Arc 2: 05 Passages

by Macx

It's never easy to lose a friend. The war is drawing nearer and nearer and it demands its first victims.

Passages
by Birgit Staebler
Ralyk knew what was to come and it didn't need to be a fortune teller to see it. With a sigh the entity swirled in the large space of Vector Sigma, most of it already spread out over the whole planet of Cybertron.
"Can't you prevent it?" Alpha Trion asked, visibly pained by the knowledge he had received through Ralyk.
-- No --
"But ...."
-- Life is a circle --
-- Life and death and life and death again --
Alpha Trion shook his head in frustration. "If you told them of the imminent malfunction.... they could help!"
-- No --
-- It will happen and I can't prevent it --
"You saved two lives in the past by unusual means already!" Alpha Trion protested. "You gave an ectoplasmic entity a body of its own and you inserted a human consciousness into a body shell as well!"
Ralyk sighed softly and turned its complete attention on the ancient Autobot sharing room space with it in Vector Sigma.
-- I am not a god, Alpha Trion -- it said patiently.
-- I may seem so to you because of my powers, but they are inherent to my race --
-- I cannot save lives already lost --
-- I cannot restore what has been deleted already --
-- I cannot perform miracles --
-- What I did in the past was based on science much higher than yours, so it might seem like a miracle, but it isn't--
The entity flowed around him and Alpha Trion tried to understand what it showed to him in pictures everywhere.
-- There might be a distant chance for me to help, but it is too risky --
-- If I fail in that rescue task, Cybertron will become vulnerable because of massive energy losses --
-- I cannot risk the lives of many for the unlikely survival of one --
"I understand," Alpha Trion said mutely, and in some way he did.
-- I mourn the loss as you do -- Ralyk added softly.
-- You are all as much my children as you are the children of your creators --
With that it removed its presence and Alpha Trion was left more or less alone with his thoughts. He sighed sadly, trying to banish the rising wish to do something about it, just try and help. He couldn't do anything at all.
Life and death.
A circle.

* * *

The Decepticon flag ship drifted through the warp tunnel, the battered looking hull reflecting the energy running through this vein in the fabric of space. Megatron stood on the bridge, hands clasped behind his back, staring out of the view port, lost in his thoughts. Around him, various Decepticons were working on the damaged or destroyed consoles, others trying to repair what was left of their navigation system. One of the remaining engines was almost operational again, but it was of no use if they had no idea where to go. And most of the navigational controls had been obliterated in the deadly hail of fire from Scorponok. The Tji had nearly crippled them before the ship had been lucky enough to enter the warp gate -- only to be stuck here.
It had been too long for his liking since the fight on Charr and sometimes Megatron wondered if the others had given them up for good. About one third of his forces had not been on Charr, including Cyclonus. The others surely would have gone to Charr to search for survivors, though Megatron knew they wouldn't find many or any at all. The Tji forces had been quite thorough. Then they would search for traces of the ship and except for a few pieces, there would be no debris around Charr. Optimus Prime wouldn't give up, Megatron knew. But how long would they have to remain here until they could get back? And if they ever got out, was it in time? The Tji had made their first move. What kept them from moving against Cybertron next and obliterate the whole planet?
Ralyk.
The Decepticon leader allowed himself a humorless smile. The strange, alien entity had once told them that Cybertron was protected by layers upon layers of defensive shields and distortion fields. The Tji would have trouble getting past this.
"Uh, I got something on the scanners."
Megatron turned and walked over to where Scourge looked at the read-out screen with a puzzled frown. There was an erratically blinking blip on the screen, quite close as well, and coming closer. Their short range scanners were one of the few things working nearly perfectly, though they were kept together by quite a patch-job.
"Identification?" the Decepticon leader asked.
"Impossible. The energy fields don't allow a closer scan. We have to wait until it comes into visual range."
Megatron scowled. "Are the aft batteries working?"
Soundwave, who had silently joined his leader, shook his head. "The aft batteries were taken down to use as spare parts. The Constructicons converted everything we don't need for continued survival."
Megatron gave a hiss. "Visual to maximum," he then ordered. "Let's see what it is before it hits us."
Scourge complied and the screen was filled by the all-too-familiar display of the warp corridor. In the distance, something moved and came closer.

* * *

Dr. Kyle Scott was close to complete desperation. He was a medic with all his soul and he would do everything to cure a patient, but right now he was close to the end of his medical and personal wisdom. His patient was Michael de la Croix, Interface partner of Archer, and one very seriously injured person. The dark-haired Interface was still deeply unconscious after he and Archer had been returned from Trbeca where they had suffered such serious injury that neither of them had regained consciousness even for a second. Mike's skin was nearly transparent white and he lay motionlessly in the white sheets of the bed. An IV stuck in one arm, firmly kept in position by tapes, and a monitor showed his heart beat and the rhythm of breathing.
When Mike had been brought in, he had been inside Archer, closely Interfaced. They had been unable to get him out, afraid to force the separation. It might have killed one of the two immediately. Archer had been more than critical at the time of his retrieval and they had had to stabilize him first before even thinking about repair. Skywolf had then initiated the forced separation and Kyle had started his work on Mike, who was in a coma, suffering from several internal and external injuries. He had only survived for so long because being Interfaced also meant that you could go into some kind of stasis. Archer had also put protective fields around his critically injured partner, insuring his prolonged survival.
Archer was treated by the capable team of First Aid, Nicholas Cavanaugh and Jonathan Darren, though Jonathan was mainly busy helping Twilight, who sometimes needed adjustments or some check-ups. Mel had looked in on Archer now and then, but her main eye was on IceAngel, whose mind was in an almost catatonic state while her body was doing much better than the Sentinel.
"Nothing works," he whispered and raked a hand through his blond hair, shaking his head.
Kyle felt incredibly tired. He had slept little since Mike had come back from Trbeca and he didn't see any chance of catching some sleep now. Mike was growing weaker and weaker and somehow, Archer was faltering with him. Or was it the other way around?
Kyle?>
Kyle flinched, nearly dropping his note pad. Voodoo rarely contacted his partner by mind speech and he never did so when Kyle was busy with medical stuff. For him to break this iron rule of his now, it had to be important.
Yes?> he answered, rubbing his eyes.
Get some sleep> Voodoo advised gently.
Can't. Too much work to do> With that he shut him out again, clearly showing the Sentinel that he didn't want to talk about this now.
Kyle turned back to his patient. Okay, back to work. More tests, more examinations, more checks.
He silently wished someone around here were empathic or telepathic, so they would know about Mike's inner workings in this critical state. Kyle was sure it was something connected to the mind. He had no idea what had happened on Trbeca, only that it must have been traumatic. Mike had gone through so many battles unscathed ....
Yes, but he never had to hold on for dear life in the dying body of his partner, with Archer channeling everything into his protection. Damn!
Kyle felt someone approach, but ignored him. Many of the medical stuff dropped in now and then and checked on the equipment and/or the patient. Something wormed its way around his shields, which was rather easy since he was so tired, and alerted him to who was present. He looked up, blinking, trying to focus on the large robot beside him. The robot had a dark blue color and there were faint white and light blue patterns all over the body, though they appeared to be covered by the much darker color. The head showed no distinctive features, though there was a visible nose and mouth. The place where the eye-shaped optic sensors, or the shield-like cover of them, sat was a smooth, gleaming surface.
Many had trouble when meeting Voodoo for the first time, mainly because of the patterned skin, which seemed to swirl lazily now and then, and the non-existent eyes or visor. Kyle had met him by chance and their Interface had happened years later. Voodoo was no medic and Kyle was no warrior, but the two different beings had formed a strong and caring friendship despite their different fields of expertise.
Right now there was a misgiving expression on Voodoo's face. "You need sleep," the jet said sternly. "You've been working here for I don't know how long in a row and the sleep you've been getting was not enough. Kyle, even I feel tired, though I recharge regularly!"
"Sorry, didn't want to be a bother." Kyle rotated his shoulders, trying to loosen his tight muscles a bit. He did feel ready to keel over.
Voodoo bent down a bit. "You are not a bother," he said gently, "but you can't be around 24 hours a day. There are others who can keep watch over your patient. Just try and give your body some rest." He hesitated a moment, then added, "I thought you had learned that long ago -- when Steve was in the same condition."
The medic winced a bit, clearly remembering the weeks of anxious waiting and hoping for Steven Parker to make it, for Midnight to stabilize, for both of them to get out of their coma and not to slip into a catatonic state.
"I have," he muttered.
"Then show it."
"Voodoo, I can't leave now......"
The Sentinel gave an exasperated sigh and simply lifted him bodily off the ground and carried him from the med bay. Kyle wanted to protest against this unfair advantage his partner had, but then he surrendered. He was almost completely asleep when Voodoo arrived at his quarters.
Voodoo looked down at his partner with a gentle smile and placed him on the human sized bed.

* * *

Wild Card had his scanners on full, checking every square inch of the warp tunnel for the missing ship. Suddenly Jeff Winters, his Interface partner, gave him a sharp, mental poke and pointed their scanners at a specific point.
"Looks large enough," Wild Card admitted.
"Let's hope its Megatron's ship," Jeff sighed.
They had been searching warp tunnels since the disappearance of the Decepticon flag ship and had found a lot of stuff, but no flag ship. Many warp tunnels had lead them to places no one had ever been, but neither of them had stayed to explore. Their mission was to find Megatron and bring him and his troops home.
The theory that the surviving Decepticons were stuck in a warp tunnel had come up after there had been no definite trace of them anywhere. There was no debris, no energy signature, no sign of the not exactly small ship. Faint warp signatures had been detected and intense research had shown that the ship had been the missing one, leaking profusely and in bad shape. Wild Card had volunteered for this duty because he was also the only one who could do it.
"Yay!" Jeff exclaimed in joy as they came into visual range, though the sight wasn't a joyful one.
It was the Decepticon flag ship, but it was a wreck, if Wild Card was any judge of it. One of the curving wings had been partly blown off, the rear armor was missing and one engine was gone. The Sentinel opened all channels and began broadcasting his message. He hoped that there was still someone alive over there, able to hear him -- and answer! He was greeted by a well-known voice seconds later.
"This is Megatron," the Decepticon leader's voice crackled over the com line. "What took you so long?"
Jeff smiled wryly. "Oh, don't overflow with joy that we found you," he muttered. He heard Wild Card's chuckle in his mind.
"How is your status?" the Sentinel asked.
Megatron gave him a brief synopsis of the ship's condition and Wild Card groaned. No navigation! Great! Jeff had frowned throughout the list of non-functional parts, wondering if there was anything at all still running over there.
"Maybe we could be their navigation," the former pilot mused out aloud.
"Huh?" Wild Card made.
"If they can keep a fix on us, we can lead them into normal space. A rescue ship can take it from there," Jeff explained.
Megatron, who had listened in on that as well, could be heard over the line again. "We still have short range scanners. If you broadcast a strong enough signal, we can lock on to it. How far is the next warp gate?"
"Not all that far. I could get you out in a standard hour or less, if you can keep this hunk of junk right on my tail fin."
There was a short silence from the flag ship. "We're rigging the scanners so they fix on your signal," Megatron then said. "Start sending the signal now."
Wild Card acknowledged, still hovering in front of the bulky piece of wreckage, and activated his signal.
"This is Hook," one of the Constructicons said over the still open com line. "Start moving. We'll test the scanners' range and then calculate your best tow position."
"Acknowledged."
The next half hour was spent fine tuning the scanners on Wild Card's signal and also trying to get them to pick up his energy signature, though this failed in the end. Finally, after nearly an hour, Wild Card moved slowly ahead of the ship and watched them follow. The remaining engines were struggling hard to move the heavy bulk, but they managed. Wild Card prayed that they would keep functioning until they were outside. Then they could die forever, as far as he was concerned.
"Jeff, get a message ready to broadcast the moment we are outside," he told his partner. "Tight beam transmission."
"You got it." Jeff went to work.

* * *

Rodimus Prime signed the last of the reports and nodded in satisfaction. Every one of his projects here on Cybertron was running smoothly and they were finally done with the reconstruction of the old South Port complex. The building on the surface consisted of twenty levels, all highly secured and armored. A wide, empty circle was around the compact and squarish construction, rigged with self-defense systems hidden everywhere. All systems worked self-reliant and from different power sources. Even if the building took a direct hit and the power went down, the defense system would continue. South Port stretched out deep into the planet, all the way down to Vector Sigma and the doorway chamber, though this tunnel was not the only one. A sheer network of tunnels ran into every direction, away from South Port. The corridors were escape routes to shelters, but also connections to other command centers all over the planet.
With this main worry, the security of the main command center, out of his mind, Rodimus could switch smoothly to the next one: the still hiding Decepticons and Autobots all over Cybertron. Cyclonus was taking care of this, trying to find all the hidden Decepticon bases and get them back to the surface, back to the reality of a new war. Many had returned, dubious at first, suspicious and wary, but all of them had adapted, though not without problems here or there. Getting Autobots and Decepticons to work together was a difficult job in the best of times anyway and they were all doing what was possible.
This reminded Rodimus of the events on Charr, the devastation and obliteration of the Decepticon base. The survivors had been brought back and many were still critical. Most of them had been treated in med bay and then transferred to one of the other medical buildings. Rodimus hoped they would all survive. The others, including Megatron, were still missing and a wide search had been launched. Others were on Charr, trying to salvage what could be found.
The Tji had not shown up again and Rodimus suspected they were waiting somewhere, watching what the Cybertronians would do, how they would react to this blow right into their face. Optimus had declared that they would not flinch away and hide behind their shields. They would show the Tji that they were not easily beaten into resignation or terror of their enemy. Rodimus stood behind Optimus one hundred percent, supporting his decisions to investigate the ruins on Charr, even if there was the danger that the Tji might return, and try and find Megatron and his survivors.
Answering the latest Tji attack, the Council had decided to send more Venerakkin out to help guarding the doorways. One was not enough to fend off a whole Tji army. Firefall had agreed and, depending on distance and importance, three or more Venerakkin had been transferred to every doorway.
Rodimus looked at the chronometer. It was nearly time to call it a day and he decided that getting off his shift a few minutes early would be okay. He rose from his chair and left the office.

* * *

Mernan was a former high security prison and had been abandoned long ago. The largest of the asteroids was the home of the prison building and the smaller chunks of rock housed a tight security system, which had been deactivated though. Still it looked like a place where you didn't want to stay for long.
Phoenix shoved those thoughts out of her mind. They had come here for a specific purpose and if the asteroid field proved to live up to their expectations, then the whole Seeker force would move here. Currently they were on the planet of Skritakaar, a small and wild planet, which she loved immensely. The natives were friendly and had accepted the robots as a second tribe in their territory and many had formed friendships among each other. But since the destruction of Charr, everyone's audio sensors had perked up. In a Council meeting, the leaders had decided to evacuate the innocent planet, which had no defenses against invaders or battle cruisers, except for those Seekers living there. Tornado had decided that they couldn't risk it. He wouldn't risk the total destruction of the planet because of their presence.
So they had started to search for a new base. Tornado had voted against stationing the Seekers on Cybertron. It would be foolish to bunch all their forces together on one planet. If Cybertron fell, so would the complete force. The Sentinels were still on Alean, he had argued. Midnight had agreed to help with this search for a new base and soon the Mernan prison facility had come up. Tornado didn't have many good memories concerning this particular place, but it was a highly secure position. He had sent Phoenix and a small team of Seekers out to Mernan and now here she was.
Phoenix turned to Glacier. "Take Twister and Vermilion and have a look around the main building. Tidal, you're with me. I want to check the main computers."
The Seekers nodded and split up. Phoenix and Tidal entered the main building and walked toward the command center. Everywhere around them were the old battle scars and the collapsed wall just in front of them showed where Braintrust had burst through at the time he had abused the Matrix and had mutated beyond everything they had ever seen. Phoenix shuddered at those memories and shoved them away. She couldn't dwell on this now, even if it was trying to come back into her mind again. If they planned to move here, they had to cope with the past.
"Let's see what's still running," she decided and nodded at Tidal to begin checking on the defense systems while she got into the mainframe computer.

* * *

Flatline.
Kyle Scott hit the emergency button, sending out a silent alarm to the nurse's station outside the room and then started to revive Mike. The monitors kept flashing alarmingly declining read-outs.

Archer seemed to explode from his prone position, sitting up so fast he ripped every tube out of his body, spilling fluids and energon the floor. His mouth opened and he screamed. Nicholas thought his ear drums would shatter and he pressed his hands against his ears, grimacing in pain. Archer's scream bordered to the insane and his optics seemed to be burning with an inner fire. He jumped off the bed and scattered the medical equipment beside the bed with one strike. Another cry tore from his lip and he curled together for a brief moment, then lunged forward toward the door.
"Mike!" he yelled.
Nicholas had no idea what was going on, only that Archer was a robot, who had just recovered and was still not really strong enough to lift more than a finger. Now something drove him and Nicholas wasn't sure whether it was a bad memory from the Tji attack on Trbeca, or something else. He just knew that Archer was in no shape to go anywhere. He jumped for the door control panel and hit the 'close' button.

"We're losing him!" Kayla said, her voice cold and clinical, but her eyes showed her pain.
Kyle was administering several drugs to get Mike stabilized, while he was watching the erratic line on the monitor. Mike's heart was growing weaker and weaker and they had been lucky to reanimate it at all. It had taken three tries to get him this far.
"Not if I can help it!" he hissed.
"Heart rate dropped again. Kyle, his brain waves are growing even more erratic!"
The human medic looked at Kayla and she saw the same anguish she felt in his eyes. She knew he wouldn't let Mike die, but there was only so much medicine could do.
And then the heart beat stopped once more.

Archer gave another scream and Nicholas paled as he saw the weapon materializing in the Sentinel's hands.
"Archer .....!" he began.
The Sentinel began to fire wildly, his screams and cries echoing loudly through the explosions the blasts ignited. Medical equipment blew and showered Nicholas with fragments. He felt the sting of several cuts and tried to find cover.
"Damnit, listen to me!" he yelled.
But Archer was beyond listening. His trigger finger spasmed again and again, the blasts taking the room and everything in it apart. Something close to Nicholas exploded and sent him flying into the wall. The breath was driven out of his lungs and he lay on the floor, gasping for air, struggling for every breath. His head swam and his vision was dimming. Still he struggled to his feet, intent to help his patient.
Another blast destroyed not only the monitor next to him, but also all plans of keeping Archer in here. The screen exploded right into his face and he yelled, his eyes bursting into flames of pain. Inside his mind someone screamed as well, frantically calling his name, then darkness descended.

"No!"
Kyle frantically tried to reanimate the silent, pale form beneath his hands.
"Mike, damnit, fight!"
"Kyle...." Kayla tried.
"Prepare another shock!" he hissed.
Kayla grabbed his hands, her clawed fingers stronger than his, closing around his wrists. Kyle stared at her, face drawn in anguish, eyes slightly dilated.
"I can't lose him," he whispered.
"But he's already gone," Kayla said softly, fighting back her own pain. She gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders and felt him trembling.
"No...." Kyle groaned. "He can't... he... isn't.... Mike?"
Kayla knew that whatever she'd say now, nothing would help. She had known Mike nearly as long as Kyle and she felt a deep and anguished pain inside her, steadily growing. Their friendship had been close, all of them had been close, and for Kyle not to be able to safe his friend -- it was devastating. She led him away from the body.
Suddenly she became aware of the noise and then there was an explosion. Kyle straightened as well, fighting back tears and rubbing his eyes. "What...?"
They heard a scream that came out of the depths of a tortured and torn soul and both paled.
"Archer!" Kyle whispered in horror.
They ran toward the door of the treatment room and saw the dark green Sentinel burst out of the room he had been treated in. Broken tubes dangled from various parts, spilling their remaining contents on the floor and on Archer's body. Smoke trailed out of the room and Kyle paled even more.
"Nick! Oh, gods, he was...."
Archer turned wildly toward them, his optics beyond anything called sane. Pain, agony, loss, desperation, fear, anger, rage, fury.... everything reflected in them and Kyle took an involuntary step back.
Someone burst into the med bay main room and they recognized Tornado. From his panicked expression, Kyle felt his stomach turn into an ice pit. Not both of them! Don't let me lose another friend! he screamed in desperation.
Tornado stopped as he saw Archer, whose weapon was trained on him, the erratically burning optics fixed on a new target.
"Archer!" Kayla called. "Put down the weapon! Let us help you!"
"They killed him!" the Sentinel screamed, his voice shrill and insane as his burning optics. "They took Mike!"
"But you are still alive!" Kyle joined Kayla, part of his mind registering that Archer had lost his French accent. "Let us help you, Archer! You need our help!"
Archer hissed. "No! I need no one! I need Mike! But he's gone! He's dead!" His hands spasmed around the trigger and Tornado jumped out of the way, rolling around and coming up behind Archer. He tried to tackle the Sentinel, but Archer was driven by the feeling of incredible loss. He slammed his elbow into Tornado's mid-section and then kicked the legs out from under the Seeker leader. Archer added a sharp blow to the head with his gun and then whirled around, fleeing out of sickbay.
Kayla inhaled deeply. "He's gone over the edge," she whispered. "I alerted Spellbinder. Midnight is already on the way."
Kyle nodded and ran over to the destroyed lab. Smoke drifted out of the room, but no fires were burning. Everything was torn apart, blasted, shattered, and the floor was littered with debris.
"Nick!" he yelled, frantically looking for a life sign. He told himself that Nicholas had to be alive because Tornado had not flipped.
Someone entered the room behind him and heavy feet crunched the debris beneath them. Tornado scanned the room and then walked over to the molten bulk of monitors. He knelt down and gently lifted something up. Anguished silver optics flashed over to Kyle, who sucked in a sharp breath. It was Nick, alive as it seemed, but badly cut and unconscious.
"Get him to one of the empty treatment rooms," Kyle whispered in a rough voice.
Tornado nodded and carried his partner outside. Kyle straightened, trying to stop his hands from shaking. Kayla appeared beside him, touching his arm.
"I'll take care of Nicholas," she said softly.
Kyle wanted to protest, but then only nodded. "Thanks," he muttered, feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden.
Kayla squeezed his arm and then followed Tornado.

*

In another part of Cybertron, Spook flinched so violently that his powerful tail whipped out and made short work of an array of machines, sending them to the floor. The half-serpent gave a soft sound of denial. An Interface link had just been severed.... and there was only one he could think of now. Just like he was able to sense possible links establishing when he was so close to them, he felt them tear and die as well. Spook shook his head in sadness.

*

Ralyk seemed to darken all around him and Alpha Trion felt the incredible sadness of the ancient entity sweep through him. It had happened.

* * *

Daniel was close to bursting, but that didn't show on the outside. On the outside he stood calmly, completely composed, at Arcee's side while the Nebulan ranted on, accusing and insulting. Arcee looked just as calm but he suspected she was even more angry than he felt right now. Finally the Nebulan slammed something on the desk.
"That's our decision," he said coldly.
"I will relay your wishes to Optimus Prime," Arcee said smoothly.
Though demands would fit it more, Daniel thought sourly
The Nebulan turned on his heels and left. Daniel let out a deep sigh. Arcee looked down on him, her blue eyes showing deep worry all of a sudden.
"This," she said softly, "is bad."
Daniel nodded. "But it doesn't come all that unexpected. Highbrow mentioned the growing tensions in the Nebulan government. The opposition wants the Autobots off the planet. They already managed to kick off every other off-worlder and the government as such is growing unstable with all the political unrest." He shook his head. "Damn, why don't they see the truth?" he demanded. "They think by kicking every potential threat off the planet they can continue being a small backwater planet with no troubles! That's not the way it works! They have grown, they have changed and, even if everyone is off-planet, there's no guarantee the enemy will simply pass by!"
Arcee smiled a bit, sadness tingeing her smile. "You know that, I know that, some of the politicians know it. But they hate to see the truth. The Nebulans are trying to stand on their own two feet, Daniel, and they think this is how they have to handle it. We all decided that we respect their wishes, at least the Autobots do."
"Earth has no other choice as well." Daniel stuck his hands into his pockets, cursing again.
Suddenly the door opened and Brainstorm walked in. He looked worried, even if he had no humanoid facial features to display worry.
"You heard?" he asked, rather unnecessarily.
Arcee nodded. "Loud and clear. I will contact Optimus and then we better start packing."
"You won't object?"
Daniel laughed bitterly. "We already objected three times, but this time it's final. We have to leave."
Brainstorm looked struck. "I didn't think they'd really ....."
Arcee sighed in shared pain. Brainstorm had a Nebulan Headmaster partner and if he was forced to leave, Arkana had to go with him, banished from his own world. That their minds were already more or less one was of little comfort. Arkana was still a separate entity, until his body died and would be removed from the head compartment. His mind would by then be completely inserted in Brainstorm's memory circuits. But it still meant that Brainstorm was half-Nebulan and shared memories no one else had.
"I better talk to the others," he finally muttered.
Arcee nodded and looked slightly stricken when he had left.
"How do you think they'll handle it?" Daniel asked softly.
"Badly, really badly," was the almost inaudible answer.

* * *

Wild Card heaved a sigh of relief and he knew that this sigh was echoed by everyone aboard the Decepticon flag ship as they exited the warp tunnel and finally came back into normal space. He quickly assessed their position and Jeff sent off the message, telling the others where they were and to come quickly.
"We're close to Nebulos," Jeff then said and checked the map.
"But we won't go there," Wild Card decided. "You know how the Nebulans are. They'd deny Megatron landing clearance."
"He wouldn't be able to land that bucket anyway," the human muttered with a slight grin.
Wild Card opened a channel to the flag ship and as suspected, the Decepticons had no idea where they were, but right now this didn't bother Megatron at all.
"Help is on the way," Wild Card told him. "I'll stay with you until the rescue ship comes."
Megatron acknowledged and Wild Card began a closer survey of the outer hull of the ship, sighing deeply as he saw the multiple cuts and dents and breaches. It would be nearly impossible to repair this wreck, but he knew the Autobots and Decepticons would try. Wild Card shortly debated whether to stay outside or enter the ship, then decided to stay outside in case of an unwelcome visitor. He got some distance between himself and the sitting duck of a battle cruiser, scanners on full, watching and waiting.

* * *

Optimus acknowledged the message Blaster had relayed to him and ordered two rescue ships to depart immediately, picking up Megatron and his crew, giving first aid and transporting them back here. Med bay would be a busy place soon. A third ship, a heavy and bulky, mobile repair dock, was slowly moving toward the position of the badly damaged flag ship as well, though it would take some time to get there. Mobile docks were hard to maneuver in warp tunnels and nearly impossible to get anywhere fast. The most important thing was to get the crew off and to Cybertron.
The Autobot leader closed the link and sighed deeply. He had heard about the latest catastrophe: Mike de la Croix's death and Archer's resulting rampage. It was a heavy blow and not only Kyle was taking it badly. All Sentinels were affected. They were a small group, decimated by the Autobots in the past and the death of an Interface partner was nothing to be taken lightly and shrugged off. The humanoids were deeply connected with the robot partner and a vital part of them, completing something the Creators had designed them: Interfacing.
Optimus shook his head. Every death in this war weighed heavily, but it weighed even more on Midnight now. He wished he could help the young leader, but he knew there were no words, no wisdom, only reality, which everyone had to handle.
He rose out of his chair and left his office, feeling the need for a walk. Somehow, on his random way among the buildings, Optimus picked up a silent shadow. With slight surprise he looked at Silhouette, wondering how she always felt that he needed company. Then again, she knew him better than anyone, and he knew it had to do with the split-second Interface they had shared, the forced Interface brutally initiated by Braintrust over two decades ago. Since then she had been a very good friend and someone he felt easy to talk to, just like Rodimus.
Both walked away from the bustling South Port, Silhouette still silent, waiting for him to start when he was ready. Optimus was thankful for her company, trying to get mind straightened out.

* * *

Archer had left a trail as wide as the Grand Canyon and Midnight had no troubles finding his friend. Autobots and Decepticons had scrambled to get out of the mad Sentinel's way and Rodimus had been ready to send out a team to apprehend Archer, but Midnight had asked him to wait. He wanted to try and talk to him first. Archer's trail was leading to the doorway chamber and Midnight thought he knew what the devastated Sentinel was planning to do.
"He won't listen," Steve said in a level voice, trying to banish his own rampaging emotions.
"We have to try," Midnight whispered.
The loss of Mike had been like a blow into the face with a nuclear bomb. No one had ever thought that this could happen, not after they had been retrieved from Trbeca and turned over into capable, medical care. Now one partner was dead, killing a part of the other through it, and Archer was growing more and more insane. They had to stop him, they had to get him back and taken care of. Mike's and Archer's Interface hadn't run very deep, but it had been there. If someone gave Archer the chance, he would soon get past the initial agony and slip into the normal mourning. At least this was what Midnight was hoping.
Midnight had contacted Nightmare and told him to get the hell out of the doorway chamber. The Gatekeeper had been confused, but he had complied, taking Raven with him. They were not far away, but out of danger. As Midnight entered the room, Archer whirled around from the control cube, his optics completely insane now, his gun pointed at Midnight, unwavering and very much stable on the target. Midnight raised his hands.
"Archer, I only came to talk."
"But I don't want to talk, leader!" Archer hissed. "I want to kill!"
"Me?" Midnight asked calmly.
Archer shook his head. "No, not you. Those who are responsible for killing Mike!" His voice had risen slightly.
"You can't kill every Tji..."
"Watch me!"
"Archer," Midnight tried it again. "I can't let you go through the doorway. And you have no idea how to open it! Even if you had, Ralyk can block the centerway and not let you through!"
Archer slammed his fist into the quartz cube, but it showed no permanent damage. "Then I'll make you send me through!" he screamed. "I will kill those bastards! I will eradicate them all!"
Midnight stepped closer. "Please come back with me.... we can help you!"
Archer moved faster than he had ever seen him move. Midnight was slammed back against the wall, Archer's hand closing around his neck, the other one ramming the gun into his mid-section.
"No one can help me, leader!" Archer growled. "No one! They took the most important thing in my existence! They killed a part of me and the rest is dying slowly now! Whatever you want to do to help me, it would only prolong the suffering! I won't let you, you hear me!? I will go out with a bang, taking those with me who did this! And I'll do it with or without your help!"
"Archer...." Midnight gasped around the vice-like grip around his neck.
Archer hurled him aside and looked at the ceiling of the room. "Open the blasted doorway, do you hear me, Ralyk?! Open it or I'll take this room and then the next best thing I can find apart!" He leveled his gun at Midnight. "I won't stop from killing one of your precious Council members as well!"
-- No --
-- I won't open the doorway --
"I will kill him and that is no empty threat!"
-- I still won't open the doorway --
Archer stared at Midnight, his optics burning, then he gave another mindless scream of rage and fired wildly at everything in the room. The doorway structure remained unscathed from the wild volleys, but some of the other equipment died in a burst of sparks and smoke.
Midnight got up and knew there was only one way. He felt his black aura rise. But Archer seemed to have anticipated this. He jumped out of the way, transformed and shot out of the room.
"Damnit!" Midnight cursed and transformed as well, racing after Archer.
His wings nearly hit the walls, but he didn't care. He had to get to Archer and stop him.

Archer couldn't get a clear thought and the only thing he knew he had to do was get off Cybertron, find Scorponok and destroy the Tji. He raced back along the corridor, feeling hatred well up against Ralyk for denying him the chance to go through the doorway; against Midnight, who had no idea, as it seemed, what Archer was going through. Again and again he felt the violent, all-encompassing pain, the darkness descending upon him as part of him died, the coldness, the desperation. Mike had been part of him for such a long time -- now he was dead. Archer cried out silently, not even seeing the barriers he broke through, the Cybertronians he sent scattering on his mad dash toward the shuttle port.
Mike! he screamed. NO! Why us?!
The darkness of it all, the loss, tried to pull him down into an endless abyss. He fought it. He would give in to the velvety relief when he had succeeded with what he had to do. Then he would die -- gladly.
Archer took the first best shuttle he could find, unaware of who was trying to keep him from taking it, and slammed the hatch shut behind him. His fingers flew over the controls and he raced away from the port. The radar told him he was being followed and he identified the pursuer as Midnight. Part of his mind told him to let his leader help him, but the other, much stronger part insisted he make a run for the warp gate. Archer activated the cannons and fired a few warning shots.
A voice called frantically over the intercom and he simply shut it down. Another volley grazed Midnight's tail fins and the Sentinel leader tumbled out of control. Archer felt a small pain, which nearly went by unfelt because of the all-encompassing pain of the loss, as he saw his friend break off the chase. It hadn't just been a grazing shot, he now saw. One of the two fins had been blown clear off.
Archer tore his optics away from the falling Midnight and guided the shuttle toward the warp gate. A minute later he was gone.

*

Midnight had managed to get his fall under control, though he had touched down rather hard on the planet's surface. His optics were turned toward the dark sky, feeling something inside of him scream in frustration.
Archer, no......
Someone landed beside him and he half expected to see one of his team, but he was surprised to discover Twilight. The Tji host seemed a bit agitated and his golden eyes swirled with various emotions.
"I'm sorry I'm too late," he whispered.
Midnight was slightly confused. "Too late for what?"
"Jaimaa could have helped him," Twilight said. "If we had been there the moment Mike died...."
"How?" Midnight wanted to know, incredulous.
"Jaimaa created you, Midnight, all your kind. She was head of the project. She was able to reactivate my badly scarred Interface circuits and give me a new life. She believes she could have helped Archer the same."
"Without giving him another Interface?" the Sentinel leader whispered.
Twilight nodded. "He wouldn't accept a new partner right now anyway, just like I wouldn't accept someone else for such a long time. The pain runs deep." He sighed. "But we were too late."
"You are not alone there," Midnight muttered, feeling the sting of his torn off fin. He needed to get that fixed. Abruptly he turned away and walked back to the complex with a slight limp, followed by Twilight, both lost in their own thoughts of what they could have done to prevent this catastrophe.

* * *

Tornado paced up and down in med bay, making everyone detour around his dark blue form as widely as possible. His silver eyes were deeply gray now, displaying worry. Finally Kayla exited the treatment room and smiled at him, as he stopped right in front of her, impatience written clearly over his features.
"He's okay, so stop looking like this," she told the Seeker leader. "And if you took the time to sort through your Interface link," she added with a soft smile, "you'd know."
Tornado shot her a nasty look and stepped into the room, momentarily shocked when he saw Nick sitting on the bed, eyes bandaged. Nicholas looked up when he heard the steps and Tornado reached out with his mind to contact him. It was hard for him because his rampaging emotions were getting in the way, but Nicholas seemed to feel it because he smiled.
"It's only temporary," he said aloud. "Kayla said there was no permanent damage done and it's to protect my eyes until they heal."
"I see," Tornado said, feeling a bit helpless. When he had heard Nicholas' mental scream, felt the pain, he had nearly panicked. He had come too close to losing his partner once and this time had been too much of a reminder of what had happened years ago. "Uhm ......"
Nicholas slipped carefully off the bed and held on to it. "I can't exactly work in this condition, so I might as well take a few days off," he said cheerfully. "Kayla said I could leave med bay if someone keeps an eye on me."
Tornado felt torn between relief and helplessness. Nicholas looked up, as if he still saw his partner despite the bandages.
Tornado blinked. "Ah...." He tried to relax a bit, to initiate something they had done only once or twice, and felt his Interface circuits react quite smoothly. Nicholas phased into him and he sensed him a split-second later inside of him.
The Seeker leader inhaled slightly and tried to get accustomed to the alien feeling, which somehow also felt so natural at the same time.
It's strange for me, too> Nick said calmly.
I know>
Tornado left med bay, failing to see Kayla's pleased grin.

* * *

Firefall felt like hit with a broadside. On the outside she was as calm and composed as always, but on the inside she was reeling out of control.
"Dead?" she whispered and shook her head.
The message had come in a minute ago and since then she had been unable to think clearly. Normally she would not have thought anything of a death because she was used to death, had experienced it too many times to feel anything at the news of a new victim. But this time it hit home, though this was also a puzzle to her. A Sentinel had died and normally she should have rejoiced; another enemy killed. But since her almost deadly encounter with Midnight and his close call with death, she had worked on herself and had come to ....well..... tolerate them, though she still went out of her way to avoid meeting a Sentinel or Seeker.
Well, Archer wasn't truly dead, she knew, only his Interface partner had died, but this was as good as death to him. A close connection had been cut, a part of him had died, and soon Archer would follow. Firefall knew enough about Interfaces to be a judge of it.
And the last shocking fact was that she had first refused to retrieve the badly injured Sentinel and the Gatekeeper of Trbeca, and had been more or less blackmailed into doing it. Both had been very seriously injured, but she had believed they could make it. One had, one hadn't. Mike had passed away.
"Gods....." she whispered.
The Venerakkin leader tried to get herself together, but it lay heavily on her. What if she had not hesitated? What if she hadn't listened to her illogical and emotional side? To her hatred and rage? Would Mike still be alive? She didn't know and she might never know. But in her mind she felt very much responsible for it all......
Someone stepped up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She tried to relax a bit, but failed.
"Bad news?" Kup asked softly.
She nodded, wordlessly giving him a chance to read the message. Kup gave a soft curse, his hand clasping her shoulder, both to support her and to relay his shared pain.
"It's not your fault," he finally said, as if he had read her mind.
Firefall only shook her head. No words could take away the feeling of guilt. The 'what ifs' rotated in her mind. She would work through them in the end, but not right now .....

* * *

Steve walked along the narrow path down to the small, artificial lake. Bodies of water were rare on Cybertron and many were rather polluted with everything you could think of, so swimming in them was out of the question. A few of the old waterways, broad channels connecting several harbors and commercial districts, were still in use, though he knew that nothing important was shipped along these ways. It was simply too slow, too dangerous and too risky. The lake was more or less the result from the Cybertronian wars when a sabotage act had blown a channel and in the process had trapped a small amount of water.
As he approached the lake he saw exactly the person he had searched for. Dr. Kyle Scott. Steve knew he had to talk to Kyle -- now! Since Mike's death two days ago, Kyle had grown more and more quite, done his shifts like on automatic, and had disappeared afterwards to be alone. Voodoo had expressed his worry once, approaching Steve all by himself, which told a lot. Voodoo was the person closest to Kyle in mind and if he saw no other choice than to ask Steve for help, it had to be really bad.
The dark-haired man sighed. He wasn't a psychologist or otherwise qualified to talk to someone like Kyle, who was going through an emotional trauma. He was just a friend and the Interface partner of the Sentinel leader, which also made him kind of a leader himself. Steve hated this 'rank' because he didn't see himself as a leader, and none of the others had ever reacted to him as a commander, but he had had to realize that they turned to him for decisions, help with problems, questions and other things.
Well, he thought, I would do it even if I weren't Midnight's partner. Kyle needs someone to talk to.
Steve had known Kyle since he had Interfaced with Midnight, and that had been a very long time ago. Kyle had been a friend to him through all those hard years of adjusting, and now Steve would try and repay.
He approached the lonely figure and sat down beside him, looking at his friend, slightly shocked by the drawn, pale face and the deeply troubled eyes. Kyle was staring out over the lake, apparently unaware of Steve's presence.
"We were looking for you," he started the conversation.
"You found me," Kyle said tonelessly.
"Kyle...."
"I don't want to talk," the blond said brusquely.
Congratulations, Parker, you just failed Psychology 101. That was a dumb approach!
"Then why don't you just listen?" Steve told him calmly.
Kyle didn't say anything and Steve went on.
"I know what is troubling you, Kyle, and you are wrong with everything you are blaming yourself for. It wasn't your fault Mike passed away. He was too badly injured and even if we had got to them earlier, we might not have been able to change the outcome. Archer did everything he could by keeping him in stasis and you were there when we got him out of Archer. You did everything in your power and beyond, Kyle! No one could have done more!"
Something flashed in the blue eyes and Kyle clenched his hands into fists, but he didn't say a word.
"You are a doctor, Kyle," Steve went on relentlessly, "you know that there are limits to modern science. No one could have done more! Death is something that happens and now it happened to us!"
Kyle's head snapped around and furiously glowing eyes stared at Steve. "He was nearly past the critical line!" Kyle blurted. "Something happened and I failed to recognize it! He was fading despite the fact that he should have gotten better and I didn't see it! It was my fault!"
Steve shook his head. "I talked to Kayla and the other medical staff: Mike was too badly injured, Kyle!"
"No!" Kyle protested. "I could have helped him!"
Steve shook his head again, feeling helpless. "Kyle...."
Kyle jumped up. "I'm a medic! I could have saved him, but I failed!"
Steve took his shoulders and forced Kyle to look at him. "Kyle.... Mike died and you have to accept it! There was nothing you could do!"
Kyle stared at him, wide-eyed and in deep despair. "But ...."
Parker shook his head once more. "It wasn't your fault. I don't know if it was his time, but it happened and we have to live with it."
"I ...I don't know if I can, Steve," the doctor confessed. "I lost patients before, but never ... a friend."
Steve understood. "Neither have I," he whispered in shared pain. "Neither have I. Mike was a very good friend of mine as well."
Kyle's face was a mask of pure anguish and he stared out over the lake. "I still think I missed something," he whispered. "Something small...." A hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Don't," Steve said softly. "Let us help. Let Voodoo help. We all blame ourselves. Hell, I blame myself, as does Midnight. We could have found a way to Gate there -- somehow....." He licked his dry lips and sighed softly.
Both men stood in silence for a long time, both lost in their own thoughts.
"We ...errr... we'll have the memorial service tomorrow," Steve finally said. "Mike's body has been returned to Earth..... to his home country of France. I think he would have wanted it."
Kyle nodded, swallowing heavily.
"If you want to talk to anyone, Kyle, you know I always have an open ear...."
"I know. Thanks"
Steve managed a smile. "And talk to your partner. He's really distraught."
Kyle looked suddenly even more guilty, though this time the guilt concerned something else. "Oh....."
Steve gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, then left him alone again. Somehow, the dark-haired man felt even more burdened with this talk than before. Yes, everyone had his or her own feelings of guilt, some more, some less, and he was dealing with it all. Sometimes he wished he wasn't Interfaced with the Sentinel leader. Leading was a burden.
Are you okay?>> Midnight asked as he walked back to the complex.
Yeah>> he muttered.
There was a short silence and some subtle probing. We are all distressed and in pain, Steve>> Midnight then said softly. But as you told Kyle: it happened>>
Steve smiled humorlessly. I just wish it hadn't>>
Me too>>

* * *

Optimus was present when the first of the two rescue ships touched down, opening the aft cargo doors to let the medical personnel in, which had been waiting with the Autobot leader since the ship had left the warp gate over Cybertron. The passenger doors opened as well, allowing those who were only banged up to leave. Megatron was among those leaving under their own power, though Optimus winced slightly as he saw the badly scorched and cut Decepticon leader. His optics glowed deeply red with an anger nurtured throughout their long, forced stay in the warp tunnel.
Megatron nodded at Optimus, then turned to Soundwave, who had followed him. "Take care of the injured," he ordered briskly.
Soundwave gave his leader a long look, then finally acknowledged and walked over to where the medical teams were dispatching the worst cases to immediate treatment, sorting through the various injuries, deciding who could wait a bit longer.
"Welcome back to Cybertron," Optimus finally said calmly.
Megatron hissed slightly, his hands clenching into fists.
"We retrieved a few more survivors from Charr," the Autobot leader went on and saw his counterpart's eyes flash once more. "Two are still critical, but everyone else is on the way back to complete recovery."
"How many losses?" Megatron asked, his voice completely calm, but his eyes reflecting what he felt.
"I have a list of the dead in my office," Optimus replied.
The Decepticon leader nodded slowly, watching more of his people get wheeled away. The second ship touched down not far away and part of the medical team was diverted to help those aboard.
"A mobile dry dock is already underway to take care of the battle cruiser," Optimus went on.
"Don't set your hopes too high that you can repair it," Megatron growled.
"We'll see that when the dry dock crew reports in. I think you should get to med bay as well and let someone check you through," he added.
Megatron didn't seem to hear him. Finally he shook his head. "There is time for that later when the critical cases have been treated."
Optimus would have rolled his eyes if he could. "Now, Megatron," he told him. "Not later."
Megatron turned around, rage nearly taking over, but he got himself under control. Optimus faced the angry stare and finally Megatron gave a growl of disgust. He walked toward the South Port, trailing Optimus behind him who was shaking his head.

* * *

The funeral was a small and private one, with only the Sentinels and their Interface partners taking part. Tornado had expressed his condolences, but had shaken his head when Midnight had invited him to come along. Neither of the Seekers had really known Mike and like the other Cybertronians, he didn't belong there. Even Wild Card had first said he wouldn't come, but Midnight had simply dragged him along. Wild Card was a Sentinel, even if he had been a Seeker in the past.
The priest had been surprised, but he had not protested against several giant robots standing in the circle of mourners. Midnight stood in front of the others, his blackness like the most appropriate dress there was. Steve had simply dressed up in his black jumpsuit. Those of Terran heritage were dressed in black as well while those from other planets had come in their own, traditional dress of mourning. Shanygn was among them as well, her face wet with silent tears, expressing her emotions as freely as anyone. Kyle was biting back his mourning and Kayla was at his side, her taloned hands around his arm, as if she tried to keep him upright.
Then the funeral was over and the coffin was slowly lowered into the ground. The headstone of the grave was simple and no date of birth or death had been given. A Sentinel symbol was carved into the slate grey stone, Mike's name below it. Skywolf stepped up to the young leader, who still stared at the open grave, and touched his shoulder, radiating silent support.
"We all did everything we could," the old Sentinel finally said softly. "No one could do more. It happened and now we have to go on."
Midnight inhaled deeply. "I know," he whispered. "I just wish it hadn't happened. I went through one funeral already. And at the time I had wanted to die as well."
Skywolf winced. He knew what his young friend was talking about: Thon Roque and Ray Anderson, TR's Interface partner. Thon Roque had died after a fierce battle against the Seekers. Ray had survived, though emotionally badly scarred, and he had started aging again. He had died soon after his robot partner and Midnight had suffered for a long time, because the death of the Sentinel leader had made him the new leader -- like Thon Roque had told everyone. It had been a hard time and when Ray had died years later, Midnight had been hit even worse.
Now.....
"Death happens," Skywolf rumbled.
Midnight nodded and, after a last look, forced himself to walk away. The Sentinels and their partners transformed, Midnight taking Shanygn aboard, and left.

* * *

Ath'antheia's head snapped up as he heard the alarm klaxons and turned to the Tji manning the radar station.
"What's going on?" he demanded.
Rikia punched up the data and frowned, slightly puzzled. "I have a shuttle here. Autobot. It's coming directly at us!"
Ath'antheia walked over to the station and stared at the screen. Then he turned at his second-in-command. "Dispatch two warriors and let them take care of the intruder."
Anrhenjx nodded. "No survivors?"
Ath'antheia smiled cruelly. "If you happen to catch this suicidal Autobot alive, do it. Otherwise, no great loss."
Anrhenjx nodded and contacted two warriors.

* * *

Shanygn sat outside Metroplex, her mind on what had happened and on what it implied for every Interface. She had always known about the effect the death of one partner could have on the other. Ray Anderson had survived Thon Roque's death and had died naturally twenty years later. Twilight, at that time still Thriller, had survived the violent death of his newly Interfaced humanoid partner. Now Mike had died and Archer had gone wild. He would have received help, help of friends and family, to get him over the loss, but he had not wanted help. He had wanted revenge. Skywolf suspected it all had to do with what had happened on Trbeca and would have had different results if Mike had died another way. But he hadn't and it got her thinking. She was Interfaced as well and she had the most unusual of all Interfaces because she was the partner of an Autobot. It should be impossible for non-Sentinels to Interface, but she and Rodimus had -- because of the empty Matrix space.
Shanygn sighed deeply. What would happen to Rodimus if something fatal ever happened to her? True, they were not the typical Interface, but they were very close and she knew that the loss of one side would rip open a black hole inside the surviving part of this team. If Roddy survived, the Matrix space would 'bleed' again and he would be back at the point when he had come to Alean, desperate, emotionally wrung out and in pain, unable to find a solution to his problem. And if she was killed in this war, she knew for a fact that he would follow Archer's example.
[Shan?]
She flinched and tried to shield her mind, but it was too late. Rodimus sat down beside her, his blue optics filled with compassion and shared worry.
[You are worrying about things we shouldn't really think about] he whispered.
She smiled a bit. [I know. And I never worried about it before, but now.... suddenly this breaks down on you and gets you thinking....]
[Yes, it does] he confessed softly.
Shanygn looked up at him and then leaned against him, sighing. Rodimus cupped a hand around her.
[What if it isn't you who goes first?] he asked suddenly.
She straightened, eyes wide. [What?]
Rodimus looked calmly at her. [You heard me right]
Shanygn inhaled deeply. [I... I don't know]
He smiled. [And we shouldn't think any further] he added. [It only results in depressions]
Shanygn nodded and rubbed her forehead. [I will miss them both] she said.
[So do I. I didn't know them as long as you or any of the Sentinels, but I will miss them] Rodimus wondered briefly if he should use this as an opening to maybe ask Shanygn a bit about her past, possibly about her age because this was a part of her she walled off behind impenetrable shields. He decided not to.
[I'll return to Cybertron tomorrow] he said softly.
Shanygn nodded. [I think I'll come along] she muttered. [I need a change of scenery.....]
Rodimus rose and, in one fluid motion, lifted her off the ground.
"Hey!" she protested loudly. "I can walk, y'know!"
He grinned irrepressibly and transformed, smoothly delivering her into his driver's compartment. "And I can race!"
The brightly colored truck shot down the highway, away from Metroplex, leaving behind a large cloud of dust. Shanygn gave a laugh of excitement and Rodimus enjoyed the feeling, his fuel pump beating wildly to the climbing speed. It was time to be himself and enjoy life, to shove away the dark thoughts.

* * *

Archer's mind was already far gone. His whole concentration was on one thing: destroy those who had killed Mike. The large fortress of Scorponok loomed up in front of him and he readied the small array of weapons of the shuttle. His logical mind told him that he had no chance at all, that the fortress could blow him away without a problem, but he no longer listened to logic. His actions were guided by pure emotions.
Two blips turned up the screen, which was nearly filled with the fortress and he smiled cruelly. "You think you can stop me?" he whispered.
He activated the front lasers.

* * *

Megatron crumbled the report and threw it against the wall with a vicious growl. Sparks, who had curled up on the window sill, flicked her ears and opened one eye. As glad as she had been to find out that Megatron was still functioning and had come back, she wished he would keep his temper in check. Then again, she knew what the report was probably saying and it twisted something inside of her just as painfully as it had to affect him, especially since it had been his people. Sparks didn't know all Decepticons and those she did know, she had gotten to know only a few years ago. This was nothing compared to millions of years of having them serve as warriors under his command.
The cat watched the Decepticon leader lean back into his office chair, eyes bright pools of absolute hatred. He had received not only the casualties report from Charr, but also every other report of what had happened here, including Mike's death and Archer's flight. He might not care about a human's death, but the effect it had had on the Sentinels was immense. Sparks sighed. War was ugly and she hated it, but unlike the Civil War, here they had no choice but to fight. If they didn't, they'd all perish.
Megatron finally rose out of his chair and walked over to the window, staring out over the empty fields below him. Sparks pondered what to do and decided not to do anything. He had to get his temper under control or he'd take anyone and anything stepping into his way apart. She rose as well, stretched and yawned theatrically. Megatron looked down on her and his anger dimmed a bit. Sparks looked at him without blinking an eye.
"What?" he finally demanded.
"I didn't say anything," she said.
He snarled. "But you want to."
She shrugged. "All I want to say is get it over with and hit something. If you eat it up inside of you, your troops will suffer under this terrible temper of yours." With that she hopped down from the window sill and walked gracefully out of the office.
The moment she was outside she stopped and perked up her ears, listening intently. There was a sudden loud, crashing noise and smiled in satisfaction, though she knew the wall wouldn't feel the same about it.

* * *

Anrhenjx watched in horror as the Autobot shuttle pulled several quick maneuvers and evaded the two warriors he had sent out, taking one out immediately by blowing him apart with a missile, and sending the other one scrambling to a safe distance. The shuttle tore on toward Scorponok and the warrior followed him.
"Ready defenses!" he ordered and the Darnon complied.
Ath'antheia looked at the display screen, which showed the shuttle streaking ever closer.
"He must be mad!" Anrhenjx exclaimed.
"And a very good pilot...." Ath'antheia muttered. "He might be mad, but competent. I think I might just want to have a look at him after all." He turned to Darnon. "Cripple the shuttle and bring it in."
Darnon nodded and targeted the engine section. The powerful laser tore off the complete engine section, sending the shuttle tumbling out of control. A tractor beam snatched it and began to pull it inside.
Anrhenjx still looked shocked at the pilot's success of getting so close and shook his head.
"Let's greet our guest, shall we?" Ath'antheia said pleasantly and strode from the bridge.

*

Archer smiled grimly as he was pulled into the hangar bay. Everything was going as planned. Now he was so close to his target.....
The shuttle set down with a audible sound and shook slightly. Through the cracked forward window Archer could see several Tji, at least he thought they were Tji. They were all hiding in body shells of Cybertronian races, not all Autobots or Decepticons, but also other robot races related to the Cybertronians. He rose from his chair and walked out of the destroyed shuttle, raising his hands as he saw the weapons pointed at him.
A large, powerful robot entered the hangar area and Archer discovered the warrior symbol of the old race on him. Like everyone his skin was covered by a sick, gray film, showing he was possessed.
"A Sentinel," the large robot rumbled, somehow managing to look surprised, though his facial expression was a mask. "How disappointing."
"I think not," Archer said grimly. "Are you the leader?"
The warrior tilted his head a bit. "I am Ath'antheia, leader of the Tji," he said calmly. "And I'm very disappointed to say that you are about to die."
Archer's smiled coldly, cruelly. "But I am already dead," he whispered. "You killed me."
Ath'antheia looked confused.
"And now you will pay for it," the Sentinel went on, feeling an incredible calmness spread inside of him. It was time.
The smaller robot beside Ath'antheia snorted. "You are in no position to threaten us, Sentinel," he growled.
Archer didn't lose his smile. "I am," he whispered.
His activated a program inside of himself every robot possessed, but which no robot in his right mind would use. But Archer was no longer in his right mind; he was in a vicious circle of pain and more pain, eating him up from inside.
Ath'antheia looked a bit nervous all of a sudden and gestured at the other Tji to remove the Sentinel and then terminate his existence. Archer stood completely still as the countdown inside of him continued.
I'm sorry, Mid, he whispered in his mind, feeling sadness well up inside. He knew what this would do to his leader and friend, how he would feel if he heard about what Archer had done.
I had to do it. Understand me, please. Remember what you were ready to do so long ago. Mike was a part of me and there is no more reason to continue.
"Five."
Ath'antheia stiffened as he heard the neutral voice echo through the hangar.
"Four."
The Tji approaching Archer stopped and looked uneasily at each other.
"You won't.....!" the Tji leader started, then realization dawned as Archer continued to look calmly at him.
"Three."
"I will," Archer said nevertheless. "You killed my partner. I am dead."
"Two."
Ath'antheia turned and ran out of the door, the smaller robot following just as quickly.
"One."
Good-bye.

Space was a velvety, endless blackness. Stars shone brightly, planets drifted around their suns.
Silence reigned.
The silence was broken by a bright flare.

An incredible explosion tore through Scorponok and obliterated the hangar and most of the adjoining parts, hurling the Tji near the center of the explosion everywhere. Ath'antheia felt his body shell strain and tear under the onslaught, felt Anrhenjx go down beside him. The Tji leader left the dying shell with a scream of pain, as connections broke and were cut by his violent flight. He saw Anrhenjx struggling to get out of his badly charred shell as well, then he was blown away by a second wave of explosions, originating from blowing fuel pipes.
When he was able to think clearly again, Ath'antheia looked around, discovering that he was in a relatively undamaged part of the fortress. Someone loomed over his weak energy body.
"Katalumera," he managed.
The robot nodded. "Stay calm. We are replenishing your lost energy."
He felt a crackle of annoyance pass through his body. "Damage report," he growled, knowing that if he didn't take the time to recover, he might have problems later when he took over a new shell.
"The hangar, as well as the fuel depot, blew completely. We lost mobility. Repairs are underway, but it will take some time. I ordered to change course for the nearest safe-haven."
"Casualties?"
Katalumera hesitated, which gave Ath'antheia a cold feeling. "You are the only survivor," she finally said.
Another crackle, this time of disbelief. All dead? He remembered that five Tji had been with him -- and Anrhenjx, his second-in-command.
Katalumera nodded slightly, as if she could read his mind. "Anrhenjx died," she told him.
Ath'antheia felt like tearing something apart. Since he couldn't do that in his current state, he merely hissed in anger.
"How long until we can move on as planned?" he demanded with a cold voice.
"Unknown," the other Tji answered slowly.
Ath'antheia bunched together into an angry ball of energy. The Sentinel had done something he hadn't thought any of the Cybertronians or other offspring capable of, and if he had understood him correctly, he had done it because his partner had been killed. Well, no use pondering this now. It had taught him a valuable lesson: don't trust into those robots to be caught up in fear. They were dangerous; very, very dangerous. They had already failed to panic like frightened children after the loss of one of their bases, which had come unexpected, and they had continued business nearly as before, even sending out search-and-rescue parties to the planet, risking their own capture of destruction if the Tji had remained behind to trap them.
Change of strategy, the Tji leader decided. I underestimated them.

* * *

Ralyk watched.
Sadness welled up inside of it and it slowly retrieved its watchful 'eyes' from the badly damaged fortress.
After some time it slipped along a standing link into Sphere's host space. It felt her wince as it relayed what had happened, asking her to tell the others.
"Why don't you tell them directly?" she asked, already leaving her room to find any of the Council.
-- Because it is something that should not be sent along a link, Sphere -- Ralyk answered softly.
She only nodded, trying to cope with the bad news herself. Too many had died recently and that someone, who had been believed on the way back to recovery, had now ended his life in a suicidal act would be a blow to the Sentinels.
Sphere sighed. How she hated to be the bearer of bad news.

* * *

Megatron stared at the female in front of him. She stared back with the same intensity. He knew her. Very well indeed. She had been high in the ranks of his warriors and she had been an excellent warrior herself -- until she had left.
"I can't say I welcome you back," the Decepticon leader finally said.
Riverdance smiled wryly. "And I ain't back, Megatron. At least not among the Decepticon forces. I came back because I am needed."
Megatron smiled sarcastically. "Of course."
Her eyes suddenly turned a dangerously bright red. "I'm no longer a Decepticon, Megatron. Remember that. I am my own and my stay here is far from permanent."
He continued to smile. "Then why are you still wearing a Decepticon symbol?" He pointed at the washed-out looking symbol.
Riverdance looked disgusted. "Because it is my birth right. I am Decepticon by birth, but not your Decepticon to command!" She straightened. "I hope we have an understanding here."
"Yes," Megatron said slowly.
"Good." Riverdance turned and walked out, every step relaying the power hidden in this slender body.
Megatron sat back in his chair. Out of the corners of his eyes he saw Sparks jump up on the arm rest. She gave him a critical look.
"You could have handled this a bit more diplomatically," she criticized.
"Maybe."
She sighed. "Don't tell me: diplomacy was never in your programming."
He gave her a nasty smile.
Sparks shook her head, optics dancing in amusement. "I should have known."
He grabbed her by the neck, lifted her from the arm rest and dumped her on the desk. Sparks gave him an indignant look.
"Why don't you go out and play?" he suggested sweetly, then added with a low rumble, "Before I blow you back where you came from?"
Sparks raised a furry eyebrow. Finally she snorted, hopped down and left the office, muttering something uncomplimentary. Megatron kept smiling, then rotated his chair 180 degrees and looked thoughtfully through the window, ignoring the damaged wall beside it. He had a lot to think about, Riverdance just one subject of many.

* * *

Rodimus flinched back as Midnight's fist tore into the wall and nearly ripped it open. The young Sentinel leader gave a soundless choking noise and leaned heavily against the dubious support of the wall he had just mistreated, shaking his head.
"No!" he whispered in pain. "Why? Why did he have to end his life in such a senseless suicidal run?" he asked, not even expecting an answer.
Skywolf stepped toward his stricken leader and tried to console him. "He lost Mike, Midnight. He lost a part of himself."
"I should have stopped him," Midnight whispered. "I could have stopped him, but I was afraid to shoot. I was afraid to hurt him more!"
"There was nothing else you could have done," Skywolf went on, his voice soft and caring. "He was beyond reasoning."
"I could have stopped him," Midnight repeated, shaking a bit. "He was my responsibility..... I neglected this responsibility...... and now he's dead!"
Skywolf grabbed his friend's shoulder, forcing him to stop. "Archer chose this way himself, Mid. He saw no other way out."
"We would have helped him!"
Rodimus winced as he saw how vulnerable Midnight suddenly looked. He knew he would feel the same desperation if something similar had happened to him. Archer had been one of Midnight's people and the Sentinels were a small group anyway, most of them killed in the past. Now they had lost another member of their small team and it was painful for them all.
"Yes, we would have, but he didn't want our help, Mid. Try and see it from his way." Skywolf tightened his grip, regretting what he had to say next. "See it from your point of view when we first met," he whispered. "You were ready to die as well."
Midnight flinched and looked away. Skywolf shook him slightly.
"We lost two very good friends, but we have to go on. We went on after we lost Thon Roque...." Midnight's optics seemed to distort in remembered pain, but Skywolf went on relentlessly, "and with this war at our hands, we need to go on. Archer was not the first victim of this war, but he was the most painful for us."
Midnight nodded slowly and straightened. "I ... I know, Wolf.... it's just...."
"It's just that he is the first one you lose, I know, Mid."
The younger Sentinel looked at him, then nodded. "It is so painful, Wolf. So very painful." His optics met those of Rodimus and the Autobot leader tried to give him an encouraging smile. "How is IceAngel?"
"She'll make it," Rodimus explained. "She's back on her feet, but she needs a lot of consulting. Mel is with her most of her waking time."
"Does she know?"
Rodimus nodded solemnly.
Midnight only sighed, then visibly tried to tear himself out of his feeling of guilt. "I need to get some time off," he muttered and left the room.
Seconds later they heard his thrusters whine and then he thundered away.

* * *

Melissa Witwicky stretched, feeling marginally better after her short rest, ready to continue her work with IceAngel, who showed very little response to their sessions. Bodily she had been completely repaired down to the most basic circuit, but in her mind, IceAngel was in a state of constant depression. Mel knew the reason, but she had yet to find the cure. IceAngel was a Gatekeeper, one of the original ones, a member of the first race, built by the Creators. Her orders had been to protect the Trbecan doorway against unauthorized access and defend it in case of an attack. She had done so and had failed, at least in her mind. She had failed to force back the attackers and to blow the ring structure when it had become obvious that they were outnumbered. And she blamed herself for Archer's injuries and -- finally -- for Mike's death. There was no getting through those walls of guilt and self-recrimination. As a Gatekeeper she had failed, just as she had failed as someone who was supposed to protect other life. She had lost her sense in life -- the doorway -- and nothing anyone did could get her to see reason.
Melissa sighed deeply. She wished she could do more than just pick up emotions and interpret them. She had worked with IceAngel for over a month now and hadn't had the slightest success. Nightmare had volunteered to talk to the nearly catatonic Gatekeeper, but he had had no success either. The same went for Spook, who was part of the doorway system as well and someone who had known IceAngel for an eternity.
As she entered the medical ward she was greeted by various assistants and helpers and she nodded a greeting back at them. The lab Archer had trashed was still off limits and under repairs. She walked past it and aimed for IceAngel's room, which was in one of the newly built wings of the med lab. Mel stopped dead in her tracks, then turned and ran back into the main room.
"First Aid?"
The Autobot medic looked down at her. "Yes?"
"Where's IceAngel?" she asked.
First Aid managed to look perplexed. "In her room."
"Nope, she isn't. Don't tell me she left!"
Now he looked alarmed. "Not on my shift. I checked on her just before I left for recharge."
"Who took over?"
"Perceptor.... he's still here, working on his new experiment...." First Aid began, but Mel was already running toward Perceptor's lab.
The scientist didn't even turn as she entered, simply continuing with whatever he was doing. He was always completely oblivious to what happened around him when he was engrossed in his work and you could explode a bomb beside him, he just wouldn't react.
"Perceptor?"
He straightened and looked down on her. "Hello, Melissa. How can I help you?"
"Do you know where IceAngel is?" she wanted to know, dreading the answer.
"In her room. Why do you ask?"
She groaned. "Because she isn't! Damn!"
Perceptor looked as perplexed as First Aid now. Mel ignored him and ran out again, nearly bumping into First Aid, who looked deeply disturbed.
"No one saw her leave, Mel," he told her and she bit back another curse.
"Okay, everybody, let's stay calm. She has to be somewhere and someone must have seen her. You can't just sneak through South Port like this. She's bound to encounter someone!" Mel rubbed her forehead. "Think, Mel, think.... where would she go....."
"She could be anywhere," First Aid supplied, rather uselessly. "We could put a search out for her."
Mel looked indecisive. "It might scare her away," she muttered. "But I might be able to pick her up. I know the energy patterns produced by her mind."
First Aid tilted his head, unconvinced. "Mel, I know you are good, but picking up a single emotional pattern in a crowd like here in South Port.... that's impossible!"
She sighed. "I know, but I have to try. Otherwise.... maybe we should simply alert the others to have an open eye out for her, but not to actively search the building. If someone stumbles over her, let him report it, but don't make him apprehend her."
The medic nodded. "I'll inform Optimus and Rodimus."
"They'll be soooo thrilled," she muttered and gave First Aid a wry smile.
He nodded and walked over to his office to get in contact with Optimus.

* * *

The 'incoming message' light blinked noiselessly and Rodimus punched the correct key to affirm that he was accepting the call. Arcee's face popped up on the screen.
"Hi, Arcee," he greeted her, smiling. "How is everything?"
She sighed. "That's why I'm calling. The Nebulan government is going crazy since the reports about the Tji attack have come in. They demand we remove every Autobot from the planet because we threaten the planetary peace."
Rodimus gave a deep sigh. He had expected something like it. Every planet with Autobot presence on it had called in, demanding to know what the hell was going on, but all those calls were minor compared to the ruckus the Nebulans were creating. Optimus and Rodimus had spent weeks traveling from one planet to another, explaining that there was no danger of any of the worlds getting hit by the Tji, though none of them were sure about that. Right now the theory was that only Cybertronian worlds would be the targets, like Charr. That was one reason why the Planet of Junk had been the next on the list to receive heavy security. Optimus was also worried about Earth, Skritakaar and Alean because all three worlds had always been homes away from home for the Autobots, Sentinels and Seekers. Skritakaar had already been evacuated and every Seeker relocated to Mernan, but it didn't lessen the worry.
And now the Nebulans were close to going over the top again.
"Brainstorm and Cerebros spent hours talking to the officials and Daniel hasn't had a waking minute without a conference scheduled to discuss this topic, but they insist we leave," Arcee went on, her voice dark. "Rodimus, even if we leave it is no guarantee they won't be the receiving end of a Tji attack!"
"I know, Arcee, I know. And I know you all talked to them, but if those are the Nebulans' wishes, we have to respect them." Hard as it was to speak those words, there was truly no other choice.
"But ...." Arcee protested.
Rodimus shook his head, feeling tired all of a sudden. "We will keep an eye on them, but we have to leave. We were tolerated guests, Arcee, and our welcome time has run out."
The female Autobot looked at him in resignation. "I know," she said softly after some time. "It will be hard for the Headmasters, though."
Rodimus nodded in sympathy. "Get them somewhere off the planet but close by. You have to watch Nebulos, closely. As for Daniel and Kim, I guess it would be best if they transferred either back to Cybertron or Earth. It's their decision."
"I'll tell them. Arcee out."
The screen went dark and Rodimus stared at in frustration. Nebulos was a delicate topic and he knew he wouldn't be able to force them to see the truth, but he hoped he hadn't just made a mistake. If the Tji attacked them despite Autobot absence on the planet, they wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

Power had been restored and the main computer was running smoothly, though a lot still had to be done. Phoenix was nevertheless pleased with the outcome of their scouting patrol and she knew Tornado would agree to moving to Mernan. The facilities were large enough to accommodate the Seekers and whoever would stay here as well, and only a few things needed to be altered completely. The defense systems were all still on-line and ready to be activated. Twister was taking care of checking them through one after another now, altering something here or there or improving it.
Phoenix walked over to the com console and opened an encoded line to her leader, sending the prearranged message.

* * *

IceAngel looked around and smiled sadly. She knew these sub-levels of Cybertron, had read and heard and seen everything about them, though she had never actually been here. This was what they called the Inner Maze, a highly secured area around the heart of Cybertron, deadly and still functional though it had been abandoned millions of years ago. Those who had entered in the past had never been seen again, destroyed by the guardians, the traps and the drones. She walked slowly deeper into this level, which consisted mainly of broken buildings of a former city. She suspected it had housed those engineers who had erected the security measures and those who had built the guardians and drones. Now it was nothing but a ruin.
Like her doorway.
The Gatekeeper winced and tried to shove those dark memories aside, but the memories were the main reason why she was here.
She had failed.
She had failed her duties and because of it, two people had died.
IceAngel felt like crying out her pain into the emptiness around her, but she couldn't. She had been repaired, but her soul was broken. All her life she had guarded, kept alive, followed her duties.... and when she had been challenged, she had lost. The destruction of the doorway, her doorway, had cut deep into her, mostly because it had been Ralyk's doing, not her own. She hadn't even been able to do that minor task.
-- It is not your fault, child -- a soft voice echoed inside of her and she flinched away, looking around wildly.
"Who...? Ralyk!?"
-- Yes --
The voice was inside of her, around her, everywhere and she felt shame rise once more.
"I failed!" she cried out. "I failed you and the Creators and those who trusted in me! Because of my weakness two lives were exterminated! How can you say it's not my fault?"
-- Because it isn't --
-- Because yours was not the first and might not be the last doorway to be destroyed in this war --
-- Because it wasn't your fault --
IceAngel didn't want to hear any of Ralyk's absolutions. "I should have sent Archer and Mike back," she whispered. "They might still be alive now!"
-- No --
"I was trained for what happened and I couldn't turn the attackers away," she went on. "I was born a Gatekeeper, but I couldn't live up to it!"
-- No, child, you are wrong --
-- You never had a real chance against your enemies --
-- They are strong --
"We protect and we defend," IceAngel whispered. "To the end."
-- And so you did --
-- No one could have done more --
"We protect life."
-- But life and death are two sides of the same coin --
-- The coin fell the wrong way --
-- It happens --
IceAngel's optics were bright with her emotions. "Why?!" she cried out. "Why!"
-- No one knows why death happens -- Ralyk said softly.
-- But I know why life happens --
-- You live and you will continue to live --
She flinched, realizing that the entity had been aware of her plans to get killed down here.
"I have no more reasons to continue," she ground out.
-- You lost your doorway, true, but you didn't lose a purpose --
-- You are needed --
"As what?!" the Gatekeeper demanded. "I have no use at all!"
-- Oh, but you do, child --
Ralyk seemed to flow around her, into her, through her.
-- Here --
IceAngel winced as she felt the entity do something inside her, manipulate her circuits. "What... what are you doing?" she groaned, shaking.
-- Connecting --
"To what?" she managed.
-- The Maze --
IceAngel froze, the rest of the few alterations going by nearly unnoticed. The Maze? Give her access to this ancient system? Control?
"Why?" she finally asked.
-- Because the Maze needs a controlling unit --
"Me?"
-- Yes --
Ice Angel felt the new connections flood her with information about what was suddenly hers to roam, to protect, to make into what it had been before.
-- You protect the heart of Cybertron --
"But ... I can't ... I'm not fit to be a protector once more!" she protested feebly.
-- I think that you should leave this decision to me -- Ralyk answered with amusement.
IceAngel leaned against a wall, too shocked to respond. Through her utter shock new sensations came in and she was suddenly aware that someone had carefully entered the maze. The sensors gave her all information necessary and she involuntarily told the system to keep the weapons locked and the traps closed. This was a friend, not a hostile intruder. She 'saw' Ralyk's pleased smile at her actions, which had been so quick and so involuntary, that she hadn't had time to really think. She watched through eyes that weren't hers how the small human walked steadily toward her, wondering how she had found her.
"Did you tell her?" she asked the empty air.
-- Not exactly -- was the smug answer.
Mel stopped as she discovered her patient and a deep frown appeared on her forehead. "What were you thinking?!" she exploded without even saying hello.
IceAngel was surprised. "Uh..." she made.
"Do you know how worried I was when I came into med bay this morning and found you gone?" the young human went on. "Nobody had seen you leave, nobody had seen you anywhere and it was by accident that Bat caught a glimpse of you sneaking into this broken down tunnel!"
"I'm sorry...." IceAngel started.
"Sorry isn't enough!" Mel yelled, truly angry. "You could have gotten killed! First Aid didn't patch you back together just so you can get yourself turned into scrap once more!"
"Look, Mel, I said I'm sorry," IceAngel interrupted her. "I came down here to ... think," she finally said. "And I talked to someone...."
Mel blinked, suddenly realizing that she was hearing someone talk who had kept her silence for weeks and had been almost catatonic.
-- Me -- Ralyk interjected with a grin.
"What.... are you okay?" Mel stuttered.
"Yes, now I am okay." Ice Angel looked over the city, part of her system deeply interweaved with everything down here. She heard and saw and felt what the sensors and cameras relayed. And she could control their movement and activation.
The human woman shook her head. "If I had known that all I had to do was drag you down here, I'd have done that a long time ago!" she muttered.
IceAngel smiled softly. "I didn't know it myself. And thank you for everything you did, Mel. I am truly grateful."
Melissa shrugged. "How about we get back now?" She jerked a thumb toward the direction she had come from. "There are some pretty worried robots up there."
IceAngel shook her head. "No. I belong here. I control the Maze now and there is a lot I need to do down here."
Mel's mouth dropped open. "What?!"
-- I will explain -- Ralyk interjected.
"Better you than me," Mel muttered.

* * *

Tornado exited the warp gate and headed straight for Mernan at full speed. It took him another hour and a half to reach the asteroid belt. Nicholas, sitting in the cockpit, eyes no longer bandaged, but protected by dark glasses, watched the main asteroid come closer. He felt his partner's unease and ventured forward a bit, probing his mind.
It's something out of the past> Tornado muttered. I .... Later, okay?>
Nicholas shrugged. Tornado landed and let Nicholas climb out of the cockpit before he transformed. Phoenix was already waiting for them and she smiled down at Nick, who was dressed up in an environment suit that had the same dark blue color Tornado's skin had, though it had some green and yellow highlights.
"Any trouble?" the Seeker leader asked.
Phoenix shook her head. "None at all. There's a whole lot of work waiting for us here, but we can do it. Defense systems need an overhaul and maybe some modifications, but nothing serious."
They walked into the large hangar and Nicholas felt Tornado's again rising unease. The source seemed to be a rather large hole in the wall. He decided to get to the bottom of this trouble with the past, one way or another, but right now he would just sit back and watch his friend. And he wanted to take a closer look at this base, especially the main computer. His mind was just itching to delve into something new and exciting. With his eye-sight back to almost normal he needed something to do or he'd die of boredom.
Tornado chuckled, apparently aware of his partner's excitement. Just don't venture anywhere else but the main level> he told Nicholas. But since I know you, you'll be married to the computer for the next few hours anyway>
Nicholas gave him a nasty look and refrained from sticking out his tongue. Of course it was true that the moment he had something in his clutches, something new and thrilling, he wouldn't go anywhere until he had the thing explored, but nevertheless....
Phoenix smiled broadly. "Twister could use some help with the security systems encoding....."
"I get the hint, I get the hint."
Nicholas grinned to himself and followed them into the main command room. Tornado immediately went over the files Phoenix showed him and it left Nicholas with getting himself something to play with, preferably something tricky to stimulate his braincells.
Half an hour later he was completely engrossed in his work.

* * *

Optimus put down the last report and stared at the desk, feeling the weight of leadership settle down heavily once more. Charr had been cleaned of everything salvageable and the Decepticons had been evacuated to Cybertron. Those who preferred to stay off-planet were allowed to leave, though. Megatron was on the look-out for a new base.
"No offense, Prime," he had said in a meeting, "but our forces are still not able to accept each other completely, so I believe a base off Cybertron to retreat to might be a wise idea."
Optimus had to agree, though a good deal of the Decepticon forces would stay here -- voluntarily. And the two different factions had come a long way since the first days of the alliance, though it was still difficult to keep them from fighting every now and then.
The Seekers had moved to Mernan, rebuilding the facilities and defenses there, hoping that Skritakaar was no longer a possible target of the Tji.
Nebulos had been completely evacuated and Daniel and his wife had returned to Earth for now. Even though Optimus had personally flown to Nebulos to talk to the delegates, the decision still stood: no Cybertronians were allowed to land anywhere on Nebulos and even the ambassadors had had to go. It was so frustrating! The Nebulans were so thick-headed! Firebolt had called Rodimus and told him he didn't stand behind the decision of the government, just like the other Nebulan Targetmasters.
Brainstorm and the other Headmasters had difficulties readjusting to Cybertron, but they were doing their best. First Aid was currently checking them from head to toe and, as Rodimus had told his older friend, the medic had discovered some interesting things which would be in his report.
Midnight and the Sentinels had apparently come over their loss of Archer and Mike, though Optimus suspected this lay as heavily on Midnight as the other problems lay on Optimus.
No one had seen Scorponok for a long time and Rodimus suspected that they had gone into hiding, somewhere safe, to repair the damage done by Archer. Optimus had spies looking for the fortress and they would report the slightest glimpse immediately. In the meantime they had to fortify everything they could in the time they had.
"Why is it never easy?" he whispered.
Only silence greeted him and he sighed.