a kind of self-induced repair sleep," the medic said after some time. "Something keeps him under and I suspect it is the Tji. It acts like Gaelon did when we found you, Firefall."
"Can we get in contact with the Tji?" Rodimus wanted to know. "I mean besides using Gaelon? Or Shanygn," he added with a slightly cold note.
Firefall met his eyes for a second, the shrugged. "I don't know if the Tji can communicate by conventional means. But there is a way if Mel can read him...."
"No!" Rodimus immediately decided.
"She is an empath," Firefall pressed on. "Maybe the Tji can use her as a kind of voice."
"No," he repeated, his voice icy. "No one gets used as a voice here unless we have the guarantee that nothing happens to him or her."
:: I can watch over her :: Gaelon said calmly.
[No!] Rodimus shot back angrily.
"Then we have to wait until Twilight comes around," First Aid said.
"We do just that," the young second growled.

*

Twilight knew he wasn't alone, but right now he didn't care. His whole concentration was on Jaimaa, who was curled around his central core. The Tji was terribly afraid and did the only thing she could right now: protect him.
"Jaimaa?" he whispered.
:: We have to get away from here :: she answered, her voice trembling. :: The Veneran knows I'm one with you. She knows! ::
"So what will this Veneran do? She won't kill you because it will kill me, and vice versa. Or will she?" Doubt rang in his voice.
:: We don't know that! Veneran despise Tji for what they are doing! She might just kill us both! ::
"I won't let her!" Twilight whispered forcefully.
Jaimaa laughed sadly. "You won't be able to stop her. The Venerakkin touched you and the Veneran felt me inside you. If she touches you again, her symbiont could simply get into you and try to kill me! ::
Twilight felt his way to the surface of consciousness, assessing the situation in the room he was in. There were three robots and the room seemed to be secure..... but there had to be a door.
:: She is among them :: Jaimaa told him calmly, but fear ran deep inside her and she couldn't hide it in front of her partner.
"Not much longer!" he hissed, anger rising inside of him. "Nobody will touch you!"

Firefall was warned a split second before it happened. The monitors screamed to life. Twilight's optics flared a bright golden and he erupted from the examination table. Rodimus reacted nearly as quickly, stepping in front of First Aid, who was unarmed. Twilight moved back toward the wall, optics darting from one to another, then to the door and back again. Rodimus raised his hands.
"We don't want to hurt you," he said softly, though part of him yelled that wasn't true. A part of him wanted to hurt this Tji really badly.
"Maybe you don't," Twilight hissed. "But she does!"
"No," Firefall replied calmly. "No one will hurt you or your symbiont."
Twilight gave a bark of laughter. "Symbiont? Now you call it a symbiont. A few hours ago it was a possession, right? A parasite!"
"We now know that isn't true, Twilight. Why else would you have come here?" Rodimus said softly, stepping forward.
Twilight tensed and Rodimus stopped.
"We just want to talk."
Twilight looked at Firefall, his golden optics intense. "You are Venerakkin," he said darkly. "You carry a Veneran."
"That is true. But neither of us wants to hurt you or the Tji inside of you," Firefall answered. "We know you are an unusual pair, that the Tji didn't kill your self. We want to know what brought you here."
Twilight appeared very indecisive, then turned to Firefall. "Leave," he then told her.
Firefall was about to protest, but Rodimus shot her an even icier look than before and she snapped her mouth shut again. It was a great risk to leave Rodimus, who was more or less unprotected, alone with the Tji. He was Interfaced, that was true, but on a different level. He was still vulnerable to Tji attacks. Firefall moved toward the door and opened it. The moment the door was open, it happened.
Rodimus had never seen a robot move that fast, not even Blurr. Twilight lunged toward the door, transformed in mid-leap and evaded Firefall. The Venerakkin reacted with a split-second hesitation, Rodimus in tow.
Twilight managed to get out of med bay, starteling several Autobots and humans, and then broke through one of the viewing window. Glass shards flew everywhere. He spread his wings and sailed away to the left.
"He won't get far!" Firefall called. "His wounds are too heavy!"
Rodimus went through a calculation as to where he might get within a short radius. To the left were a few new buildings and a lot of empty space where the demolition teams had removed old warehouses and hangars.
"Spread out and search for him!" he ordered. "Take Midnight along! Don't harm him any more than he already is!"
Firefall nodded. She knew that Twilight could have harmed them if he wanted to, but he hadn't. He hadn't even touched any of the humans in med bay or taken them hostage, which would have been very easy.
"He wants to protect the Tji," she said softly. "I know what he feels."
Rodimus gave her an odd look, then nodded. He ran down the corridor to the left and Firefall climbed onto the window sill, then transformed and flew after Twilight.

Twilight stumbled and fell against a wall. He was so weak, so tired.... just like the day he had been hunted and abducted by the possessed robots.
:: We can't escape them :: Jaimaa moaned, shivering. :: She is already after us ::
Twilight limped on, his wings drooping, sliding over the floor. He didn't know where to go anymore. His flight had been short, greeted by a violent crash, which had hurt him even more. Suddenly he was faced by a white and light blue female robot. He recognized the symbol on her chest from Jaimaa's knowledge. She was a Key.
Jaimaa sent a wave of confusion through him. Twilight knew that there were no more Keys left and this one Jaimaa had no idea who she was.
"My name is Sphere," the female introduced herself. "Ralyk sent me."
:: Ralyk! :: Jaimaa exclaimed weakly. :: It still exists! ::
"How can I trust you?" Twilight asked, his voice rough.
-- Because she speaks the truth -- a warm, soft voice echoed through him.
:: It is you :: Jaimaa breathed, close to losing every grip on consciousness. She was strained beyond belief. :: I didn't think you got any of my messages ::
-- I received them and filed everything away --
-- I also let you in --
Twilight transformed, unsteadily keeping his balance. "We don't want to fight anyone," he whispered. "We came to talk.... the Veneran...."
-- She is a friend --
-- Nobody will hurt you --
"No.... can't be .... trusted...." Twilight stumbled again and fell to his knees. "Have .... to ...get away," he whimpered.
Sphere knelt down beside him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "You can trust us, Twilight. We are your friends. The others are just confused."
Golden and emerald optics met. Sphere saw him slip and the golden color died as Twilight fell unconscious. She looked sadly at his badly damaged body.
"Ralyk?" she asked the entity she was hosting, at least partially.
-- Help is coming --
She heard thrusters reverse and Firefall transformed, weapon ready, looking warily at the unconscious Seeker.
Help or a threat? Sphere thought darkly.
-- Help -- Ralyk insisted, reading her mind.
-- She won't harm him --
"He is no threat," the Key told Firefall, keeping her voice gentle, but very firm.
Firefall frowned at her. "You have no idea what you are dealing with!"
"I know because Ralyk knows," Sphere answered levely. "It let him in for a purpose, Firefall! And this purpose is not to get him killed by you!"
Firefall was about to say something when Rodimus arrived. She simply stowed her weapon in subspace. Rodimus shot Sphere a curious look, but then merely nodded at Twlight.
"Get him into my trailer. I'll take him back to med bay," he ordered and transformed.
Firefall wordlessly helped carry Twilight into the trailer, then accompanied Rodimus back to the South Port complex.

* * *

Four: Storm Watch

It was an experiment, one not approved by either Prime, but Gaelon knew they had to get in contact with the Tji inside. Since Twilight was now completely out and First Aid had no high hopes that they could reactivate him in the next hours and had also voiced objections against forcing it, there was only this possibility: direct contact. Firefall had agreed to their plan of getting Gaelon in touch with the Tji. Rodimus was not amused by their plan and his optics were an icy cold blue as he watched them prepare. He had argued a long time with Firefall that this was dangerous and that he couldn't give his approval for it. Firefall had told him straight away that she would go through with it, whether he approved of it or not. It had resulted in a verbal fight that had Shanygn groaning several rooms away, aware of her Interface partners anger even though her shields were up full. In the end Rodimus had told Firefall that she on her own and if she wanted to kill herself she should just go ahead and do it.
Firefall was aware she wasn't making friends with her behavior, but on some level she didn't care if the others liked her or not. There was another level, though, one where she regretted every fight and harsh word, wanted to tell Rodimus she was sorry for everything she had done and said while she had woken from the near-death coma. Rodimus was one of her few true friends, she believed, something like a kid brother. She liked him a lot, she respected him, but there was also an age difference between them that gave Firefall the assurance that her decisions had to be right. She had more experience.
Experience isn't everything, she always told her harsh side. She needed allies and enraging the Council members wherever she went was not the way. And youth didn't mean inexperience. Rodimus was very young, but he had also gone through a lot and he was older than his age.
She sighed and went on with the preparations. There wasn't a lot to do, except maybe get shields up and mentally brace herself for the contact. She had no idea what would happen.
Firefall touched the anthracite colored body.

Gaelon let a part of herself enter the unconscious robot and immediately encountered the Tji, which was no big surprise since it was everywhere! The Tji moved slightly, then recoiled like under a shock.
:: Get out! :: a clearly female voice cried and Gaelon heard the fear.
:: I won't harm you or your partner :: she said carefully. :: I just want to talk. We need to understand you better ::
The Tji recoiled further, trembling. Gaelon went after it, trying to soothe it. But the Tji was in dread of her. She really feared her! But why? Because she was a Veneran and the other was a Tji? Of course there were animosities between their two races since the Tji had begun to 'terminate' the Cybertron project, but there was no all-out war between their kind and Tji were accepted equals. Gaelon sent this to the Tji and got back a wave of denial. She didn't believe her.
And then it happened. The Tji fought back the only way she had left at her disposal: fear and pain. It was like getting thrown into a tub of cold water. From one second to the next Gaelon was somewhere else and the world she saw was violent and full of pain. Her vision was blurry, gradually becoming better, but it didn't improve the feeling of agony, of ... loss?
Gaelon looked around and frowned. She was in some kind of cave, an artificial one. In front of her loomed a large dragon, which she recognized as one of the Sentinel designs, but the symbol he wore was that of a Seeker.
Braintrust.
The name came unbidden and she shivered as she felt more knowledge rise.
Pain seared through her and she discovered that the dragon was holding something in his left claw, which he now gradually opened. The thing toppled to the floor. Gaelon felt sick to her core when she realized what it was.
A humanoid.
Dead and covered in blood, the body broken.
The agony increased and she heard a scream, which was not her own. The voice was that of a male robot. The pain became a white, searing heat as it traveled along every fiber of her being, enveloping her in a mad circle of never-ending agony. Gaelon couldn't think, couldn't breath, couldn't move. Her whole being was torn apart by what she was confronted with and she felt a large part of her dying, withering away -- scarred beyond belief.
When she thought she couldn't take it anymore she was thrown out of the body she had inhabited. Hovering over the scene she once again discovered Braintrust with the dead humanoid, but now she also saw the other robot. He wasn't very tall and heavily built, armor protecting every inch of his body. He seemed to by a flyer. His body was colored in brown and three shades of green. He wore a Seeker symbol as well and his red optics were aflame with pain.
"Nobody," Braintrust hissed and lowered his head to look directly at the other one, "nobody Interfaces but me. Is that clear?"
The other one whimpered and fell to his knees, curling his arms around his body.
"No," he whispered.
Braintrust threw the limp body in front of the robot, who gave a faint sound of horror as he saw it. Gaelon was shocked as realization hit her. Braintrust had just killed a freshly Interfaced humanoid! The pain searing through her was the pain the robot partner had felt as connections were severed by force, tearing him apart. The incredible wave of agony and pain swamped her once more and she struggled against it as it tried to wash her away. Fleeting images passed her and some of them triggered more knowledge and with it understanding.
"No!" the Seeker moaned again, trembling badly now, mostly from reaction and shock.
Braintrust turned with a satisfied glint in his eyes and disappeared out of the hall, leaving the two partners alone. Thriller -- Gaelon suddenly knew his name -- reached out toward the limp body.
"I'm sorry," he choked out, fingers never touching the humanoid. "I ... I didn't know.... oh, gods......" He slammed his hands down beside the body, the loud sound ringing through the hall.
Gaelon felt incredible compassion rise inside of her.
Another wave of pain hit her, this time even stronger than the one before and she finally screamed. She was thrown back and landing violently in the matrix inside Firefall.

Firefall gave a surprised gasp and staggered back from the prone figure on the table. Someone held her and kept her from falling and she discovered it was Rodimus. The young Autobot looked concerned for a second, then masked it with curiosity.
"What happened?"
"Gaelon ..... was kicked out by the Tji," Firefall said, still surprised.
"Kicked out?" he echoed.
She gave him a wry smile. "You should know how that works, kid."
Rodimus shot Firefall a nasty look and let go of her. Firefall smiled.
First Aid checked his patient. Several monitors showed an increased energon activity along a few nerve fibers.
"What now?" Rodimus demanded. "Obviously your plan didn't work."
Firefall felt slightly provoked by his attitude. Her eyes glinted dangerously. "Watch it," she warned.
Rodimus simply smiled, then turned serious again. "Well?"
Firefall looked at the motionless body of Twilight. "I don't know."
:: Ralyk :: Gaelon could be heard and Rodimus winced once more. He really, really hated this!
"Ralyk?" he nevertheless asked, not at all willing to use his Interface link when talking to Gaelon.
:: All of our kind can talk to it ::
"So now you want to get Ralyk as a translator," he muttered.
:: Yes ::
"What if Ralyk doesn't want to?" It was a valid question. Ralyk never acted like you wanted it to.
:: We will think about that when it happens :: Gaelon answered.

* * *

"Hey." Someone sat down on the chair opposite his.
He looked up, a little bit startled. "Mel," he greeted the young woman and raised an eyebrow as he noticed the small cup of tea standing in front of her. "Tea?" he asked, putting just enough surprise in his voice. "You? Are you feeling okay?"
She scowled at him. Nick's grey eyes glinted with amusement. In front of him on the table were a half eaten hamburger and some fries.
"So what's cooking?" she asked instead of a sharp reply. "I heard we are on call for some kind of emergency."
"I have no idea," Nicholas Cavanaugh confessed, playing with a frie. "First Aid called me and asked if I'm free and I said yes. He just mentioned a medical emergency and something about not telling everyone about it." The dark-haired man grimaced. "I have no idea what's going on, so what am I supposed to tell others?"
Mel smiled and sipped at her tea, grimacing. "Oh, yeach!" she muttered. "How can you stand to drink that stuff."
"Other people prefer sticky, sugary sodas with tons of calories in one sip," Nicholas said with a fine smile.
"At least I don't feel like throwing up when looking at a soda," Mel shot back with a good-humored smile. "That," she pointed at the greenish liquid, "looks like some sea water experiment gone very wrong -- and it tastes like it, too."
Nicholas peered closely at the tea. "Oh, now that you say so ....."
She muttered something uncomplimentary under her breath. "When do the High and Mighty plan to inform us what they expect us to do?" she asked then.
Nicholas sighed. "You know the guys. If it's secret, it is secret."
"So use your influence!"
He gave a snort of laughter. "Influence? What influence? You have more influence around here than me!"
"Don't be so modest. I ain't."
Nicholas grinned. "I know."
Mel stuck out her tongue, then played with the cup and watched the bustle inside med bay. She had no idea what was going on and if there was one thing she hated it was being called for her talents as a medic and not be informed of the emergency. What did they expect of them? That they immediately adapted to a situation. She sighed. Yep, that was it. And they could and would. Nicholas didn't need preliminary scans to get an idea of the patient's condition. He simply went in there, started his work and his mind did the rest. He was like a sponge. Mel concentrated on First Aid and tried to pick up on his general mood.
"They are worried," she said after some time and looked at Nicholas. "Very worried."
Nicholas frowned. Suddenly Sphere entered the medical ward, smiled at them and walked straight through. Mel drummed her fingers on the table top.
"This is really starting to bug me. As if I didn't have other stuff to do! I have other patients!"
Nicholas nodded. So did he. Since Archer and IceAngel had been retrieved from Trbeca not very long ago, he and Mel had suddenly had all hands full. Mel was trying to get Archer and Mike out of their coma, which had not changed since the retrieval, and IceAngel was always on the verge of complete shut-down. Nicholas was on call if anything failed major time because he knew the Gatekeeper's physiology best.
"Oh, I hate it!" Mel finally exploded after fifteen more minutes of nothing happening at all. "I'm going in there!"
Nicholas jumped up and ran after her as the medic stormed into med bay. "Gee!" he muttered under his breath. "Talk about temper outbreaks!"
Mel entered the examination room and Rodimus scowled as he discovered her. Mel scowled back.
"I thought I'd said we'd call you," First Aid said mildly.
"Yeah, right!" Mel snorted. "You throw me out of bed and then let me wait for hours until you deign us important enough to let us in on the big secret."
Rodimus grinned a bit. "We did this for security reasons, Mel." His optics traveled to Nicholas, who's eyes were already resting on the prone form of the patient. "He is dangerous and under a lot of stress right now. He fled med bay once already, because he believed we wanted to hurt him."
Mel walked past Rodimus and looked at the robot as well now. She felt something coming from him, but it confused her.
"Well, how about letting us in on everything and we can start working?" she suggested after a minute.
First Aid nodded. "Now that you are already here ....." He smiled again and handed Mel the read-outs from previous scans. "Sphere acts as our translator," he explained, then briefed the two humans on who Twilight was and what was so special about him.
"Like Firefall several years back," Nicholas muttered, remembering a similar operation such a long time ago. He frowned at the two Autobots. "And that time you didn't tell us much either," he grumbled.
Rodimus chuckled. "This time is different. This is all we have and all we can hope for right now.
Nicholas sighed. "Okay. How about someone gets me up there and I can have a look at our patient?" He raised an eyebrow.
First Aid gently picked him up and placed him on the examination table while Mel remained where she was, scanning the read-outs.
Rodimus decided everything was in good hands and left. He had a few other things to take care of.

* * *

Midnight was angry. He was seething with anger, his black aura flaring with utter darkness and every Autobot, Decepticon, Sentinel and Seeker moved out of his way automatically. Steve tried to calm his partner, but Midnight didn't want to be calmed. He wanted to be furious.
>> Do you know what they are putting him through?! he yelled.
Steve winced a bit. >> Turn down the volume, Mid. I'm going mind-deaf here. And yes, I know what happened. And you know Firefall
>> I don't know her any better than anyone! She nearly drove him to death with this!
He stormed into the office Firefall had been assigned and was pleased when he saw her momentary shocked expression.
"Midnight," she started.
"Shut up!" he hissed
Firefall was startled and this pleased him even more.
"Do you know that you nearly drove those two into suicide?!" he yelled. "You not only hunted him, you invaded him!"
"I didn't hunt ...." Firefall tried.
"He is afraid of you, didn't you see that?! I could feel it through the very walls around him! He was deathly afraid of Gaelon! But you pressed on! You even let Gaelon touch his partner! You violated him!"
The Sentinel leader trembled with rage and the aura had grown in intensity, stretching slightly, then recoiling. Firefall was fascinated, but also a bit afraid -- for the very first time. She had never seen Midnight truly angry; well, maybe angry, but not in such utter rage, solely directed at her. And so close to snapping. She reminded herself that he was more than a Sentinel. He was a Sleeper. And Midnight was always such a calm and controlled personality that the rage shocked her a bit.
"I didn't violate him. Gaelon merely tried to make contact."
Midnight's lips twisted in a cruel and cold smile. "Of course! That's what the others told me after they nearly killed Steve and scrapped me! Just tried to figure out who I was! Right!"
Firefall understood all of a sudden. This was running too close to what Midnight had experienced himself.
"I'm sorry ....." she tried again.
"Sorry doesn't help!" he hissed and leaned forward, stabbing a finger at her. Something cold seemed to brush past her skin and she discovered that part of the dark aura touched her. "Keep. Away. From. Twilight!"
The Venerakkin felt fury rise inside of her. Who did this kid think he was? "Is that an order?" she asked coolly.
"No!" he hissed. "A threat! You will deal with me if I find out you are in med bay with him!"
Firefall's smile turned cruel as well. "You wouldn't even be able to raise one finger before I cut your core out, boy."
"You don't scare me, Firefall!" Midnight's visor was glowing brightly and Firefall had to concentrate not to get lost in the blackness he radiated. "Try it!"
Firefall's expression didn't change, maybe grew even more amused, and she decided to show him what he was dealing with. She was a trained assassin with millions of years of practice. He was a child. Firefall raised one hand almost imperceptibly -- and gasped.
Blackness swirled around her, choked her, cooled everything down to a level that froze her. She knew she screamed once, then she found herself flat against the wall, Midnight's furious face in front of her. She felt him tremble, mostly from exertion and realized he was hard pressed to uphold this aura -- an aura that could kill. She realized that as well. This child was more dangerous than he looked, than she had ever dared to dream. His outside belied the powers he could harness.
"Keep away," he hissed once more, then let go of her. Midnight turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
Firefall stared after him, surprised. He might be so much younger than her, but in many ways he was so very much older.
:: He is powerful, I always told you that :: Gaelon said calmly. :: Be careful around him ::
"I never knew he was that powerful," she muttered, aware that Gaelon's warning wasn't an empty one. Midnight could turn out to be quite a threat.
Gaelon chuckled, then fell silent again, leaving Firefall busy with her own thoughts.

* * *

Twilight struggled against the heavy weight of shut-down and he felt that someone was working on his body to help him stay here and not slip. He still felt panic deep down inside and he had to fight not to let it control him. Jaimaa was silent, her presence clear to him, but she didn't react to his calls.
Several circuits screamed back to life and he suddenly had some sense of perception back. His scanners went on full and picked up two organics near him. One was standing right next to his body and working on his damaged circuits.
"What ....?"
Jaimaa flowed toward him. :: They are helping ::
"Humans?"
:: Yes. Just relax ::

* * *

Sphere relaxed a bit and let her host shell open. She felt Ralyk slip in effortlessly, nearly undetectable, and settle down. When Ralyk was comfortably protected by Sphere she nodded at Rodimus, who had come back after taking care of some business.
The decision to try this had come late in the afternoon and Sphere knew it was chancy, but also the only way to get Twilight and the Tji to see they were not enemies here. The humans and First Aid had done good work on Twilight so far and continued to work throughout all of this. Nicholas had told them in no uncertain terms that either they wait until they were finished or they accept their presence.
"Okay, let's do it," Rodimus said, sounding a bit tired. She reminded herself that he had been here since the start and had alternated between med bay and the office constantly.
"I'll try and get the Tji to talk," she said calmly. "I'd just like to keep Gaelon away from her until we can explain to her that the Veneran is no danger to her."
Rodimus nodded. "Firefall is under the strict order to keep out of here already. I'll be with you in there." He held up one hand. "No objections. Neither of you!"
-- No one would object to your presence -- Ralyk could be heard.
Sphere smiled slightly at Rodimus scowl. The two entered the quarantine lab and First Aid nodded at them. Both Nicholas and Mel were still working on their patient. Rodimus leaned against the wall and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Sphere stood beside the table Twilight lay on and gently touched his arm.
Rodimus felt a jolt run through him and his optics widened. "What ....?"
-- It's all right -- Ralyk whispered inside his head, using a vastly different link from the one Gaelon always did.
-- You need to understand --
The Autobots' second tried to relax, but he still felt tense. The very fact that not only Gaelon could use a link to get inside his head troubled him. Shanygn was one thing because they were partners, because they knew each other, but strangers? Maybe Gaelon and Ralyk didn't fit the description of strangers; they were more in the row of being outsiders. Still, they were intruders in his mind and he had no chance to shut them out if they insisted.
-- Relax -- Ralyk told him gently.
Rodimus felt Sphere with him and for a fleeting moment he thought he was with Sil. They had the same feeling to themselves, the same exotic strangeness. Then he was suddenly in a completely different world. Somewhere was a presence, a frightened presence, but Rodimus had no way of getting closer to it. He was merely a watcher.
Sphere gently called the presence and Rodimus became gradually aware of a bluish light, gently flowing over the world around him, touching it, shaping it. He stared at the light in fascination and awe. Like a net of sparkling stars, the blue web covered everything around him, gently, softly, carefully. Some of the bright silvery knots were larger than others and they pulsed slowly.
"Hello," Sphere said softly. "My name is Sphere, current host of Ralyk."
The blue web fluctuated a bit, but it relaxed soon enough again.
-- You are afraid -- Ralyk whispered.
-- Don't be --
:: You are here :: the Tji said softly, the voice clearly female. :: How? ::
-- Long story -- Ralyk chuckled and sent a short burst of information toward the center of the web. Rodimus had no idea how to decipher it, but the Tji apparently had.
:: I see :: she said.
-- You joined with a Seeker who had no Interface abilities left, old friend -- Ralyk suddenly said.
The Tji trembled again, but treated everyone listening to a short memory of how she had joined with Twilight. Rodimus gave a faint noise of utter surprise.
-- You removed all scars -- Ralyk sounded surprised.
-- He could have died --
:: He survived :: came the weak answer. :: He had to. We had to ::
-- And you did --
:: Only to die still ::
-- No one here is your enemy, Cxjiy'Jaimaanjey --
Rodimus blinked as he heard the name. That was vastly differently from a name like 'Gaelon'.
There was a short silence, then the Tji said, :: Jaimaa. My name is Jaimaa. I no longer hold a title ::
-- You were always Cxjiy'Jaimaanjey and you always will be --
-- Titles remain among your kind --
She sighed sadly and Rodimus was treated to another bit of knowledge through the link, this time provided by Ralyk, who simply gave it to him. And it helped him understand. Jaimaa had been involved with the original Sentinel project. They had been her pet project, so to speak. Her full name identified her as a member of that scientific core group and as a member of one of the oldest of the Tji kind.
-- I know you --
-- Gaelon would know you if you let her --
Jaimaa shivered. :: I was afraid of that ::
-- No one will hurt you -- Ralyk insisted.
-- Least of all the Sentinels and Cybertronians --
Rodimus agreed to that, though he had no idea if Jaimaa was even aware of his presence here.
-- Give them a chance -- Ralyk told the frightened entity softly.
:: One less Tji for you and the Venerakkin to fight if I die :: Jaimaa said flatly.
"No!" Rodimus said forcefully.
Jaimaa seemed to curl together, then lash out toward him with part of her web-like body. It was a reaction out of fright and under stress. Her tentacle touched him and Rodimus stiffened. His Interface circuits screamed for a brief second and he felt like something went into him, digging deep, then recoiling.
:: Interfaced! :: Jaimaa breathed.
Rodimus was like under shock as he tumbled away, part of him aware that Shanygn was calling frantically, asking if he was all right. Rodimus was too stunned to answer.
:: But ... he's Autobot! ::
[Roddy!] Shanygn's voice echoed around them. [Roddy, what happened?] She was deeply concerned and worried.
[I'm ... all right, Shan] he answered, finally able to talk.
Jaimaa flowed away from him. :: Interface:: she whispered again.
-- No one hates you, Jaimaa --
-- Not you --
:: But my kind ::
"We also hated the Decepticons for what they have done for millions of years, but now they are our allies," Rodimus said calmly.
:: Because my kind is threatening you ::
He winced. "Maybe. But I don't judge you by your kind. I judge you by what you did."
Jaimaa flowed closer to him, slightly confused.
-- You saved Thriller's life risking your own -- Ralyk added.
-- Your opinions concerning the children differ, but Gaelon would never kill --
"And this child would welcome you," Rodimus said with a smile.
:: Thank you :: Jaimaa whispered, clearly moved. :: I never wanted this ::
-- We know --
Jaimaa gradually let some of the barriers down and Sphere, who had been silent throughout the while conversation, moved slowly forward.
"How did you end up with the others?" Rodimus asked curiously, now that he was an established part of this strange conversation.
:: I heard what they were planning and it was a chance for me to watch and maybe get in their way -- in many ways. I couldn't fight them openly, so I went underground -- I took this body shell ::
-- And you changed it --
Jaimaa hesitated. :: Yes :: she said after some time.
-- You did well --
The web shifted uncomfortably. :: Thank you ::
-- You could have perished --
-- Even now you are as vulnerable as this robot --
:: It was our only chance. I took it. I gambled. I won ::
"Gamble again," Rodimus picked up the thread. "Trust us."
Jaimaa touched him again and this time there was no pain and unlike Gaelon's touch, this one was not intimate, just curious.
:: I trust you, Rodimus Prime. You may not be one of my children, but you have gained my trust ::
Rodimus was startled. "Thank you," he stuttered.
Jaimaa laughed softly and it was a pleasant sound. Then she grew serious, retreating again.
:: Help Twilight. I can't anymore. I'm too weak ::
"We already are," Rodimus promised. "Our medics are working on repairing him."
:: Thank you :: she said, brushing past him softly as she went deeper into what Rodimus thought was part of Twilight.
Sphere gently removed them all out of the strange place and Rodimus was suddenly back in the med lab. His optics were assaulted by the light and he stumbled, catching himself against a monitor array.
[Rodimus!]
He looked to his right and discovered Shanygn, dressed in full exo-armor, her eyes too large for her face, dark and full of worry. She was decidedly pale. Rodimus wondered how much of what he had experienced had transmitted into her through the link. Apparently enough, he guessed.
"I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy."
She gave him a critical once-over.
"Really," he insisted.
"All right," Shanygn muttered, sounding unconvinced. "What happened?"
"We were in contact with Jaimaa, the Tji inside Twilight," her partner explained as he made his way over to the examination table.
"Great! So what now?"
Rodimus smiled at her and he knew he looked tired. He could see the sudden frown appearing on Shanygn's face and that frown meant she was rather unhappy about his condition.
"Now we'll let First Aid and his staff do the magic." He turned to Sphere. "I'd like to ask you to continue staying here in case we need you again. Thank you for your prior help."
She smiled. "No problem. I'll simply watch and be ready in case of a problem."
Shanygn gave her partner a look. "And you go and rest a bit. You look terrible."
"Oh, thank, you!"! Rodimus growled.
The blue-haired woman chuckled and patted his leg. [Just get some recharge] she said softly. [We can't have the Autobots' second keel over, can we?]
He shrugged. [I'm in med bay..... ]
[If you weren't so damn big I'd hit you over the head now!] Shanygn growled and glared at him.
Rodimus laughed. [Okay, okay, I'm going] And he did. [But first I have to check on someone]
Shanygn followed him with a slight scowl. First Aid and his team, consisting of Nicholas and Mel, set to work. They had a lot to do.

* * *

Midnight stood outside the South Port complex, his energon pump still beating wildly and his aura slightly too active for most people's liking. He knew he had to get it under control, but right now he felt no inclination to do it. His rage still burned brightly and Steve simply let him go on with it. The human had tried to talk to his partner, but Midnight didn't want to talk. His hands clenched around the reeling and it dented slightly under the pressure.
"There you are," a voice said behind him.
Midnight didn't turn. "Leave," he said coldly.
Rodimus Prime stepped beside his friend and gave him a calm look. "What happened between you and Firefall?"
Midnight's visor flashed once. "What do you know about it?"
"I know that everyone says you are like a moving black hole around here and I know that few things can upset you that much to lose control over that aura. One of them is Firefall."
Midnight's hands tightened further around the reeling. "Do you know what she did?" he asked in suppressed growl.
"No, not really."
The Sentinel's aura flared slightly, but Rodimus stood his ground. Of all the Autobots, he knew Midnight best. He knew his friend wasn't out to hurt someone with his powers. He was just furious about something; so furious that his normally so calm and controlled temper was ready to break the last barriers.
"Jaimaa is terribly afraid of the Veneran and who wouldn't be? The Tji are the enemy; all our enemy! They are trying to kill us one by one and along comes a robot who claims that he was not possessed! No one stopped him, least of all Ralyk, and everyone thought this was it!" Midnight unclenched his hands, trying to force himself to relax. "When Gaelon tried to contact Jaimaa, the Tji panicked."
"And you understand all of it only too well," Rodimus said softly.
Midnight's head came up and he stared at his friend.
"You never really told me what you went through at the hands of the Sentinels, but I know it was bad. Remember when you flashed..... I was there." Rodimus smiled gently. "And now Firefall nearly did the same to Twilight. You sympathize."
"Who wouldn't," Midnight whispered hoarsely after some time. He shook his head and the aura gradually grew smaller. "I just don't want him to go through what I did .... back then. He deserves to be treated like a person."
"And no one will treat him differently, Mid. Ralyk established a contact with Jaimaa and Sphere will over the two until Twilight is up again." Rodimus held up one hand as Midnight stared at him. "Ralyk didn't hurt either of them, believe me. I was there."
The young Sentinel sighed softly and rubbed his forehead. "Damn! I hate it when that happens!"
Rodimus touched his friend's shoulder and was glad the coldness was no longer all that painful. "It's okay, Mid. I understand. Firefall as well, I suppose."
Midnight gave a bark of laughter. "She understands that I threatened her."
"You did?" Rodimus optics widened in mock horror. "It's a miracle you aren't wearing your insides out!"
The black Sentinel smiled a bit. "At the time I was so furious I nearly lost control. I think she felt it -- the darkness." He shrugged.
Rodimus regarded him silently for a time, then nodded. Midnight's relationship with Firefall was curious. She didn't accept the Sentinels as what they were and looked upon them with what Rodimus thought was disgust. He had no real clue why. Maybe because of their role in Cybertron's past when they had been executioners and bodyguards to the Quintessons. He didn't know. Firefall rarely talked about her and the other Venerakkin's past and when she did the Sentinel always thought she omitted very important facts from her tales. She was hiding things and it made him suspicious. All he knew was that she hated his kind. That much was clear for everyone. Midnight was the only exception and he and Firefall had had their fights about her view of the other Sentinels. Midnight didn't like the way she ignored them, the way she looked at them, and it hadn't helped when she had refused to rescue Archer from Trbeca. From that time on their relationship had cooled visibly and was incredibly strained. Firefall was still fighting against Optimus and Rodimus, as well as almost everyone on the Council, concerning the retrieval of the Gatekeepers whose doorways had been destroyed.
"I need to get some air," Midnight muttered and pushed himself away from the reeling. He transformed and shot into the sky like a mad bullet, seconds later disappearing inside a Gate.
Rodimus sighed and shook his head.
"He'll handle it," Shanygn said and approached him.
"Yes, he will, but it will bother him for a long time."
"Wouldn't it bother you? Isn't it bothering you?"
Rodimus looked at her with a smile. "Stop reading my mind."
"I ain't. I just know you, Roddy, that's all." Shanygn smiled.
Rodimus sighed, then remembered something. "Optimus! Drats! I still need to call him!"
Shanygn rolled her eyes. "And he'll coming storming back here and the chaos is perfect! I love it already."
[Hey!] Rodimus broadcast. [That's Optimus you're talking about!]
[I didn't say he is chaotic, I said we'll have one hell of a mess here if he finds out about everything. Of course he has to know, but give Twilight a chance to recover first!]
He shook his head. [I already sent a message concerning Twilight. I just didn't mention the Tji and everything else]
Shanygn sighed. [I need a vacation. Life with you guys is just too much!] With that she turned and walked back into the complex.
Rodimus chuckled. [Should have thought about that before we Interfaced] he teased her.
Shanygn snorted. [As if I ever had a chance!]
[And if you had had one?] he asked carefully. [What would it have been like?]
Shanygn made a great show out of thinking hard about the question, then laughed at his frown. [The same, you nut! Now go and call Optimus before I decide to wreck long-range communications just to have some peace and quiet!]
Rodimus chuckled and walked to his office.

* * *

"Thriller......" Tornado shook his head and stared at the still unconscious robot inside the quarantine room. "I thought he had died....."
"Well, he didn't and we kept him from dying just now as well," Nicholas said, cleaning is hands from servo-fluids. "Who is he?"
Tornado looked down at his partner and sighed. The two had come a long and painful way to this point where Tornado actually accepted the human as a partner. They still worked on a lot of things, but neither of them was suffering from strained links anymore, which was a great success
"He was one of the unlucky Seekers to Interface."
Nicholas winced and Tornado regretted his words. "Let me rephrase that," he said quickly, wishing he could take back what he had just said. "He Interfaced under Braintrust's command. You see, Braintrust wanted to Interface at all costs, so he brought in test subjects. They were all killed by his attempts, but one of them Interfaced before Braintrust could try his own Interfacing technique: brute force. The bond between Thriller and the humanoid was very strong and they could hide it for only a few days, then Braintrust found out. They never had a chance." Tornado's face darkened at the memories. "He killed the humanoid."
Nicholas gasped. "What?!"
The Seeker leader nodded slowly, his face a frozen mask. "He squashed him. Just like that. Thriller was present at the time of his partner's death and he died as well -- at least a part of him did." Tornado clenched his hands into fists. "Braintrust left him where he was, hurting and alone, with his dead partner."
"And then?" Nicholas asked, his voice rough. His mind reached out automatically to soothe his partner and Tornado let him. He was too distraught by the memories to shut Nicholas out.
"I have no idea. Thriller never returned. When ... when I looked for him he and the body were gone. I found blood, though...... I always believed he died through the separation."
"Apparently he didn't," Nicholas said softly. "And he was borne again."
Tornado nodded and stared at Twilight through the thick glass. His mind was miles away and a shiver ran through him as he imagined what would happen if Nick ever died..... Nicholas was aware of the train of thought and the way it was going. He made his presence known and Tornado's optics were suddenly on the much smaller human at his side. Nicholas held the intense gaze. The Seeker shivered once and then looked away again.
Suddenly Twilight's left hand twitched. Tornado immediately opened the door and Nicholas ran after him. Sphere was still in the quarantine room and looked at the two different partners. The monitors showed the increase in activity in all systems and Tornado stepped beside the bed. Twilight's optic turned a deep golden, flickered a bit, then kept on glowing strongly. He turned his head and stared at Tornado.
"Hello, Thriller," Tornado said calmly. "And welcome back."

* * *

Five: Shades and Shadows

"Optimus Prime, this is Riverdance. Riv, meet Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."
"You know her?" Optimus asked carefully, not yet able to let his guard down as he nodded at the female Decepticon.
Chromia nodded. "Riverdance is one of the few Decepticons to ever win our trust and keep it! Aleeta spoke highly of you all the time and we were always grateful for your little sabotage acts."
"I heard about Aleeta," Riverdance said softly. "I feel with you." Her face took on a cold note. "I just wish I had had the chance to take out the killer myself."
Chromia's optics reflected compassion as well. "I know."
Riverdance's face turned cold again. "But I had the pleasure to wipe out his troops."
Chromia stared at her. "That was your doing?!"
"Excuse me, but what are you talking about?" Optimus now intervened.
Chromia turned to him. "This is a long story and we should talk about it somewhere quiet."
The Autobot leader nodded and gestured at the two females to follow him. When the door had closed after them, Optimus turned expectantly to the female Decepticon.
"Now, how about you start from the beginning? Chromia might know your story, but I don't."
Riverdance nodded. "It's quite obvious I'm a Decepticon," she started, "though right now I'd apply the term 'former' to it."
Optimus nodded, his optics glancing at the worn look of the Con symbol.
"I started out as a weapons specialist in the old days, before the war. My name then wasn't Riverdance, it was Rakhaya. I trained others in self-defense and devised one-man battle strategies. I was head of security in various small cities. Then the war began." A dark cloud passed over her face. "I signed on as a spy, then became a warrior under Megatron, shortly after he was created. I rose in the ranks, even though I had the disadvantage of being female and still was looked upon as a civilian. Throughout the war I suddenly realized what I was taking part in and it sickened me to the core." Riverdance looked at Optimus. "I know it sounds strange for a former warrior to say so, but the realization came when my team was slaughtered, taking apart by one of your own strikes, and no one helped us. We were left to die. Only three of us, including me, survived this attack. After I was healed I left the Decepticon army and began sabotaging everything I could. The two others came with me. I then changed my name into Riverdance."
"Where are they now?" Chromia suddenly interrupted.
"Both died, Chromia," Riverdance answered softly. "I buried them not long ago."
Chromia's face expressed incredible sadness. "I'm sorry."
Riverdance shook her head, visibly tearing herself out of that painful memory herself. "I went on. I had to go on. I had sworn to fight my former kind and I would continue so until I died in battle." She clasped her hands. "I met Aleeta One in the battle field," she continued her story, turning to Optimus again. "She didn't trust me and I didn't trust her, but we knew of each other and at the time we had to depend on each other. I continuously disappeared after each fight. I fought on the same side, but for different reasons. We both respected each other."
"Why did you never surface after the alliance was formed?" Optimus asked.
"Why didn't anyone surface right away?" Riverdance returned the question. "Because I had heard a lot of rumors throughout the millennia. There were swarms of rumors about Megatron's fate, his return, his death, until it was confirmed he had survived the crash and was truly back. The same thing is true about the alliance."
"And the alliance is the truth," Optimus told her calmly.
"How?" she asked.
"We are facing a much greater threat than each other," the Autobot leader explained. "If we don't stick together we will perish -- all of us. This new enemy doesn't make any differences between factions."
Riverdance frowned. "How much can you tell me about this new enemy?"
"A lot, but first I want to know what you will do now."
Riverdance looked thoughtfully at him, then at Chromia. "I'd love to come out of hiding, but it will take some time to get accustomed to the whole situation, this changed situation. And I don't know how Megatron will react to my presence."
Optimus smiled slightly. "I'd say he has reacted less volatile to many changes than I would have predicted."
The female Decepticon reflected that smile. "I'll face him, no doubt about that. I'm just wondering who will leave the room in one piece....."
Optimus frowned, but didn't say anything. "Chromia, I'd like you to take care of our guest. Show her around, introduce her everything and everyone. I think Riverdance should learn about the Sentinels and Seekers, give her an impression of the command structure. If she still decides she can handle her past here, we'll talk about everything else."
Chromia nodded, smiling slightly at Riverdance. "There have been quite some changes. You'll be surprised."
Riverdance returned the smile. "I'm ready."

Optimus watched the two females leave, turning to his terminal and punching up information about a Decepticon named Rakhaya. The computer searched for a time and accessed the archive as well, then scrolled up some information. Optimus read over the file with interest. With a lot of interest.

* * *

Rodimus sat in his office, his mind going over what Jaimaa had said. Children. She had talked about the Cybertronians as their children and the Tji and the Veneran had different opinions concerning them. The Tjineran were the creators of the Vector Sigma and had also created the Sentinels. Vector Sigma had given life to the Cybertronian race and the personality components had been a development of the Tji. Rodimus drummed his fingers on the desk. Jaimaa had touched him very shortly, but it had been long enough to compare it to another one's touch: Gaelon. The two felt the same. Both entities were the same! And if the Tji were their creators....
Rodimus felt cold all of a sudden The Veneran. Firefall. The Venerakkin.
"Primus!" he whispered.
Something akin to anger rose inside of him. Firefall had arrived over fifteen standard years ago and with her trouble had arrived as well. She had never told them anything definite about Gaelon or what a Veneran was. Of course she had explained that the Venerakkin had been borne with the ability to take on another life form and the Veneran had simply used this ability to their advantage, shaping the robots so they could house the energy creatures. Firefall's version of the Veneran was that they were from Kaiy'thala and that their body radiated patterns similar to energon, which confused the hell out of everyone scanning a Venerakkin or the planet. But she had never mentioned a word that the Veneran and the Tji seemed to be the same race, though different tribes -- that they were the creators of the Cybertronian race! Why had she omitted this very fact from her tales? The Council members already knew they were fighting their creators! Why not tell them that the second tribe, the Veneran, were on their side?
The Autobots' second rose and paced his office, disturbing Shanygn, who was going through reports in one corner of the room, sitting on the for humans broad window sill, back against the frame. She had been silently suffering through her partners dark expressions and fluctuating emotions, which were washing up against her shields. Now, as he began pacing, she frowned and followed his movements. When Rodimus didn't stop after finishing several rounds through his office, she put down the reports.
[Something you want to get rid of?] she asked.
Rodimus stopped and looked down at his partner. [Firefall] he snarled angrily.
Shanygn sighed. [Okay, that track of mind again]
Her partner snarled again.
[I think you should have grown accustomed to her by now, Roddy] Shanygn told him carefully. [She is what she is. And she is mostly a pain in the neck]
Rodimus snorted.
[Okay, a big pain in the neck and also a persistent one] Shanygn corrected herself.
[She is more than that!] Rodimus exploded. [She's a damn liar! She kept us in the dark about who Gaelon really is! Everyone did!]
Shanygn looked puzzled. [Come again?]
Rodimus gave her a brief version of his theory and Shanygn lost a bit of color, both through shock and a slight anger rising inside of her, similar to the one her partner felt.
[Gods] she muttered, the reports all of a sudden completely forgotten.
[Why?] Rodimus asked in rage. [Why keep us in the dark? Why keep it a secret, damnit? Did she think we'd try and get back on Gaelon because of what is happening?]
He started to pace the office again.
[I have no idea] Shanygn confessed, absent-mindedly looking at the reports.
[And what now?] Rodimus demanded. [Wait and see when her High-and-Mightiness will tell us or confront her with it?]
[What are your instincts on this?]
[Dismember her right here and now] he hissed.
Shanygn reached out for his enraged mind. [Roddy, please....]
He growled something, his optics icy blue and completely emotionless except for the fiery light of rage.
[Optimus has to know. As do the others of the Council] Shanygn reminded her partner.
[Yeah. They will all be sooooo thrilled!] Rodimus slumped against his desk, hands clenched around the edge of the table top.
[Let's wait until we have the mess with Twilight straightened out...] Shanygn began.
[But the mess involves Firefall and Gaelon on every level, Shan! The Tji was afraid of the Veneran because she thinks Gaelon would rather kill her than listen to what she has to say because of the past actions of the whole Tji tribe! Now I know what this means!]
Shanygn let her legs dangle down the window sill. [We have a problem]
[When didn't we have one?] Rodimus growled.
[Only too true] his partner muttered. [Let's just try to keep our minds straight on the subject and not get emotional, will we?] She gave Rodimus an inquiring look.
He sighed. [Okay] He rubbed his head. [Why me?]
Shanygn laughed. [Because you just attract problems, Roddy, that's why!]
[Oh, thank you so very much, Shan. I needed that]
[I know] She hopped down from the window sill. [C'mon, let's see how Twilight is doing]
Rodimus was just about to leave when the intercom beeped. It was First Aid. Twilight had regained consciousness.

* * *

Twilight sat on the repair table, hands clasped around the edges of the table to keep him stable, watching with an almost absent-minded quality as Nicholas finished with one of the circuits the human had removed and now walked back to the table. He used a stairway to climb up again and then began working on Twilight's back. The Seeker knew that this human had been a key factor to his survival, as well as a second human and the Autobot medic, who was currently running repair checks and scans. Jaimaa moved slowly inside him. She was back to her normal strength and helping as much as she could. Her ability to mend broken skin had surprised Nicholas Cavanaugh, the male human, but he had accepted it, smiling slightly. It had helped immensely.
"Okay, nearly as good as new!" Nicholas told him and patted the cover of the newly installed circuit.
Twilight ran a quick check and was greeted by a function status of 100% of the transformation circuits.
"Thank you," he said softly. "How did you do it?"
Nicholas grinned. "Natural talent."
Twilight tilted his head, studying the fragile looking being. Tornado, who had been present throughout the repairs, watching and waiting in one corner of the room, detached himself from the wall he had been leaning against.
"That's no joke, Twilight. He is a natural."
Twilight blinked as he thought he heard pride out of Tornado's voice.
:: They are one :: Jaimaa whispered helpfully, also sounding proud of her creation, her child.
Interfaced? Twilight thought. Tornado had always been against it and now it had happened to him.....
"What will happen now?" he asked out aloud.
"Now we want to hear your story," a new voice said and Twilight discovered Rodimus Prime stepping into the room. The Autobot commander looked wary, but there was also a determination in his face that showed the Seeker that Rodimus was trying to trust him.
"It's quite a long one, actually," Twilight said.
Rodimus smiled. "I think I can safely say that we have the time to spare."
Twilight nodded, then hesitated. "Where's the Venerakkin?"
Rodimus' expression grew slightly cold and Twilight wondered what had happened while he had been out. "She's currently occupied and won't get near you or Jaimaa unless you want it."
"Thank you."
Rodimus only nodded, then turned to First Aid. "Can he leave med bay?"
First Aid nodded. "But try to keep stress down a minimum," he advised his patient. "Your circuits might show 100% functioning status, but they are still rather sensitive to exertion and stress.
Twilight nodded and carefully slid down from the table. Nicholas walked down the stairs and exchanged a look with Tornado. The Seeker leader nodded imperceptibly and followed Rodimus and his old friend out of the quarantine room.

*

Nicholas watched Twilight go and cleaned his hands, then walked over to one of the other treatment rooms where one of his most critical patients lay: IceAngel. The Gatekeeper was in the worst state Nicholas had ever seen a robot in, and he had seen many injured Cybertronians since taking on this job as part-time medic. While Archer was recovering nicely and kept in an artificial sleep to help his recovery, IceAngel showed no inclination to get better. She was in a catatonic state and nothing was able to get her out of it. Mel was spending a lot of time with her, trying to sense her emotional state, trying to help, but IceAngel had shut everyone out. There was no getting through.
"How is she?" Nicholas asked as he entered the room, though he already knew the answer.
Mel sighed and shook her head, pushing some hair out of her face. "No change. Nick, I'm not sure we can get her out. Not if she continues to fight us and keep herself under."
Nicholas looked at the motionless body. IceAngel had been reconstructed as best as possible, though First Aid had refrained from rebuilding the wings because they might get in the way with the further treatment. If she ever woke they had time enough to complete her looks.
"Get some shut-eye," he told the woman. "I'll check her and then hook her up to surveillance for First Aid to check on her as well. Then I'll pay Archer a visit. They want him debriefed and I think we can risk to get him out of the healing sleep soon enough."
Mel nodded and left. Nicholas set to work.
"Need help?" someone asked.
Nicholas looked up and smiled as he discovered who it was. A tall man with long, dark brown hair he had bound into a pony tail was leaning at the door. His equally dark brown eyes glinted mischievously. He was dressed in non-descript clothes.
"Hi, Jon. Since when are you here?"
Jonathan Darren shrugged and pushed himself away from the door, walking toward the sprawled out form of IceAngel, regarding her thoughtfully. "Thought I might drop in and have a look at what's happening in this mad house. Looks like you got a full schedule. Anything you need my famous fingers for?"
Nicholas chuckled. "Get into a work overall and help yourself to a repair kit. I can use every single mechanic I can get."
"Ooo-eee, I rose to the position of mechanic," Jon laughed, but went off in search of his stuff.
"Crazy nut," Nick muttered and concentrated on his work again.

* * *

Optimus stared at Rodimus, his optics reflecting exactly what he was feeling, but only to those who knew him quite well. Someone else, who didn't know him, would see nothing but a neutral expression. Rodimus let his optics wander and he saw various emotions in the faces of the Council members. Megatron's red optics were alive with anger and Rodimus suspected that if this weren't a Council meeting and he was among his own kind, he would have bashed some heads in now. Midnight's expression was cold and unwavering, his skin darker than usual but he wasn't flaring his aura. Tornado looked like he had expected something like this.
Rodimus had just relayed to the Council members what Twilight had told him, adding his own theory about who the Veneran really were and the confirmation Twilight had given him. Rodimus had neutraly inquired about the relationship between Tji and Veneran and Twilight had simply told him the truth. Veneran and Tji were the same, though their race had split into two tribes millions of years ago. Both were their creators. Jaimaa herself had been head of the Sentinel project, fighting for her idea to enable robots to Interface.
"She lied to us," Midnight finally said, his hands clenching into fists.
Rodimus knew there was more behind this than pure anger at Firefall. Midnight was involved with one of the Venerakkin himself and he felt betrayed now; Optimus surely felt just the same.
"All she ever told us about the Veneran was that they are from Kaiy'thala and that they used their bodies to Interface," Optimus said calmly, but there was an underlying tension which could erupt into a major fury, Rodimus guessed. He would just need a few minutes with Firefall, that was all. Firefall had always managed to evoke bouts of anger in others through her behavior. But her lies had now put her into an impossible position -- impossible to find another lie or excuse not to tell the truth.
Rodimus wondered why no one had ever dug into the stories of the Veneran and their abilities to Interface. Then again, there had been enough problems for them otherwise and if there was a race using dormant Interface abilities of robots to live in symbiosis, why ask more about them? Hell, Rodimus was Interfaced as well! And no one had ever tried to dig into the Sentinels' abilities to Interface with humanoid life forms! And since there were so many alien species out there, all with different abilities, Firefall's explanations had sounded true enough.
Now this.
"We'll have to talk to her," Tornado decided.
"I don't think talking will settle this," Megatron growled.
Optimus shot him a sharp look. "We will talk," he said coolly. "Nothing more, nothing less. We'll confront her with what we have just found out and wait for what she has to say. I want to know why she kept it a secret that the Venerakkin house the Creators."
Megatron didn't reply, but his expression said that talking was not an option for him.
"Council dismissed," Optimus closed the session.
The members rose, Megatron striding out of the room. He was already expected by Sparks, Rodimus saw with a tiny smile. The cat followed him unobstrusively. Midnight exchanged a look with Optimus, then left as well.
Rodimus sighed deeply. "Never a dull moment, eh?" he asked softly.
Optimus smiled as well, though it was only a brief glint in his optics. "Never," he agreed. He straightened. "Now to get hold of Firefall and get this over with."
Rodimus groaned. "Fun," he muttered.

* * *

Firefall strode into the meeting room and was greeted by both Primes, both looking rather angry.
Okay, what this time? she asked herself, going through her latest confrontations with the others. Nothing major, nothing that would call for both Primes giving her a lecture.
Optimus sat in his chair while Rodimus had apparently found it more comfortable to remain standing. Firefall stopped, frowning. Something told her that this was no normal meeting. Something had happened.
"So, what's up this time?" she asked nevertheless.
"Please sit down," Optimus said instead of an answer.
Firefall decided to humor him and do it. No sense getting him more enraged than he already was. And she wanted to know what had triggered the anger this time.
"We talked to Twilight," Optimus started calmly. "He explained a few things about how he came to survive his encounter with the Tji." Optimus then gave her a brief version of the interview with Twilight.
Firefall nodded. Gaelon had already suspected this.
"We also asked him why his symbiont, the Tji Jaimaa, was so terribly afraid of Gaelon or any other Veneran," Optimus continued. His optics narrowed and grew a degree colder. "He said that the Tji and the Veneran are the same race, that they separated into two different tribes millions of years ago .... but at the time of the creation of Vector Sigma and all the basic personality programs, the First Ones and the Sentinels, they were on race. The Veneran are Creators."
Firefall felt cold inside. Looking at Rodimus she saw that he was not amused at all and Optimus reflected this emotion.
"You lied to us," Rodimus now said calmly, but his voice was as icy as Optimus'.
"I never lied," she returned.
"Oh, no! You just omitted the most important fact about your symbiont!" Rodimus hissed.
"Why, Firefall?" Optimus asked calmly. "Why this lie? This deception?"
Firefall evaded his eyes.
"Where you afraid we'd try and take revenge on the Veneran for what the Tji are doing?" the Autobot leader went on.
"No," she muttered.
"Then why?" Rodimus pressed. "Why not tell us?"
Firefall sighed. "It's a long story," she said softly. "And a really ugly one."
"We are all ears," Rodimus said sarcastically. "We already heard an epic story from Twilight, so why not enlighten us with yours?"
Firefall winced at the words. She had always wondered how she would one day reveal the truth to the Council; how she would manage to stand up to the few Autobots and the one Sentinel she trusted and tell them about her little white lies. Now she had had no time to prepare. She had been thrown into cold water and had to swim.
"It all started millions of years ago on Kaiy'thala," she began. "After the Quintessons were defeated, exploration ships were sent out to the farthest regions of space and one found Kaiy'thala. There were weird energy fields all around the planet, but since they didn't interfere with any of our instruments or our systems, we decided to land. We explored the planet, erected a training center and trained our people there. We didn't know the energon fields were the Veneran -- at least not at first and even after some time not all of us knew. The Veneran had left the known universe, true, but a few had stayed behind and those were the Kaiy'thala energy fields. You were on Kaiy, Optimus. You know the fields, how they shifted and all."
"Yes, I was, but I never found out about the energy fields. I know Kaiy's history up to the point of the Decepticon attack and your supposed death. Yours and that of many others."
Firefall sighed. "Yes, the war. It was a long and ugly fight, with the Decepticons starting to win. We evacuated the civilians and as many of the wounded as could possibly make it. I stayed behind and with me stayed a few individuals, who thought that if they had to die, they'd take a few Decepticons with them. We were distractions for the Decepticons while the moonbases were evacuated. The Decepticons attacked and many of us fell." Anger and sadness mixed into her voice and she tried to shove the gruesome memories of her friends' deaths aside. "But then something weird happened. The Decepticons suddenly stopped functioning and fell out of the sky or keeled over. I knew seconds later that it had been the Veneran interfering. I had always known about the Veneran and what they were. I just never told anyone....."
"How did you know?" Rodimus inquired.
"I was created to be a Guardian, a protector of the Veneran. I had still retained some of my original Guardian programming and that programming let me recognize them as what they were. My only problem was, I couldn't communicate with them. Well, we won the battle, but we had no means to either communicate with the survivors from the moonbases or get off the planet ourselves. We were stuck."
She hesitated a second, then continued.
"Soon after the victory something happened to me and the others. We started to change. It was long and it was far from as pleasant as the Interfacing you know. Gaelon was bonding with me, changing my body structure so I could accommodate her. Well, the others didn't go through as much as I did at the time. Somehow my bond to Gaelon required her to change so much inside me, that I nearly went crazy sometimes. When it was over, my body was what it is now, crammed up to the hilt with security programs, protecting not only me but also Gaelon from harm. The Veneran had enhanced our abilities to a point where we still function at a level you would consider fatal."
Rodimus stared at her, clearly remembering the time she had come to Earth and they had fought her programming to allow them to save her.
"The Decepticons soon returned and the war continued. More of us fell because even in our improved state we were not invincible. We replaced out forces with Decepticons who had changed sides. They were bonded as well."
"How many of them are still out there?" Optimus wanted to know.
"Too few," she sighed. "Many of us were killed though the millennia and too few were borne. The war dragged on because the Decepticons wanted the energon they thought was on the planet. Since our numbers dwindled, so did our chances to survive on our own. Millions of years had taken their toll. We desperately rebuilt an old shuttle. That's how I came here."
She hesitated again.
"As to why I never told you..... I didn't want anyone to know the truth about Kaiy'thala. You have to understand that I am a Guardian. My basic programming is to protect the Veneran under all costs. I couldn't tell you without violating my programs!"
"So you lied and left us hanging, right?" Rodimus accused.
"I never lied!" Firefall repeated.
"You perfected the art of telling us everything but the most important facts!"
Firefall felt her temper rise. "It was my duty! I couldn't risk exposing the Veneran as what they were until I was sure they wouldn't be killed!"
Rodimus moved away from the wall and faced her, blue optics aflame with anger. "You really think of us that way?" he demanded. "You think we're ruthless killers? Don't compares us to your own kind, Firefall! At least I have a conscience keeping me from killing in cold blood! Neither of us would have done anything to your precious Veneran!"
Firefall erupted from her chair, optics aglow with the same angry fire. "Watch your mouth, child!"
Rodimus hissed angrily. "Why? Because you'd follow your assassin instincts and kill me for what is the truth? Or because you can't face up to the whole truth and its consequences? How do you expect us to trust you, Firefall, if all you tell are little white lies and half truths?!"
Firefall's hands clenched into fists. Rodimus had hit a nerve here, but she didn't want him to know.
"Rodimus," Optimus said calmly.
"What?" his second snapped.
Optimus gave him a pointed look and Rodimus glowered angrily at his older friend, but he moved away from Firefall. Optimus turned his attention back to Firefall.
"In many ways Rodimus is right, Firefall," he said calmly. "You omitted important facts and kept us in the dark about the truth for reasons I think I can understand, but which are still not reasons enough for me. How long would you have gone on with this little sharade?"
Firefall calmed down by force. "Not much longer," she confessed. "I was just trying to find a way to tell you .... before something like this happened..."
"Well, it happened," Rodimus growled.
"And I have to live with the consequences," Firefall agreed. "I understand your anger, but I really want you to understand my reasons as well! I am a Guardian! My primary function is to protect the Veneran, nothing more, nothing less!"
"A Guardian should also learn when it is time to trust and when it is time to let those who want to help do it," Optimus said calmly.
Firefall sighed, knowing he was telling the truth, but trusting in others, calling them friends, letting them near her and see more than her outside shell, was something she couldn't easily do. She had seen her family and friends fall under the servants of the Quintessons, the Sentinels; she had seen more friends slaughtered by the Decepticons; she had survived for so long and her friends had perished. She was afraid to let that happen once more. Firefall looked up into Rodimus Prime's optics and he returned the look icily. She knew she had just lost his trust. It hit her like a fist in the stomach. She looked upon Rodimus like a kid brother and he had been the first Autobot she had trusted and his Interface Shanygn had saved her life.
What have I done? she thought desperately.
"Yes," she finally said. "But it isn't something that comes easily to me. It's nothing I have ever learned." She looked at Optimus. "What will you do now?"
"The question is: what will you do now?" the Autobot leader returned the question.
"I ... I need to talk to my people."
Optimus nodded. "You do that." There was a slight note of sadness in his voice, but he erased it immediately. Firefall felt sympathy rise inside of her. She knew Rikkochet and Optimus had developed a fragile bond and now this bond was about to break.
Firefall left the room. When she was outside, she sighed deeply. Everything had just grown much worse for all the Venerakkin -- because of a decision she had made. The burdens of leadership.......

*

Rodimus was angry beyond mere words and right now he wished he had something to vent his anger on, preferably Firefall. He paced the conference room, trying to get his anger under control, all the time acutely aware that he was projecting at Shanygn as well and that he would have to apologize later. The young commander stopped, stared at the wall, then whirled around and looked at Optimus, who was still sitting where he had sat when Firefall had left.
"How can you be so calm?!" he exclaimed, visibly unnerved by his older friends cool exterior. "Aren't you angry at ....at... her? She lied, she deceived and she has the guts to tell us she did it because she couldn't trust us!" His fuel pump was beating angrily and his energon level was rising steadily.
Optimus turned emotionless optics at him. "Of course I am angry, Rodimus. But there is nothing we can change now and we have to work with what is left of this mess."
"I wish she had never crashed on Earth!" Rodimus snarled. "I wish she hadn't survived!"
Optimus gave him a look of mild disapproval.
"Don't look at me that way!" Rodimus erupted. "Since she arrived we had nothing but trouble!"
Optimus smiled, watching Rodimus trying to get his rising temper under control. "Yes, we had. And we will continue to have problems because that's just Firefall. And," he added, "I won't ban her from Cybertron forever. We managed to ally ourselves with our greatest enemy and live through various confrontations day by day."
Rodimus snorted. "I think I need to take a drive," he muttered and left the conference room.
Optimus watched him go. He wasn't as calm as he looked and he knew Rodimus knew this. Rodimus was the emotional, temperamental side of their leadership team and he expressed quite clearly what Optimus felt most of the time. Optimus couldn't let his emotions show while others were around. He was too much a legend for it; his people expected this from him. Right now he wished he could do the same as his young second: calm his turmoiling emotions by racing somewhere. But he couldn't.
"Well, no use musing about this," he muttered. He had to let the other Council members in on the latest revelations. No easy task, considering Megatron was already at a point where he wanted to dismember Firefall.
And he was right.

*

"I don't care if she were Primus himself!" Megatron exploded. "She deceived us on purpose and she would have continued to lie and hold back about the truth on these Veneran!"
"Firefall said she wanted to tell us, but had not yet found a way to do it," Optimus said calmly.
Megatron gave him a deeply sarcastic smile. "Oh, of course. And how long would she have continued searching for this way?"
"Megatron, please," Optimus sighed.
"Now that we know that the Veneran are what we know as Creators, we might have a new chance in this war," Tornado said softly. "If they help us."
Megatron's facial expression turned several degree's colder. "I couldn't care less."
Optimus looked thoughtful. "I have no idea if they would help, but it is worth a try. They could help us develop defenses and weapons, as well as strategies. We are fighting their own kind, though another tribe, but Firefall explained that before they split, both worked together."
"We already have enough firepower and defenses," Megatron snarled, clearly not amused about involving those who had lied about their true heritage in this fight. "Ralyk has shielded this planet with more than we could ever hope for and out fighting force is something to be reckoned with. We are not weak, we are not helpless!"
"Of course we aren't, but any help is appreciated," Optimus told the Decepticon leader.
Megatron snorted and leaned back, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Not by me," he growled.
The meeting dragged on for a few minutes and then it was dismissed, with no decision made about the Veneran. Megatron simply strode off toward the shuttle bay and Midnight disappeared as well. Optimus sighed deeply and shook his head. Why had everything always be so difficult and complicated?

*

Midnight was angry and he tried not to show it. He had left the South Port complex to be alone and try to get his emotions under control; emotions concerning Firefall.
She had lied.
She had deceived.
Worst of all, she was the one who had always hated Sentinels with everything she had. And now she had revealed more of her lies and Midnight didn't care about her explanations and excuses. He was just plain mad!
The Sentinel transformed and shot away from the complex.

*

Firefall had likewise left the building and was aimlessly walking around, though first she had talked to two of the present Venerakkin: Tarakk and Rikkochet. They had the right to know that the secret was out in the open. Both females had been shocked because they both knew what it meant for them.
And then Firefall met the one Sentinel she had hoped not to meet.
"Dagger."
The dull grey colored Sentinel gave a grim smile. "Firefall." His blue optics were nothing but ice cubes in his hatred filled face.
Firefall felt the same hate rise inside of her, her frustration and anger venting into one target: Dagger. He had always responded to her animosity with the same force and they had both traded blows on several occasions, but never to an end. Today, Firefall suddenly thought, there would be an end with a victor and a loser. And Dagger would be the loser.
"I think we still have an open discussion," the Sentinel hissed.
"I think so, too," she replied, readying herself for the imminent confrontation.
:: No, Firefall! :: Gaelon protested.
"Shut up!" she told her Veneran.
Dagger laughed and launched himself into the air. Firefall did the same and the chase began. Firefall felt all her problems fall away from her for a time, her focus only on the chase and the victory.

* * *

Ath'antheia had gathered his forces, leaving only two of his warriors back on the station while everyone else had been recalled for the briefing of the change of plans. And this change involved two things: one team who would attack the next doorway and distract the Cybertronians, and the second team who would attack the main target while the Cybertronians tried to save the doorway and its Gatekeeper and guardian.
The Tji leader looked at the display on the screen, showing a map of where they were going. They would reach their target in a few standard weeks.
Charr.
Base of the Decepticons.
Ath'antheia smiled coldly. When the Decepticons fell, the rest of the Cybertronians would be devastated enough to be conquered with a minimum of soldiers for the assault.
"Change course for Charr," he ordered and Rae nodded.
Scorponok slowly turned and then gained speed.

* * *

Midnight saw the two mad streaks and gave a hiss of anger and frustration himself. Of all the times the two had to pick to get into one of their brawls again! He veered off to the left and followed, his afterburners kicking in and getting him closer to Firefall, who was racing after Dagger at a break-neck speed.
"If she wants to fight someone, then let's give her another target," he muttered, making a note to talk to Dagger later. This animosity couldn't go on. And Midnight had a few things to settle with Firefall himself; things that had accumulated over the years. Midnight could take a lot, but Firefall had crossed a line just now and he had reached a breaking point.
Pictures of Archer and IceAngel, of their catastrophic condition, floated up unbidden. And the hatred came with it. If she had retrieved them sooner they might now be in a better condition!
The black jet crossed Firefall's flight path and managed to get her off balance for a second. Firefall regained her equilibrium and changed course, just like Midnight had expected, blasting after him.

* * *

Rikkochet ran into Optimus Prime's office, starteling the Autobot leader out of his thoughts. As he saw the Venerakkin he wished she would have chosen another time to come here. He couldn't deal with this right now.
"You have to stop her!" Rikkochet exclaimed.
"What? Who?"
"Firefall! She is going after Dagger and Midnight intercepted her!"
Optimus erupted from his chair. "What?!" he nearly yelled.
Rikkochet flinched. "Someone has to stop her," she begged.
Optimus stared at her, then raced out of the office, closely followed by Rikkochet.

* * *

On some level Firefall was still aware of what she was doing, but it was a level that wasn't even close to her conscious mind. Everything was reigned by fury and anger. She lashed out and her hands struck something hard, cold and unyielding. She felt something slamming into her side and grunted in pain. She focused on her enemy, who was a Sentinel. That was all she needed to know. Her fury was only on him, her hatred running deep. She saw images of long-dead friends, slaughtered by the Sentinels, run past her inner eye. All those senseless deaths! Now it was time to repay.
Her hands were deadly weapons, as was her whole body. Firefall felt coldness all around her and she struck. Her hands rammed into something hard, then penetrated it. Someone screamed and she was struck herself several times. Her hands were slick with fluids and her body was taking a pounding that drove her back. Her optics fixed on the enemy, his symbol, and she hissed.
"Sentinel!"
Her hands were like claws, raking over the skin, leaving deep cuts and drawing more blood. She ignored the damage reports of her own system, simply shutting it off. She lifted one arm, which revealed a small blaster, and aimed at the hated symbol, blowing it and with it the whole wing off her enemy.
He gave a gasp of pain, but she gave him no time to maybe retaliate.
"Die!" she hissed.
Her left hand clamped like a vise around his throat, the softer metal slowly yielding to her strength. He gasped for air, wheezing painfully. Firefall's other hand turned his left shoulder armor in a mess of metal and skin. She threw her enemy back against the wall, then jumped at him again, ignoring that she was hit by more of his return fire and blows.
A scream of agony rang through the room and the relished in it.
Yes! Die!
Everything is your fault! All this wouldn't have happened if your kind had not killed every single one of my kind in cold blood!
Her hands tore apart more of the chest plate of the Sentinel and he cried more, then her own body exploded with pain and something cold wrapped itself around her.
Firefall's mind was swamped and cleared by the icy cold and what she suddenly saw made her gasp. Not only from her own pain, from the searing agony running along her nerves, but from what she had done.
"No!" she breathed.
In front of her stood her enemy, a Sentinel. But not just any Sentinel. It was Midnight. And his condition was catastrophic. Firefall stared at him in frozen shock. One wing was missing, his shoulder armor mangled and torn, just like his chest. The right arm was a mess and the yellow 'blood' nourishing the organic layer of skin was running freely over his body. Everywhere were wounds, deep, terrible wounds.
She had done that. Firefall remembered how she had tried to catch Dagger, the one Sentinel she hated the most and who seemed to hate her just as strongly. He had taunted her once too often and in a furious moment she had gone after him. She remembered how Midnight had tried to interfere. From that point on she had a kind of blackout.
Midnight's aura was strong she saw, and growing stronger every second. He was channeling all his energy into the most deadly weapon he had: the cold blackness that was like a second skin to him. It was this blackness that had cleared her mind, but Midnight saw no difference. The feverish light in his optics told her he was ready to go to the end with this. He was defending himself against Firefall and he had already done a lot of damage to her. She was momentarily surprised by his fighting powers. She had apparently underestimated him greatly...... If he now went through with this, in his condition, he might die. No, he'd surely die. There was no way his weakened body could withstand what he was about ready to put it through.
Firefall held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Midnight, stop! I.... "
The darkness rose around her and she gasped. He was going through with it! And she couldn't let him. There was only one, very drastic way to stop him immediately, without losing valuable time. It was a brutal, bloody and all-in-all painful way for Midnight, but she couldn't hurt him much more than she had already done. Firefall struck out and her hand went through his already mangled chest plate, destroying the cockpit of his jet form, burying her fingers inside the body. Midnight screamed again and this time she didn't bathe in it, she winced in the same pain. She had hurt the one Sentinel she had never wanted to hurt!
"Gaelon! Help me!" she cried and felt the Veneran inside of her move with lightning speed, using Firefall's contact to get into the for her alien body.
Gaelon had kept out of the fight and Firefall wondered briefly if she would have allowed her to kill Midnight. She wasn't sure. Now Gaelon did something that was equally unthinkable -- normally. She invaded an Interfaced Sentinel, her energy body stretching inside Midnight, cutting down functions and disabling his Interface abilities with swift strokes. It was dangerous because normally a Sentinel could and would react with deadly retaliation against this, but Midnight was too weak to fight and Steve was Interfaced on a level where he was in a coma-like trance and so much one with Midnight that they were inseparable.
Midnight's scream of agony shook her and tore through her system. His visor flared, then went dark. His body collapsed as if someone had cut the strings and she caught him, lowering him to the floor. Her hands hovered over his wounds, afraid to touch him. Everywhere she looked was blood. Gaelon was back inside her and kept her silence as Firefall tried to come to terms with her deed. She finally touched the young Sentinel, flinching as she felt the cold of his skin, which was soft and yielding beneath her fingers. She thought she felt his fuel pump, slowly, painfully trying to keep going. His oxygen intakes were a mess and she saw where her fingers had left their marks. He wheezed, trying to get oxygen into his system to cool down his internal circuits, but it was nearly impossible for him to do so.
Her hatred had done that. Hatred of his kind, but no of him. He was different.
But he is still a Sentinel, Firefall, a small part of her whispered. You can't ignore the fact. He is their leader.
Midnight moved faintly in her arms and his visor flickered with consciousness. She touched his face, gently, carefully. He moaned as the first sensations swamped him and tensed.
"It's all right," she whispered, her voice rough and sounding choked. "I'm ....back to normal. I.... Midnight...." She was at a loss.
His optics were flickering badly. He needed a medic.
"I will cut off your pain sensors, okay?" Firefall brushed her hands over the torn chest and toward one of the deep wounds.
"No....." he protested weakly and struggled. His feverish mind was unable to see through the haze of pain and discover that the fight was over.
"Gaelon, one more time, please," she asked her Veneran friend.
Gaelon complied and Midnight's back arched once more as the Veneran let part of herself invade him, but he couldn't cry anymore. A whimper escaped his lips, barely more than a sigh. Then he shut down again, his head lolling to the side. Firefall felt like crying out her own pain at the sight. It didn't matter that she was just as bad off as he was. She could take it; she was Venerakkin; her body structure was vastly different.
Suddenly she heard running steps and her memory banks told it was someone she didn't want to see just now.
"Primus!"
She looked up, her pain-filled optics meeting those of Optimus Prime. Optimus stared at the scene with utter horror.
"Firefall, what happened?"
"Help me with Midnight," she whispered. "He needs help."
Optimus didn't hesitate. He transformed and opened his trailer. "Get in! Both of you!"
Firefall carried Midnight into the trailer and knelt down beside him. She saw that her hands were shaking.
My fault.
My hatred.
I nurtured it.
He wanted to help me accept them. He wanted to help me get over the pain and loss and dread.
Yes, dread.
I am still afraid of them, what they are, their powers. They are so different, so deadly if let lose.
And now he paid for it. He always paid for it. He took the brunt of my hatred every time I lost it; he confronted me; he is the leader. He tried to protect them.
Firefall sobbed silently. It was true that Midnight had always tried to get her to accept the Sentinels. He had talked, screamed, yelled at her. He had tried peace offerings, gradual approaches and more. She had always told him she would hate the Sentinels forever and more. Nothing could undo what they had done millions of years ago to her kind. But he had never said he wanted to undo things, she reminded herself. He wanted to enable them to have a new start. The Sentinels had changed.
But I didn't
And now came the revelation that the others know about the Veneran, who they really are. I was so angry, so frustrated at their narrow minds, their accusations. Everything just collpased and Midnight took the fall.
She gently touched Midnight's battered chest. "It is time to change," she whispered.

* * *

Six: In Fading Light

Tarakk gave a soundless cry and ran over to the lifeless figure of Midnight. He was in a separate room and First Aid had hooked him up to various feeds, trying to stabilize him before he began reconstruction. It was a tricky operation anyway because Sentinels were so different. First Aid had experience, but Midnight's skin might prove a problem. Nicholas was with Midnight at the moment, as was Mel, though she kept herself separated in one corner of the room, eyes closed, concentrating. Tarakk ignored them, her main focus, her only focus, on Midnight.
"Mid!" she breathed, her voice shaky. Her fingers touched his left arm, carefully curling her fingers around his wrist. His wounds were gruesome, she saw.
Tarakk knew what had happened, at least to a certain point. Dagger had managed to get Firefall to lose her temper and she had gone after him. Once again. Sometimes Tarakk thought it was like a game for the two of them; testing and taunting each other. But this time Firefall had crossed her own line, turning every bit of rage and anger and frustration into one single course: kill a Sentinel. Midnight had seen the two enemies take off after one another and had tried to separate them. Firefall had been like in some kind of blood rage and simply exchanged one target for another. She had attacked Midnight.
"Why did you do it?" Tarakk whispered. "Why be so stupid?"
"Because he always was that 'stupid' and always will be. He wants to protect us."
Tarakk turned and saw F/X standing in the doorway. The Sentinel looked worried, but tried to hide it. Since becoming involved with Midnight, Tarakk had gotten to know many of the non-Interfaced Sentinels and she had come to like and respect them -- unlike her 'mother' Firefall.
"He went up against Firefall!" she exclaimed. "That was stupid!"
"Not when you see it from his point of view. He wanted to save Dagger." F/X sighed softly as he looked at his friend and leader. "You don't know half of what he did in the past; both of them: Steve and Mid."
Tarakk carefully brushed over the nearly unharmed skin on Midnight's left forearm. First Aid entered the room.
"I'd like to ask you to leave the room," he said gently.
Tarakk nodded and reluctantly left the room. She walked out of the room, accompanied by F/X. They both settled back in the waiting room until the operation was over.

*

Dagger had heard about what had happened from F/X, but he had not gone into med bay. Until now. He had not been able to stand it any longer. Part of him was aware that it had been his actions that had driven the young leader to this point, but another part also argued that Firefall had played no small part in it as well. Dagger had always been at odds with Midnight, mainly because ... well.... he still saw a Seeker in him. He saw what had killed his only chance of ever Interfacing. That Midnight was a Sentinel and had had his own deadly run-ins with the Seekers played no important role. Not when it was easier to hate than to accept. And this was exactly what had driven him to taunt Firefall all the time. The Venerakkin hated all Sentinels and Dagger had found it easy enough to focus his rage on her. Now Midnight had paid for it and somehow Dagger didn't feel as pleased as he had thought he would.
Firefall had hurt his leader.
He flinched as the thought came unbidden to his mind. He was surprised how much he respected the Sentinel leader, how much he had grown to accept him. Now he walked hesitantly into med bay and was greeted by the familiar figures of F/X and .... Tarakk! Anger clouded his optics for a second. Tarakk was Firefall's descendant, her offspring .... and she had grown close to Midnight. Dagger shoved his thoughts of hatred aside, trying to control himself. There was no use in starting a battle now.
F/X nodded at him as he approached. "First Aid is still working on him," he said by ways of a greeting.
"How bad?" Dagger asked.
F/X hesitated. "Bad," he then answered softly.
Dagger's face turned into a stony mask. His optics traveled to the closed operation room.
"You can wait with us here," Tarakk said softly.
"No," he declined briskly and left med bay.
Dagger made his way to Firefall's office. He knew that Firefall had been badly hurt as well, but her own kind had fixed her up well enough that First Aid could concentrate on Midnight. She would get her treatment after that. Dagger simply entered her office and let the door close after him. Firefall looked a bit worse for wear and her expression shifted from thoughtful to surprised to angry.
"If the kid dies," Dagger said without giving her a chance to speak, "you die! Even if it is the last thing I do!" With that he left again.

Firefall stared after him, clearly aware that Dagger had meant what he had just said. He didn't go for empty threats. Her mind returned to Midnight.
"I nearly killed him," she whispered. "All that hate... I nurtured it for millions of years...."
:: Sentinels killed your kind :: Gaelon said levely.
"Yes, they did. But it was a long time ago. And they were not their own.... they were controlled."
:: They still killed your kind ::
Firefall shook slightly with the memory of the dead. "My friends..... family.... so long ago." She sank into a chair. "He's a child compared to me..... so young. But still he showed more sense than I ever would have, Gaelon! He wanted peace! He!"
:: Yes, he did. Right from the start ::
She stared at her hands, the hands who had torn him apart. "How can he ever forgive me? How can the others? Gaelon, I was ready to tear him apart for being something he had no control over!"
:: None of them had control. We created them and we gave the Quintessons the chance to use them. They did -- just in a deadly fashion ::
Firefall nodded like in trance. Galeon had told her the same for millennia and she had never listened, too focused on her hatred. She had somehow needed it -- for whatever reason. She didn't know anymore. And Gaelon had sometimes reminded her that if someone was to blame, it were the Veneran.
"Puppets," she whispered.
:: Yes ::
Firefall drew her legs to her chest, her mind whirling around what to do now. She knew that Optimus and Rodimus would want to talk to her about it. Again. First the revelation about her lies, now the attack. Firefall could bet on it that this time she would not get off the hook so easily. And if the Sentinels took this as personal as she had taken their mere presence.... she had no doubt about what would happen to her if they went after her. She was superior in many ways, but there was a time when numbers counted, not the strength of the individual.
She didn't know how much time had passed when someone knocked softly, then entered. It was Rodimus.
"Come to chew my tail as well?" she asked humorlessly.
He didn't smile. "No. I came to tell you that Midnight is going to recover. He is weak and in bad need of energon, rest and some peace, but he and Steve are on their way to recovery."
Firefall breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't want it, Rodimus," she whispered then. "Believe me."
"I heard a rough version of what happened. Why don't you tell me your side of the story."
Firefall hesitated, then relayed what she could remember. Rodimus' face darkened, then turned neutral again. She saw criticism in the young commander's face and she knew he was entitled to it. She had acted like a stupid, spoiled child all the time.
"So we can say Midnight was lucky to get out of this alive," he said after a while.
"Both of us," she added. "He could have killed me if he had flared his aura to freeze me and then strike, but he didn't. And I know he had the energy left." Firefall evaded Rodimus' eyes. "He never intended to let it end that way. He only wanted me to stop and to protect his kind."
"What will you do now?" he asked bluntly.
"Try to apologize," she answered truthfully. "Try and get past what I felt all the years."
Rodimus gave her a critical look, then nodded slowly. "All right. I want to wait for Midnight to regain consciousness, then see what he thinks about this episode. As far as I know him," he added, "he won't press charges."
She nodded. "I will talk to him if he will hear me."
"He will," Rodimus told her calmly.
"I know."
"Firefall, this was stupid! On top of everything else you fought out a personal vendetta! At all the times this could have happened, it had to happen now! This aggravated everything!" Rodimus shook his head in desperation.
Firefall evaded his eyes. Gaelon kept her silence.
Rodimus turned and left the room, and Firefall was alone again. She stared at the wall, lost in thought.

*

Twilight watched how they brought in Midnight from his place on one of the examination table in the largest wing of med bay and he winced in sympathy. Jaimaa gave a moan as she saw one of her own children in this condition. Twilight had heard what had happened and wondered why the Veneran had not done anything to prevent Firefall from hurting the Sentinel.
:: There is only so much a Veneran inside a matrix can do :: Jaimaa answered his question. :: If Gaelon were as closely connected to Firefall as I am to you, she would have been able to intervene. But if a Venerakkin decides to shut out her Veneran, the Veneran can do almost nothing against it ::
"I see," he muttered.
"See what?" an exasperrated voice asked.
Twilight smiled at the dark-haired human, who was checking some of his transformation circuits.
"Y'know, I hate it when you talk to yourself, even though I know it's not yourself you're talking to." Jonathan Darren shook his head.
"Sorry," Twilight chuckled. "Won't happen again."
Jon gave him an amused critical look. "Don't make any promises you can't keep, Goldeneye."
Jaimaa laughed softly. Twilight knew the Tji liked the human a lot. Jon had shown a lot of interest in the newarrivals and after Nicholas had done the first repairs, Darren had simply taken over since Cavanaugh had more than enough to do with IceAngel and Archer. As far as Twilight knew, Jonathan Darren was an ordinairy human, not one of the Talented, as Jaimaa called them, like Nicholas or Mel. Jon had his own talents and though he acted with an air of non-chalance, he was very capable and if presented with a problem chewed on it until he had a solution. And he had the habit of muttering curses under his breath if nothing went how he had expected it.
"Oooo-kay, transform," Jon told Twilight.
Twilight slipped from the table and did so. Darren walked over to the right wing and checked the joints, which had been rather strained through the flight. Twilight bent his neck and looked over 'his' engineer's shoulder. Jon scratched his head and then ran another scan.
"Looks good, mind you. Still, should check on the alloys again. I don't like how they react to a scan."
Suddenly the devise he was holding changed read-outs and Jon rolled his eyes. He turned and came face-to-snout with Twilight, who grinned a dragonic grin.
"Very funny, Jaimaa."
Twilight's grin widened. "Done?" he asked sweetly.
Jon made a disgusted noise and shut off the scanner. Twilight transformed once more and walked out of the treatment room.
Midnight's operation had ended a few minutes ago and Nicholas had tiredly fallen asleep on a human-sized bed in another room while Mel was remaining with Midnight just in case. The human had worked several shifts, first on Twilight, then his continuing shift with Archer and IceAngel, now Midnight.....
"Does he have a chance?" he asked his Tji symbiont.
:: Yes. He is strong and he will survive ::
Twilight nodded slowly, then discovered a Venerakkin coming into med bay, one he didn't know. Jaimaa flinched back, though she tried to at least give it a chance and did not shield herself completely. The Venerakkin was a female as well, her skin patterned in various colors. Camouflage, Twilight guessed. She must have been in the waiting room, he mused. Now she was approaching the cubicle Midnight was occupying. As she became aware of Twilight she stopped, her optics fixing on him with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.
"You are Twilight," she finally said.
Twilight nodded. "Looks like everyone knows me," he joked, "but I don't know anyone."
"My name is Tarakk," she answered.
He smiled. "Hi."
She returned his smile, though still wary. Her optics wandered over to the cubicle.
"He will be all right," Twilight said softly.
Her head whipped around. "How do you know?"
"Jaimaa, the Tji inside me, knows. She was head of the Sentinel Project. She knows her children's strength."
Tarakk stared at him, then slowly approached him. Twilight tried not to listen to Jaimaa's emissions of fear as the Venerakkin came too close for her liking. Tarakk seemed to read the fear and stopped.
"Why are you afraid of me?"
"Not of you," he answered slowly. "Of the Veneran you carry. Jaimaa is afraid of it."
"He wouldn't hurt her!" Tarakk protested.
Twilight smiled sadly. "When you are the enemy, you don't trust easily. And the Tji are the enemy, aren't they?"
The Venerakkin sighed and nodded. "Yes. But you two are different. Listen, I ... I just want to have a look and maybe then we can talk?" There was a hopeful note in her voice.
"If you take him apart, you'll pay the repair bill," Jon called over to them and grinned irrespressibly as Tarakk stared at him in utter surprise.
The human winked at Twilight, then disappeared into the next treatment room. Twilight turned back to Tarakk, who was grinning slightly at Jon's remark. He hesitated one more second, then nodded. It was time to show the Venerakkin that they truly weren't the enemy.
Tarakk smiled. "Thank you," she said and walked over to Midnight's room.

*

Tarakk spent hours after hours in med bay, alternating between talking to Twilight, who was a really nice person she thought and who had quite a a lot to tell, and sitting in the small, separate room with Midnight, who was kept under until his skin healed. His wounds had been very serious and Nicholas and First Aid had spent long hours working on him. She let her eyes wander over his motionless form, feeling the familiar anger at her 'mother' rise inside of her. Firefall had done that! Only because she wanted to hate more and more, never consider peace or tolerance! She gently touched his hand and brushed over the soft, black skin.
"Why did you do it?" she asked softly. "Really, I mean. Dagger was not worth the pain! He was not worth the risk! No one ever is! I know you love your people, that you'd do everything for them to get accepted! You risked a lot and played high when you contacted the Autobots and trusted into Rodimus Prime. I know you want to risk the same and maybe more to get Firefall to accept you. But it's not worth your life!"
She was trembling with emotions. She had come so close to losing the only person she had ever felt close to. Really close. Not just friends -- more; much more. Tarakk didn't care that Firefall didn't approve of this. She didn't need her approval! She didn't need her 'advise'! Anger rose inside of her again and she squelched it.
Someone stepped into the room. She looked up and tensed as she discovered Dagger standing in the doorway. Their optics met and she didn't let him out of her eyes as he approached his leader's prone form.
"First Aid said he's going to be all right," Tarakk said softly when the silence between them became oppressing enough to choke her.
Dagger nodded. "He went through worse," he muttered, almost to himself.
Tarakk knew Midnight had had a troubled past, but he had never really told her much about it. She wondered if he would ever open up enough for it. All she knew was that Midnight's Sentinels had .... tortured him, but she had heard that from Rodimus, not Midnight. Midnight kept his mouth shut about it.
"And the last time it was your fault as well." Tarakk winced and could have bitten her lips after the accusation was out, but said was said.
Dagger's optics flared dangerously. "I didn't do it!" he hissed.
"Oh, yeah, none of you did," she snapped. "You tortured him!"
Dagger's hand clenched into fists. "It was a mistake!" he shot back.
"A mistake that shouldn't have happened! Just like this," she nodded angrily at the unconscious Sentinel leader, "shouldn't have happened! He risked his life for you after you pulled that stupid stunt! You knew Firefall might one day lose it if you continued provoking her!" Tarakk was truly angry now, though her voice remained a low growl and didn't rise.
Dagger trembled, his optics darting quickly toward Midnight.
"I don't know why he did it!" Tarakk continued. "If it had been me, I would have let Firefall dismember you!" She rose and confronted him face to face. "You have no respect for Midnight! You have no idea what he risks every time he confronts Firefall about her behavior toward you Sentinels! And you are as subversive as they come!"
Dagger glared at her. "I have the utmost respect for the kid!" he hissed. "And I am sorry about what happened! I know it was wrong and I know he tried to intervene and solve this peacefully...." He stumbled over the words. "I should have followed them," he whispered. "But I didn't. And he nearly died." Dagger shook his head.
"Why did you never tell him about it?" Tarakk asked. "Why never tell him he has your respect?"
Dagger's face grew neutral all of a sudden. "I have to go." He turned and left as if he was in a hurry.
Tarakk watched him go and then returned to her place at the side of the bed. She had no idea what to think of Dagger. On one hand he was clearly not a friend of Midnight's and distrusted him or openly contradicted his decisions or questioned his orders; on the other hand he had just shown a more private side.
Suddenly Midnight's hand twitched and Tarakk bent over him.
"Mid?" she asked with faint hope.
His visor flickered and then lit up in soft green. He turned his head and looked at her. "Tarakk?" he whispered.
Tarakk felt like hugging him, but she held back and simply touched his cheek. "Welcome back," she said, her voice catching a bit. "You gave me quite a scare."
Midnight struggled to sit and she carefully helped him, one arm around his waist. "What happened?" he asked.
Tarakk sighed. "You had a run-in with Firefall, trying to save Dagger from the treatment she gave you."
Midnight frowned. "I remember most of it." He shivered and Tarakk held on tighter. She knew those memories were mostly of agonizing pain.
"It's okay," he whispered and held on to her. "It's ... just a memory. How's your partner?" she asked, knowing she had to take his mind away from his own pain.
Midnight was silent for a moment, then smiled softly. "Sleeping. He was in a healing trance for most of the time."
"Good."
First Aid stepped into the treatment room and Tarakk could have sworn she saw a smile on his face, which was as hard to read as Soundwave's, though First Aid expressed more emotions than the Decepticon.
"How do you feel?" he asked the Sentinel as he ran first checks on him.
"Weak," Midnight confessed with a tired smiled.
"You still need to replenish most of your energon because the healing process of your skin and the shield around Steven use up most of it. Otherwise you are on your way back to normal." First Aid smiled again. "Take it easy, lots of rest, and you can leave here after I'm done with all checks."
Midnight nodded. "Promise."
Tarakk nodded as well. "I'll keep an eye on him," she told First Aid.
The medic's visor glinted. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

"I think it's better you leave here for some time."
Firefall's optics were cold as she faced Optimus Prime, who held her cold gaze with one of his own.
"Why? Afraid I'll snap again?" she challenged.
"Yes," he told her bluntly. "Get your act together, Firefall! You attack each and everyone! Verbally as well as physically. Megatron is close to introducing you to his fusion cannon and I can't say I feel inclined to stop him!"
Firefall didn't show any emotions, but she knew this was serious now. She had crossed a line that she shouldn't have crossed. The attack on Midnight had been the last nail to her coffin. Optimus wasn't ready to let off the hook as easily as the last years anymore. And he was right. She had nearly killed the Sentinel leader, on top of keeping Gaelon's true identity a secret.
"I understand," she said softly. "And I'm sorry, but .... after fighting for such a long time, making decision that would hopefully insure survival of the whole team for at least the next day, I'm not ready to trust explicitly yet. Orion, I'm a warrior, I'm a Guardian, I was and still am responsible for my kind. The decisions I made while with you were still based on Kaiy'thala conditions! I'm fast to adapt to new battle situations, but slow to change in peace times!"
"We saw that."
Firefall flinched again.
"I talked with Rodimus," the Autobot leader continued calmly. "He voted for you, Firefall, and it tells me that he wants to trust you. I want to trust you as well, but I'd rather see you off Cybertron for a time than on it. Megatron's opinion you already know."
"I'll be leaving then," she concluded neutraly.
Optimus optics remained as unreadable as before. "Midnight, even though you nearly killed him, said he wouldn't vote against you, as did Tornado. It's three to two."
Firefall stared at him.
"This is your last chance, Firefall, Veneran or not," Optimus told her clearly. "I know that with you on our side we might have a better chance, but not for that price. It's easier to keep the whole Decepticon army under control than you!"
Firefall inhaled deeply. "I will change, Optimus," she promised, telling him what she had told the unconscious Midnight.
"I hope so."
"And to show you I'm sincere, I'll help you guard the doorways. I'll supply my forces as shields for the Gatekeepers," she added.
Optimus was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you."
Firefall left the office and slowly walked down the corridor, her mind ahead of her. She needed to talk to Midnight, to clear things between them. Then she had to prepare her people for their new mission. And then -- Firefall didn't know. She had to get away from Cybertron, maybe to Earth, maybe to one of the allied planets. Alean was out of the question since Dagger had been sent there again, under the strict order to cool off his circuits there. Skritakaar sounded nice. But it was a planet populated by Seekers. Nebulos might be an option if she received the permission.
"Hey, FF!!" someone called and she was aware of light steps behind her.
Firefall recognized the voice and there was only one who called her FF: Maverick. She looked down at the small cat, who looked so much like Ravage. He just didn't have the shoulder cannons and Decepticon symbol. And instead of red optics his were green.
"Hello," she said.
Maverick fell in step beside her. "I got a message for you," he told her.
"Message? From whom?"
Maverick grinned a cat grin. "Kup. He heard what happened -- don't ask me through how many channels -- and would like to talk to you."
Firefall felt her fuel pump miss a beat. Kup..... She hadn't seen him for ages! "Where?" she asked, trying to keep her rising emotions under control.
"Earth," Maverick answered. "I have the coordinates if you want them."
Firefall nodded and the cat transformed into his second mode, a cassette tape. She took the tape and walked into her office.

* * *

Midnight sat in his office and was working through a stack of papers and reports. He had been released from med bay a day ago and had tried to take his mind off what had happened. It was hard, but it was possible. Steve was sleeping and Midnight kept him shielded from everything. His Interface partner needed time to recover -- and so did he.
"Can I come in?" someone asked and his head whipped up.
"Firefall!" The Venerakkin leader hesitated and he remembered her question. "Come in," he said, but remained seated behind his desk.
She looked closely at him, then shook her head. "I'll come back later. You are in no shape ....."
He laughed humorlessly. "For what? A new brawl?"
Firefall flinched. "Listen, Midnight, I .... I came to apologize."
He frowned a bit.
Firefall fidgeted. "I was wrong..... all the time," she continued and he heard how hard it was for her to say these words. "About you and the Sentinels. I think I just wanted to see you as enemies.... I needed something to distract myself from everything .... to justify my inability to let someone close."
"You once told me why you hated my kind and I understood," he told her calmly. "But I never understood why you fed that hatred so much. I never understood why you didn't want to just try to see past a name and a history we couldn't influence!"
Her optics flared a bit and anger began to lace her voice. "Because you killed my friends and family! Because I see their bodies in my nightmares! I see how they were slaughtered!"
Midnight flinched back under her sharp words.
"I see your faces and your cold eyes!" she yelled. "I see you!" Suddenly Firefall stopped, her face a mixture of fleeting anger and fear. "I'm doing it again," she whispered, "I'm .... sorry."
Midnight shoved his tiredness away and rose from his chair. "I won't say I forgive you for what you did .... in the far and also the recent past. You were ready to kill Dagger and even though he is not the easiest Sentinel to have around you. But he is one of my troops. He is my responsibility." He shook his head. "I ignored your squabbles, but I couldn't ignore your attempt to kill him. I could ignore your constant irritating remarks, your provocations, but not that you went into a killing frenzy while chasing Dagger."
Firefall moved back a step. "I know words are not enough to apologize," she said softly. "But I want to try."
"No, they aren't. I don't want to see an enemy in you, Firefall. I want to see a friend. Not to me, to the Sentinels and Seekers. I want you to accept that we changed!"
"I do," she whispered.
"Really?" he asked.
She met his eyes. "Yes. I want to try. Really try. I know some of my troops have found out that .... that .... you changed."
"If you are talking about Tarakk...." he said coldly.
She shook her head. "No. I know Tarakk has a closer relationship with you and...." She looked at his frozen features, " .... and I won't interfere. She is your friend, Midnight. I respect that."
Midnight stared at her.
"And we never were on quite so good terms, Tarakk and I," Firefall confessed, pacing to the window. "We fought and still fight a lot. She tried to tell me the same thing you did lately."
"Oh?"
"And I know she wants kick my butt into the nearest nova for doing this to you...." Firefall smiled sadly.
Midnight looked at her, then smiled as well. "She would, wouldn't she?" he mused softly.
Firefall nodded slowly. "Listen, you will soon have your troops back," she continued. "I have agreed to exchange your Sentinels and the Seekers acting as shields for Venerakkin shields. They are more efficient anyway."
"What changed your mind about that?" Midnight inquired.
"Many things," she sighed. "I take it you also know about the Veneran's involvement with the Tji, their common background?"
Midnight nodded. "I can't say I'm totally shocked, but it's coming close." He rubbed his visor. "The only thing that shocked me more was the revelation that Jaimaa was the head of the Sentinel project."
Firefall smiled. "I know the feeling. It was the same I had when I found out what the Veneran were, what I were.... what I still am."
She turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Midnight asked.
"To try and get some time on my own, to maybe straighten out my mind."
The Sentinel leader nodded and Firefall left.

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a flurry of hectic preparations and the continuous exchange of Sentinel and Seeker shields for Venerakkin. Midnight was present throughout the whole time of the exchange, greeting his troops as they returned and saying good-bye to Tarakk, which was pretty hard for him. Their relationship had been short and both had yet to work out the definition of it. Same went for Rikkochet and Optimus, but those two still denied that there was anything between them at all. Firefall had not returned for the transfer and it was better this way. Every returned Sentinel and Seeker was checked and debriefed.
Riverdance had started to feel at home among the allied forces and spent a great deal learning what she had missed since she had gone underground. She was also a valuable source for information concerning hidden bases and renegade groups and their hide-outs. Additionally to that she had volunteered to act as a training officer for all those who wanted to train their close-combat abilities. Optimus had been careful at first, but since nothing more serious than a few dents occurred he let the training sessions continue. Chromia had vouched for the female Decepticon and even though Megatron hadn't exactly welcomed her, he tolerated her presence.

Rodimus sighed with relief as normality seemed to settle in. With Firefall safely on Earth and under the 'care' of Kup, Rodimus allowed himself to worry about something different for a change. Twilight was still being debriefed and checked now and then, and since the Venerakkin had left Cybertron he had started to relax as well. The revelation that he had been their secret unknown informant had surprised the Autobots, but Twilight had been able to confirm his claims. First Aid and Nicholas had worked on determining the level of Interfacing the Seeker and the Tji had achieved and Nicholas was truly fascinated by Twilight.
With Jaimaa's and Twilight's help they had managed to get a clear picture of their enemy, which was as frightening as it was fascinating. Jaimaa really wanted to help and Midnight had taken on the task of both asking and answering questions of the Tji, who was so clearly fascinated by the success of her project.
Well, at least they had a bit of help, he mused and closed down his terminal, deciding to take some off, maybe spend it with Sil. He needed a bit of personal time right now. The next crisis would come soon enough

* * *

Seven: Darkness Falling

Chronicle was very much aware of what was about to happen. There was no mistaking the warning signs and the feeling of imminent danger. He looked at his new shield, a Venerakkin called Rikkochet. She was wearing the same expression he suspected he showed: deep worry and the realization that there was no way out except to either fight to the death or try and open the doorway, then destroy it -- which was impossible. Chronicle had been told about Trbeca and IceAngel. Rikkochet had given him an idea what the situation was. Now his doorway was the next target and even though he might have a better chance with the Venerakkin, he still wished the Sentinel was back here as well.
The first warriors came into view and he sighed. He recognized most of the bodies and Chronicle felt incredibly sad as he saw the dead shells used as armor for a race that had given them all life. This was so ironic!
"Ready?" he asked Rikkochet.
She nodded, her body tense. Chronicle knew she was better equipped with attack and defensive weapons than she looked, but he still worried. The Gatekeeper accessed his link to the doorway and began shutting it down, sending one last warning message, as he had done for the last day or so since he knew what they were facing. Then he concentrated on the first wave of attackers.

* * *

-- Warning --
-- Shutting down link --
-- Preparing --
-- Activating fail-safe program --
-- Warning --
-- Opening all lines --

* * *

There was no mistaking Ralyk's message and everyone of the Council knew what it meant. A second attack...... Optimus looked thoughtfully at the insufficient little data map of Shanadar, which was too far away to send immediate help. They might be able to use Midnight and Twilight to Gate some troops there, but it was dangerous. But he was likewise unwilling to risk losing Rikkochet and Chronicle. He turned to Midnight and Twilight.
"How many could you take there and how many would we need?" The last part of the question was directed at Twilight.
"Each of us can take five to seven with us," Midnight answered first. "Depending on mass and weight."
"As for the strength of the enemy," Twilight added, "we might or might not encounter them all. The last time they only sent a small team, but since they are now going up against a Venerakkin they would send more."
"Do they know about Rikkochet's presence?" Rodimus asked calmly.
"I don't think so. Not from afar. But up close it's highly likely. Jaimaa felt Gaelon when Firefall approached me. The attackers will sense Rikkochet's Veneran partner. It's like a radiation pattern."
Optimus nodded. "I want to leave as fast as possible. Rodimus, get the teams together and prepare them for the encounter. Sphere, we might need to use the Shanadar doorway to get back, so you four better be ready."
Rodimus and Sphere nodded.
"Megatron is currently on Charr, but we'll have some of his warriors here," Rodimus remarked.
"Tell them what's going on and ask for volunteers," Optimus decided. "I know this is an alliance, but they still obey Megatron's orders. If they want to help, assign them to the teams as well."
Rodimus rose from his chair and left, as did Sphere. Optimus turned to Twilight.
"How are our chances?"
Twilight looked thoughtful. "They won't expect help to come, since you didn't get to Trbeca to fight with IceAngel and Archer, so we might have an advantage. Their advantage is the nearly endless supply of bodies, though a Tji can use only so many body shells without tiring out or dying."
Optimus nodded. "I don't plan to win a victory. I plan to get our team out of there alive and lock down the doorway, or destroy it if it can't be locked."
Midnight looked at him, his green visor glowing softly. "Optimus, we can't go on destroying the doorways! This isn't the solution."
Twilight nodded seriously. "Of course it isn't, but right now it's necessary. Even Ath'antheia won't risk the complete annihilation of the system and that is exactly what would happen if he continued the attacks as they are right now."
Midnight looked doubtful, but kept his silence.
As the room emptied of all others, Optimus remained behind and stared at the wall, his mind with what was about to happen and what might already be happening on Shanadar.

* * *

Ath'antheia looked out of the large viewport and watched the stars pass by. Scorponok moved at full speed and they'd be at their target soon.
"Ready all warriors," he told his second without turning. "We will strike quickly and with no mercy. Destroy the base. Take as many body shells as possible. Those who resist will be terminated if they can't be acquired."
Anrhenjx nodded. "Everyone is only waiting for our arrival. The time window is small, but each team knows their target. We will be in and out like a bad dream."
Ath'antheia chuckled. "Yes, a nightmare. Roo, activate scramblers," he ordered.
Scorponok entered the Charr system and approached the planet that was the base of the Decepticons.

* * *

Rae was surprised when there was a sudden shift in the energy continuum around the doorway and two personal gates opened. But the surprise didn't last long. He had expected help for the doorway team, even if he had thought they might use the doorway, which would have been the ideal opportunity to try and seize it, though he had doubts they would be successful. If Ralyk was helping the Cybertronians, then it controlled the system in their favor. And it had already shown that it was quite capable and ready to blow a doorway to keep them from entering it. But the doorway wasn't important right now, the Tji knew. They just used this attack as a diversion for the real attack on Charr. Ath'antheia was already setting up his troops for this devastating blow against the Cybertronians.
The two teams who had just arrived immediately attacked the Tji warriors and Rae watched them curiously. They were quite good and .... he frowned..... he felt something coming from those new-arrivals... just like he had felt the Veneran energy pattern as they had launched their first attack wave. The Venerakkin guarding the doorway and Gatekeeper had thrown back the attack, but she was just one shell; she had no other resources. The Tji attack force had a lot of shell bodies to back up their intent of conquering them.
Rae launched himself into battle as well and approached the energy pattern. When he got close enough to the robot, which he didn't know but had to be a Seeker from his symbol, he realized just who he was facing.
"Jaimaa!" he hissed.
The robot turned and cold, golden optics stared at him. "Hello, Rae," the renegade Tji greeted him pleasantly. "And good-bye."
Rae's reflexes were good, but Jaimaa was good as well. He wondered how she could have changed bodies so quickly, finding another Seeker..... he stopped. And how was it she was still alive? If she was fighting on the Cybertronians' side.... wouldn't they kill her for killing one of their own by possessing him? Rae shoved those thoughts aside and concentrated on the fight at hand. He could speculate about it later -- with Jaimaa strapped to an examination table!

*

Optimus Prime was thrown into the fight without any warning. Of course, he had known that the Gate would spew them out right next to the doorway and that the team on Shanadar was in the middle of a fight. He just hadn't thought that it would be such a ferocious, vicious fight. The Aerialbots launched themselves into the air, closely followed by Dirge and Ramjet. Kup, Blitzwing and Octane stayed on the ground and moved forward to get to the doorway and secure it. Riverdance, whom he had decided to take along even though he was not yet completely sure about her, had her sword out and gave a war cry, engaging the nearest enemy in battle.
The doorway was standing about twenty meters away from them, untouched. Chronicle, the Gatekeeper, stood in front of it, defending it with everything he had. He looked rather bad and Optimus had a flash of memory as to what had happened to IceAngel. The Aerialbots, Dirge and Ramjet were currently taking out the aerial attack force of the Tji. The Tji were not as fast as the others, but they made up this weakness in numbers and firepower. The bodies they had possessed were not their own, just armors, and they used them as such. Serious hits were taken lightly and only when a body shell fell apart was the Tji beaten.
Kup was firing constantly at the advancing ground warriors and Blitzwing blasted volley after volley into the ranks, felling some, but not enough. Riverdance was a blur of movement, her weapons mowing down the enemy with an effectiveness that gave Optimus an idea about her potential. Her sword cut deep into the armor of her enemy and most of them lost a few limbs before she destroyed the shell completely -- at least enough to make it useless for the Tji. Optimus returned fire as well, taking out one Tji who had tried to get to him, then suddenly froze.
"Rikki!" he whispered.
Rikkochet still stood upright, but her body showed massive wounds. She was constantly drawing attention to herself, away from Chronicle and the doorway, as was her task. Her optics glowed brightly and from the looks of her armor she should have shut down long ago. Optimus remembered what he had been told by Firefall about the Venerakkin: they could function beyond the normal point of total shut-down. Several Tji had ganged up on her and it was clear that even though the doorway was the target, Rikkochet was a major target as well. The Autobot leader guessed it had to do with her hosting a Veneran.
Suddenly one of the obvious commanders of the Tji army aimed at the unsuspecting female and lost several volleys. They tore into her unprotected back and she gave a gasp. Optimus felt an icy chill run through him.
"Rikkochet!"
He ignored everything around him, blasting and firing away to clear the way. His last volley hit the Tji closest to Rikkochet, who went down, losing an arm and a leg. Optimus didn't care if the shell still functioned or not. He knelt down at Rikkochet's side, checking her. She was out cold.

*

-- Preparations complete --
-- All channels open --
-- Waiting --

Suddenly Ralyk stopped. Something was coming in through one of the newly installed lines, those who linked the Council members, as well as a few others who had not yet discovered this link, to the alien entity. Ralyk accessed the link and strained to hear.

*

Rae smiled in satisfaction. Even with the additional firepower of the Cybertronian teams there was no way the Tji could lose this battle, though they also hadn't intended to win it. He called to his troops not to take them out right away. The longer this battle dragged on, the more damage Ath'antheia could do. Most of their forces were on Scorponok, as were most of the body shells. This battle here on Shanadar would be costly in shells, Rae knew. They had already lost about 20%. The Tji battle commander blasted the tail section off one of the airborne Autobots and the jet fell to the ground, transforming with an effort and continuing to fight. He had to give it to them: they were persistent.
Jaimaa countered one of his blows and jumped back again.
"I thought you had perished in the attack," Rae growled.
"No such luck," Jaimaa answered. "What are you doing here, Rae? I thought Ath'antheia always leads offenses."
He sneered. It was true. "He knows my command qualities, traitor," he growled instead. "Why don't you surrender right now and make things easier?"
Jaimaa laughed. "Easier? Oh, no, Rae. I make things easier for you -- easier to get out of the shell you killed!" With that she raised her gun and fired.
Rae growled something as he dove out of the way and then returned fire.

"Optimus, there are too many!" Kup yelled and appeared at his side. At the sight of the unconscious Venerakkin he gave a muttered curse.
"Then let's even things out!" he growled and began firing volley after volley into the approaching Tji.
Some of the body shells he knew; old friends, old enemies. Anger rose inside of him, rage and fury, as well as helplessness. He knew he couldn't help those possessed shells anymore. Each and every one of them was dead. All he could do was give them a last salute and help them die completely.
Riverdance jogged toward him, her skin colors shifting slightly. Her sword was stained with fluids of all kinds, as was her body, but she didn't seem to be hurt. It was the 'blood' of the enemy. Even in this messy state she still looked proud and like a creature out of the most shadowy of worlds. Her red optics were alive with an inner flame.
"Get her to safety!" she said briskly. "I'll cover you!"
Optimus simply nodded and picked up Rikkochet's limp body.

:: Something's wrong here ::
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked as he continued to fight the other Tji.
:: Ath'antheia never misses a battle; at least not such an important one. He needs the victory, the feeling of power in his hands. But he isn't here and from the looks of it, there is no support from anywhere. The body shells we destroy aren't replaced ::
Twilight frowned. It was true.
:: Rae might know the answer ::
He smiled grimly. "Then let's ask him!"

Midnight thundered overhead, pursued by four Tji, pulling some maneuvers Optimus knew no other robot could ever think to even come close to accomplishing. Two Tji fell out of the sky, the others were immediately targeted by Silverbolt and AirRaid.
Kup was in the middle of the battle, clearly enjoying things, though the fight was growing costly on both sides. Dirge was down, as were Slingshot and Fireflight. Octane was really taking a pounding and Blitzwing had lost both wings and with them the ability to get into his aerial mode. Optimus looked at Chronicle, who suddenly looked his way as if he had felt the gaze. The Gatekeeper's optics showed anger and sadness, but he nodded as if he read what Optimus wanted him to do.
"Optimus, we have to pull out!" Midnight now called in.
"I know," the Autobot leader answered. "Can you still Gate?"
"I think so," was the slow answer.
Optimus knew what it meant. Midnight had weakened and he might not be able to get them all back.
"Use the doorway!" someone suddenly got into their communication.
Optimus looked at Chronicle, who was still in front of the doorway and who was looking expectantly at them.
"Chronicle?" he asked.
"Yes," the voice confirmed. "Sorry for listening in. Neither Midnight nor Twilight can Gate all of you back, but I can set the doorway and send most of you through!"
Optimus hesitated. It was a great risk... He glanced at Rikkochet, who still hadn't regained consciousness. "Take the wounded," he then decided firmly. "We cover you until the doorway is closed. Detonate it right after you are safe!"
"Will do."
"Pull back!" Optimus told his troops. "Cover the doorway and pull back!"
"I'll take her," Riverdance said.
Optimus looked into her red eyes, then nodded and carefully handed over Rikkochet. Riverdance slung her over one shoulder. Then the female warrior plowed through the enemy ranks and moved like a deadly one-man force toward Chronicle and the doorway.

*

-- Commands received --
-- Checking --
-- Activation codes valid --
-- Security systems up full --
-- Transfer initiated --
While the transfer was starting, Ralyk went back to checking the faint signals from the personal link. It had no idea what was happening because the link was disrupted and that was something bothering it. The links were unique and very strong; for something to disrupt the link.....
Ralyk felt troubled. Very troubled.

*

Rae felt Jaimaa's fist tear into his torso and several circuits went dead immediately. The body shell was already beyond the hope of repair and he was quickly losing control of every still remaining function. And he felt weak. The fighting required an incredible amount of concentration because he had to control everything in this armor. Nothing worked completely by itself. Rae raised the weapon and fired at the traitor. At this close range the shot tore through the thigh of the Seeker shell and Jaimaa fell back with a gasp. But she was still standing and while Rae stumbled back he was witness to something incredible: the skin of the thigh slowly stretched and then closed, leaving only a dark, burned looking spot on the shell's body. His mind was awhirl with what he had seen while he tried to maneuver his shell away from Jaimaa, who was clearly much better in control of her armor. And now he knew why.
She had not killed the Seeker.
She had merged with him.
Two minds in one body, which was as hard to take down as a Venerakkin.
With a hiss he fired again, but Jaimaa dodged, rolled around and returned fire. Rae felt his body shell break apart. He couldn't control it any longer and there was only one way: get out of it and flee.
Before he could leave the shell, Jaimaa transformed her own body shell in a large animal with wings, something looking like a dragon, grabbed him and tore into his chest compartment with her talons. The metal crunched and broke under the immense power of those claws, then was ripped clear off the chest. Rae screamed as he felt the claws reach and then penetrate the core of the robot. The core was the place the Tji were in when inside a body shell. Jaimaa flowed slightly forward and seized the struggling Tji, who was trying to get past the sharp talons, to squeeze his amorphous body out of the danger zone.
:: What is going on here, Rae? :: she demanded.
He groaned and struggled more, but he was trapped. He might have got past the robot hands, but not past his own kind, who was holding on to him with a strength he had not thought she possessed.
:: Where are Ath'antheia and Anrhenjx? Where are any of the higher commanders? Don't tell me they gave you the order to seize the doorway because I know they wouldn't! You are not high enough in the command hierarchy to get such an important task! ::
Jaimaa reached deeper and he screamed in protest.
:: You are weak, Rae. Controlling this body shell takes a lot out of you and it took a lot of damage. I know the controller feels part of the damage and getting out of here requires a lot of energy too. Don't make it too hard on you ::
Rae trembled. :: They are not here :: he finally wheezed.
:: Where are they then? Another doorway world? ::
Desperation rose inside the Tji commander. He couldn't talk! If he did, Ath'antheia would flay him alive! In a last effort he threw himself at Jaimaa, who was thrown back by the surprise attack. Rae shot out of his body shell with a hiss, his normally bluish white body tinged with a sick yellow taint. He tried to get away, but there was no escape. Something hot tore into him, disrupting every molecule of his extremely weak body. He couldn't even manage a scream; it was only a faint whisper. Then his lifeless remains fell to the ground.

*

Sphere received the information about the occurring transfer a split second before the Cybertronian centerway began to move under its own power, locking onto specific coordinates and beginning to hum.
Nightmare glanced at her and she nodded. Starscream was already in position, as was Raven, who shared a place with Sphere directly beside the lower ring of the centerway. If anything failed, both Keys would act together to either stabilize the opening or close it. Nightmare checked the read-outs of the control cube. The connection was stable, but something was transmitted while the transfer was in progress. Sphere knew what the transmission was: Ralyk had sent its confirmation about the imminent destruction of the Shanadar doorway. Sadness welled up inside of her, but she knew it was necessary.
The first passengers came through and Starscream reacted immediately. He called med bay.

* * *

Around him was chaos and destruction. Explosions tore through the base, flattening the left wing of the main building. The ground was torn open by blasts and Megatron nearly lost his balance. But it didn't keep him from firing continuously into the ranks of enemy attackers.
"We have to leave, mighty leader!" Cyclonus screamed over the deafening explosions all around him.
Megatron's red optics glowed with battle fury. "I won't flee from a bunch of dead body shells!" he hissed.
"If we don't flee, we will be obliterated!" Cyclonus said forcefully. "It will help no one but the enemy if we let them annihilate the Decepticon forces! We already lost over 25% of the planetary forces!"
Megatron's optics glowed even more, the fury transforming into unlimited rage. Finally he gave a soft hiss and took out another Tji. "Pull out!" he growled.
Cyclonus nodded briskly and launched himself into the air, relaying the order.
Megatron's eyes swiveled over what had once been the Decepticon base. Now it was nothing but a burning hell. All around him were dead and dying bodies of both his forces and the enemy. They hadn't had a chance, he knew. No one had expected an attack of that magnitude. The enemy didn't care if they lost body shells. They simply switched into a new one.
Scorponok's cannon obliterated the remaining upright parts of the base and showered him with burning fragments. Megatron picked himself up, his silver skin covered in soot and burn marks.
"They will pay!" he yelled. "They will all pay!" Then he launched himself into the air together with the remaining Decepticons who were still able to flee on their own.

* * *

The Autobots and Decepticons who were still able to put up a fight began to form a defensive line, with the still airborne Aerialbots dropping shells and missiles at the advancing army of Tji. Suddenly a strange hum filled the air and the ground shook. Optimus saw the doorway open and glow in a brilliant white light. Its rings had locked in and the coordinates were set. Chronicle motioned the wounded through, two of them carrying Rikkochet, then the doorway closed with a resounding boom. There was a second of silence, then a tremor ran through the ground and the giant ring structure keeled over, exploding even before it hit the ground. The resulting shockwave wiped everyone off their feet and Optimus was confused for a second, his sensors screaming different information at him.
Someone grabbed him, pulling him up.
"Let's get out of here!" Midnight hissed and the world around them became the inside of a Gate.

Twilight reacted just as quickly as Midnight, who had Gated not only Optimus, but also Kup and Chronicle. He took hold of the energy signatures of the remaining three Autobots and Decepticons, then opened his own Gate.

* * *

Midnight had Gated directly toward med bay, which was bustling with activity. Twilight popped up a split second late. Those who were injured but in no imminent need to care were ordered into the waiting room; the others were already occupying several rooms or tables. Two shifts of med bay personnel were present. Skywolf, Perceptor and First Aid were hard at work stopping fluid loss, replacing much needed energon and preparing their patients for further treatment. The human doctors and medics did the best they could to help and in the case of Nicholas and Mel this was a lot. Jonathan just ran into the room when Twilight exited his Gate and he immediately took over shuttling patients to various rooms, taking over several cases. Rikkochet, who was one of the worse off cases, was in the operation room and after Nicholas was finished with stopping Blitzwing's bleeding of servo fluids, he ran into the operation room to assist.
Optimus, looking a bit worse for wear but in no immediate need of attention, watched everyone work and tried not to get into the way. He saw Twilight wave off the attention of one of the assistant helpers. He was fine and others needed more help, he said. Suddenly Rodimus walked into the room. Optimus frowned as he saw the expression on his second's face. Something was terribly wrong, he knew immediately. Rodimus gestured at him to follow him outside and the Autobot leader did so.
"What's wrong?" Optimus asked right away. No sense beating around the bush.
Rodimus didn't say anything for a second, then his optics darkened briefly. "While you were on Shanadar, I received a coded message."
"And?" A feeling of looming dread rose inside Optimus.
"It was all garbled and not even Blaster could deceiver it completely," Rodimus went on and is voice took on a monotonous note. "We know the personal encoding is from Megatron and it originated from Charr." He handed over a data sheet.
Optimus took it slowly and read over it.
His blue optics widened in shock.
His hands went lax and he nearly dropped the sheet.
He looked into Rodimus' grim face, reading everything he felt as well in it.
"When did this come in?" he asked roughly.
"About two hours after you left," was the soft answer. "Communication is down; no chance of getting through. Blaster and Hifi analyzed the interrupt pattern and think it is artificial. Someone must have put up a disrupter field. No chance to get any more information. I sent out ships immediately, but, honestly, I have no high hopes and I'm afraid of what we might encounter."
Optimus nodded, his inside a block of ice.
Someone approached them. It was Midnight. The Sentinel appeared to be one of the few who had come away from the battle nearly unscathed.
"What's wrong?" her asked calmly.
Optimus rubbed his optics in a tired gesture, his other hand still clutching the sheet. "It was all a diversion," he whispered.
"What was?" Midnight wanted to know. "Shanadar?"
Both Primes nodded and Optimus gave him the data sheet.
"This came in after we left. The Tji made their first direct move against us -- we lost Charr."

* * *

"Oh, no....."
Ultra Magnus looked around and shook his head, his blue optics reflecting what he felt as he took in the devastation around him. The commander nodded at his team to fan out and search for survivors, but somehow he didn't expect many positive results. He walked toward what was left of the Decepticon base. It wasn't much. Most of the left wing of the main building had collapsed and the right wing was gone completely. Everything was burned and black with soot. Missiles had ripped open the ground, throwing up large boulders and turning the ground into a crater-plagued surface.
As Ultra Magnus stepped into the base he became aware of some movement in the shadows. A pair of red optics started to flicker into life, then glowed steadily. The growl coming from the survivor was the only warning he had, then the Decepticon attacked. Magnus struck the attacker with his fist, throwing him back. It was easy enough, he noticed, mainly because the Decepticon was in a bad shape.
"Razorclaw, no!" he yelled.
The Predacon hesitated and one optic flickered and then died, the other continuing to shine deep red. He growled, limping back a few steps. Most of his armor was missing and there were claw and blaster marks everywhere. It was a miracle he had survived up until now.
"Autobot!" he growled.
"We received the signal. Are there any other survivors?"
Razorclaw rumbled. "You came too late, Autobot. I have no idea about others. I was waiting for one of those invaders to come back to take him with me!"
Magnus nodded. "We'll get you back to Cybertron -- and anyone else who survived," he added softly.
"You won't find many," Razorclaw hissed and limped after him, dripping fluids.
Now that he was outside in the light of the many small fires burning everywhere, Ultra Magnus saw just how devastating the Decepticon's condition was. It was really a miracle he was at all mobile and still in a state of mind where he could talk so fluidly.
Springer jogged over and his optics widened as he saw the Predacon leader, then he looked at Magnus with a serious expression. "We found a lot of bodies, Magnus. Some show still a minor life force and if we can get them back to Cybertron fast enough, we might just save their lifes. But some of the others....."
Razorclaw gave a rumble which was a mixture of a moan and a denial. Ultra Magnus followed the Predacon's line of sight and saw how Smokescreen and Hound carried Divebomb and Headstrong into the waiting shuttle. Both in a state where the Autobot commander wasn't sure they were even still alive. Razorclaw limped after his two fellow Predacons.
"How many lost?" he asked Springer.
"We counted ten total losses so far," the triple-changer answered. "Might get more."
Ultra Magnus nodded. Even one loss was too much. And since there were so many bodies it told a lot about the target of the Tji. They had not come to get new shells, they had come to destroy.
"Search everything," he said softly. "Everyone with even the most minor or weak spark of life must be found. I'll contact Rodimus and report about the situation .... and try to get some more shuttles here for the search and resuce operation."
Springer nodded and went off again.
Ultra Magnus heaved a sigh. They had expected an attack, not this .... the complete annihilation of the base. Rodimus would not be pleased to hear it and they still had no idea where the other Decepticons were. Hopefully they had managed to escape. There had been no debris anywhere around Charr......
The link was established seconds later and Ultra Magnus made his report to both leaders.

* * *

Megatron's red optics glowed with barely suppressed fury. Only his bodily condition kept him from rendering anything inoperational, preferrably something big. He and the others had escaped, but many had been left behind -- those who had covered the retreat of the main force. The flag ship had also taken heavy damage as it had maneuvered through the enemy line and made a desperate jump for the warp gate. They were now safely inside the gate, but the warp engines had gone off line seconds after they had been in and right now no one had any idea if they could get out again.
"You need repairs," Soundwave said as he stepped beside his leader. He looked just as badly damaged as the rest.
"I'm all right," Megatron snarled, his hands tightly clenched fists. How he longed to just beat something to pulp. "How long until we can leave this warp tunnel?"
"Unknown."
Megatron's optics flashed, then he hissed softly. "Keep me informed about the progress," he growled, then turned and walked off the bridge, trying not to limp.
Soundwave just followed him with a steady gaze, then turned his attention back to the ship's status, wondering if they would ever get out of here......