Arc 4: 07 Transwarp

by Macx

The maiden crash...errr... flight of the Axis brings with it startling discoveries on a planet that once contained a doorway.

Transwarp
by Birgit Staebler
Millions of years ago, the Quintessons ruled Cybertron. They were a highly intelligent race of cyber-biological life forms, a race advanced enough to be superior to many others, a race who had discovered that machine life could make things a lot easier, especially day-to-day life. Replacing parts of themselves with cybernetics was a first step for them to 'evolve'. Little of their organic bodies remained and in the end they also transferred their minds into neuro-chips. They were eternal all of a sudden; reproduction was no longer needed. They grew older than any other race and that fact let them believe they were more like gods, able to influence another's existence at their will.
But their goal was not domination and ruling; it was profit. Simple profit.
The Quintessons had constructed the planet Cybertron as a factory to produce robotic drones, machines without consciousness. The technology was not their own, like most of what they used. It had been stolen, among with a super-computer that was soon dubbed 'Vector Sigma', and a technology far, far superior than anything they had ever encountered: the doorway system. The drones were programmed to help their buyer with the wanted tasks. Consumer goods and war material. The Quintessons never thought about what they sold, what might be done with their products; they wanted profit. In those early days of Cybertron, these alien creators also explored the galaxy, searched for new civilizations to sell their products to.
The doorway system was one way of going where they wanted to go, but the Quintessons had no means of controlling it. They tried to copy the technology and even managed to breach dimensional barriers, but the real doorways were closed to them. So they used what knowledge they had and operated their copies.
A stroke of luck let them discover a planet in its early stages of industrialism. The Quintessons used the innocence of the natives to introduce cyber-technology to them. Two millennia later the planet was destroyed, ravaged by war, plundered by its inhabitants, injured and bleeding. Yet without the knowledge of space drive the natives were left on their destroyed homeworld while the Quintessons moved on with their profit secured.
No one considered the remains of the old factories any danger; or the super computer who had run the plant for such a long time. Least of all the Quintessons who weren't interested in these matters anyway.
The planet managed to restore itself throughout the millennia to come.
The computer continued working; it developed; it grew; it was semi-sentient. And it had been alone for too long, running the programs it had been left with, fulfilling the task it had been built for.
It had gone insane.....

* * *

** T minus ten days and counting **

A thin streak of red was starting to appear behind the range of the artificial mountain-like outcroppings someone had once dubbed 'Northern Range'. It was no mountain range like on a naturally grown planet, but the remnants of the last war. Metal had bent and melted under the force of the attack and had started to shift, to throw itself up and fuse into the strange but beautiful rise on the normally flat landscape. Below the mountains was nothing but emptiness, a flat surface beneath which life had come to a stand still. It was what had remained of South Continent and what had been rebuilt through the ceaseless efforts of everyone involved. Settlement had not been reopened yet and no one was sure about when and if it would ever happen. Too many bad memories were buried here, along with a lot of friends and comrades.
The people now standing here and watching the sunrise knew about bad memories. All of them had been involved in the war in one way or another, and many had lost their loved ones in the struggle for survival against the Tji. As much as this place was a memorial, it was also a place for a new start, and the object that was about to launch this new start sat gleaming in the middle of the empty field, awaiting its big moment.
Spike sighed and turned away from watching the star speckled sky as it changed a strange indigo, never really into the vast blueness he was used to from Earth, but also never a complete blackness of space. He walked to the Flight Test Station, a low bungalow beside a tower. Inside, the bungalow was filled with monitors, each displaying the feed from a single camera. Most of the cameras were focused on specific parts of the object in question.
"We have one more hour till lift off," someone called and a slight air of panicky hectic washed over him.
Spike looked outside again, smiling involuntarily as he saw the ship again. Transwarp 1, as she had been dubbed, the first of maybe a new line of deep space exploration vessels. Grapple, the Constructicons, the Technobots and the Paratronians who had been on the work force, had labored for over seven months to complete this ship. She had gone through various tests, mainly stress and endurance, and finally, today, was her maiden flight. It wouldn't be so much a cruise but another test flight, but this time not inside a controlled environment but the reality of space flight.
She fascinated him to no end. Spike had spent most of his available time in the construction halls with the engineers and workers, and he had learned about the ship. He knew all there was to know about handling, capabilities and weak spots. He had studied the warp engine and he had surprised himself as well as the engineers with the ease he seemed to have understanding the technology behind it. He didn't know where the fascination came from, but it came from deep down inside, the wish to be aboard this wonderful ship and explore, get away from Cybertron and see new worlds.
Get away.
Spike turned away, leaving the Flight Test Station, and walked along the perimeters of the test field. Ever since Carly's death and his transfer into a Protogen body he had felt that nothing bound him to his old home and his old life anymore. He had let Adam Witwicky die to become Spike, leader of the Protogens and head of doorway exploration teams. It had given him satisfaction and something to do for a while, but now, due to the last accident, only known and 'safe' locations were dialed into, no more uncharted and unknown worlds. Then the next family tragedy had struck, though it had not come as unexpectant as Carly's death. His oldest child, his son Daniel, had died. It had been of old age and it had to happen one day, but it was still a time of deep grieving and Mel had tried to comfort him as best as possible. She had been as struck by it as her father. She had spent the last hours with her brother.
Spike sighed deeply. He was losing his family one by one, though Mel would be as near-eternal as he was with her hybrid body, but his wife and son were dead, his daughter-in-law had died two years prior to her husband, and his granddaughter.... DJ was off-planet, her grief driving her away from a planet full of memories. She had married several years back and Spike had been happy to hear about the babies, but it was still hard for him to be this alone. He had tried to force the memories of his human past out of his mind, but they kept coming back. Now he was stuck on Cybertron and it was driving him up the walls. He needed to get away.
"I thought I'd find you here!"
Spike turned and smiled slightly. Beside him stood a robot, a female colored in black and red, green optics alight in her dark red face. "Hi, Backdraft."
She grinned. "Today's the big day, right?"
He nodded. "Yep."
"I talked to Silverbolt and he has a hard time getting his team to stay on the ground and wait till she has lift off. I heard you applied to be aboard the test flight. Why?"
Spike shrugged. "I don't know."
Backdraft gave him a close look. "Have you talked with Optimus about your idea, well, your proposal yet?" she wanted to know.
He shook his head. "No. We have to wait what comes out of today's test anyway. If nothing goes wrong and if he agrees on sending the first ship off for explorations, then I'll talk to him."
She nodded. "Okay. Now, where is the best place to watch this?"
Spike grinned. "The monitor room."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and get some good places!"
Backdraft grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the bungalow. Spike let her, his optics roaming over the Transwarp One a last time. He hoped everything went well today. Then he might have a way to get away.

* * *

She looked into the sky, watching the display of thunder and light, listened to the wind howling through the unreal world of canyons and black stone.
"It's not safe out here!"
She turned and smiled at her companion. "It's not safe anywhere as long as the feyarin are out there." She walked back toward the cave entrance. "But help is on the way."
Her companion hurried after her, his gate a strangely loping pace. "Help? The other clans?"
She laughed softly. "No. Even with a common enemy the clans can never hold peace long enough to work together. Our help is coming from beyond the Circle."
"But the Circle was destroyed generations ago, Tikemi!"
Tikemi stopped, her eyes holding a faraway look. "Yes, but still.... I can feel its power, even through the shattered stone, in each fragment. Someone is coming...soon." She continued walking and disappeared in the darkness of the cave.

* * *

The Transwarp was empty. It had been built with all functions and all rooms equipped with the necessary elements, but it was still empty. No crew was aboard, no supplies in the cargo room, and except for the test flight crew, no one else was present.
"Transwarp 1, this is flight control," a slightly metallic voice sounded over the intercom. "Prepare for lift off."
Springer, who sat strapped into the pilot's chair, acknowledged, then looked at his co-pilot. Chromia smiled. Both had volunteered for this job, as had others, but their experience had been valued the best and they had been chosen. Springer would fly the new ship while Chromia would act as the support and control element. It was a dangerous job, but both knew the risks and both were willing to take them.
"Okay, then here we go!" Springer called. "Tower, this is TW zero one, request clearance for take-off."
"Roger zero one, fire engines and taxi over to lift off position."
Chromia nodded and fired the engines. A low, steady hum could be heard as the thrusters warmed up, and Springer eased the ship toward lift off coordinates.
"TW zero one, you are clear for lift off," the Tower's voice then crackled through the intercom."
"Roger."
Springer flicked some control switches and the low hum slowly increased into a full, deep roar. The frame of the Transwarp shuddered as she lifted off, a natural behavior for the ship as it worked off the stress it was put under through the lift off procedure.
"Clearing test ground area, adjusting course to preset coordinate," Chromia reported.
"Roger that, zero one. Chase planes have taken off and will join you in a moment."
Springer looked at one of the monitors giving him a look to the outside and he discovered two Aerialbots closing in. "Hi, guys," he greeted them.
Fireflight and AirRaid flew by left and right of him, waggling their wings as a greeting. Then they turned and took their observation positions as Springer maneuvered the Transwarp into position, then he opened the com channel to Silverbolt.
"Chase Alpha, this is TW zero one, we are now about to initiate test program one."
"Roger, zero one," Silverbolt answered. "We have you in plain sight, will move back to safety positions. Initiate on your mark."
"Tower, this is zero one. Monitor check."
"Check confirmed. All working within parameters," was the answer.
"Okay, here we go!" Springer declared and shot Chromia a grin. She smiled back and nodded. "Mark!"
And the ship lunged forward. Springer felt it buck slightly, then he pressed its nose down toward the planet. The engines began to scream as he forced the nose further down, going into a steep, straight down flight. Cybertron was rushing up toward them and still there was no sign that the pilot would level out the flight angle. Then, all of a sudden, Springer pulled the ship up, coming out of the dive and going level, the scream of the engines dying gradually. But instead of leveling her out completely, Springer started to pull her up, going into a climb as steep as the dive, forcing the engines to full power again. They shrieked under the pressure. He repeated the procedure three times, then leveled the Transwarp out, powering down until he had cruise speed.
"Tower, this is zero one. Completed test program one. Awaiting clearance for program two."
"Roger, zero one. You are cleared. Chase Beta and Gamma ready for chase flight."
Fireflight and AirRaid acknowledged.
Springer smiled. "Okay, then let's see how she handles in high speed chases!"
Again he powered up the engines, but instead of diving and climbing, he now let her shoot off, speed increasing gradually, then in leaps. The two chase planes pursued him.

On the ground, Spike watched the monitors which relayed every single move the ship made. Tons of data were fed into the recording units and the engineers and technicians would have a lot of work on their hands after this.
"She is handling like a dream," Hook muttered almost to himself.
Spike had to agree, but he kept his silence. The ship was a dream, no argument from him. Backdraft squeezed his arm and he was momentarily distracted.
"Don't start drooling over her," she whispered and grinned.
Spike grimaced. "I'm not!"
"My optics say differently."
"Oh, shuddup!"
Backdraft chuckled, amusement glittering in her optics, and Spike sighed.
"Tower, this is zero one. Ready for warp jumps," Springer's voice announced.
"Zero one, wait for Chase Omega to arrive," Scattershot advised.
"Roger."
Spike knew that the Aerialbots had no way of following a transwarp driven ship anywhere, but they had two friends who could. One was currently available and now closing in.
"Tower, this is Chase Omega," Wild Card's voice could be heard. "Ready if you are."
Scattershot opened the frequency to Springer and cleared him for the final test. Spike's optics were fixed on the monitor as he witnessed the Transwarp initiate the warp engines and disappear. Wild Card followed immediately.

* * *

** T minus two days and counting **

"I hate it!"
Ex-Colonel Jefferson Winters had to smile at that statement. He sat on the couch of Cathy Lee Russell's apartment, going through some stuff they had been working on until a few minutes ago. It mostly concerned flight schedules, tests, reexaminations of older tests and some notes and scribbles from engineers. Though Jeff had been out of active duty for a long time, he was still involved in one way or the other with test flying. Lately he had been called upon for the Transwarp One tests, something that had surprised the Interface. The Transwarp ship was a Cybertronian project and not intended for human use or to have human pilots. Optimus Prime had only given him a strange look. Jeff shook his head. Well, they wanted his opinion, they were going to get it.
Cathy Lee had remembered that she still needed to try on a new dress she had had to buy for a reception tomorrow night while he had occupied her couch, spreading papers everywhere, and had grudgingly gone to do it now. Her schedule for the next day, the one leading up to the party, was quite tight and tonight was the only off-time she had. Then there was the fact that Jeff was supposed to accompany the second test flight of the Axis tomorrow. The first one had gone smoother than thought, but there were still a lot of bugs in the system, so the next test had been scheduled a week after the last one. And this day would be tomorrow.
"What is it?" Jeff now called.
"Nothing," was the grumbled reply.
He grinned and went back to his work, jotting down notes for tomorrow's flight. He and Cathy Lee had developed a special kind of relationship, a relationship neither had the courage to define or to pin down. It worked, so it was okay. Both had their own apartments, they lived their separate lives in a way, but they were drawn to each other, spending a lot of their off-time with each other.
"This is stupid," he now heard her and looked up, pen between his teeth.
The sight greeting him was unlike anything he had ever seen on her. His mouth opened and the pen fell out; Jeff didn't notice. Cathy Lee was a woman who wore dresses like armor, always crisp and closed up to the neck, never revealing more than her calves at the most. Now she was wearing....
He blinked.
It was a deep green dress, revealing her shoulders, flowing down her slender body like an emerald waterfall. The back, he saw as she came closer, was cut low, showing her white skin. Cathy Lee had never been someone to enjoy sun-bathing and she was only faintly tanned. Her red hair was piled on her head, the neck exposed. A small, golden amulet hung around it.
Jeff cleared his throat as she approached. He rose from the couch. "It .... compliments you," he managed.
"It's crap!" she said forcefully. "It's not me at all! Too tight! And too open!" She turned once and gave Jeff an even better view of her back.
"Ah ....."
Cathy exhaled and Jeff wished she wouldn't do that. He had a flight to prepare for tomorrow!
"I think... it's really okay..."
Cathy Lee gave him a critical look, scrutinizing him as if she suspected he was mocking her. "It's still crap," she muttered.
Jeff smiled slightly and she glared at him. "Hey, it's just a party and you look great," he told her seriously.
Cathy Lee sighed. "I shouldn't keep you here. You still have a lot of preparing to do, Jeff."
"Hm, yeah." He didn't sound very enthused.
"Hey, you volunteered to ride along, so don't go all moody because of it!"
He chuckled. "I know." He gave her a light kiss, forcefully ignoring how she looked. "You have fun at the reception, I'll talk with Wild Card and the pilots about the jump sequences tomorrow."
"I wonder what is more fun," she muttered.
Jeff only chuckled.

* * *

Starscream was in his office, or at least what doubled as an office. He wasn't part of the command hierarchy and he also wasn't involved in the Cybertronian military or held a position of command in any other form. He was a Gatekeeper, responsible for the centerway inside Cybertron, and as such he doubled as both a warrior and a scientist. Currently he was busy analyzing data pulled out of the quartz crystal cube that held all the knowledge of the doorways and the doorway system. Raven was painstakingly pulling everything out of the memory banks, but it was luck when they came across something interesting or helpful. Mostly it was gibberish and needed decoding. It hadn't been much a surprise to discover that there was no uniform key to decipher the files. Each held its own key. Since he had nothing much to do at the moment, Starscream had decided to try out some of the ideas he had had concerning keys.
The screen shone in a soft, blue light and the cursor blinked expectantly. He typed in a new command and waited for results. As before it was a negative outcome and he scratched the probable key off his list. It didn't mean that the key didn't fit into another lock, another file, but for the one he had chosen it was invalid. Raven suspected that the file contained data about dead or dysfunctional doorways and as such it was highly valuable. The map Starscream had discovered by accident a long time ago had shown up to be only a fraction of the whole thing. Ralyk had never mentioned it and it was just another one of those unnerving discoveries concerning the dead entity. It had not told them everything.
Starscream sighed and shook his head. No use thinking about Ralyk and its deeds now. Dead and forgotten. Well, dead anyway. Suddenly the screen changed and a lot of symbols appeared, running down the screen in an endless waterfall of information. Starscream's optics widened and he felt triumph rise inside of him.
"Yes!" he exclaimed.
"You cracked the code?"
He turned and discovered Sphere standing in the door. "Of course!"
She grimaced and came closer. "What did you do? Kick the machine?" she teased.
Starscream glared at her. "I'm a scientist."
"Who had positive results through mistreating machinery before," she finished with a grin. "Do I have to remind you of the time on the station?"
"Oh, stuff it," he muttered and watched the symbols run by. Finally they stopped, the cursor blinking expectantly.
"It's not Cybertronian," Sphere noted, sounding intrigued. "Looks more like the language of the Quints or the First Ones."
Starscream frowned and scrolled back to the beginning. Yes, it kind of looked like the ancient language all doorway files were written in. He opened a tool he had created to translate the ancient code, then waited. Sphere stayed where she was, equally interested. Both their optics widened as they realized just what was being translated by and by.
"Jackpot," Starscream whispered.
"Oh, yes, indeed," his sister agreed, stunned.

* * *

** Lift Off/Touchdown **

The large, dark ship made its way through the quiet darkness of space. Its strangely patterned skin gave the it the look of a giant, prehistoric whale. Small probes whirled constantly around it, their search lights the only bright spots in the darkness. Not far away from it where two smaller crafts of almost similar design, one colored a deep and absolute black, merging nearly perfectly with space, the other a golden brown and green.
"Okay, we are ready for a second run," Midnight now said over the com line. "Nice and easy, no experiments."
"Of course not," Spike answered with a smile.
Midnight chuckled. This was the latest test run with the Transwarp One, now dubbed as 'Axis', and nothing could go wrong, actually. The ship had been tested through and through. The final skin sealant had been applied, the computers updated, everything checked. The test run crews had turned the ship over to a new team, namely the Protogen robots under Spike's command. Midnight still remembered the discussion about this particular decision when it had been brought before the Council. He knew Spike and his team were the right ones. They were the ones who had been in everybody's mind as who should fly the new transwarp ships in the first place. They were the ones exploring the doorway planets and the transwarp drives would be extremely useful to explore those planets where the doorways no longer worked for one reason or other. The Protogens had to get used to their new transportation and since there were no more flaws, it was safe for them to do the last testing themselves. It mainly included jumping from one point to the next.
The two Sentinels observing their test jumps were the only ones capable of following the ship. Wild Card could create random jump points using the gate energies running through the fabric of the universe. Midnight used a similar technique, adding to those powers the ability to access doorway energy as well.
"Ready, guys?" Spike now asked.
Midnight affirmed and the Axis began the next sequence of jumps. Wild Card jumped after her, closely followed by Midnight.

* * *

Everything had worked perfectly so far.
Spike read over the last control outputs and nodded. Just fine. No problems. Backdraft walked over to the command chair and peered at the read-outs.
"She is running nicely."
Spike nodded. "The next jump sequence is starting in a few minutes. We're heading for Arry. Looks like Hook got the last flaws out of the jump engine." He grinned.
Backdraft chuckled, remembering the problems the Constructicon had had with the transwarp drive. A glance at the radar told her that Wild Card and Midnight were still trailing them, Wild Card slowly overtaking on the left side to enter the warp gate before they did and awaiting them at Arry.
"Domino, Volta, prepare for jump," Spike now ordered.
"Everything's ready and waiting!" Volta called. "Jump in five.... four... three... two... one....."
There was a slight increase in engine noise as the transwarp drive activated, then space around them turned completely black for an instant. Spike stared into the darkness, his mind reaching out with every fiber of his being, his body feeling the rhythmic vibrations of the mighty engines as they pushed the brand-new ship through a region of space rarely entered before. Cybertron knew warp technology, but transwarp had been new. Like all new technologies it was risky and dangerous, but for Spike it meant a way off the planet and he was ready to risk everything to be away from the metal world, to forget. He had led the doorway teams for a while and now, since doorway exploration had been opened again, he was still team leader, but he had found a new dream.
Transwarp.
Rodimus Prime had planned ahead and he wanted to use the Axis to reach those planets with a doorway and of which they knew that the alien device had been destroyed or buried. And Spike wanted to be part of it.
A jolt got him out of his musings.
"What the....?!" Volta exclaimed.
Lights flared up on the control panels and there was a scream from the engines.
"Volta, report!" Spike ordered.
"Losing control! Warp engines going off-line!" the Protogen answered with clipped tones.
There was a tell-tale whine and suddenly normal space rushed up to meet them. It was like a blow in the face and the ship jolted once more, as if running over an obstacle.
"Power failure in warp core!" Domino yelled over the suddenly blaring alarm.
Backdraft quickly shut off the noise and Spike nodded a 'thanks' at her. "Power down!" he now ordered. "Secure drive! What's our position?"
"Impossible to tell," was the answer. "We got conflicting data here.... I...." The ship started to buck and Volta fought for control over the vessel, but he was losing. "Hold on!" he screamed.
The Axis did a tight turn and there was a flickering outside the viewscreen that Spike didn't like. For a brief second he thought they were going to enter transwarp space again, then something large blocked his view.
"Great Cybertron!" Backdraft whispered.
Spike's hands clenched into the arms of his seat as the planet rushed up to meet them.
"Guidance system down! Losing altitude!" Domino announced.
"Gravity field of the planet is dragging us down!" Volta hissed. "I'm losing her!"
"Brace for impact," Spike said calmly.
The dark planet was now filling their screen and the Axis plunged into the cloud cover. It was like jumping into a pool of smoke. Small particles collided with the outer hull and the vibrations running through the ship were increasing. They shot out of the cloud cover and Spike saw the planet's surface loom up in front of them. It was just as dark as they had thought it would be. Jagged, black and dark gray spikes reached up, mountains surrounded them, and the shriek of the engines was all round them.
"Touch down!" Volta cried.
The front landing gear crashed into the sharp spikes and shattered them like glass. The impact nearly threw Spike out of his seat and he clung to the chair with all his strength. The Axis creaked and groaned under the stress, screaming and whining, as she plowed through the landscape, mowing down the glass-like structures.
"We are slowing down!" Domino announced.
The Axis shuddered more and Spike feared that the landing gear might tear off, but they were truly slowing down. More alarms went off, lights flashing at an alarming rate, and even though he glanced at the console only briefly Spike realized that the ship's outer hull was being torn apart. And then they came to rest with a final crunching noise. Everyone remained as they were, frozen to the spot, not daring to move.
"Everyone okay?" Spike asked into the silence.
"I.... I think so," Domino muttered, staring at the landscape outside the viewscreen, at least what could be seen of it. "Man...."
Volta groaned and only raised his hand, waving weakly, lying half slumped over his station. "I feel dead," he moaned.
Backdraft got out of her seat and stepped to Spike. "Everyone seems to be okay," she said quietly. One eye ridge rose as she indicated Volta. "Even our dead person."
"System check. Give me a report about the Axis," Spike ordered, nodding at her with a brief smile.
When the report came in, the temporary commander of the Transwarp ship knew that they would need a miracle – or a repair shop just around the next canyon – to make the ship fly again. She was wrecked and the engines were in no shape to lift the body up into the sky again, let alone space. The mother of all storms was howling outside and the battered hull was bombarded with hail and whatever the gusts of wind picked up from the ground and flung at them. He sank back into the chair and briefly dimmed his optics.
"Any sign of Midnight or Wild Card?" he finally asked.
"None. And with the storm outside we have severe problems getting any signal through, not to speak of receiving anything." Backdraft made her round back to Spike's side. "Looks like we are on our own for now."
He nodded. "Secure the stations, then we'll have a look at what's outside."
Volta made a sound like clearing his throat. "In that weather?"
Spike smiled grimly. "Yes, in that weather. It's not any worse than the storms I witnessed on Earth as a child."
"Yeah, well, it's not Earth."
Spike stopped halfway out of the control room. "And I'm not a child anymore." With that he left.
Domino shrugged as he rose. "He got a point, Vol."
Volta only sighed.

* * *

"She is missing?!"
Blaster tried not to wince away from the glowing blue optics of his commanding officer, but he still stared into Rodimus Prime's face like a mesmerized rabbit. "Uhm, yeah," he stuttered.
"How can a ship like the Axis go missing? Including two Sentinels?!" Rodimus demanded, voice eerily calm. Blaster would have preferred a temper outbreak, but he knew he wouldn't get it. Rodimus never lost his temper in public, even if half of Cybertron was in danger of getting eaten by a resurrected Unicron.
"They just disappeared off the scanners, Prime." Blaster snapped his fingers. "Spike said they were gonna jump to Arry and I gave 'em clearance.... and then they were gone."
Rodimus stared at him as if trying to read his mind, then turned and faced Soundwave who had been on the second monitoring station.
"Situation: unclear," the Decepticon only said.
"Then clear it! I want to know where that ship is and I want to know it yesterday!!" Rodimus walked over to where Voodoo was busy coordinating a search team.
"Tornado, Twister and Spellbinder are currently moving toward Arry," the Sentinel told him calmly. "Nightmare has gone to Arry already and is checking for signs."
The Autobots' second stood still for a moment, then nodded wordlessly and left the command center. Blaster allowed himself a sigh of relief, Soundwave only turned back to work with a barely-perceptible nod and Voodoo tracked the progress of his team mates.

*

Rodimus walked down the corridor, face expressionless, his steps measured and controlled. Behind this facade anger and worry cooked. Anger because they had lost track of the new Transwarp ship, despite all the signaling devices, tracking systems and two Sentinels following the Axis, and worry because no one knew what had happened to them. Shanygn silently echoed his feelings. As he entered his office he became aware of a visitor.
"Hi, Op," he greeted his superior and friend.
Optimus smiled briefly at the casual greeting. "Any signs?"
"No." The younger Prime leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "The Axis disappeared without a sign from one second to the other. They initiated a jump sequence and instead of reappearing over Arry, she was gone. The transwarp drive showed no anomalies right before the jump and nothing inside the doorway net was cause for any alarm. Hook and the Constructicons are going over every blue-print and every read-out we have, but so far there are no flaws. At least no obvious ones."
Suddenly there was a beeping noise from the personal com unit. Rodimus walked over to his desk and punched the key. "Yes, Rodimus here."
"Rodimus, I think I found a trace of Midnight," came the rumbling dark voice of Spook.
"Where?"
"Inside the doorway system. I discovered him by accident but he isn't moving and hasn't reacted to paging so far."
Worry crossed the Autobot's features. "I'm on my way. Meet me in the chamber! Rodimus out!"
He was already halfway out of his office when he remembered Optimus Prime. "Op, I...."
The Autobot leader nodded and joined him. "I'm coming along."

* * *

Spike launched himself into the air and he got a first good look around. It was an impressive place, a cliff side near-by, waves crashing against the rock. The area was bare of any vegetation except for wind-swept trees and some gnarled bushes. In the distance mountains rose into the thunder-ravaged sky. And he thought he saw some strange beasts moving there outside of visual range, nothing more than four-legged blobs. Spike described a wide arc and sailed along the coast line. The Axis had crashed in the middle of the jagged, black rock formations near a wide canyon. The ship would be safe from falling into the depths, but that was about it. Volta, Domino and Backdraft were busy examining the outer hull and what Spike had seen for himself, the black rocks had cut through the reinforced steel like through paper.
He wondered where they were.
He wished he knew what had happened to Midnight and Wild Card.
And he prayed the others knew what had happened.

* * *

Jeff woke with a terrible headache. It seemed to split his skull, radiating from his forehead to his back and he groaned softly. His eyes were closed – or it was night because he didn't see anything – and every move hurt. Nausea rose inside of him and he swallowed several times. Jeff blinked his eyes open and quickly shut them again as a bright flash lit up the murkiness he had briefly seen around him. It was quickly followed by a thundering rumble that sounded like a bunch of Cybertronians... no, make that a whole squadron of them, running down a badly sound-isolated corridor. His head was throbbing and he felt bruises all over his arms. He opened his eyes once more after a while, this time seeing only murky darkness. He felt dizzy and nauseous as he sat up and tried to figure out where he was.
What a ride, he thought as the world stopped spinning around him.
"Wild Card?"
His voice sounded raspy and dry. Jeff winced slightly and wet his lips. Wild Card was nearly lying on his side, he saw from his position, the cockpit shield featuring a spider-web crack and he thought he saw a badly torn wing. There was no reaction from his partner and Jeff accessed the link.
Hey, partner?>>
A moan answered him, followed by a jumble of images. Jeff closed his eyes, swallowing. Wild Card was in a bad condition as well, unconscious and injured.
He glanced around the surrounding landscape to see if yelling for help would do him any good. Nothing but wilderness..... Black, sharp looking rocks, storm-swept trees and the sky dark and foreboding. The rain was pounding down against the cockpit shield with a fury and dark clouds obscured the trees in darkness, broken only by the occasional flash of lightning.
"Oh, great....."
Jeff gazed around the cockpit, trying to ignore the hammering behind his eyes, and slowly undid the flight harness. He raised himself up on his elbows and discovered that was a bad idea. Pain shot through his left wrist and he quickly took the weight off that side. He didn't think it was broken. Probably sprained though and it sure hurt like hell. He sighed. It was getting better and better.
After some time, a long time, Jeff managed to get himself out of the cockpit, half falling, half sliding out of the compartment. He landed on a muddy ground, parts of sharp rock poking into his flight suit. Jeff hadn't worn full battle armor for the test and now he regretted it dearly.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered, rain soaking him.
He ran his good hand through his hair to sweep it back from his face and noticed blood on his fingers when he pulled it away. He finally located a small cut on his right temple at the hairline. He found a bump on top of his head that was pretty sore as well. He sighed. One more injury to add to the list.
Jeff slowly walked around Wild Card once, taking in the damage. The jet was buried in the mud, lying half on one side, one wing severely bent and twisted. His outer hull was scraped and badly bruised, the nose area dented. Winters accessed the Interface link again and did some gentle probing, trying to find the worst areas of injury. After a while he discovered that it were the wing and one thruster. Transformation might be possible but could hurt Wild Care more than help him. If not a necessity, it might be best not to try it. He patted the wet hull, sending reassurance into the unconscious mind at the other end of their link. They had gone through worse; not much worse, but worse.
Suddenly there was a howl.
Jeff flinched, automatically moving with his back against the crashed jet, eyes darting around, trying to pierce through the darkness. Wildlife..... Just normal, planetary wildlife. But what was normal for this planet, whatever planet he was on, and did it like the taste of humans? He swallowed and walked slowly back to the cockpit area. His battle gear was stowed away behind the pilot seat and it would be a very good idea to get working on extracting it..... now!

* * *

Midnight felt like he had collided with a planet. Several planets to be correct. Every circuit ached and his memories of the events prior to his current headache were fuzzy and rather sketchy.
Steve?>>
Still in one piece>> came a moaned reply. What happened?>>
Wish I knew>>
Midnight tried to pin down his position and was surprised to find himself drifting. He was still in jet mode, his thrusters were dead, and he was slowly turning over and over, like a dance in slow motion. All around him was energy. Veins of orange and blue energy wove through darkness, dotted by bright spots of concentrated energon. He knew where he was.... he just didn't know how he had come to be here!
We're inside a doorway channel>>
Steve blinked and looked around. He was still strapped into the pilot's seat of his Interface partner, hanging upside down as the Sentinel did another slow turn. How...?>>
That I have no idea of>> Midnight confessed. I remember that the Axis jumped... and we followed... then...?>>
Steve frowned, trying to remember. You accessed doorway energy>>
Yes, but the system has been declared safe and we are still inside!>> Midnight sighed deeply and tried his controls. With a short burst from the side thrusters he managed to correct his upside-down position.
Steve went through the flight log and frowned again. We got in all right and we followed the Axis through her transwarp signature trail. We even got out again!>>
And were caught in backwash energy when... uhm... well, whatever it was happened with the Axis>> Midnight finished, intrigued. Looks like I initiated another jump>>
And the backwash caught us as we jumped. It knocked both of us out>>
"And where's Wild Card?" the Sentinel leader asked out aloud.
"I wish I knew....." Steve entered several commands into Midnight's systems through the Interface link and the manual controls. "First we have to get you out of the doorway channel, contact Cybertron and then we'll see...."
Midnight agreed and they both concentrated on locating Midnight's position among the doorway channels and then getting the jet's systems up.

* * *

Spike wiped water out of his optics and scanned the area once more. They had been on this world for nearly a day now, getting a rough grid map established of the area around the crash site. They had not met a single soul, no sign of life except animal life forms. The storm had ceased a few hours after their arrival – much to everyone's relief, but the rain was still coming down without any sign of ever stopping. The whole landscape seemed to consist more of canyons than anything else. The Axis had been lucky not to crash right into one.
The day had passed into night, plunging the landscape into almost total darkness, sometimes lit by occasional lightning around the middle of the night. Now, close to dawn, everything was almost beautiful. It was peacefully silent, the clouds thinning, starlight reflecting from the wet black stones.
"Spike, this is Backdraft."
He opened the com line. "Go ahead."
"You better come here. I found something." There was an odd tone to Backdraft's voice.
"What is it?"
"Just get to my coordinates. I don't think you'd believe me."
Spike hesitated a moment, then acknowledged. A few minutes later he, Volta and Domino were on their way.

* * *

It were the remains of a house, or what could be called a house by Earth standards. To three sides walls rose up into the sky. The fourth wall was missing, as was the roof. It was a ruin, an old ruin. Grass covered the once wooden floor and whatever had been here to call furniture, it was only mere firewood now. Jeff took a step forward and felt the world around him beginning to swim out of focus. He closed his eyes for a second and got his bearings. Damn, his head was acting up again! Concussion, he told himself, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had to find the others and get help to Wild Card. He opened his eyes again, carefully looking around.
Jeff had set out searching for help and/or the Axis after he had secured Wild Card's systems and after he had made sure there were no life-threatening leaks anywhere. Wild Card had wanted to transform and come with him, but Jeff had finally convinced him that this would do more harm than good. Transformation was out of the question and Wild Card would be okay as long as he remained where he was. Winters himself was in a sorry shape as well, but he was mobile and as long as he didn't have to run, jump or fight something he would be fine. The exo-suit's medical supplies contained a strong painkiller and with a stabilizing bandage around his wrist he felt miles better.
Suddenly a high pitched whine could be heard. Out of nowhere, or so it seemed, two objects appeared in the sky. Moonlight reflected off metal. A third object dropped out of the sky, darker and not metallic. He heard a sound like massive wings flapping, followed by the roaring and screaming of jet engines. A jet engine? Puzzled he narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at whatever it was. One of the metallic objects followed the darker, winged shape and Jeff's eyes widened as he saw the thing in the moonlight. It looked like a robot, at least nine feet tall, with large wings, red glowing eyes and -- weapons on his forearms!
He had found civilization..... in a way.
Jeff threw himself to the ground as a fiery bolt shot from the robot and exploded beside him. With a protesting yelp he searched for cover. Another bolt hit the ground, farther away from him and actually aimed at the dark, winged figure, which was darting in an erratic course toward the house. The second robot zeroed in on the fleeing figure, firing steadily at it. A pain-filled cry told Jeff all he needed to know. He grasped his gun and took aim.
"Okay, guys, let's see how you play with someone who shoots back!"
A high-powered laser shot hit the unsuspecting robot fully in the back. The robot was thrown forward by the impact and crashed into a gnarled tree. To Jeff's immediate surprise it went up in an explosion of metal and flames. He stared at his gun. He knew it was powerful and it kicked a mean punch when shooting at Cybertronians, but how ....?
He didn't have time to wonder. The second attacker, which had been busy with its prime target, the figure which had crashed somewhere in the ruin, turned and took aim at Jeff. The former Navy pilot welcomed the robot with a grim smile. He took aim and fired again. But the robot seemed to have learned from its partner's fate and evaded the shot, though Jeff kept on firing, all the while pulling back toward the ruin, the only cover he had. A shot hit the robot's wing -- and shattered it. The robot tumbled down and found the same fate as its partner. It went up in flames.
"Wow, they are easy to take out," Jeff muttered, rubbing his aching wrist as he gazed at the smoldering and burning wrecks.
Jeff?>>
Wild Card's weak mind-voice got him out of his amazement.
I'm okay. Nothing serious>> Well, nothing worse than before. He still hurt in all the same places.
What happened?>>
That's what I'm going to find out>>
Be careful>>
Jeff grimaced slightly. I'm not a child....>> he grumbled.
Then he remembered the fugitive. The winged fugitive. The fugitive, which also had had a tail, as far as he could recall, and which had not been metal.
Cautiously, Jeff entered the ruin, weapon ready to fire, though he had set it on a lower power output now. One of the three remaining walls had gone down through the attack and the crash of the fugitive. Rubble and bricks lay everywhere. Nearly in the middle of the main room lay an unmoving figure. Jeff took one careful step after another toward the body. It was getting darker still, making it harder to see what he was looking at. The fire from the burning wreckage cast some light, but the walls kept most of it out. Jeff activated the lights on top of his suit's helmet. Since he was running on limited power he didn't want to waste it with the night-vision function.
His eyes widened as he stared at the thing lying on the floor. It was tall, taller than him -- if it walked on two feet, though it didn't look like it would, or should. It had strong hind legs and equally strong arms with four fingers. The slender body, which had human proportions, was covered with a deep bronze leather skin -- no scales -- and a dark brown loin-cloth hid whatever there was to hide. A broad belt held it in place. The well-muscled chest was bare. The head looked like that of an animal, with a long snout heavy brows over now closed eyes, two pointed ears and two horns protruding out of the skin. A mass of sandy-brown hair cascaded down over the strong neck and back. A long tail completed the alien picture. The creature was breathing heavily, apparently unconscious. The large leathery wings, which had three-fingered claws at the 'elbow', lay half folded, half twisted beside it. One wing looked burned, maybe broken, judging from the unnatural angle. A deep cut ran down one forearm. It bled sluggishly. And it bled red. The creature looked like a cross between a dragon and some medieval picture of a demon.
Be careful>> Wild Card projected.
Don't worry. I am>>
Jeff tried to think of what to do. The creature was badly hurt and though he had destroyed its robotic attackers, he didn't know whether there weren't more of those things. For that fact he didn't even know why this creature had been hunted or whether he had really done the right thing. He had acted on instinct alone, letting this instinct decide that the one being hunted was the one he needed to help. Jeff Winters didn't like seeing other living creatures being shot at, who- or whatever they were.
A soft groan caught his attention and he looked down as the wing closest to him twitched, followed by an agonized moan. The creature was coming around. The arm twitched as well and the eyes cracked open. If Jeff had expected reptile eyes, slitted and maybe red, he was disappointed. The eyes held a human quality, with a dark, maybe brown, iris and a black pupil, surrounded by the white of the eyeball. The creature tried to move once more, moaning again as it felt the pain of its multiple injuries.
"Don't move," Jeff said quickly. "You're badly hurt."
The eyes fixed on him and right in this second Jeff got the idea that announcing his presence, which the creature might or might not have discovered sooner or later, had been a very bad idea. The human eyes turned a bright yellow, glowing from inside. A snarl came from the snout and teeth gleamed in the dark.
"Hey, wait, I'm a friend!" Winters lifted his hands in defense, trying to show the creature he was unarmed -- if you didn't count the gun in his hand. "My name's Winters. Jeff Winters."
The snarl turned into a dangerously low growl.
"You know the word 'friend', don't you?" Jeff went on quickly, thinking about what to do. He didn't know if the creature could still move and if it could, how fast.
It tried to turn to get into a better position, but was caught short by another wave of pain. Momentarily the glow in the eyes wavered and a hiss of agony took over. It slumped slightly against the wall, one wing slipping sideways as if not belonging to it. Jeff took a step forward, compelled to help it. He just couldn't stand around and watch, but the look in those eyes held him back, reminding him of a wounded, desperate animal. He didn't know who it was, it didn't know him -- perfect for a mistake on both sides. And Jeff didn't plan to end up with chewed limbs. Even if it was intelligent, pain and desperation sometimes overruled intelligence.
Jeff....!>> Wild Card whispered.
I'm okay, I'm okay>> he said quickly, distractedly.
"I just want to help," he told the creature aloud. Then, deciding it might be a peace offer, he put down the gun. "It's not a weapon against you," he explained carefully, not knowing whether the being understood. "And I normally don't use it." He stepped carefully away from the gun. "But it had a really good effect on those robots out there." He made a gesture toward the outside. "Popped like a firecracker." Jeff snapped his fingers.
The creature followed his every word with varying expressions on its face. It held its injured arm pressed against its body, blood spilling through the claws.
"Listen, I've a little bit of first aid knowledge and," he slid open a compartment of his battle armor, "I even brought my own first-aid-kit. If that doesn't count for something."
Jeff didn't know why he was talking; maybe just to hear his own voice, maybe because he thought the tone alone might calm the injured being. Surely the creature didn't understand a thing he was saying! Then again .... it listened intently.
"Now, where to start." He looked at the mess of burns and cuts. His eyes remained on the burned and broken right wing, then he decided this was beyond the limited capabilities of himself and the kit. "The cut on your arm looks nasty."
He stepped closer, noticing that the creature didn't make any dangerous growling noises, simply followed his every move with its eyes. It still held its arm and Jeff didn't know what would happen if he tried to peel the other hand away from the wound. He sighed.
"You don't bite helpful humans, I hope?" he asked out of a sudden idea. "And if you think about eating me, don't. I'm too scrawny and would give you indigestion."
Wild Card sent a wave of anxiety and fear; Jeff calmed him. He could handle this. No sweat. He carefully knelt down, now looking the thing directly into the eyes, all the while ready to beat a hasty retreat if it decided to bite after all. The exo-suit would protect him, no doubt about that, but Jeff didn't want to end up in another fight.
"What's a human?"
"Yaaaahhhh!"
Jeff jumped back, coming down on his butt with a hard thud. The first-aid-kit went flying from his hands and fell down on the floor with a clatter too loud for his own liking.
Intelligent and attentive brown eyes looked curiously at him.
"Ah .... I ...." Winters licked his dry lips. "You can talk?" he then croaked.
"It's rumored," the creature replied with a humorous glint in its eyes, though it didn't banish the pain in their depths. The voice was definitely male, though it didn't tell him the owner itself was male, as Jeff knew from countless encounters with alien life forms.
"Why didn't you say so before?" he exploded, adrenaline and shock seeking a way to dissolve. It dissolved into anger.
"You were busy talking yourself." Again the creature tried to get into a more comfortable position and failed.
"I wouldn't move too much if I where you," Jeff advised. "You look pretty beat up."
"And I feel like it, too," it confessed. "Now, what's a human?"
Jeff got to his feet and picked up the kit. "I think the foremost question should be who are you?" he grumbled.
The heavy brows rose and the face expressed a lot of amusement. "I know that you must be Winters. Jeff Winters." It cocked its head. "A strange name."
"Yeah, well, maybe. What's yours?"
"Kei'lein Maru'N'Lyn."
"Nice to meet you, uhm.... Kei'lein," Jeff said, smiling.
"You said you shot down the two feyarin?" Kei'lein inquired as Jeff picked up the first aid kit.
"Feyarin? Uhm, the robots?"
"What is a robot?"
Jeff sighed. "Okay, I guess we need to work on a few words. The things that hunted you, those were robots."
Kei'lein raised his heavy ridges. "Feyarin."
"Okay, feyarin then. Probably means the same. Yes, I shot them down."
"Why?"
Jeff looked up, surprise written all over his face. "Why?" he repeated. "Well, I thought it might be a good idea at the time. Why do you ask? I hope they weren't friends of yours."
"No." Kei'lein shook his head. "Not at all. They tried to hunt me down."
"Why?"
"That's what they do. Legend has it that they were brought through the Circle of Rushing Water many generations ago. We can't hurt them and they are very fast. Too fast for us."
Circle of Rushing Water?>>
The doorway>> Wild Card whispered.
Nice description.... So we landed on a doorway planet>>
"Ah. Uhm, where is this Circle? Can you show me to it?"
Kei'lein watched him treat the badly cut arm. "We destroyed it."
Winters stopped, gaping. "You destroyed a doorway?!" he exclaimed. "How?"
Kei'lein gave him a puzzled look. "Doorway?"
"The Circle of Rushing Water."
"Oh. No, we didn't destroy it. Old tales tell of someone destroying it for us, to help us become independent."
"Who?"
"The One Born Out Of Fire."
Jeff blinked. "Ah." Wild Card?>>
No clue>>
Kei'lein tilted his head again. "You look a bit like the feyarin, but you aren't. You are what you called 'human'?"
Jeff nodded. He bandaged the arm and found he had run out of bandaging material by taking care of this wound alone. Kei'lein had to live with just having the rest of them cleaned until some professional doctor could have a look at the injuries -- if his kind ever went to see a doctor, that was. Or had one.....
"We normally don't look like this," he explained. "This metal suit is an armor."
"What for?"
"Protection."
Kei'lein frowned, but didn't comment. Jeff opened the helmet completely and took it off. The creature studied his features.
"You look different from my clan."
Jeff chuckled. "I guess so. Tell me more about you," he probed, not knowing whether or not Kei'lein even wanted to talk. "Are there any friends you could contact? Any help I could get? And how come you understand me anyway?"
Kei'lein tilted his head. "I listened... I learned."
Jeff settled down beside him. "Ah."
"As for help.... my clan is rather far away from here. I doubt they would trust you." Kei'lein smiled slightly. "I wouldn't if you hadn't caught me injured."
"Speaking of those injuries.... you need help." Jeff sounded worried.
"I'll be fine when the morning sun rises."
"Errr... listen, I dunno if you noticed, but I think you broke your wing as well as burned it."
Kei'lein smiled. "I noticed. Painfully so."
"It's not going to heal miraculously within the next hours," Jeff added.
This time the alien only smiled, saying nothing.

* * *

"They have arrived."
Her companion and bodyguard looked at the large metal shape buried among the glittering black rocks. "Those are the ones who'll help fighting the feyarin?"
Tikemi nodded. "In a way they will." She spread her wings and launched herself into the night sky. Her bodyguard followed.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let us greet them!"
She smiled, flashing teeth at him. "No, it's not yet time."
He gave her a puzzled look, but Tikemi didn't say anymore. They both glided away from the crash site.
"Are they feyarin hunters?" he tried again after a while.
"No, I don't believe so. They are connected to the Circle of Rushing Water, but I don't believe they know the feyarin."
"Then why should they help us?"
Tikemi smiled, angling her wings to glide lower. "You'll see."

* * *

Spook lay curled up in a small heap in one corner of the doorway chamber, listening to the current discussion about the next steps on how to rescue Midnight. The large half-serpent regarded the silent doorway rings with a thoughtful expression. His systems were keeping track of the young Sentinel as he drifted through the maze that channeled the doorway energy. Midnight was more or less safe there since he was part of the system, thanks to Ralyk, but they had to get him out. He was apparently unable to extract himself and communication attempts had not been greeted with success. Spook accessed a new level of the security system logs and pin-pointed Midnight's exact position.
"I could get him out," he rumbled.
The discussion stopped and Starscream shot the large, green robot a withering glare. "Why didn't you say so before?" he demanded.
Spook rumbled again. "You didn't ask."
The glare intensified.
"And I wasn't sure until now. Except for Wild Card and Midnight, only I can Gate." He shrugged. "I haven't Gated for a long time and I'm a bit rusty, but I could do it...."
Rodimus made a curt gesture with his hand, looking up at the large snake's head swaying above him. "You know where he is?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And you believe you can get him out?"
"I think so."
He nodded. "Then do it."
Spook smiled with amusement. "As you command, Rodimus Prime."
Rodimus shot him an evil look and turned back to where Optimus was talking to Sphere in a low voice. Spook uncurled and slithered out of the doorway chamber. The two Autobot leaders and Starscream followed him. The ancient robot believed he could do it, though he had only done it once in the past since he had discovered that the doorway system was active again. He could do it again.
The large half-serpent launched himself into the sky, spreading his wings. Spook was unable to transform, one of the first robots ever created by the Veneran, but he had a few tricks up his sleeves. Gliding higher he ignited tiny thrusters and reached Gating height for himself. Gating from ground level was difficult and he hadn't trained his abilities to achieve it, unlike Midnight.
And then he was inside the system.

* * *

The wind had grown colder and stronger, the clouds thinning now. Judging from the time passing Jeff guessed it was still a few hours until dawn. He had explored the immediate area around the ruin and found nothing. No sign of more feyarin, no sign of clan members of Kei'lein's clan. Jeff felt tired and worn, and part of his exhaustion was coming from Wild Card who was suffering from his injuries. The repair was drawing on his reserves and he needed to slow down.
Any luck with the radio yet?>> Jeff asked as he trudged back to the only cover he had from the approaching storm.
No. The storm is blocking everything out>>
He sighed. Keep trying>>
He saw the large form of the alien still sitting where he had left him. As he came in, Kei'lein looked up, the brief flash of his eyes telling Jeff that though he had perfect night vision he hadn't recognized him at all. And it told him that Kei'lein's condition was deteriorating. Cursing himself for wandering off on his fruitless search he said, "It's me. Jeff Winters."
"Found anything?" came the weak question.
"No. Are you sure your clan is looking for you?"
"Yes. Even if one of us is hunted and believed caught, the clan still goes out looking for him. My clan will come."
Jeff walked over and examined the wounds. Gritting his teeth he felt the wet bandage indicating that the arm wound was bleeding again or had bled copiously before. Kei'lein was loosing too much blood for Jeff's liking. He activated his flashlight and bit his lip as the artificial light showed him the washed-out skin color of his new friend.
"How do you feel?" he asked as casually as possible.
"Lousy," came the whispered reply. "Never felt that bad before."
Jeff nodded. Outside the thunder rolled over the sky again, much closer this time, and rain was starting to beat down again.
"But I'll be okay soon," Kei'lein added.
"What do you mean?"
He smiled. "The sun will heal my wounds."
Jeff frowned. "Uhm, the sun?"
Kei'lein nodded. "The sun heals our wounds and refreshes us."
Winters tried to understand, but he had no idea what his new friend was talking about. "Care to elaborate.....?"
"The sun heals because it renews our bodies," Kei'lein repeated. "You'll see."

* * *

"Ooookay," Steve muttered and tried to crouch deeper under the control panel of Midnight's cockpit. He cursed under his breath as he reconnected two circuits, then untangled himself, breathing heavily. "Better?"
"Not much," Midnight sighed. "I think I burned some circuits."
"I can't repair you from in here. I'd have to get outside and I won't risk it with the energy all around us."
"I know. I'd never ask you to." Midnight sighed again. "But as it looks now, something jolted, burned and charred my Gate circuits. I can't get a fix on our position, let alone navigate in here. I feel.... blind."
Steve sat back and stared through the canopy. He closed his eyes and Interphased on a surface level, going through Midnight's damage reports. Most of the damage was superficial, but it looked like energy had lanced into Midnight's Gate circuits as he had been drawn into the funnel of transwarp energy and had tried to escape, and it had fused a few of those very important circuits he needed to navigate within the doorway channels.
What to do now?
He frowned slightly. They might be able to get Mid's thrusters going and fly along the channel until they hit a doorway, though he had no idea where that would be and when. Usually the channels between two doorways transported an object from one point to the next with almost no time loss, but that meant that the object entered the system through a regular doorway and didn't just appear in the middle of a stream. There was no road map or something the like of the energy streams and Midnight had yet to find a way to locate his coordinates inside. He usually Gated and jumped through the streams on instinct. So if they got the thrusters going and could fly somewhere, where would they go? Just fly until they hit the exit point? Not the best solution, but it would be a start.
Steve....>>
He blinked his eyes open, alarmed by the ominous tone in his partner's voice. "What's up?" he asked aloud. Then he gaped. "Spook?!"
Like a giant sea snake, the ancient robot was moving through the energy tunnel around them, wings hugging his massive body, tail beating as if he was swimming against a stream. The golden optics were like beacons. Steve felt Midnight's revulsion and simmering anger, an age-old feeling that had never ceased, only dimmed now and then. There was a hate-acceptance-anger relationship between the two different robots, most of the animosity coming from Midnight. His partner didn't like Spook for one main reason: he could interfere with the Interface link. Spook was the only one who could get into their private link and talk to them both. He had revealed this ability when calling for help, his plea arriving inside Midnight's mind without bothering to use his audios. On several occasions had the half-serpent used this again and each and every time Midnight had been furious, even if it had saved his life.
"I think we are being rescued," Steve now said lightly, trying to project calmness.
Midnight rumbled uneasily. Spook zeroed in on them, reaching out with his clawed fingers and curling part of his tail around Midnight's aft section to keep him from drifting off.
"So there you are," the deep voice said with more than just a hint of amusement.
"How did you find us?" Steve wanted to know.
"Scanning the system for something that wasn't in here before and looks like it belongs to the doorways. You don't spring up as an anomaly, young one," Spook explained, smiling. "You are part of the system."
Midnight didn't reply and Steve shook his head at his partner's behavior. "Thanks," he said.
"Hold on, I'm going to jump us out. I hope I can still remember how that works," Spook said with a grin. "It was hard enough to get in here to start with."
The world of raw energy ceased to exist.

* * *

Spike didn't know how to feel. Shocked? Surprised? Amazed? Afraid? Worried? Maybe all of it and none at all. What could you feel when looking at this....? Spike stood in a large clearing, the ground nothing but bare rock, now touched by the rays of the rising sun. Nothing grew here, except some moss and wiry grass. High mountains rose behind him and small spear-like growths of the same black rock that had sliced apart the skin of the Axis pointed up into the sky. As fragile as the rock was on impact, shattering like glass, its shards were incredibly sharp. But that was nothing to be worried about. What was the reason for mixed emotions were the remains of what had once been a doorway. Spike wasn't sure whether it had been the normal ring structure or had held another form, but the fragments were quite distinguishable from everything he had ever seen as wreckage.
"What do you think happened to it?" Domino asked, sounding slightly numb.
Backdraft shrugged. Spike walked through the fragments, some of them large enough to tower over him. Probably what was left of the base. The runes were faded and some showed remains of burning. Had someone tried to torch the doorway? And if yes, had they succeeded? Highly unlikely. Perceptor had closely studied the doorway structures and had reported that the material was indestructible. In Cybertronian terms at least. Backwash energy from a doorway gone rogue and shunted through only one single other doorway could destroy the structure. Gatekeepers had the power to self-destruct their assigned doorways. How, no one knew, but they could. It showed that there were energies strong enough to tear the material apart, but no weapon by any race had ever managed that.
"And where is the Gatekeeper?" Volta wanted to know, looking around as if he was afraid that the robot guarding the doorway might pop up all of a sudden.
"I wish I knew the answers," Spike muttered and carefully touched a piece of midnight black rock.
The had once found a doorway, a functional one of course, where the Gatekeeper had been killed ages ago, but a destroyed doorway? Until now they had been unable to reach the planets where a functional one had once been and which had been destroyed for whatever reason. Now they were on such a planet.... and they were stranded.
"Do you think we might be able to send a signal back home with this?" Domino made an all-encompassing gesture.
Spike smiled humorlessly. "How? Do you know how to operate a doorway? Would you know how to use fragments of it to create a homing beacon?"
"Errrr....no, missed that class."
Backdraft smiled as well. "Maybe the Gatekeeper self-destructed the doorway."
"Why?"
"Tji? Some threat from the planet?"
Spike frowned. "What threat could be great enough to make a Gatekeeper do that? The structure as such is indestructible through conventional means and the robot.... you all met Nightmare or IceAngel before. They are different from your run-of-the-mill Cybertronian. Nightmare only destroyed the doorway because of Galvatron. I don't believe that the planet's inhabitants, if there are any, could have driven a Gatekeeper this far."
The four Protogens looked at each other.
"What now?" Domino asked into the silence. "We know we are on a doorway planet, but have no idea which one. We crashed for some reason and we lost Midnight and Wild Card. And we have no way of calling for help."
Spike watched the clouds race across the sky, the winds picking up again. He had no idea what to do except search for Wild Card and Midnight, and hope that Cybertron would find a way of getting to them. Without knowing where they were in space, flying off into the sky and leaving the planet was not an option. Neither of them had warp jump capabilities anyway.
"We go back to the Axis. I want to see how much we can salvage of the machinery to maybe put together a signal," he finally decided and transformed.
They left the site of the destroyed doorway. As soon as the Protogens had left, there was movement. From among the mass of spiky black stones emerged a gray-skinned, winged creature. It bounded over to one of the fragments, jumped onto it and peered up into the sky. Behind it the sun rose and warmed the cold ground. Finally it launched itself into the air as well and flew away.

* * *

Dawn had broken over the horizon.
Light had flooded the fields and had banished the night, though not the bad, rainy weather.
Kei'lein had turned to stone.
Jeff sat and stared at the creature in stunned amazement. "Gargoyle," he whispered.
What?>> Wild Card asked, confused.
It's a gargoyle. Like in old legends! They turn to stone throughout the day!>>
He had watched the soft skin harden, had seen the lively, painfilled eyes turn cold and then into mere holes in the stony face. Jeff carefully touched the still bandaged arm, only to encounter true stone. The blood covered bandage was still real. It hung loosely around the arm. He left it where it was. No sense in taking it off now. Before turning to stone Kei'lein had rearranged his broken wing with Jeff's help, though it had been under great pain for the gargoyle.
Gargoyle....
Jeff sat back against the wall of the house. "Oh, man....."
I got a contact!>>
The cry startled him and Jeff flinched. What? Who?>>
Spike! He and the Axis crashed several hundred miles from here. I think I can get a homing beacon working>> Wild Card sounded excited but still drained.
Jeff knew he wasn't very far away from his partner's position, but he was reluctant to leave Kei'lein alone.
Stay where you are. Spike said he is coming and I told him you have made contact with a life form. He says to stay put>>
All right>> Jeff said reluctantly. He settled down again to wait.

* * *

Domino cheered and Volta gave a 'whoopee'. Spike smiled and felt relief flooding him. The contact they had managed to establish with Wild Card was weak, but it was there, and though the Sentinel didn't sound all that well, he was at least in a shape to answer some questions. They had also managed to pinpoint his location through his beacon and Backdraft and Volta would take off ASAP. Spike would play Jeff's taxi. What troubled him to a degree was Wild Card's slightly cryptic message that Jeff had made contact with a native.
So the planet was inhabited.... Well, he would see who this native was the moment he arrived at Jeff's location.

* * *

As Kei'lein woke his first sensation was the feeling of renewed strength. He disentangled himself from the bandage, which had been blown off by the wind since it was only loosely attached to the stone anyway. He looked around and found it was almost sundown. His system had woken him after sleeping and healing for nearly the whole day, and he wondered where his companion was. Jeff Winters had to be around somewhere. Kei'lein got to his feet, not feeling any pain anymore. His wounds had closed, his broken bones had mended. Suddenly he heard light footsteps on the rocky floor.
"Kei'lein?"
He turned and nodded at his strange new friend. Jeff looked a bit tired and worn, as if he hadn't slept long or at all, but his eyes were alight with relief.
"Hello," he greeted him.
"Kei'lein, while you slept I managed to get in contact with my friends. One of them has already arrived and he would like to meet you."
Kei'lein frowned, "What friends?"
"Those who were with me, but got separated when I crashed. They finally found us." Jeff seemed happy enough. "Spike, the leader of the others, is outside. Don't be surprised by his looks: he is different from me."
Kei'lein followed carefully and froze almost immediately when he discovered Jeff's friend. He was taller than Jeff, much taller, and he was made of metal. Kei'lein unconsciously took on a fighting stance. "Feyarin!" he exclaimed.
Jeff gave him a surprised look. "Feyarin? This isn't one of the hunters who was after you, Kei'lein. This is Spike, a good friend of mine. He is not an enemy."
Kei'lein gave the other figure a closer look, refusing to relax his stance. True, he looked different from the Feyarin, but he was too much like them for him to be totally at ease.
"Your friends are all like this?" he asked carefully.
"Most of them, yes. But none is a danger. We crashed here totally by accident and would like to return home, though that might prove a bit of a problem." Jeff shrugged. "Maybe there is a way you could help us?" he asked hopefully.
Kei'lein shook his head. "No," he said almost immediately, moving a few steps away from Spike. Somehow just looking at Jeff's friend was enough to scare him. Feyarin hunters were a danger everyone of his clan was taught about right from birth. "I... have to go," he muttered and then took off in a hurry.

Jeff watched the retreat of the gargoyle with both understanding and sadness. Kei'lein wasn't flying, just running off on all four as fast as he could. "Looks like this fear of feyarin is translated to everything made of metal," he said and looked at Spike, who nodded slowly, watching the retreating gargoyle.
"So much for a first contact," he muttered. "I better get you to the Axis, Jeff. Backdraft went to check on Wild Card."
"I know. He sent me a short notice of it." The pilot smiled slightly.
Spike transformed and lay down to allow Jeff to climb onto the broad neck. "Let's go. Weather looks like it's going to be rainy again."

Kei'lein watched Jeff and the feyarin take off and fly to the Black Plains. He shivered. He knew that Spike wasn't really a feyarin, but he was all metal and metal meant evil. He sighed. He had hid out among the rocks, pressing himself down on the bare ground and waiting. Now he needed a way to launch himself into the air. If he could find a high enough place he could get airborne, since he was unable to truly fly. Some of his clan could, some were not strong enough. They could only glide and to do that he needed a start-off point. His eyes traveled up the near-by ruin. It had been two storeys high once and most of the walls up to the first floor where still existent. He swiftly climbed up the walls, the stone being no obstacle for his claws. Then he extended his wings, leveling them to get as much updraft as possible. A strong gust of wind caught him, lifting him slightly. He beat his wings a few times until his muscles protested the unaccustomed way of taking off. But by then he was high enough to use more currents of the wind.

* * *

Midnight suffered through First Aid's examination, wishing the medic would hurry up. He had important things scheduled! Like looking for his missing friends. But as it was, the debriefing was happening in med bay and because of it, First Aid was in no hurry to complete whatever he was doing.
"From your initial report we believe that wherever the Axis jumped, they didn't make it to a functional doorway or one where a Gatekeeper is stationed," Rodimus now said, drawing Midnight's attention away from First Aid's poking and prodding of his circuits. "None of the Gatekeeper doorways have reported activity. No energy was channeled there."
"So where did they go?"
"Starscream and Sphere are checking on that together with Spook."
Midnight tried to squelch a mixture of feelings rising each time he thought or heard of the half-serpent. There were no friendly bonds between them and he tolerated the First One, though if he could, he evaded his presence. That he had now been rescued by him.... it was embarrassing!
"You seem to be fine," First Aid now declared. "Some of your Gate and Jump circuits show mild strain and the disorientation resulted from the overload you received, but it should balance out in a few days. You better not use the doorway energies if you don't have to, Midnight."
The Sentinel leader nodded and hopped off the table. "No problem. Thanks, First Aid."
They left the med bay and took the elevator up to the conference levels. Optimus Prime was currently off planet and Rodimus had taken over running affairs that needed attention right away, which was all of them most of the time if you went by what the memos, requests and personal applications said. Roddy had taken to sorting through them with a rake and had filtered out what was absolutely necessary to do right now. All in all that cut everything down to a mild crisis per day and a catastrophe a month. With the latest crisis, which was currently still categorized as a 'problem', Rodimus had decided only to involve the most immediately necessary people. That meant the Gatekeeper teams, Spook and Midnight, maybe Perceptor, but that was about it. Starscream and Sphere were cooped up in the doorway chamber, trying to find a clue as to where the Axis was, since they had already determined where she wasn't, and Nightmare and Raven were with Spook. The Constructicons were still busy with the Axis blueprints and the Technobots had started to go through all flight data recordings ever made from the ship's flights.
Midnight and Rodimus entered the conference chamber that had been closed off and was now occupied by Spook and the black team. Midnight suppressed a shiver and forced himself to relax. Spook was no enemy.... He was just an annoyance to him – a big annoyance.
"Anything?" the Autobots' second-in-command now asked.
"Not yet," Raven answered. "Spook's currently fine-combing the system and about a quarter through."
Rodimus sighed. This was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

The wind was stronger than last night but it didn't rain any more. Spike had launched himself into the air as well, Jeff sitting on his neck and grabbing onto the spikes. Spike tried to rise over the stormy weather, without endangering his human passenger, but he soon had to get lower to approach the camp site, the Axis. The storm had appeared out of nowhere, suddenly overtaking them as they flew toward the camp. The weather on this planet was very sudden and unpredictable, and it was always much stronger than any weather on Earth.
"You okay back there?" he yelled over the force of the wind.
"Just fine!" came the growl.
Spike had to smile. Jeff was protected by his exo-suit, but the rain slamming down on his body was not very comfortable.
Visibility was next to zero and finally he sighed in frustration, switching to radar. "We're almost there." As he spoke, the wind caught him and pushed him toward the nearby ground. Jeff clung to the relative safety of the spikes.
"I hope so," he muttered.

* * *

She was expecting him and Kei'lein knew this was not a social call. N'chall Tikemi never made social calls. When she came to you or was there when you came back from a flight, it was serious business. Normally it meant there would be a rescue operation or a strike against the Machine soon, but Kei'lein knew nothing of the like was planned for the next days. And he had never been involved in one of the strikes personally, mainly because he was still too young. He had reached adulthood only a season ago and he had pretty little fighting expertise. His encounter with the hunter feyarin had shown it. Without the interference of the stranger he would not have made it. Thought of Jeff Winters sent a stab of guilt through him. He had fled like a coward....
"Greetings, N'chall Tikemi," he called and briefly bowed his head in accordance to Tikemi's rank among the clans.
"Kei'lein, I was expecting you," she said, her deep, dark voice gentle and calm.
Kei'lein swallowed nervously. She wouldn't have come because she knew of the encounter? He hadn't planned to tell any of his clan brothers or sisters about the strangers and the creature looking like a feyarin. It would be his secret.....
"Oh?" he now only managed.
A second of his clan appeared. He knew him as well. His name was Avver, another victim of the Machine who had been rescued many seasons ago and someone who was very close to Tikemi. He was still younger than her, but he seemed to have some of her powers and she taught him on a regular basis.
"You met someone we have been expecting," Tikemi now said, sun reflecting off the dull metal struts in her wings.
"Ah.... I... " Kei'lein stuttered.
"You do not have to hide your knowledge. I know. Show me where they are," Tikemi added, voice warm.
"They are feyarin!" Kei'lein blurted.
"Then why are you still alive?"
"I... I don't know." He hung his head. "But they look like feyarin... at least some of them...."
"True, they might appear like it from the outside, but they are not." She laid a metal clawed hand on his shoulder. "Show us where they went."
Their eyes met and Kei'lein swallowed nervously. Finally he nodded his agreement.
"Our move," Tikemi said to her companion.
Avver frowned. "Tikemi, I'm not sure... If they are the ones from the old tales, what makes you believe they will help us?"
"Avver, my old friend, if they are the ones from the tales, they will help us because they were in our situation once as well. They have freed themselves of their masters and with their help we can as well. Do you want more children to be born like us?"
Avver sighed and shook his head. "No, of course not."
She spread her wings, sun light playing through the thin metal fibers of her wing membranes. "Then we go." Tikemi took of with little effort.
Avver and Kei'lein followed.

* * *

Volta and Domino watched the arrival of their lost friend with relief. Rain was pelting down on them and with the night, the storm had settled as well again. Spike transformed as he touched down, setting Jeff gently down. Backdraft was still with Wild Card, checking on his condition, but Jeff knew there was no chance they would get the Sentinel fully functional with their limited resources. Wild Card could transform if he had to, but there was no doubt about it that he wouldn't be able to transform back without tearing major connections in the process. His systems were too strained to go through it twice.
'I'll be all right>> the Sentinel sent and Jeff smiled slightly.
Sure>> he whispered back.
Jeff had to confess that he was worried. They were still a rather young Interface and Wild Card had not been a Sentinel to start with. He had, at the time, still been a Seeker and had believed he was unable to Interface. He had learned and he had learned fast – by Interfacing with Jefferson Winters. Jeff had learned a lot about the robot linked to him and he had found Wild Card to be rather insecure at times. He had been Braintrust's second-in-command, which had been no position of respect but of constant mortal danger. The second was the one to get in the way of a claw or a tail first. Then he had met Midnight and had forged a tight friendship with the young Sleeper, a friendship that had led him to betray his kind and help Midnight escape from Braintrust. After that everything had gone downhill and in the end he had fled as well, meeting Jeff and then desperately seeking help from Midnight. It had taken them a long time to get past the shyness, the wariness and the suspicion, but eventually Wild Card had accepted his new life. And he had slowly accepted his unofficial position as Midnight's second-in-command.
Don't worry so much about me>>
I always worry about you, pal. You are a constant source of worry>> Jeff muttered with a grin.
Oh, thank you>>
You are nearly as bad as Midnight>>
What?!>> Wild Card managed to sound affronted. I'm not as bad!>>
Are too>>
Am not!>>
Jeff laughed, feeling relief spread through him. Wild Card sounded fine and his injuries, though many, were not life threatening. Now, after all of this, the crash, the attack, the alien creature, finding the Axis crew, events were crashing down on Jeff and he was surrendering to the stress, though he doubted everything was over. They were still on this planet and had no way off.
The ex-Colonel wandered into the wrecked transwarp ship and looked around, not really taking it in, just letting his eyes roam. The inside of the Axis looked way better than the outside, but except for a shelter from the rain and storms, the ship had no more use.
"She's in a bad shape," a quiet voice said.
He nodded and gave Volta a small smile. "We all are, in a way."
The Protogen chuckled. "Well, we look better than the Axis, I believe."
"Which isn't such a hard job to do."
Volta nodded. "Do you need nourishment?" he then asked.
"No, but thanks for asking. I got the emergency rations of the suit and Wild Card has a small container of rations stored as well."
Volta nodded. "Okay. I think we could find out if there is anything edible for you around these parts, though I doubt it would be more than roots and things like that."
Jeff grimaced. "I'll pass on that."

The Protogens and Jeff had sought shelter in the Axis since the storm had grown worse. Hurricane-force winds swept across the sparse expanse of countryside bending smaller trees in half, branches reaching out to touch the ground as if for support. The air was filled with leaves, dirt and other various bits of debris. The sky was pitch black with angry streaks of red and purple running through it. Thunder, lighting and pelting rain chased them, seemingly alive with malevolent intent.
Jeff huddled in one of the chairs, curled up, eyes fixed on the darkness outside he was able to see through the view ports. He had gone through a medical check, had had his sprained wrist treated, and was currently receiving pain killers to help ease the stings from the abused wrist. Now and then there was a flash of lightning outside. Wild Card was a warm presence in his mind, in rest-mode but still more or less awake, and the two partner talked quietly. It wasn't talking in the normal way, just emotional responses flowing back and forth. Jeff was trying to relax, but stress was boiling up again and he sighed deeply. Wild Card muttered something, then reached out and pulled his partner with him as he slipped into deep recharge. Jeff didn't fight it, just surrendered and fell asleep.
That was how Backdraft found him a few minutes later, curled up, head on the arm rest, sleeping tightly. She smiled briefly, then tip-toed out of the room.

* * *

Cathy Lee Russell was as always impeccably dressed and her face was set in a mask of polite attention, but her thoughts were miles away. As the reception wound down to even less meaningful chit-chat and the delegates were leaving, she excused herself and walked out of the room. Outside she inhaled deeply, trying to banish the worrying thoughts that had plagued her since the Axis had disappeared. And with it Wild Card and Jeff.
He'll be all right>> F/X said through the Interface link.
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. Stop eavesdropping, okay?>>
I can't help but hear and feel your worry, Cathy. Jeff and Wild Card are all right>>
How do you know?>>
Because Wild Card is tough and so is Jeff. Believe, just believe>>
She leaned against the wall of the near-by building and stared up into the sky. Believe.... how could she believe something that seemed so impossible? Nobody had heard of either the Axis or the last missing accompanying jet, and Midnight..... he was alive, he was okay, but he had no idea what had happened. And she shouldn't worry? Cathy Lee closed her eyes, head still back against the hard wall. Her relationship with Jeff was something beautiful, something so wonderful she sometimes thought it was a dream. He had persistent enough not to be driven away by her hostility and her coldness, by her xenophobia, and he had helped her come to terms with the Interface link. He couldn't be gone now!
Someone sat down beside her and she didn't have to open her eyes to know that it was F/X. The Sentinel simply sat there, silent, waiting. After a while she opened her eyes and looked up the dark blue and yellow body of her partner. He smiled at her and she reflected the smile.
"Want to go flying a bit?" he asked quietly.
Cathy Lee nodded. Maybe it took her mind off things for a while. Just maybe.....

* * *

It was definitely female and it was a 'gargoyle', though Spike doubted they called themselves that. It was Jeff's description because most of them looked like the ancient Earth legends. The overall appearance was the same as Kei'lein's. Four claws, strong hind legs, wings, pointed ears. This female had dark brown hair and a slate colored skin. Her eyes were dark, but unlike Kei'lein she was not completely organic. Both forearms were cybernetic, the wings had a metal skeleton and her tail feature a net of wires. Now she walked over to the small group, wings opened behind her back. Her movements were lithe and hinted at a lot of power and strength in the well-muscled and cyber-enhanced body. Alert, brown eyes regarded the group.
"Who are you?" Spike now wanted to know, weapons ready in case this was disguised attack. The female had simply appeared out of nowhere, landing in front of the entrance to the Axis and waiting for them to gather.
"My name is N'chall Tikemi," she said, her voice deep and slightly dark. "I believe you are the ones we were awaiting."
Volta opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again, shooting Spike a confused look. The Protogen leader didn't know what to think or feel for a second, then he stuttered, "Awaiting us?"
She smiled. "Yes. My young friend Kei'lein falsely thought you were feyarin, but I know you aren't. You are the ones we have been so long told of." She briefly bowed her head in a kind of nod. "I invite you to my clan. We have a lot to talk about."
"I don't believe it," Jeff muttered. "First he runs off in fright, now we get an invitation to dinner."
Spike flashed him a brief smile, then turned to Tikemi. "We accept your invitation, N'chall Tikemi."
The female mirrored the smile and suddenly two more gargoyles appeared, one of them Kei'lein. Jeff gave his 'friend' a wave and Kei'lein answered it hesitantly, looking a bit shy.
"Follow us," Tikemi said and spread her wings, launching herself into the air.
Spike transformed and Jeff climbed onto his back. Then the Protogen leader grabbed Volta while Domino was transported by Backdraft. Tikemi took lead and the other two winged gargoyles flanked them.
"Do you think we can trust them?" Backdraft asked over the inner com link.
"I don't think they are hostile and it looks like they knew we'd come here. I want to know why," Spike answered.

* * *

The settlement of the gargoyles was a maze of caves on a rockface several hundred feet high. It was a steep canyon wall with a small river flowing through the gorge. It was protected from wind and weather, only a bit of rain actually reaching into the settlement. There was barely any grass or larger plants here. Trees clung to small ledges, bushes grew out of cracks. The sun was high and gave a perfect light to look into the canyon, the beams reflecting off the river, bouncing off natural arches, fins and spires, all rising up before them. Most of the stone had a gray or almost black color. Spike followed Tikemi as she lead the way, angling his wings so he shot over the river, the light bouncing back from the water onto his body, playing with his silver skin. For a second he had the fleeting image of being all alone here, no other sound than that of the water and the rushing of the wind reaching his sensors, no other sight than the immense canyon filling his optics. Then Tikemi appeared beside him, smiling and gestured him to rise with her.
They landed on a small platform reaching out of the rocky cliff and which led into a cave. Spike let Jeff descend, then transformed. He looked up the face of the rock and noted dozens of windows, entrances and other openings. Activity could be seen almost everywhere; either flying or climbing gargoyles. And about fifty percent of those he saw had cybernetic alterations of one kind or another. All were humanoid, but their specific shapes varied. Some were winged, others had stubs on their back where maybe wings should have grown, others were cybernetically changed, others showed no alterations. Some had beaks, others horns, yet again others a snout. And some of them looked like they were young ones....
"Quite a lot of them," Backdraft noted quietly as she stepped beside him. Spike only nodded.
Their guide gestured them to follow and they walked slowly after Tikemi as she went deeper into the cave. The caves were connected through a vast tunnel system and the tunnels were high enough for the Protogen to walk in. The light came from small glowing balls. It looked artificial, though there was no visible wiring. Spike suspected that the gargoyles had to have some technical knowledge since some had cybernetics and they needed maintenance, but they were still not a high-tech society. Apparently they had adopted what was necessary and generally led a life that complimented their strange nature.
They arrived in a large hall that stretched several stories high into the mountain. Chairs made of stone or wood were lined up around a large stone table and light seemed to filter through a crystalline ceiling. Jeff stared at the ceiling, intrigued, wondering how the gargoyles managed this effect. Suddenly his eyes were drawn to the walls and he inhaled sharply.
"Spike...."
The Protogen leader followed his gesture to the wall and blinked. "Oh.... my...." he whispered.
"What is it?" Volta asked and joined them, optics lighting up as he discovered the wall. "That's..... Cybertron!"
And in a way it was. There were drawings on the wall, either with colors or just scratched into the rock and then sealed with a kind of translucent gum-lac. On the far left side was a drawing of Cybertron and Quintesson ships. There was no mistaking the cork-screw design. Following the patterns and the drawings, a story unfolded. The ancestors of the gargoyles knew about the Quintessons, about Cybertron, about the rebellion and how the Cybertronians had freed themselves from their slave masters. The story continued with the Quintessons fleeing from the metal world and finding another world, this one. And then came a picture that made Spike's spark freeze for a moment. It showed Quintessons, animals all around them, a machine and then.....
"They are Transorganics?!" Spike breathed.
Jeff nodded numbly. "At least they are their descendants. I don't know how long they have been on this planet, but it was long enough for them to develop from cyborg animals to sentient life forms with a structured society as it seems. The strange thing is, some of them are clearly Transorganics, others are completely organic."
Spike looked the aliens who were politely waiting for this conversation to include them. Tikemi was very clearly half cybernetic, her companion, Avver, showed only slight alterations. Kei'lein was completely organic as far as he could see. Spike had met a Transorganic before and it had nearly cost him, his team and Steven Parker their lives. The 'Mab', as Ranora had called the creature, had been intelligent, but it had also been more animal than sentient life. It had attacked them for no apparent reason, except maybe territory, and in the end they had had to kill it. Tikemi and her friends were much smaller than the Mab and they were more 'civilized'.
"What now?" Domino asked. "Can they help us get home?" he wanted to know.
Jeff shrugged. "I'm not sure. Though their bodies show advanced technology, their culture is pre-industrialism if you ask me."
"You can't be born half cybernetic!" Spike argued.
"And we aren't," Tikemi said and stepped to them. "I apologize for listening in to your conversation, but I think I have to explain a bit. We have old legends, of a planet where the masters who created the Machine were banished, where the former slaves are free now. The great Circle was once a door to that place of freedom and we kept our hope alive throughout generations that one day those who were free would remember us. And you came."
"Crashed would be more like it," Jeff muttered, but he was amazed by the old legends.
"What happened to the great Circle?" Spike now wanted to know.
Tikemi frowned a bit. "We do not know for real. Stories passed down from story teller to story teller throughout the generations tell of the ancestors destroying it."
They exchanged looks. Transorganics were able to destroy a doorway structure?
"What happened to the one guarding it?" Domino asked.
"I have to ask one of the elders."
They studied the paintings on the walls again and Spike felt decidedly unwell. Transorganics..... But why did some of them look completely organic and why were they different from the ones who had been discovered on Cybertron?
"Kei'lein and his brothers and sisters are true children of the clans," Tikemi suddenly said as if she had read their thoughts. "Avver and I are children of the feyarin, freed from their rule and raised by our true clans."
Jeff frowned. "You were born somewhere else then?"
She nodded. "The Machine that gave us all life and is instilling unreal life into the feyarin still exists. Those we can free from its clutches we do, the others we have to destroy for they are raised with the beliefs of the Machine."
"A machine? A computer? There is a computer on this world?" Spike exclaimed.
"I do not know the word 'computer', but the Machine is non-life. It is..." she shot them an apologetic look, "like your wounded friend."
"Wild Card's a sentient life form, a Sentinel," Jeff said immediately, almost defensively.
"But he is non-life. Feyarin."
"So feyarin in your language means computer," Backdraft entered the conversation. "Like we are."
Tikemi shook her head. "No. You are different. You don't feel like non-life."
Spike felt a bit confused. Protogen forms were life and Sentinels were non-life? What was the difference? Then again, did it matter now? No, not really. "If there is a computer on this planet, producing robots and Transorganics, we might have a way to get in contact with out friends," he now said slowly. "A computer means a way to communicate."
"The Machine is guarded. You won't be able to get close to it," Avver told him.
"How do you get close enough to free the newly-born?" Backdraft wanted to know.
Tikemi smiled slightly. "We have our ways."
"Could your way lead us into the facilities? Could it get us inside?"
"Possibly."
Jeff thoughtfully stared at the ground. "If we could get Wild Card back on his feet, we might use his Gating abilities to jump inside. Or get us out if we have to in a hurry, and I bet we have to if this computer is heavily guarded."
Spike nodded and looked at the two aliens. "Can you help us repair the injuries of our friend?" If they had clan members with artificial limbs and body parts there had to be someone who knew how to fix injuries of this kind.
"Our healer would have to take a look at him," Tikemi answered.
"Could you ask him to go to the place where my friend is?" Jeff asked.
She looked at Avver and he nodded, walking out of the room. "My companion will ask him."
"Thank you. Now, could you give us an idea where this Machine is and what we need to know about it?"
Tikemi smiled. "I can tell you all you need to know, but I have one favor to ask when you go there to call your friends."
"Yes?" Spike asked warily.
"Destroy the Machine. End its evil."

*

"We can't do this!" Spike muttered and let his optics roam over the wide expanse of caves above and below him. He was standing at a window that gave him a good view of the Transorganic settlement. "We can't involve ourselves in this war!"
"Well, in a way it is our war as well," Backdraft told him.
"No. It's something the Quintessons started and which backfired. The Transorganics have to deal with it themselves. Cybertron freed itself of the Quintessons' rule a long time ago."
"And this legend lives on."
"Yes, a legend, Backdraft! How can we live up to a legend? We are not their saviors!"
Backdraft walked over to Spike and looked calmly into his troubled optics. "We need their help to get to the computer that might give us long-range communications access. And they want our help to destroy a machine that has warped generation upon generation of intelligent beings. The Quintessons experimented with animals, but they developed into sentient life forms of a much higher intelligence. They are rebelling."
"And so did the Cybertronians and eventually they won!"
"Yes, eventually. But now we have the chance to help them get rid of this machine forever and I think we can lend a helping hand, Spike. What are you afraid of? We are not interfering in their culture."
"Yeah, maybe...." Spike muttered, evading her knowing optics.
Backdraft smiled and touched his hand. "We can help and I think it's what we should do. They aren't primitives and they aren't technologically as advanced as Cybertron is, but they are a people in need. I feel obliged to help."
Spike was silent for a long time, then he finally nodded. "Okay, we do what we can."
"I don't think they are asking for more."
"What if they do? Backdraft, for them we are legends, a kind of savior! Yes, they treat us normally, but they expect big things from us." Spike sighed. "I'm not someone who likes being a legend. Or a hero."
She laughed softly. "Oh, I think you are hero material, Spike."
He shot her a surprised look. Backdraft just smiled and nodded once. Then she left him alone, giving him room to think it over once more.

* * *

Jeff accompanied the three Transorganic and one organic gargoyle to the spot where his Interface partner still lay half buried in the ground. Not all Transorganics were winged and not all were humanoid. Currently Jeff sat on the broad back of what looked like a mix between a reptile and a horse. Wild Card sent a wave of relief and welcome as they touched down. Jeff slid off his transport with a thankful nodded and followed those two who would help Wild Card over to the crashed jet.
Who are they?>>
"Wild Card," Jeff said aloud, "let me introduce your emergency first aid: Phantrou and L'nitu. They are healers."
The two nodded. Phantrou was a female Transorganic, shaped mostly humanoid, though she had no hands, just tentacle-like, very flexible digits. L'nitu was male and a gargoyle like Kei'lein, maybe even of the same family. Tikemi had assured them that those two were medics and could repair Transorganic technology.
"Hi," Wild Card said aloud.
L'nitu cast a disapproving look over the Sentinel. "We can't heal all of the damage," he said after a while. "Too much was destroyed. It's beyond our limited capabilities."
Phantrou was circling Wild Card, forehead drawn into a frown. She picked up some debris and looked at it. "We need help concerning the inside. I recognize some of the mechanics, but most is not like the feyarin technology."
"It's Sentinel technology," Jeff told them. "It's different from Cybertronian, well, feyarin. Wild Card can help you."
"No problem," his partner agreed.
Phantrou nodded. "We will start right away. Don't worry, Jeff Winters," she said. "He will be able to take on his other form soon."
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"Cell'ben will take you back to your friends," Phantrou now said. "Do not worry. We will not harm him."
Will you be okay?>>
Sure>> Wild Card sighed. At least now I have company while lying around>>
Jeff smiled. He stayed a bit longer and watched the two aliens work, then finally climbed onto the large Transorganic who would fly him back to the settlement. Another would stay behind as a guard.
Be careful, Jeff>> Wild Card sent.
I will be>> he assured him seriously. You concentrate on getting repaired>>
Then they were on their way.

* * *

Starscream ran another check on the read-out the computer had given him and was finally satisfied that there was no mistake. He called up a grid map of the doorways, checked the result against the map, and thoughtfully chewed on his lower lip. Intriguing.....
"Interesting," Sphere commented and stepped beside him.
He turned slightly and gave her a faintly amused look. "Yes, it is. I thought we had categorized all map details and translated them."
"Apparently not. It also confirms that the file we have is something major. A translator."
"Already tried it?" Sphere wanted to know.
Starscream shook his head. "I had no time and now...."
"You know where they are?" a new voice spoke up.
Starscream looked over his shoulder and discovered Rodimus Prime entering the doorway chamber. He looked like he hadn't had a decent recharge since the Axis had disappeared four days ago. Then again, all those involved looked like death warmed over, to use a human phrase, and Starscream could say that he, personally, had not spent a lot of time recharging.
"Yes," he now answered. "It was right in front of our noses." He pointed at a small, gray dot. "They are here."
Rodimus' optics narrowed. "A doorway planet?"
Sphere nodded. "It's one marked as a destroyed doorway. The energy trail the Axis left in the system leads there and we checked Midnight's data concerning his position before he started drifting against it. They arrived on this planet."
"Why didn't we discover it any sooner?" the young Prime asked.
Starscream bristled slightly. "Do you know how many planets out there contain a doorway structure? We had hundreds to check and since the operations were continuously shut down because of one malfunction or another, and because the ones we made contact with had to be explored, research is going slowly!"
"Screamer...." Sphere said warningly.
He glared angrily at her, optics alight with personal insult. Rodimus smiled faintly. "I understand, Starscream. I know about the doorway projects, if you might recall. Optimus gratefully put me in charge of the mess." Another glare answered him, this time because of the 'mess'. "And I understand the problems we – you – are facing every day. I was just surprised. I thought dead doorways had been checked for energy readings."
"Most of them yes," Sphere answered instead of her brother, voice calm and gentle. "We did a surface scan of about eighty percent of them already, but things are going slowly, Rodimus. It's a time-consuming work and we have to be very thorough."
"And we didn't think they'd end up on a world where no normal access can be guaranteed," Starscream interjected pointedly, trying to keep the acid out of his voice. It worked only marginally. "We checked all the other doorway planets. You have to probe more deeply. All locked or destroyed doorways send out 'closed' signals and cannot be accessed by the centerway. If you might recall, we had missions scheduled to visit those worlds."
Rodimus continued smiling. "Yes, I think I can dimly remember that, Starscream. But before we go too deeply into politics, here's the more important question: what now? Can we get there?"
Sphere shook her head. "No. The doorway is dead and we cannot connect ours to it. Whatever destroyed it, it is in ruins. We would have to send out a ship."
Rodimus Prime looked at the innocent little dot on the map. The planet was several days flight with maximum speed away. Two at least. Maybe a bit less if they went at full speed at all times and used several warp gates.
"I could try jumping there."
He turned and faced Midnight. The Sentinel leader appeared darker than normal, his aura enveloping him like a cloak.
"Too dangerous," Rodimus decided immediately.
Midnight grimaced. "You sound like Optimus," he chided. "You know I'm the only one of us, besides Spook maybe, who can use the doorway energy lines and jump."
"And you are the one who needs an exit point," Rodimus reminded him. "Wild Card is the one who can leave at random."
"There was an exit point once."
"Exactly. Once. You cannot get out there again."
"Oh, I can," Midnight said casually. "I can force the exit open."
The Autobots' second frowned at him. "Can your Jump circuits take it?"
Midnight nodded. "Steve will be monitoring my systems while I maneuver. Don't worry, Roddy, I'll be just fine. In case you want to piggy-back, I can take you along....."
The young Prime smiled evilly. "Now that you made this offer....."
Midnight groaned and shook his head. "Okay, wrong move." He looked his friend straight in the optics. "You are serious about this?"
"Very."
Sphere and Starscream exchanged a look, but wisely kept their mouths shut. Rodimus turned to them. "Can you get information about this world out of the system?"
"We can try....." Sphere said. "But don't set your hopes too high."
"Just try it." He turned back to Midnight. "We'll be leaving in twelve Standard hours."
Midnight shrugged in defeat. He had asked.....

* * *

"Scold me if I'm wrong, but I think it's madness," Jeff muttered as he looked around.
A group of Transorganics, the four Protogens and himself were hiding behind high rock formations close to the complex that housed the Machine. All were armed in one way or the other and all had been briefed as to what they were about to undertake. And it wasn't exactly a small plan. The former industrial site was gigantic, closed off with an old fence that looked ready to collapse. Old security cameras, clearly of Quintesson origin, moved unsteadily, scanning the perimeter. If what he had heard from the elders of the clan was true and he had understood correctly, this site was ancient. And it was still functional. Maybe it wasn't up to modern standards, but the defenses worked, Tikemi had assured him with a grim expression, and for her kind it was hard to get in and out. The Machine didn't have a one hundred percent secure defense system, but it upgraded after every raid and every time they needed new tactics to get through. The only advantage they had on their side was the fact that though the Machine was able to defend itself, it had never experienced a life-threatening situation. It was used to raids, not all-out destruction. And the Machine scanned for organic life forms. Spike and the other Protogens would be an asset since they could get inside and not be detected. Maybe the Machine even thought of them as feyarin. They would have to try it out.
They were alone so far and it didn't look like they had been discovered yet. The feyarin were either inside the complex and waiting, or they patrolled the area. It was a pattern they went through, never changing it, always the same. A set program.
Spike looked at the Transorganics. "You said you knew a way inside," he said.
Avver nodded. "We usually fly in and circumvent the outer defense perimeter, but with so many of us this time, I believe we can't carry all in."
"That's not necessary. Only a few will actually go inside," Spike decided. "The others will distract the defense system and keep it busy."
"I will lead those going inside," Tikemi spoke up. "I know this complex better than anyone." Avver nodded in agreement. "And I will take Kei'lein of our clan along."
Kei'lein's mouth dropped open. He had counted himself lucky already that he had been chosen to come this far, but to actually go inside....? "Me?" he croaked.
She smiled. "You have come of age, my friend. It is time to take your place among the clan warriors."
Jeff smiled as he saw Kei'lein's proud smile and how the young gargoyle seemed to grow with the importance of his new role. "I'm coming along as well. If Wild Card has to Gate us out of there, he needs someone inside to home in on."
"Count me in as well," Volta added quietly.
Spike nodded. Volta would be a valuable addition because of his scientific knowledge and they needed someone to access the Machine to get into the system to contact Cybertron. "All right, the four of you it is. We others will launch an attack and then keep the Machine busy. Go in and make it quick, then leave again."
"No problem." Jeff stowed C-7 explosives in his backpack and the compartments of his suit. The other did the same. "See you later!"
They moved off, stealthily, slowly, carefully. Spike waited until they were in position, then nodded at the remaining Transorganics and Protogen. "Avver, you choose a few and attack from the other side. The rest of us will start now. Good luck!"
Avver gestured at four winged Transorganics and they left. Spike exchanged a grim smile with Backdraft, then they launched themselves off into the air.

* * *

Spook moved almost noiselessly into the room but still Midnight heard him. He all but felt the presence of the ancient robot and stiffened. Steve reached out for his partner and sent a calming wave.
I am calm!>> Midnight snarled. Stop influencing me!>>
Steve smiled. Of course you are. And no, I won't>>
Midnight growled angrily. "What do you want?" he then asked Spook, glowering at the larger robot.
"I have come to coordinate our efforts. I heard that you and Rodimus Prime are attempting to Jump to the dead doorway."
"Yes, we are planning to," the Sentinel said coldly. "And what coordinating would I have to do with you?"
Spook smiled gently, not rising to the challenge in the younger robot's voice. "I will be monitoring your Jump. In case you run into trouble..."
"We won't!"
Mid!>> Steve sighed, exasperated.
Shut up!>>
The Interface shook his head and settled back. Sometimes Midnight could be as stubborn as a mule!
I'm not stubborn!>>
Oh, yeah, right>> Steve muttered to himself. And what is your current behavior suggesting?>>
I don't want him anywhere near me!>>
Face it, Mid, Spook is part of this operation if you want it or not, so grow up!>>
Spook waited patiently, very clearly aware of the silent conversation going on. For some reason he was able to listen in to the Interface link between Midnight and Steve, and it was the main reason Midnight reacted with rage and even fear sometimes. He looked down at the black robot and couldn't suppress a smile. Midnight, as a Sentinel, was a descendant of his own race, was like a child for him. He was so very much younger but still very old when he looked into the green optic visor. Midnight had had to face so many things in his short life that it surprised Spook that he was still as innocent and centered as he knew him to be on most occasions. Right now he was controlling his rising temper as well and the reason for this rising temper was Spook himself.
"I don't need rescuing!" he now snarled.
"Of course not," Spook consoled. "I'm just the back-up."
Steve intercepted another wave of anger. We need back-up>> he said reasonably.
Not him!>>
The only other person who could give us back-up in this case is Wild Card; and it's him we have to find and rescue, remember?>>
Midnight hissed angrily. "Just stay out of my way!" With that he left.
Steve remained, shaking his head, giving Spook an apologetic look. "He doesn't mean it."
"Oh, in many ways he does and his reaction is a healthy one. It would be worse if he ate it all up inside," the giant half-serpent said, smiling.
"After all that has happened in the past, I thought he might realize that you are not his personal enemy."
Spook chuckled. "It might take even longer, it might never happen. I know he means only half of it and he is right not to trust me so completely, Steve."
Steve shrugged. "It's just giving me a hard time as well. I keep wanting to apologize."
Spook smiled. "Don't. I'll be in touch." He left and Steve wandered out of the room as well, aware of a rather miffed presence around the Interface link. Midnight. With a deep, heart-felt sigh he went in search of his partner.

* * *

The complex was gigantic. Jeff looked around, slightly awed. Of course, the Quintessons were larger than human beings, but the corridors had been built to accommodate a Cybertronian of average size! Tikemi had led them through a maze of old tunnels and access routes that must have been built to service the complex. Jeff tried not to think of the stuff that had been down there – besides the rust.
"We are in one of the outer access chambers," Tikemi now explained. "From here we can reach the most important facilities." Suddenly her eyes widened. "Feyarin!" she hissed. "Already?"
Jeff and Volta whirled around and came face to face with the deadly hunters. There were two of them, both looking exactly alike and exactly like the one he had shut down before. One of them lifted an arm, pointing at them. Jeff watched in horror as a part of the forearm of the robot turned into a weapon.
"Down!" he yelled and shoved Kei'lein to the floor.
Something hit the wall behind them, turning it into a smoldering mass. Kei'lein's head whipped around to stare at the wall, then back to the robots. Volta was busy firing at one of their attackers, but most of the shots bounced off the armor. Those things were not like the ones Jeff had encountered outside even if they looked the same! One robot stayed put while the other advanced.
"Their weak spot is the neck," Tikemi growled and Jeff involuntarily stared at the thickly armored neck.
"Where at the neck?" he asked.
"There is an access mechanism that allows the Machine to connect to them physically. It's where the armor joins with the chest plate," the female Transorganic explained. "You have to hit them right at this spot."
Winters used his helmet's zoom to get a better picture of the spot. What he saw was a seal, barely larger than a normal cable socket for a walkman. This would be tricky, especially since the robots kept moving.
"We have to get them to face this way," he muttered.
Tikemi bared sharp canines. "If you wish."
Before he had any chance to ask what her plan was, Tikemi rose to her full height, exposing herself to the attackers. "What the.....?" Jeff started, then shook his head. "Aim for the socket at the chest plate!" he yelled over to where Volta cowered, transmitting a brief schematic over the com link.
Two shots were fired and a sudden explosion rocked the corridor. When Jeff opened his eyes again he heard a loud ringing in his ears and his vision kept fogging with colorful lights. The explosion had thrown him back until his back had connected with something – a wall – and now he tried to remember how to coordinate his limbs to get up. The memories were jolted into working order when a strong hand pulled him up. Jeff blinked, trying to keep his balance.
Are you okay?!>> Wild Card's worried presence touched him.
Fine. Just fine. A bit banged up maybe>> And probably sore for the next few days, he added silently. "Wow!" he then breathed.
Tikemi smiled broadly. "You have good aim, my friend. Both of you."
Volta came over to them, Kei'lein following him his wide eyes taking in the destruction. "Okay, what now? Are there more of these guards?"
Tikemi nodded. "Yes. They are the protectors of the Creation Hall, but with the attack outside I believe the Machine has to split its forces. We will have an easy entrance."
"And an easy exit?" Volta asked, foreboding in his voice.
The Transorganic smiled humorlessly. "Don't set your hopes too high."
He sighed. "I knew it."
Jeff smiled grimly, briefly checking on Wild Card who told him things were running smoothly so far. Spike and his team were fighting the feyarin and currently had the upper hand.
In case you need me, I'm ready>> the Sentinel told him.
Thanks. I guess we might have to come back to this offer>> he muttered as they went deeper into the complex, weapons ready.

* * *

Shanygn closed the last of the latches on her exo-suit and smiled up at her slightly worried looking partner. Rodimus Prime was ready to go, but he didn't like it that she was coming along.
[Face it, partner, we are Interfaced and I'm going where you go] she sent. [So stop scowling at me before your face falls off!]
He grimaced. They had had this argument a thousand times before and he had lost 99 percent of them all. Midnight would do two jumps through Gating and then take off to enter the doorway system. Rodimus had been Gated before and that was no big deal, but he had never physically entered a doorway energy line.
"Ready?"
He looked up and smiled at Midnight. Steve joined Shanygn, who gave him a grin.
"As ready as we ever be."
"Good. We'll jump to Arry first, then take it from there." Midnight held out a hand and Rodimus took it. He felt Shanygn phase and then Midnight Gated.

* * *

They had engaged the enemy. Spike dodged several laser volleys, hugged his wings to his body and seemed to drop to the ground like a stone. Just as he was about to hit the rocks below he leveled them out again and used his thrusters to give him enough boost. The feyarin following him didn't have enough intelligence to do the same or to see ahead of what might happen, and it simply crashed face first into the ground, an explosion blooming into the sky.
"Rather dumb things, eh?" Domino called as he leveled one of his own.
"Yes, but they make up missing intelligence with sheer numbers."
There were dozens of the attack drones, more flooding out of the Machine complex. It was like fighting the hydra, Spike thought. Cut off one head and two more would grow.
"Watch out!"
Spike banked left and evaded angry laser fire, coming up behind the attacker and shooting him.
On the ground the Transorganics who were unable to fly and Domino were destroying as much of the feyarin as possible. Each Transorganic had different sets of weapons, some handmade, some built into their cybernetic limbs. Spike watched as Avver led a feyarin to the group of waiting Transorganics, then shot up in the air and the hidden clan members took the creature apart. One shot hit the robot's face and Spike witnessed how the optics broke in a shower of red plastic and how the metal singed slightly. The robot staggered away, turning, and the Transorganics shot again, this time hitting the wings. With a screech the back of the robot burst open and the large metal being crashed to the ground, limbs twitching. The clan gave a whoop of triumph and turned to take on the next enemy.
"Spike to Volta, do you read me?"
Volta replied almost immediately, though his voice sounded faraway. The complex was trying to scramble their com lines, but since they were using fluctuating signals, which were harder to break but also meant less signal quality, Spike still had a wavering contact with the team inside.
"Read you, boss. We are making progress. Looks like you guys are giving the Machine a hard time outside. We are encountering less and less resistance here."
Spike smiled and dodged a new attacker. Yes, they were doing their share of damage out here. "We do what we can," he replied. "How much longer do you calculate?"
"Tikemi says we are close, so maybe a few more minutes – if we don't encounter sudden obstacles again," Volta reported.
"Roger that. Spike out."
He rose higher, trailing three feyarin, then dropped to the ground again, losing one, another one then taken out by the hidden Transorganics, and the third one ended up in his claws and fangs. Actually, he was enjoying himself, Spike thought, letting the instincts of the Protogen body guide him. He was fast, he was powerful and his armor kept serious damage from the more delicate circuits.
With a faint grin he engaged the next drone and blasted it to bits.

* * *

Rodimus stumbled out of the artificial Gate and nearly fell to his knees. The jump had been draining, his systems trying to recharge while also needing energy to maintain his consciousness. He felt Shanygn rerouting power and assisting his efforts. Midnight gave him a steadying hand and Rodimus felt his oxygen pumps suck in air, cooling his core unit.
"Geez!" he whispered, sounding kind of winded. "It's like this every time?"
Midnight smiled, shaking his head. "No. Usually it tickles a bit. This time was different since I had to force the former exit point open again. I think I slightly miscalculated the rate of closure. It snapped shut and I had to pull you through."
"Ah." [You okay, Shan?]
[Just fine]
Rodimus looked around. A rather alien landscape greeted him. Of course, this was an alien planet, but the scenery was nothing he had ever seen before and he had been to countless worlds. Black, glass-like stone structures stretched wherever he looked. The stone appeared sharp, but also like it would break easily. He walked over to the nearest spike growing like a stalagmite out of the ground and touched it. A small piece broke off – and part of it stuck in his index finger.
"Ouch," he muttered and plucked out the offending splinter. A drop of energon seeped out of the cut.
So this was it. The planet the Axis had crashed on. The dark landscape and the less-than-sunny looking sky didn't help to create a happy picture. The wind had picked up and it looked like rain any minute, maybe even snow. The temperatures were cold enough to suggest that.
"No one here," Midnight said and walked over to him, his feet crunching rocks. "But I'm getting a very weak beacon. Probably the Axis."
Rodimus nodded. "I can hear it too." He transformed. "Let's check it out!"
Midnight launched himself into the air, transforming as well as he did so, and shot off toward the beacon. Rodimus followed, a bit slowed down by the rock formations, but still at a speed humans would have called 'break-neck speed'. Shanygn enjoyed the ride, feeling perfectly safe with her partner even though he was driving a bit recklessly.

* * *

Jeff swallowed hard and tried to keep his mind-shields up. Wild Card, who was still recovering, didn't need to see this the way he did; telling him was bad enough.
"Great spark!" Volta whispered, mouth hanging open, staring at everything just like Jeff did.
"This is the Creation Hall," Tikemi said softly. "It is where we are born."
Jeff didn't say a word, but his eyes expressed what he felt. He walked into the room, trying not to shiver. The room was like a gigantic hall, stretching deep into the mountain, sloping slightly downward, and filled to the rocky roof with machinery. Countless cylinder-shaped tubes decorated it, connected to a large machine through tubes and wires. About twenty cylinders belonged to one machine. Half the machines were dead, the cylinders empty and the plastic covers looking smoky and slightly scratched. Some wires had decayed and lay open. Further down the hall the live machinery was located. Five generators hummed softly, controls lit up, data reports scrolling down. Small drones, robots on wheels, ran back and forth between the machines and their cylinders, checking the status of each individual one. Each generator and machine had a thick string of wires running to the ceiling toward what looked like an over-sized socket. Still, not all tubes were occupied. Of the twenty possible cylinders only five or six were active at each machine.
Jeff approached one of the live cylinders. They were about five times his height, and those were the smallest ones, and filled with a reddish orange liquid. Something seemed to float through the liquid, small particles and stringy substances. And in the middle of the tank was a more or less shapeless blob. Some of the blobs were larger than the others and each machine seemed to house different stages of the form hidden within the thick liquid.
"What is it?" he asked.
Tikemi joined him, her face drawn into infinite sadness. "One of my brothers or sisters, as yet untainted by the Machine."
"Genetic engineering? Artificial life?"
"I do not know your words, but it is life, yes. Life created out of what the Machine has been told to store and recreate."
Jeff inhaled deeply. Wild Card's presence wrapped itself around his mind, supporting him. The Sentinel second-in-command had a good idea of what his partner was seeing, even if he didn't get all the details. They had been Interfaced long enough for Wild Card to know how Jeff Winters worked.
These tanks were birth tanks. He had heard of them, and they existed on Cybertron as well, deep in med bay. The life form inside would be born out of an artificial environment that mimicked a womb.
"Jeff!"
Volta's call got their attention and they ran over to where she stood, staring at one of the cylinders. Jeff swallowed heavily. Inside was a gargoyle; at least it had the features or one. It was about Tikemi's height and part of its organic form, grown in the tanks, had already been replaced by cybernetics. Tubes ran from the implants to the top of the cylinder.
Tikemi made a soft, choking noise. "He will soon be programmed," she whispered, her claws touching the thick transparent cover. "We have to end his misery before it begins."
Volta shook his head, averting his optics for a moment. "You mean your kind is born here and throughout the growing process, parts are replaced?"
She nodded, eyes still fixed on the half-finished Transorganic. "The machine creates our kind. We free the young ones before they are transferred here and changed. Those we can't free we try to get out of its clutches throughout the alteration processes, but many are too far gone. It programs them with the hatred for their own kind."
"The two machines I shot down...." Jeff said slowly.
"They were true products of the Machine. Its guards are machines like it is. The trackers and hunters are of our kind. Kei'lein was on a mission to free some of the new-borns and the guards followed him; if they had been real hunters, you'd have seen the difference."
The pilot felt relieved. "Why did you never try and stop the process in here?" he then wanted to know.
Tikemi smiled and gestured at the dead machines. "We did. We succeeded, but the new machines regenerate themselves. Each one we destroyed was rebuilt. All can only stop if your friends are successful."
Winters nodded. "They will."
The female gargoyle smiled. "You have great confidence."
Jeff gave her a grim smile in return. "We have to find a way to communicate with Cybertron," he then said. "Volta, you and Tikemi will search for an access to the main computer. Kei'lein and I will plant the charges. I'll radio you when we are done and set the timers."
Volta nodded. "Good luck."
"You too."
They separated, Jeff looking back at the tubes one last time. Then he ran after Kei'lein.

* * *

Wild Card couldn't believe his own systems, but there it was. A signal. One he recognized!
"Midnight?" he sent out a question.
"Wild Card!" was the answer, a lot of relief worming its way through the com line. "Where are you?"
Wild Card felt the same relief spread through him. He sent the coordinates. "Uhm, Mid.... there is a tiny little problem."
"Yes?" The Sentinel leader sounded wary.
Wild Card sighed and started an explanation of what had happened and what was currently going on. The two Transorganics working on his body were oblivious to it all.

* * *

It had been almost too easy to get this far and Tikemi had voiced her suspicions several times. The female Transorganic was on her toes, all weapons ready, wings half outstretched. Volta tried not to feel so completely nervous as he unlocked the keyboard for the terminal they had found and started to access the system. Of course he didn't know any codes within the computer, but he knew how to get himself acquainted with an alien system. And this one was based on Quintesson and therefor also Cybertronian technology. Volta had studied Quintesson codes and programs while back on his homeworld and he knew his way around the ancient computers the slave masters had left behind. Mixing it with Cybertronian codes, who were sometimes loosely based on Quintesson technology, he believed he could get into this machinery.
The Machine, the computer that ran this complex, hadn't shown any reaction to their presence here so far. Volta wasn't sure whether it was an actual AI or just an automated program that had by now ran for millennia, servicing itself and fulfilling its orders.
WHO ARE YOU?
Volta stared at the screen, surprised. WHO ARE YOU? he typed.
The screen flickered in a soft green as he waited. I AM.
The Protogen frowned. Okay....
YOU ARE WHAT? he asked.
I AM, was the same reply. WHO ARE YOU?
MY NAME IS VOLTA, Volta answered.
VOLTA
YES
YOU ARE WHAT? the screen asked.
Volta smiled slightly. Apparently the machine was either able to comprehend and therefor an AI or it simply replayed what it had been asked before.
I COME FROM CYBERTRON
The screen remained silent for a while. Tikemi walked carefully over to him and raised an eye ridge. Volta shrugged. "It might be intelligent."
"No intelligent life would do this to another," Tikemi replied flatly and gestured at herself.
"You'd be surprised," Volta muttered.
The Transorganic smiled. "I know there are people out there who experiment on life forms and merge them, creating new ones. But when they are done, they shut down their machines and it is over. We have been born by the Machine like this for an eternity and it goes on and on. It will never stop because it has been told to do it and it does. Intelligent life means it realizes what it is doing, it is aware of not only itself but also of its surroundings." Tikemi shook her head. "It isn't. It might be aware of itself, but not of others."
Volta was impressed.
CYBERTRON, the screen suddenly spelled. HOME OF THE CONTROLLERS.
"It recognizes the planet," Volta muttered.
YES, he typed. THE QUINTESSONS
ARE YOU ONE OF THE CONTROLLERS?
Tricky. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and cast a questioning look at Tikemi. She frowned.
"In a way you are."
Volta shook his head. "Not really. I'm not a Quintesson."
"But it doesn't know it."
YES, I AM, Volta finally typed, hoping he hadn't done anything wrong. AND I WISH TO COMMUNICATE WITH CYBERTRON
WHY?
I WANT OTHERS TO COME HERE
WHY?
Volta sighed. BECAUSE I WANT THEM TO BE HERE
The Machine was silent once more.
"I have very bad feeling about this," Volta sighed.
Tikemi nodded. Suddenly a panel slid open above them and a blue ray of light washed over the Protogen. Tikemi hissed and flinched back, Volta stiffened.
"Scanner," he whispered, dread in his voice.
YOU ARE NOT A CONTROLLER! the screen proclaimed and it was almost too easy to read anger in it. YOU ARE AN INTRUDER!
Volta's thoughts raced. NO, he typed quickly. WE ARE JUST OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN FROM THE ORIGINAL CONTROLLERS
WHERE ARE THE CONTROLLERS? the Machine demanded.
THEY HAVE MOVED ON
A very smooth description of genocide, Volta thought. The Tji had all but obliterated Quintessonian life.
The Machine was silent for a while, then it typed, YOU LIE
NO, I DON'T. THE CONTROLLERS NO LONGER CONTROL
THE CONTROLLERS ALWAYS CONTROLLED
BUT NOW WE HAVE TAKEN OVER. Volta wondered if it had been wise to type this, but there was no taking back what he had entered.
YOU CONQUERED THE CONTROLLERS?
NO, THEY MOVED ON
WHERE?
This was like talking to a child! Tikemi hissed softly, clearly tense and ready to flee.
BEYOND, was all the Protogen typed.
WHERE?
CAN I COMMUNICATE WITH CYBERTRON? he asked instead of answering.
YOU ARE NOT A CONTROLLER. WHERE ARE THE CONTROLLERS?
THEY HAVE MOVED ON: I TOLD YOU ALREADY.
INSUFFIECIENT DATA. WHERE ARE THEY? the Machine wanted to know.
THE CONTROLLERS ARE NO LONGER. Volta had decided to play it risky. Maybe it was a way to break the circle of child-like questions. WE ARE THE CONTROLLERS NOW
IMPOSSIBLE. THE CONTROLLERS ARE FOREVER. YOU LIE!
"Uh-oh," he muttered. This was not good. I DO NOT LIE, he typed. THEY ARE GONE
WHERE?
"This is getting us nowhere," Tikemi snarled.
Suddenly the scanner came to life once more and this time it also passed over Tikemi. A string of data rushed over the screen, too fast for the eye to see and also too fast for Volta to catch at least some phrases, but what he read told him enough. The Machine had identified the Transorganic as what she was. There was a whine of thrusters from not too far away and Tikemi whirled around, battle-ready.
"Oh, damn!" Volta cursed softly. "Let's get out of here!" he cried and dashed off to the left, Tikemi just behind. Three feyarin shot into the room, weapons blazing deadly fire after them.

* * *

Rodimus Prime didn't know what he had expected, but not what he actually saw now. He had met the Transorganics before, at least their ancestors, and it hadn't been much of a pleasant meeting. It hadn't been much of a meeting anyway, the Cybertronians busy trying to survive and the Transorganics quite intent on ending their lives. The creatures had been several times their size and they had looked hideous. The two Transorganics he encountered now were far from the ones discovered on Cybertron so long ago. First of all they were smaller, but still taller than a human being if they stood upright. One was clearly altered and showed cybernetic implants, the other looked like what Wild Card had called a 'gargoyle'. Both crouched, though they could stand on their hind legs. One had tentacles instead of arms.
"Uhm, hi. My name is Rodimus Prime," Rodimus started.
The tentacled creature nodded. "My name is Phantrou," it said and the voice had a female ring to it. "This is L'nitu, my clan brother. Your friend told us you were coming."
Wild Card lay on the ground in his jet mode and there were clear signs of his crash, starting with the long ditch he had created when he had slid over the ground and ending with various metal parts lying around. Then there was his overall appearance. He had truly seen better days!
"We are healers," L'nitu added, straightening a bit. "Your friend needs a lot of time to mend, but we have given him back the ability to fly and change shape."
Rodimus exchanged a startled look with Midnight. They had what? "Uh, you did?"
"They did," Wild Card answered instead and as to show it, he laboriously transformed. It was far from smooth, but he could at least do it again. "Thank you," he now turned to the two Transorganics.
"It was all we could do with our limited abilities out here," Phantrou answered, shrugging.
"It's a lot more than I had expected."
She just nodded and started to collect her tools, not minding the two large new-arrivals who were strangers to her.
"They are far from what I had expected," Midnight muttered softly. He had heard stories of the encounter inside Cybertron, how the Transorganics had nearly won. Well, one of them, a rather vicious little creation.
"I know. You have to remember that their kind has been here for generations. They have developed from the first experiments of the Quintessons." Wild Card shrugged. "And the Machine has changed them according to planetary conditions. Tikemi told me that her ancestors were larger, but they needed more food and many starved or wandered off into the deeper regions of this planet. No one has seen them since. I think they are what comes closest to the Mab."
Midnight nodded. "I know a lot of people who would do anything to come here and study this culture."
"Well, before we study anything we have to take out the Machine," Wild Card reminded him. "That's what Spike and the others are currently doing."
Rodimus' face held a grim expression. "Then let's go and see what this Machine is," he decided.
"Do you have contact to Jeff?" Midnight asked his fellow Sentinel.
"On and off. His mission is rather delicate and since I'm not exactly in the best physical condition we decided not to risk dangerous leaks. I'm shielding and so is he."
"Can you fly?"
Wild Card checked his damage report. "I guess so, but not very long distances and no fancy maneuvering."
Midnight smiled. "None is expected." He transformed.
Rodimus did the same and Wild Card followed. He took the lead and they left.

* * *

Lightning crackled through the room, straight at Kei'lein, who jumped out of the way. Still, part of the lightning bolt hit his wing and he gasped with pain, rolling away.
"Kei'lein!" Jeff exclaimed.
The Transorganic rose to his knees, his left wing drooping a bit. "I'm all right," he ground out between clenched teeth.
"We have to get out of here!" Jeff ordered. "This is getting way too hot!"
"No argument from me!"
Dragging the injured Transorganic along, Jeff fought his way through several feyarin who all went up like firecrackers when he hit the access module on their chests. There was no place to hide anywhere and it was increasingly hard to keep their opponents at bay, especially since Kei'lein was weakening.
"I seem to make a habit out of this," Jeff muttered. His suit was able to carry several times his own weight and Kei'lein, despite the fact that he was taller than Jeff, wasn't all that heavy. But he was slowing him down nevertheless because he was unable to move as he would without him, and the large wings were quite a hindrance.
Suddenly there was a door and Jeff used his gun to force it open, then shut it behind them. He used the low setting to melt the ancient metal and seal the room – for now. He leaned against the wall, breathing hard, aware that they had only minutes, maybe even less. The doors would be no obstacle for the feyarin. All C-7 charges had been planted, but there had been no word from either Volta or Tikemi. Jeff was worried, but right now he had to worry about getting himself and Kei'lein out of danger....
Jeff?>> Wild Card's rather excited call startled him.
What's up?>> he asked, looking around the room he had stepped into, trying to discover a way out. As their luck went, this was a storage room with only one door out.
Midnight and Rodimus Prime have arrived>>
WHAT?! How? I mean....>>
Later. Right now we need to get you guys out of there. Spike has been informed and we are coming towards you at full speed. Be with you in a moment>>
That's a relief>> Jeff muttered, then his breath caught as he discovered a red-hot spot on the door, hissing softly. "They are coming through!" he exclaimed.
Kei'lein, his wing drooping, snarled. He tightened his grip on the weapon he had and pointed it at the door.
You better hurry, guys>> Jeff muttered, doing the same.
Wild Card's fear and worry swamped him, demanding he use what energy he had to risk a long-distance phasing, but Jeff simply put up his shields. He was neither in the mood to risk this stunt, nor would he leave Kei'lein to the feyarin.
The door crashed inwards as the lock was blasted out by the sheer heat the feyarin had exuded on it. Jeff closed his suit's helmet immediately, then pulled the trigger.

*

Wild Card gave a weak moan of denial and channeled what energy he had into his engines.

* * *

Rodimus braked hard, dust curling up around him as he came to a sudden stop. Midnight transformed and touched down, Wild Card at his side. The older Sentinel was not exactly in top shape, but Phantrou and L'nitu had managed to give him his flight abilities back, repairing the wing and some outer skin, but he wouldn't be able to do more than fly straight and maybe transform a couple of times. The Transorganic and the gargoyle-like organic had stayed behind, telling them they would return to their clan.
Before them was a battle field. Half-organic or fully organic creatures with or without wings were shooting at winged robots who were trying to evade and simultaneously fire at them. Among the fighters were also some Rodimus Prime recognized: Spike, Domino and Backdraft. Spike was currently tearing two of the robots apart, using his fangs and claws. The ground was littered with burning and smoldering remains of the attackers.
"Feyarin?" the young Prime asked tonelessly.
Wild Card nodded. His optics held a faraway look.
"Jeff," was all Midnight said as he glanced at his friend.
Shanygn and Steve were both phased with their respective partners, aware of the danger they might be in if they were attacked. Shanygn had protested against the order from her partner, but Rodimus knew she understood. She just had to get her point across: even if she wasn't a robot she was just as robust as her partner. He knew and accepted that, but like every Interfaced robot he tended to worry.
Suddenly Wild Card gasped and doubled over, falling to his knees. Midnight's optics visor lit up bright green with worry and fear. "Wild Card?" he exclaimed.
And then an explosion ripped through the air. It was a deafening, ear-drum ripping and earth-shaking explosion, going through the complex before them. It started roughly in the middle of the complex and then spread out like wildfire. The shockwave was incredible. The ground shook, Rodimus and everyone else losing their balance, then the rush of overheated air rolled over them. Rodimus shielded his optics as he crouched on the ground, feeling wave over wave rushing by. Splinters and shards of burning metal cascaded down on them.
"JEFF!!" Wild Card screamed, trying to get to his feet.
Midnight was at his side, trying to restrain his friend from flying into this inferno. Wild Card shoved him aside and stumbled a few steps toward the flaming hell, then his weakened structure gave way and he collapsed, his bad knee unable to bear his weight.
"No......" he whispered in desperation.
"Wild Card," Midnight said softly. "Is the link severed?"
Clouded, empty optics met his and the Sentinel leader winced. "I don't know," Wild Card whimpered.
"Then search!" Midnight insisted.
The other Sentinel moaned and buried his head in his hands. Rodimus stood at his side, feeling pain shoot through him at the thought of having to deal with a severed Interface partnership. He knew what had happened to Archer....
[He can't be dead!] Shanygn insisted.
The young Prime's optics were drawn to the fires raging over the ground, melting the surviving walls of the complex, distorting them, blackening the earth. The air was filled with the crackling and popping of the fires. He didn't reply.
Someone touched down beside him and he recognized Spike, still in his dragon form. "Rodimus?" the Protogen leader asked, surprise and hope in his voice.
Rodimus smiled. "Yeah," he said softly. "We finally figured out where you are." He managed a weak smile. "Is everyone else okay?"
Spike transformed and brushed flakes of burned skin off him. "I wish I knew. Volta, Jeff and two of the natives were inside when the thing blew....." His optics were drawn over to the crouching form of Wild Card. Midnight had one hand clamped on Wild Card's shoulder, talking softly to him, never letting him go. "Jeff....?" he asked, dread in his voice.
"We don't know," Rodimus replied tonelessly, praying that they were all wrong.

* * *

The first explosion ripped through the complex and Jeff was thrown off his feet, which saved his life. The shot of the feyarin went high and buried itself in the ceiling. Jeff rolled around and ended the feyarin's life. Two more who came into the room found the same deadly fate. Another explosion shook the complex and Jeff stumbled. He knew that the C-7 was going off one after another, the central charge in the birth chamber. The substance used to feed and keep the embryonic Transorganics alive would burn like gasoline. They had to get out of here!
"Let's go!" he yelled, grabbing Kei'lein.
The gargoyle moved faintly, eyes fluttering open. "I can walk," he mumbled and forced his weak legs to bear his weight.
"Sure," Jeff muttered and pulled him along.
The corridor was in flames, the heat making the walls blister. Kei'lein coughed and Jeff cursed under his breath. He had oxygen in his suit, but he had no extra bottles or breathers. They simply ran, Jeff doing most of the work as Kei'lein slipped deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. Another explosion threw him off his feet and he was thrown against a wall. Not very far away from this wall another one had been ripped open and he could see the outside. So near..... Winters groaned and tried to get to his feet, willing his body and the already stressed suit to work.
Then someone grabbed him. An urgent voice whispered: "Hold on!"
It was Tikemi. Jeff was too disoriented and too weak to do anything.
"Kei'lein," he mumbled.
"Volta will take care of him."
Volta? Jeff blinked in confusion. "But he can't fly," he protested.
The protest was ignored.
Tikemi dragged him to the opening and then jumped. She went into a dive, picking up speed, ignoring Jeff's gasp as the ground rushed toward them. She changed the angle of her wings and sailed like a speeding bullet through the maze below. A feyarin appeared and Jeff felt panic creep up inside of him. His mind was overwhelmed by his own emotional response to what had happened and his shields were leaking echoes from Wild Card.
Jeff?!>>
Jeff sent a weak reply, as well as the urgency of their situation.
We are here!>> the Sentinel breathed and there was an explosion left of them, Tikemi banking away from it as the feyarin fell into burning pieces of scrap metal.
A shadow crept over them, a pitch-black shadow, spreading its darkness throughout the surrounding air, nearly enveloping them and Jeff smiled faintly. Tikemi tightened her hold and gasped.
"'S okay," Jeff mumbled, not even sure she understood him. "He's a friend."
His feet touched solid ground as Tikemi landed, and then his knees gave way. His body, exhausted and way over its own limit, was demanding its right. Wild Card was there and caught him gently, cupping his hands around him. Jeff smiled weakly.
.....>>
Sleep>> his partner murmured.
Then there was nothing.

* * *

Rodimus was impressed by the advanced standards among the Transorganics. Even if they appeared primitive and were definitely pre-industrial, their ways of life reflected a lot of what Cybertron lived by. Tikemi had invited them back to their home and the Cybertronians had gratefully accepted. Not only were Wild Card and Jeff badly in need of rest, the Protogens needed some off-time as well. None were in any shape to travel right away; they needed at least d day of recuperation time. The attack and victory over the Machine had cost the Transorganics two warriors, who had been struck down by feyarin, but they saw it with a kind of detached acceptance. Their friends had given their lives for the others to be finally free. Midnight was currently back at the destroyed complex, going through the ruins in case something had survived this burning inferno and could be used. Domino, who was no one to sit around uselessly as he had said, was with him, as was Shanygn. Kei'lein had displayed his amazing healing powers again, something not all gargoyles possessed and which was apparently a freak experiment of the Machine.
Rodimus had asked Tikemi about the doorway and she had led him to the place. He was shocked by the sheer force that must have destroyed the doorway.
"Your friends asked me if I knew what had happened," Tikemi said into the silence. "I asked the elders for more details and Hein'kal said the Circle had to be destroyed because there was the danger of the Machine's Controllers coming back."
"Your ancestors did this?"
"Yes. The one guarding it helped us."
Rodimus' optics went wide. "What?!" he exclaimed. A Gatekeeper destroying his own doorway because of such a rather minor threat? Gatekeepers would defend their doorway to the death! Even Nightmare had only sent the self-destruct code because Galvatron had nearly overwhelmed him.
Tikemi nodded. "She told us she would do it and then leave. We are forever thankful, every single generation."
"Do you know her name?"
"No. It was lost throughout the millennia. We have descriptions for her though." Tikemi shrugged. "If you wish I can ask Hein'kal if you can listen to his stories."
Rodimus nodded. "I would be very interested." He cast another look at the doorway structure. "Tikemi, I am thankful for your hospitality and your helpfulness."
She smiled. "You have helped us, Rodimus Prime. You gave us our freedom, a freedom you claimed yourself a long time ago. You freed yourselves of the slave masters, of the Controllers, but we never had the necessary power or number. With you we had and we can finally choose our own fate. No Machine controls our lives and none of my kind will ever be born like I was." Tikemi bowed her head once. "Thank you."
The young Prime smiled. "I think we helped each other. And I think my kind would be very interested in keeping relations with yours, Tikemi. Study your culture, learn about you, teach you about us if you want to. In a way you are from my homeworld as well."
Tikemi chuckled. "Part of me is," she joked and spread her cybernetic hands. Then she grew serious. "I believe that the elders would be very interested in keeping relations. I will talk to them, tell them about your offer."
Rodimus nodded. "We won't intrude into your life, just send a few of our people here and explore."
"I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

* * *

Wild Card touched down, transforming, and Jeff Winters phased out of his partner, trying to give at least the impression of being awake. Since the rescue operation he hadn't been able to sleep much and the short nap between the successful destruction of the complex on the planet and their departure hadn't helped. Wild Card had managed to recharge a bit and the energon cubes Midnight had produced had been of help, but his partner was still in need of rest. A small reception took place, Rodimus, Midnight and the Axis crew getting a warm welcome. Security was all-present.
Cathy Lee moved through the crowds, face set in her usual mask of polite distance, followed by F/X. When she saw Jeff in his banged-up, green exo-suit, his face a pale shadow of his usual healthy self, her eyes went from distance to relief and worry and the mask fell. Everyone present was witness to the red-haired woman wordlessly flinging her arms around the pilot's neck and hugging him tightly, not minding the dirty suit smudging her impeccable clothing. Jeff's eyes widened in surprise at this open display of affection and they went even wider when she caught his lips in a deep kiss.
"Welcome home," Cathy breathed when she broke the kiss.
"Oh, wow, thank you," Jeff managed, stunned.
F/X stood behind the two, grinning a broad, almost silly grin. Finally he looked up and met Wild Card's optics. He opened his arms wide. "Welcome home!"
Wild Card grimaced. "Don't set your hopes too high. I'm not going to kiss you, F/X."
F/X managed to look totally crestfallen. "Aw, shucks!"
Midnight broke out laughing and Rodimus chuckled under his breath. Cathy Lee was blushing furiously, shooting acid looks at her partner, while Jeff simply smiled tiredly and shook his head. Wild Card gave F/X a friendly slap and they walked into West Central, followed by the others, Jeff and Cathy trailing behind. She was still holding his hand and didn't seem to plan on letting go any time soon. First Aid was already waiting and the next hours were spent in medical examination.

* * *

Cathy Lee walked slowly through the apartment, looking around. She had only once been to Jeff's place since he usually spent his time over at hers or they went out together. Unlike Steven Parker, whose quarters she had once seen and found to be rather sparse, Jeff liked to hang up old pictures or memorabilia. Everything was kept in warm, blue and creme colors. Plants decorated the living room. As she passed a mirror she looked inside. The reflection was that of a woman who hadn't slept well in the last few days and had too many worry lines. Since Jeff had returned, looking banged up, rather pale and exhausted, she had tried to relax, but to no avail. She had nearly lost him... the only human being she had ever managed to trust again after she had finally torn free of her parents and the ACL's control.
Cathy turned away from the mirror. She found some papers spread out over the desk and automatically sorted and made a neat stack of them. There was a high tech computer on the desk behind which was a shelf full of books about flying, jet planes and the development of deep space exploration flights. There were some pictures on the wall behind the desk and some dotting the walls all over the place. Some were drawings, some paintings, but most were photographs. Several showed Jeff in various stages of his education and training with the Navy. There was a graduation picture with Jeff's parents, all of them beaming proudly. And there was a picture of Jeff with a dark-haired woman in jeans a shirt. Both looked happy. There were two more pictures, one with the woman again, this time both surrounded by a girl and two boys; the other showed the children again, older, about Cathy's age now, all having children of their own, and it looked like a family photo, with the dark-haired woman, now much older, in the middle of them all.
"She died a few months after the picture was taken," a soft voice said and she turned, noticing to her surprise that Jeff was up, though not quite awake, dressed in a loosely bound robe. He was leaning against the door frame, looking at her.
"Your wife?"
Jeff nodded, looking cruelly exhausted. "Yes. We were married for quite a while, then my job got in the way. We never lost touch, but we divorced for the sake of peace and freedom. And the kids...." There was a faraway expression in his eyes. "I wish I could've been there for her...."
"What happened?" Cathy asked quietly.
"Cancer. And I wasn't there for her. I had to leave because of Wild Card, was declared dead...." His green eyes clouded with emotions. "I know she didn't have to suffer, but still..... She was such a strong woman who gave me more than I could ever thank her for...." He shook his head, inhaling deeply. "I thought you had gone home and caught some shut-eye?" Jeff then said with a forced smile.
"I thought I might... well, stick around a little." She shrugged weakly. Cathy hadn't planned on getting caught in the middle of the night in his apartment.
"I see." He smiled slightly. "I'll go back to bed then....."
"Okay. I'll just....." She gestured at the exit.
Their eyes met and Cathy knew he was making an offer, but he was in no shape to stay awake for a minute longer. She gave him a soft kiss, whispering "Sleep," and left. She walked down the corridor, feeling a bit lighter, though there was no reason to. Cathy was suddenly aware of F/X's presence in the back of her mind and kicked him out with a grin.
Peeping Tom!>>
He laughed and retreated.

* * *

Starscream walked through the busy corridors of West Central, ignoring everyone around him. He was carrying a data sheet and his thoughts were whirling. Since the return of the Axis and the resulting calming of nerves, the Gatekeeper had had a lot of time to go back to the program he had decoded and see what use he could make of it. It was a core program, one that contained a lot of important data, but translation had gone slowly. As quickly as it had started, their translation tool had slowed down considerably because of the sheer amount of data compressed into single symbols. Starscream had found he had a file several times the size of the original now and it had taken him days to go through it. And it had been worth every second. Double-checking with Spook he had confirmed his findings.
The door to Rodimus Prime's office opened as he knocked and he entered, discovering that Shanygn had joined her Interface partner for the daily bureaucratic stuff. She had taken her normal place on the window sill and was intently reading through mails on her laptop.
"Prime," Starscream greeted him.
"You said you discovered an important doorway file?" Rodimus asked right away after nodding a greeting.
"I have." He placed the data sheet on the desk. Rodimus frowned briefly at the amount of zipped data stored on it. "I think it's the key to it all."
"To the doorway system?"
Starscream nodded. Rodimus took the sheet and shot him a curious look.
"I discovered the file by accident. It was one of many Raven extracted," the Gatekeeper explained. "I translated it and double-checked with Spook. He confirms my findings. This is a general key to every file contained in the quartz cube. It is more or less the control element. With it we can translate every single file, we can get to the bottom of doorway technology and we might just find an answer as to what makes them tick. On top of that it also contained a complete list of every single doorway ever built. The map I found on the space station is really just a small part of the whole system and some of the map areas are a total mystery. We have to go deeper into it."
Rodimus' jaw dropped at the news. This was far from surprising or revolutionary. It was groundbreaking!
"And there is something else.... I went through the list of doorways and also let the computer run a comparative check on what we know to what is stored in the cube. I discovered a doorway that might prove interesting and useful...."
Starscream reached out and pushed a few keys on the data sheet. Part of the zipped files extracted themselves and Rodimus' optics sparked bright blue.
"You can't be serious!"
"I am. It's locked and we have to find out how to open or break the locking mechanism, but it's true."
Rodimus rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Location?"
"Unknown. We have to see if we can somehow find it."
"We can't exactly go and search, Starscream."
"But maybe we have to. The doorways are only listed by planetary locations, not by continents on the planet." Starscream shrugged. "And there are people we can send and who wouldn't stand out like a Cybertronian does."
"It might be dangerous."
"But the only way."
The Autobots' second-in-command nodded slowly. "Thank you, Starscream. Dismissed."
Starscream's mouth curled into a wry smile. "Always a pleasure."
When the door had closed after him, Shanygn turned and looked at her partner. "He is right and you know it. We can't exactly go and contact the local government, ask them and hope everything will work out fine. And the doorway has to be found and maybe secured. We don't know what happened to the Gatekeeper, we don't know why it was sealed and whether or not there is a way to break the seal."
He sighed deeply and buried his head in his hands. "Shan, this isn't as easy as you make it sound," he muttered. "Our diplomatic relations are still strained and we need to be careful. Who knows what avalanche this might kick loose!"
"Undercover," was all the blue-haired woman said.
"No way!"
"Roddy.... you know that human Interfaces won't exactly stand out! And their partners can hide and wait. We need to find the doorway!"
Rodimus looked up and gazed at her. Shanygn was dead-serious and it was a dead-serious situation. A locked doorway, apparently no Gatekeeper, and a planet that didn't exactly welcome Cybertronian life.
"Optimus needs to know about it," he finally said. "And maybe the whole Council if it comes down to that."
"You are in charge of doorways," Shanygn reminded him.
He muttered something under his breath and she chuckled. Finally the young Prime rose and walked over to where she sat on the window sill. He stared out of the window in silence, trying to decide what would be best. Of all the planets a mysteriously locked doorway could be located, why Earth?

* * *

"The problem lay in the energon coils of the rear transwarp engines. We didn't take into account the flux of the energy funneled through the coils as the engines lock in with the doorway tunnels." Hook gestured at a large model of the engine in question. "We fixed the coils, strengthening their intake capacity, and added some more shielding to the core unit. That Axis II has made a first test run already and everything looks fine."
"It did so the first time as well," Megatron pointed out calmly.
Hook shot him a slightly nervous look. As a Constructicon he hated nothing more than an invention or design going so utterly and devastatingly wrong. Not only had the first model shown faults -– but that was kind of normal for test ships – now the Axis had actually gotten lost and crashed. It was a miracle no one had died.
"We now have all the relevant test data and the recovered flight recorder of the Axis told us everything we needed. The Axis II is ready for flight and the crew has already cleared the flight route."
Megatron nodded and dismissed the engineer. Axis II would lift off soon, with the same crew as the last time. Spike and his Protogens might have just crashed the first model, but they were climbing back onto the horse, as humans said. It was commendable and it was necessary. The transwarp ships were a valuable addition to the fleet and if the Axis II was successful, more ships of the same type would be constructed to help with the doorway explorations. The error that had led to the discovery of a new world and some very interesting facts. Optimus Prime wanted to know more about the Transorganics who had developed on this world, and though the word 'Transorganic' instilled rather negative feelings in a lot of Cybertronians, those who lived on this planet were vastly different from their ancestors on Cybertron, those who had to be destroyed to save the planet. A small convoy of explorers and off-world specialists was currently heading for the as-to-yet unnamed planet – it only had a number in the doorway system map – and they would get reports about their success.
Tikemi and Avver, two Transorganics, would be their diplomatic contacts and meetings with the clan elders had been arranged. If Megatron understood it correctly, there were several clans of Transorganics on the planet, some coming more closely to the Mab, others more like Tikemi's clan. It would be highly interesting. And there was still the mystery of the Gatekeeper of the destroyed doorway: who was she? Where had she gone? What had happened?
Closing the files he still had open on his screen, Megatron looked around the quiet office. He still had a lot to do, but right now he didn't feel inclined to get lost in a jungle of paperwork. A small shadow moved lithely through the office room and jumped onto his desk, smoothly evading the towering stacks. Green optics glowed knowingly and Megatron automatically felt his defenses go up. Somehow just seeing this Pest and Nuisance got his energon pressure up, though not in a dangerous way.
"What?" he asked levelly.
Sparks tilted her head, tail flicking once. "Nothing," she purred and curled up in the middle of his desk.
Megatron shook his head and sighed. Why couldn't she pester someone else? Soundwave for instance. She was hanging around with Ravage much too often lately for his liking. His only consolation was that there was no more Ralyk to pull another stunt like the last time, so another bunch of kittens was out of the question – hopefully! With a snort of disgust he rose and left the office room, walking down the corridor of West Central's command level, heading for the conference room. As expected he met his counterpart in the empty halls. Optimus Prime stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the busy preparations below. From here you had a great view of the small port belonging to the test labs. Axis II was currently checked down there. Megatron joined him silently, the two leaders watching the workers crawl over every inch of the ship in companionable silence.
"You are planning to investigate the Terran doorway?" Megatron asked after a while.
Prime nodded, his optics still fixed on the Axis II. "We are assembling a team already. Most of them will be Interfaces. Their link to their partners gives them a valuable resource and it gives us the secure knowledge of their whereabouts."
"Earth is dangerous territory."
"For Cybertronians it is. The situation on Earth has not changed and we are still treading on very thin ice, but we have to locate this doorway before Earth does."
"They don't know about it," Megatron pointed out.
A wry expression crossed over Prime's visible face. "One day they will know about it one way or the other. I want this doorway secured and locked, not just locked. Wherever it is, we need to find it."
The Decepticon leader had to agree, though in his optics it was a futile mission. A waste of time and manpower. The Earthlings wouldn't be able to use the doorway even if they discovered it, mainly because, as Starscream had said, it was locked. It had never been assigned a Gatekeeper.
"When will this team leave?" he now asked.
"Impossible to tell. We want small teams and they have to cover a lot of ground. The two doorway teams are trying to give us a better fix on the location of the structure, though that is close to impossible, and a special team has been assigned to start searching for possible locations. It will take a while to assign search quadrants."
They lapsed into silence again, watching as small drones towed the Axis II back into the hangar. Her launch was scheduled to happen tomorrow, hopefully with no problems, and the exploration of the doorways would take another step. Megatron raised his gaze to the star-speckled sky. And hopefully catastrophes would be the very low on the priority list.