Arc 1: 17 Alliance

by Macx

More Cybertronians, both Decepticons and Autobots, disappear. Circumstance force both sides to consider an alliance. And when the Cybertronian doorway goes rogue, things get slightly hot!

Alliance
by Birgit Staebler
The fortress floated through space at a pace that told every flyer-by that it was not really heading somewhere. Looking closer several blaster marks could be distinguished. The outer hull had been breached in several areas around what seemed to be the main door and the doorway was open. Something small was approaching the fortress and aiming for the blasted open main door. It was tiny compared to the fortress and disappeared inside it like a fly inside a house. The figure was a robot, larger than most creatures in this part of the universe, but still small. It was colored in a formerly rich honey gold and blue, but the colors seemed to have faded, as if a fine layer of gray clung to his skin. The robot landed in front of a throne-like construction, which was occupied by another robot, which watched the other's arrival with emotionless features.
"The damage is nearly repaired," the arrival said calmly. "We have to reseal the hatch doors to keep up the impression."
"Good work, Rae. The moment this fortress is concealed again, continue. What is the word from the assault team?"
Rae looked slightly hesitant. "Anrhenjx reported back. The object of the attack is resisting."
The other one scowled. "In what way?"
"Time distortions, mainly. Anrhenjx reported they have been fighting against the defenses for nearly a century now."
The robot on the throne cursed softly and rose, stepping around some debris that looked suspiciously like it had been a robot not so long ago. "It won't be able to hold that up for long!"
"What if it can, Ath'antheia?"
Ath'antheia shook his head. "It won't. Concentrate on getting our disguise working again, then remove the scrap from the room." He kicked at a loose piece of what had remained of an arm. The hand separated from the wrist and rolled a few inches away.
Anrhenjx looked down at it, then at the other remainders, his dead eyes showing no emotions at all. None of their facial features worked and their optics were as dead as the bodies they possessed, but still he managed to look disgusted. He nodded and gestured at two more robots, both having the same gray film covering their bodies and both their faces displaying nothing. Their optics were dark. Now they walked forward, starting to remove the body parts.
"What about those who escaped?" Anrhenjx asked as if in an afterthought.
"Unimportant. They are renegades, considered outlaws even by their own people. If the humanoids return to their planet, they will be killed. The same happens if their robotic partners try to rejoin their old forces." Ath'antheia watched the removal of more bodies, not all of them robotic. "Let them be."

And the fortress continued drifting. Several standard days later it started to move under the power of thrusters, slowly turning and heading toward the border of the known universe, though it didn't cross into known territory. It aimed for something else....

* * *

The room was held in twilight and only the glowing chart lit up the area around the sole occupant. Soundwave stopped in the doorway and looked at his leader. Megatron was studying the chart and frowning slightly. He had been sitting here for hours, not moving, his optics fixed on this chart. No one had dared to approach him, except maybe for Cyclonus, but the Decepticon lieutenant had changed since Raven had left and he was keeping a lot to himself. His loyalty wasn't a question, but he had grown more and more quiet, his only contribution to an argument a glare or a sharp look. It worked, Soundwave had to confess, but it was a long way from the Cyclonus he had known.
"What do you want?" Megatron asked and drew Soundwave out of his musings, surprising him a bit. Megatron had the uncanny ability to see more than people wanted him to see.
"Another message has come in," Soundwave reported and stepped beside the chair. He looked at the chart. It displayed the known and cartographed universe, though it was not a valid one. The universe changed daily and no effort would ever be enough to pin down a working copy. But this map wasn't displaying the actual situation exploration-wise. Several planets at the 'upper' border were marked with warning signs. Soundwave knew what it meant and this was also a reason why he was here.
"And?" Megatron asked, still looking at the planets, his chin resting on steepled fingers.
"A meeting has been proposed."
Megatron smiled slightly. A glint appeared in his red optics. "Where?"
"Halicon."
"Ah."
Soundwave was bit confused by the reaction. "What shall I tell them?"
Megatron tapped his chin with one forefinger. "Tell them yes."
Soundwave's visor flashed once. "As you wish, Megatron."
When he had left Megatron called up some more data and the frown deepened as more planets were marked by warning signs. He felt disturbed and when he read the data he had received in the last few years through secret messages, he was even slightly scared. With a brisk movement he shut down the projection and walked out of the room.

* * *

His name was Defcon and he was an Autobot. His profession was easily described and needed no explanations: he hunted Decepticons. It was an easy way of living for him. Look for the quarry, hunt them down, kill them; one or more Cons less to worry about. Until recently nothing had ever changed this life of his and he didn't really want it to change. Then the unexplained disappearances had been heard of. For years, robots disappeared from the worlds at the borders of known space. None of them had ever been heard of again. After more and more robots vanished without a trace, Defcon had decided to look into this mystery, especially since many Autobots had disappeared. That Decepticons had vanished as well was something he ignored now. If those Cons were behind it, they'd of course stage it like this, that no suspicion fell on them. So he and his partner, an organic reptilian named Slizardo, had flown off to the small moon where a whole ship of Autobot civilians had vanished.
Defcon landed on the deserted piece of rock which held some very interesting mineral resources and which should have been cartographed by the civilians. There was no trace of them anywhere, not even a piece of scrap metal, blaster burns, signs of a fight. Nothing at all. He frowned and started to search more thoroughly. Slizardo muttered nervously, regarding the emptiness around him suspiciously. Defcon knew his smaller partner didn't like this, just like he himself. Something was wrong, but what?
After several hours of search Defcon was none the wiser. Not sign! he thought in frustration. The Decepticons were good, but not that good! Suddenly he heard a soft noise, like footsteps on sand. He turned slowly and stared at the other robot in surprise for a brief second. He hadn't even heard him until he was directly behind him! Slizardo gave a startled hiss, his blaster ready in his hands.
The stranger was tall, maybe two heads larger than he was, and built like a battering ram. Clearly a soldier, he thought, a warrior. No doubt about it. He was colored in bright blue and green. As Defcon looked into the other's optics he shuddered. They appeared completely devoid of life, dead.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
The other robot regarded him with those dead eyes as if he was scanning him. Defcon shuddered again. This was eerie. He looked at the symbol on the other's chest and didn't recognize it. It had not the slightest thing in common with a Decepticon or Autobot symbol, or any other symbol he knew.
"Identification: Autobot. Possible third generation," the robot said with a flat voice. "Unacceptable."
And then he raised his weapon and blasted Defcon right there. The movement was so fast, Defcon didn't have a chance to react. He felt the blast tear into his chest and stun him. He was still conscious and his internal self-check told him that nothing vital had been torn, but he was completely paralyzed.
Slizardo screamed in protest and raised his blaster, but the stranger caught him right in the chest and the reptilian bounty hunter was shot down. Defcon wanted to protest, but he was unable to move or speak.
The stranger walked toward the fallen Autobot and towered above him, the dead eyes on his victim. He grabbed the paralyzed Autobot and carried him off.

* * *

The battle had been going for decades and neither side had won any victories. The assaults on the station continued and Ralyk suffered them with stoic silence, throwing up time distortions and shields now and then, disorienting the attackers and then throwing them out of the protective bubble surrounding it. But now it was getting weary. It knew that sooner or later its attackers would find a way and when they were inside, there would be no hope. They might be the enemy, but they also knew every part of the station. They just needed to get in. And Ralyk made this task impossible right now, but as time went by, the entity was more and more worried.
It had to come to a decision.

Sphere first checked the energy level and then the bubble's consistency. Everything looked fine, but there was also a lot of strain on the outer shields and sooner or later they'd have to be renewed. But Ralyk showed no notion to channel enough energy into the shield projectors to accomplish the task. She stretched out her mind and touched the vast entity. With a sigh she pulled back. Ralyk didn't want to talk.
Starscream walked into the control room. "Anything?" he asked.
"It's not very communicative," Sphere answered. She handed him the reports.
Starscream went over them and frowned. This looked bad. "Think it's surrendering?"
She shook her head. "No. We both know it would never voluntarily surrender itself to them."
The former Decepticon nodded. He had been on this station long enough to understand its basic thoughts and workings, but only Sphere had a direct contact to it. It had bothered him at first, but now it was a fact that could not be changed.
"Any ideas?" he asked his sister.
Sphere shrugged. "We have a few more hours until the situation with the shields goes critical. After that, we have to start thinking what to do when the distortion fields go as well."
Their optics met. Both knew that their survival was not insured in case the enemy broke through. It was more than likely that they'd both be killed immediately.
Starscream only nodded. "Then we should be prepared," he said calmly.
They both left the control room.

* * *

For years everything had been rather quiet. For years they had had time to breathe, to get some badly needed time to recover, to find strength -- inside and outside. Rodimus Prime looked out over the gleaming landscape of Cybertron, feeling a strange sense of premonition. His eyes traveled up to the clear star-speckled sky and his thoughts returned to the many unimportant reports he had read in the last years and which only now seemed to flow together into something of greater significance. It had started about fifteen years ago when Chromedome had told Optimus about the strange disappearances of several robots on a small, faraway world. Optimus had sent out a team to look into these disappearances, but they had not yet found anything. Fifteen years! It was a long time in human standard years and Rodimus, through his close connection to Earth and also to his humanoid Interface, had started to think about these short years differently. It was a long time for him, dragging by, slowly coming to a halt and preparing to strike. Not only Autobots had disappeared, but Decepticons too.
Rodimus turned his eyes away from the stars. Megatron had returned, courtesy of Diana MacKenzie, but none of the great battles both leaders had thought would soon face them had happened. The Decepticons were keeping strangely quiet and Megatron was looking fiercely into the mysterious vanishing of his own people. His forces were spread out over the lonely border worlds, sometimes meeting the search teams of the Autobots, but neither of those teams ever got into a fire fight.
Then there was Nightmare's report that the doorway had started to act up now and then. First Rodimus had thought it had to be because of the experiments Perceptor and his team were running. Perceptor had come up with a computer program of the centerway inside Cybertron, a model of what the doorway might do if set in a specific way. It had taken him months to program a terminal down inside the chamber to mimic all the doorway's movements and it was still mostly a shot in the dark. He had some data on the power output when the rings were activated, but since the doorway had opened only once, he also had only this one reading to base the model on. Raven had tried several times to align the doorway, but the rings had always slid back without starting the activation sequence. It was frustrating, but it was also one small step after another.
At least he had found out many other things. Doorways were delicate constructions, easily upset and only kept in balance by few factors, Perceptor had explained in a conference once. One was the alloy they are made of; it allowed them to channel a steady flow of barely detectable energy while dormant and more energy when they activated. Another was the Gatekeeper. This statement had been greeted with disbelief, but data decoded from the control cube in the chamber verified it. Strafe theorized that Ralyk was also a controlling and stabilizing factor, but since they had no way to contact the space station or any of the two occupants there, it was a vague theory.
All factors were balanced and calibrated, fragile and strong in one. Since balance had always been a prime problem, Nightmare had added his share of knowledge to the pool of thinkers, the doorway system had finally been shut down and had only now been rediscovered by the Autobots on Cybertron. They worked hard on understanding the complicated structure, but their progress was slow.
And now the doorway was giving off strange hums only felt by the team assigned to protect it. It had been one of the many reports on his desk, which now added up to something. But what?
Rodimus Prime sighed and walked back into the complex. South Port had grown in the last years, stretching out and around the entrance of the tunnel to the doorway. Optimus was expecting him and Rodimus knew he wouldn't like what his friend had to tell him.
[Shanygn?]
[Here] was the soft and reassuring answer, a whisper in the back of his mind.
He knew she was there and he knew she wouldn't come with him to the meeting, but he just needed to hear her voice. Somehow he was nervous and he hated it. He had a good guess as to what this meeting was all about, especially since it was a private one. Neither Kup, Ultra Magnus, nor any of the other commanders had been called. Optimus had met with Midnight shortly before the Sentinel had gone to Alean and Rodimus still didn't know what this meeting had been about.
Rodimus stopped in front of the door to the office of the Autobot leader. He inhaled slightly, a human characteristic he had adopted, though he needed no air, then he knocked and stepped inside.
Optimus sat behind his small conference table and looked up with a smile in his optics as his second entered. Rodimus sat down on one of the chairs, feeling slightly uneasy. They had met here too many times to keep track of, but every time it was a private meeting it meant Optimus was about to tell him something he didn't want the others to know and something Rodimus would really hate.
"The search team has reported in again," the Autobot leader began without preamble. "Still no traces, but a few leads as to who might be behind it." He gave Rodimus the report. "It's the first time we have a description."
Rodimus read over it and stopped as he came to the paragraph where the 'witness' had described the symbol on the stranger's chest. He looked at Optimus and the older Autobot nodded, even though Rodimus had not said a thing.
"And you talked about it with Midnight?" Rodimus finally asked.
Optimus nodded again. "Yes. And Raven. She confirmed that this is a symbol of one of the First Ones; a warrior to be correct."
"But why?"
"We have no idea." Optimus interlaced his fingers. "But I feel we are in danger. They only take out Cybertronians and there is no trace of either the kidnappers or the kidnapped. Looking at the locations .... they are moving slowly toward Cybertron."
Rodimus had to agree. This was what the many reports he had read throughout the last years told -- if you read them together. "And now?"
"I'm going to Halicon."
The younger Autobot looked puzzled. "Halicon? Why?"
Optimus hesitated a moment. This had been going on behind Rodimus' back and even though Silhouette had eventually found out about it -- she knew him too well, he thought sourly; this connection between them, initiated through the short time she had spent inside of him, sometimes freaked him -- she had kept her word and said nothing to her partner. Telling him now would result in more than just an exclamation of disbelief. Rodimus would erupt into furious yelling. And Optimus was correct.
"What?!" Rodimus exclaimed, exploding from his chair. "You want to meet with the Decepticons? With Megatron? Are you completely out of your mind?"
Optimus looked mildly at him. Every of his other officers would have been shocked by Rodimus' way of addressing the Autobot leader, but not Optimus. He knew his second. Rodimus had little respect for rank, mainly because he had once been Autobot leader as well -- and it had left its mark.
"You must have a chip lose!" Rodimus went on. "How can you even think of meeting with him? He'll blow you up the second he has a clear shot."
Optimus smiled slightly. "He won't."
"Oh? How come? Did you ask a fortune teller?" Rodimus asked acidly. "The Decepticons never missed a chance to take us out!"
"I have exchanged data with Megatron for the last decade," his older friend said calmly. "It wasn't on a regular basis, but it helped shape a picture of what is going on at the border worlds."
Rodimus gaped at him. "A decade? And you kept it a secret?! Why!?"
"Because I knew what your reaction would have been. You would have objected."
"You're damn right I would have objected. Optimus, this is madness!" Rodimus shook his head. "You can't seriously think about going through with it!"
"I already arranged the meeting. If it calms you down a bit, I'll have three Sentinels with me. Midnight agreed to dispatch F/X, Knight and Chase to accompany me."
"No, it doesn't calm me down! It makes me even more furious!"
"I can see that."
"I'm coming as well!" Rodimus ground out.
"No."
Their optics locked.
"You can't make me stay!" Rodimus hissed.
'Try me,' the second pair of blue optics told him.
Rodimus' glare was defiant; Optimus looked back sternly. Their wills battled against each other and the air between them seemed to thicken visibly. Optimus knew his second-in-command and he had a lot of experience fighting him in these private meetings no one ever heard anything about outside this room. Rodimus was the only one who dared to really stand up against him, addressing him like an equal, not some kind of god-like, all-knowing and wise leader -- which Optimus wasn't and had never wanted to be, but time had a way of shaping leaders this way, especially those coming back from the dead......

In another room in the complex, Shanygn winced slightly as a wave of pure and furious anger hit her. Her shields were up, but it was still not enough to keep out this tidal wave. She stretched out her mind and found the glowing, white-hot mind of Rodimus. The 'color' alone told her that this was an anger he wouldn't want to lose for at least a few more rounds of screaming at Optimus Prime. There were no true colors concerning this kind of telepathy, but for Shanygn, Rodimus' mind was normally a calm, blue and gentle sea. Now it was a nightmarish white-hot pulse.
[Calm your temper or you gonna blow a fuse] she said softly.
His anger turned her way and she sighed deeply. [Keep out of it!] he hissed.
[Then keep your emotions under control, Roddy] she advised with a smile.
The result was another mental growl and she retreated.
"Rodimus?" someone asked and she became aware that she wasn't alone.
"Yes," she sighed and Kyle Scott smiled. "He's being a pain in the butt again."
The other Interface simply grinned. Shanygn concentrated on her book again. She had time to grill him for this explosion later.

Rodimus, slightly off balance by Shanygn's intervention, finally turned away with a disgusted noise and slumped back into the chair. Optimus, who had no idea that his partner's Interface had had a short word with him, allowed himself a tiny smile, though not of triumph. He didn't feel triumphant, only satisfied that this was settled.
"I need you to take care of a few other things while I'm gone," he said softly and Rodimus struggled to get his anger under control, he saw.
"Okay," the younger Autobot sighed.
Optimus shot him an amused look, which was answered by a new glare, then Rodimus concentrated on the things to do.

* * *

Melissa Witwicky tried to stretch her legs in the narrow cockpit of the Sentinel jet and immediately kicked against the metal.
"Ouch," Spellbinder laughed. "What's up? Cramps?"
Mel sighed. "No, but soon if we don't touch down in the next minutes. I've been sitting for a whole day, doing nothing but listening to some kind of idiot talking about all the dry stuff I already know. What ever bit me to go that training weekend?"
There was another chuckle, this time coming from the front seat. Kayla, Spellbinder's Interface, smiled broadly. "Your father asking you to come by some time?"
Mel smiled as well. "Well, yes, maybe that was one of the factors. But still: my mother could have explained this better!"
It wasn't a derogatory remark. Carly Witwicky had a deep understanding of Cybertronian technology, though it didn't border to the extreme insight her daughter had.
"We'll be entering the warp gate in a minute, so relax. You'll be back on Cybertron in no time. I bet Nightmare is missing you already," the Sentinel teased her.
"Like a sore relay," Kayla muttered.
Melissa made a face.
Melissa Witwicky was the daughter of Spike and Carly Witwicky, the Earth's primary Ambassador to Cybertron and his wife. Unlike her brother Daniel, who was the liaison of Nebulos to Earth, Mel had never been very much into the diplomatic business. Her father had told her she was more like her mother, interested in computer technologies and always tinkering with one thing or another. She already knew a lot from her exposure to Perceptor and First Aid, who were always ready to teach her and applied directly for an assistant's job to First Aid. The medic had been genuinely surprised and only too ready to teach her more. Through it, Mel had a very thorough knowledge of Transformer technologies, but she was still in training.
Spellbinder approached the warp gate and then entered it. From one second to another the world turned inside out. Mel watched the strange landscape streak by. She liked her job, which gave her all the time and chances in the world to experiment and explore, and also to help. Her skills were superb and First Aid said she was a natural. Her father had once had her tested for unusual skills and she had exceeded in the empathy department. Somehow she had developed a strong empathic link where technology was concerned. She picked things up from those around her, mainly First Aid and Perceptor, and stored it in her mind. Repairing stuff was a second nature to her and she picked up new things like nothing. Steve had once called it a kind of Interface, though it didn't enable her to really Interface in the sense of the word at all. She could feel emotions drift by, but not actively read them. She was training that power as well, but it was a slow go and no one could really teach her. She went along as it came and hoped it was all right.
Except for Nightmare. Their relationship was rather strange and she knew that there was more between them than a casual friendship. They were linked on an empathic level, but neither of them had ever mentioned it to each other or anyone else. Mel knew that this friendship was frowned upon, regarded with suspicion and fear by a few Autobots, mainly Optimus Prime. Optimus respected the Gatekeeper, but he also never lost a word about him. They accepted each other's presence, but that was about it.
Ever since the daughter of the Witwickys had befriended the larger equine Gatekeeper Optimus had been afraid that something might happen to her: Mel knew that much because her father had told her once. It had surprised her first, then made her very angry. She knew Nightmare since she had been two years old, crawling around his legs and giving him the fright of his long life, as he had later confessed. He had been absolutely panicky as to what to do with the overactive toddler, who wanted to play with the big 'horsey'. It had taken a lot of calming from Carly to get Nightmare to at least move his head while the child was playing between his hooves. The robot had always been very careful around her, taking incredible care not to hurt her in any way, and when she had grown, so had their friendship. When she had vented her anger and told Nightmare about Optimus Prime's behavior, he had only smiled.
Thinking back, Mel was still mortified as she recalled the day she had stormed into the office of the Autobot leader and told him what she was thinking about his interfering with her life. If she chose to be friends with an Ex-Con, then so be it! She recalled the shocked look in his blue eyes like it had been yesterday as she had yelled at him to keep out of her life. She had been fifteen then. But it had worked. Optimus had looked at her in amusement the next time they had met, but he had clearly steered away from topics concerning her friendship with Nightmare.
Mel sighed and felt a soft jolt as they exited the warp gate. Cybertron loomed up before them and Spellbinder radioed in for landing clearances. He got them seconds later and descended toward the large building of the South Port main complex. Mel felt like coming home.

* * *

Alean had a natural beauty Midnight found calming whenever he felt agitated. To the outside world the Sentinel leader seemed like a pool of serenity and calm, but that was only a protective shield. Inside there was a temper to match those of others ten times. He had learned to control it and it was rare that he snapped. Right now he felt a bit like it, but he controlled himself. He had no idea why he felt so tense and ready to break out in a fit of screaming. Everything had proceeded smoothly lately and the last few years had been rather quiet. Neither on Earth, nor on Cybertron had there been any catastrophes and Nebulos wasn't his concern.
The Sentinels had become a part of the Autobot society and there were no more problems with his people intermingling with the other Cybertronians than could be expected. Midnight had somehow, for him still rather surprising, risen to a position where he held the same rank Optimus and Rodimus had, though he never used this position as long as the two Autobot leaders were somewhere accessible to make a decision. Still he was part of the Council, a small group consisting of those who knew the truth behind the whole affair around Vector Sigma and the doorways. They weren't many and included, beside the three leaders, only Nightmare and Raven. Of course, Steve and Shanygn knew it all as well, but that was only to be expected. They were Interfaces. Only those few knew everything about their origin, the true meaning of many events in the last two decades and what it implied for their future. No other Autobot or Sentinel had any idea what Vector Sigma's role had been in the past, who the Quintessons really were and who had left the doorways; even Ralyk was a secret kept between them. Of course there were those who had explored the meaning of the doorway and Midnight believed that Perceptor, and with him the Technobots, knew a bit more than they let on, but they kept quiet about it.
And then there was Firefall, the strange female Autobot, or whatever she was, who had crashed on Earth not so long ago and who seemed to know more about their past than she wanted to admit. She had disappeared several months ago and no one had seen her again. Midnight still didn't know what to think of her and all he truly knew was that she was linked to Kup's and Optimus Prime's past.
Midnight sighed a bit, knowing this knowledge was a burden that might someday smother them if not handled carefully.
The transfer of the data stored in the vast library inside Alean to Cybertron had been completed a few months ago and those involved in the transfer were now doing their best to unearth the Archives and get them back to what they had once been. The Golden Age was slowly proceeding and the contact to those hiding in the underground had been established. More and more came out of hiding.
But still.....
Maybe it had to do with those secrets kept, the truth behind many things.
He winced as he felt something inside of him tug sharply. He had felt those strange cramps for the last few days and no self-check revealed a misfunction. Steve had told him he felt only the echoes of those cramps and he couldn't explain them either.
Suddenly a scream echoed through his mind, searing along those channels normally used by him and his Interface. It was a private line, only accessible for the two Interface partners, but now a cry of utter pain and desperation, a pleading for help, raced along those lines and Midnight gave a gasp of pain, grabbing his head. He doubled over and fell to his knees.
Fire.
Hurts.
Help me!
Have to get out.
Pain.
He moaned and felt Steve shutting the lines down, shielding him as best as he could. Emotions drifted over to Midnight, emotions from Steve, who was using another means of communication except direct words.
"A Gate," Midnight whispered, his mind making a connection between the cramps and the fiery picture he had seen for a brief second.
Steve broadcast a question.
Midnight was able to Gate, the only Sentinel with this ability, and it was like a second nature to him. A Gate was a tunnel of energy, running like a vein through the fabric of space and sometimes through time. Those tunnels could be accessed and shaped to the controller's will and desire, if he knew how. Midnight was one of those few. His body acted like a key and a code chip, opening the Gate and exiting where he wanted to exit in a matter of seconds.
"I'm feeling a Gate...." he muttered. "Open the line again."
Steve sent a protest, but Midnight shook his head.
"Do it."
Steve grumbled something and opened the line.
The scream was unnatural and high-pitched, like that of a tortured animal. Midnight recognized it as the scream of a Gate, abused and unable to maintain a steady flow of energy necessary to insure safe transport. He focused on the distress the Gate radiated and tried to find out where it was. Another scream, this time not from the Gate, echoed through him, a pleading for help. And this scream came in purely over his Interface link, not the Gate mechanism.
He stumbled back, his visor flashing.
Help me! Please!
Steve gasped. It was impossible. "Mid...." he began.
Midnight launched himself into the air and transformed. "I know where he's going to exit," the Sentinel leader said briskly, his voice cold.
Steve cursed softly.
Midnight entered the warp gate over Alean.

* * *

Spook was unable to feel anything but the burning, searing pain along his body. His mind was full of insane pictures, his own sanity trapped somewhere in the deepest and darkest pits. His instincts were telling him that he was about to die if he didn't act.
But how?
He curled, at least the thought he did it, his tail around him, whimpering. Everything hurt and the blazing agony wouldn't stop. Around him the Gate tunnel roared and flashed, its energy patterns changing rapidly. The experience was mind-numbing. He couldn't access the Gate controls; he was just an unwilling passenger in a wild sea of energy.
He screamed in pain as one of the veins running through the fabric of the tunnel touched him, burning his wing to crisp. He tumbled to one side and suddenly the colors around him changed. His mind reached out in desperation as he saw an opening forming before him.
Help me! he cried with a sob.
He had to survive. He had to tell them, even if he died afterwards....
Spook fell through the opening and air rushed past him, cooling the burning skin for a second until the friction created by his massive body falling through the atmosphere created more pain and heat.
He gasped and nearly lost his hold on consciousness. He had to stay awake, his mind told him while the insane part giggled at the sight of his second wing being burned and flaking off. And then he hit something, again and again, tumbling through a maze of whatever it was, and finally came to rest. Unwanted, the self-check came up. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't anymore, as he saw in what state he was.
He heard steps.
His optics were glazed and burned, unable to focus on whoever it was coming toward him. His thoughts were a haze and pain took over again.
Spook fought against it, but finally he shut down.

* * *

The ship moved silently and effortlessly through space, having exited the warp gate some time ago. Optimus Prime watched the approach of the planet about three flight hours away with mixed emotions. Chase was piloting the ship with Knight as a co-pilot. F/X was just walking up to where the Autobot leader sat brooding by the display screen.
"See anything interesting?" the Sentinel asked and smiled as Optimus looked up.
"Not yet," he answered, returning the smile. "And I hope I'm spared interesting sights."
F/X looked at the screen, then nodded. "You think it'll work?"
Optimus sighed. "I really hope so, F/X. If this doesn't work.... I'm not sure the Decepticons have a chance to survive."
F/X looked a bit surprised. "That bad?"
Optimus was reminded that neither of the ones accompanying him had any idea what was really behind all of this. This was a diplomatic mission and Midnight had briefed them with the necessary only. He tried to decide what to tell his friend. Finally he came up with only one word: "Yes."
The Sentinel eyed him silently for a minute, then nodded. "Okay," he said slowly. "You're about as coming forth with enlightenment as Midnight is. Leaders are too much alike." He gave Optimus a lop-sided smile, but the expression in his eyes wasn't a smile.
Optimus returned his attention back to the screen where Halicon had grown in size. The mixed emotions were still there and, if possible, had grown even worse.

* * *

"He's in a bad shape," Skywolf stated, rather unnecessarily, but nevertheless.
"Then let's put him out of his misery."
Skywolf looked up and scowled at the speaker.
Midnight didn't say a word and simply stood there, glaring back defiantly. He looked like a dark angel of death, his aura radiating off him like death rays. Skywolf exchanged a look with Jill, his Interface partner, and sighed softly. He hated it when his young friend got like this. There was no telling what he did next. Midnight was a controlled person, calm on the outside, but he had a temper deep inside that rarely exploded. But when it did.... Spook's presence might just trigger this temper -- or worse.
"We'll reactivate him step by step and see what happens," the medic went on. "His skin can be repaired later. We'll handle the vital systems first." He looked at the Sentinel leader again. "I'll call you when we get that far, Mid...."
"I'll stay," Midnight answered coolly and Skywolf winced at the tone.
"All right," he simply sighed and then went to work.

*

Spook was frightened.
It was a state of mind he wasn't used to and this frightened him all the more. His memory was fragmented into many pieces and all the pieces he could recall were filled with fear, pain and the overpowering desire to get away from here, to find someone to help him. He stretched out and his flailing mind caught something, like a beacon, calm and centered. He latched on to it like a lifeline.

*

Rodimus entered sickbay and looked over to the special treatment room, normally used for either contamination cases or quarantine. Right now it wasn't sealed, but the patient inside might soon become a case for quarantine; mainly because of who he was. The Autobots' second-in-command walked over to the room and saw Skywolf, First Aid, Kayla and Mel, all working on the large form of their newarrival. Spook really looked bad, he had to confess. Midnight stood a bit apart from the medics, just watching. Rodimus noticed how tense he appeared, how barely in control of himself. The green visor flickered now and then.
Rodimus decided that talking to him now might not be such a good idea and turned to Jill, who was just exiting the room, some files in her hands.
"How is he?" he asked quietly.
"Not good. His life signs are failing, though there are energy pulses coming up frequently," the white-haired woman answered. "I guess he's struggling, but we don't know if he has the strength to..."
A loud crash interrupted her and Rodimus whirled around. What he saw let him freeze for a second.
Midnight stood with his back pressed against the wall, his weapon aiming into the general direction of Skywolf and the others. Skywolf was shielding their patient, all the time also trying to protect the two humans present. First Aid did the same, his blue visor alive with confusion. Midnight's hand was shaking like under stress and Rodimus knew that if he lost a shot, everything would go up in chaos.
Skywolf raised his hands, his face a gentle mask, but his eyes full of anxiety. "Mid...." he began.
"Stay away from me!" Midnight hissed and his voice was shaking. The visor flickered badly now and he was trembling even more.
"Oh, no," Jill moaned softly, her hands clenched around the files, unaware that she was turning the sheets into a crumbled mess.
"What?" Rodimus demanded.
"He's flashing," she whispered. "He did it once before, right after we..." She stopped, her face displaying distress.
Skywolf took another step toward his friend. "You are dreaming," he said calmly.
Midnight clenched his hand tightly around the gun. "Yeah, right. That's what I've been doing for the last hours and you were all watching! You were trying to tell me it was reality!"
It dawned on Rodimus what had happened. He didn't know all about Midnight's past before he became Sentinel leader, only a few fragments from what Shanygn had told him, but it was enough to tell that Midnight was flashing back to those early days.
"No, Midnight, this not what it seems to be," Skywolf went on.
But Midnight was in no mood to listen. He launched himself forward, transforming in one smooth move and shot toward Rodimus. The Autobot jumped out of the way at the very last second, taking Jill with him. The woman gave a cry of surprise as two large hands cupped her, shielding her from the furious black streak. The doors of the med bay exploded under fire and then Midnight was outside.
Rodimus let Jill out of his protective hold and he gasped. "We have to help him!"
"You help your patient," a calm voice, shaking only very slightly, said, "I'll go after him."
"Wild Card, no!" Skywolf commanded and the former Seeker stopped. "You don't know what you're going up against!"
"Live and learn," Wild Card answered. He had been witnessing this from outside the treatment room, unable to act.
"He's flashing, Wild Card!" Jill called. "He thinks he's back in the VR world...." She bit her lip, shaking her head. "We had made a mistake...."
Wild Card smiled humorlessly. "Then don't make another mistake. Let me handle it. He thinks you are his enemies."
Skywolf shook his head. "So are you. So is anyone. He believes this isn't real! And he pulled Steve with him. They both experienced this and I don't know what it was that launched him this violently into flashing after such a long time, but he won't listen to anyone."
Wild Card's optics showed determination. "He will listen to me."
Rodimus had only half listened in to the conversation. He had called the command center and informed them of the situation. No one was to approach Midnight or hold him. He was too damn dangerous! Now he looked up at Skywolf, who was deeply disturbed.
"Maybe. I wish I knew what triggered this," the medic said.
"What triggered it back then when he did it the last time?" Rodimus wanted to know.
"Stress. When we took them out of the VR space, right after we discovered we were killing them through it, Steve and Midnight had nightmares about it all. Combined with the suspicion many of us still harbored, he was under a lot of stress. That's when it happened," Skywolf explained. "He was still healing from his wounds..." His voice held a hesitant note. It was a history no one wanted to remember at all, but now it was thrown right into their faces again. "Thon Roque brought him back out of it. Since then, it never happened again. Even under stress." The medic's eyes wandered to the inanimate form of Spook.
Jill frowned as he did it. "You think he has anything to do with it?" she asked.
"Could be. The last time they met, Spook wasn't exactly trying to win an award for being nice. Oh, no!" Skywolf then breathed. He ran back into the treatment room. "Mel! Can you sense anything from him? Anything at all!"
Melissa Witwicky frowned and looked intently at the large robot. "I'm not sure. You know I'm only peripherally aware of things like that. I don't have any training with ...."
"Anything!" Skywolf interrupted her.
She frowned slightly. "Now and then something seems to flash," she finally said, sounding a bit absent. "It's like someone is groping around...." she trailed off.
"Midnight said Spook used his Interface link with Steve once, communicating directly with him and thus violating his mind." Skywolf cursed softly. "He's dying and trying to latch onto a life line! And since he knows Midnight and since Midnight heard him and the Gate...."
"The contact made him flash," Jill finished tonelessly.
"Meaning what?" Rodimus demanded.
"Meaning we have to get to Spook and have him release Midnight or this will never stop!" Skywolf whispered. "We have to stabilize him, give him a chance to see he's not dying!"
Wild Card's face took on a hard note. "You do that. I'll find Mid." With that he ran out of sickbay.
First Aid had listened in to it silently. Now he and Skywolf exchanged a knowing look. This might not be so easy as it sounded.

* * *

Halicon was a planet marked by Seekers and Decepticons alike, though it had recovered under the onslaught of Braintrust years ago. The Autobots had helped clean up the mess and had then left. The natives kept away from the ruin which had once been one of their cities and had fallen to Braintrust. It was the perfect place, Optimus Prime thought as he walked down the former main street, which was littered with rubble and already reclaimed by the mother nature. Grass grew between the cracks. The two Sentinels accompanying him, F/X and Knight, were warily watching the shadows, tense and ready to defend him in case of an attack. Both were not Interfaced, something Optimus had asked for. He didn't want to risk it. Chase was with the ship.
When he arrived at the coordinates he had agreed to, the Sentinels fanned out a bit, taking in positions that gave them a better view of the area. Optimus wondered one last time if this was really such a good idea. Megatron was a Decepticon he knew and one he had respected as an enemy for millions of years. He was also clever enough to stage this meeting and then kill Prime, though Optimus didn't really believe he'd do it. Too much had changed recently and too much was suddenly at stake. Their war seemed petty compared to what they might be facing. Optimus had no clear idea what was going on around them, but from his conversations with Rodimus he knew he wasn't the only one. Something was happening and it would happen soon.
He heard the whine of thrusters and saw three Decepticons land not very far away. He forced himself to remain calm as Megatron, followed by Soundwave and Cyclonus, stepped carefully closer. He knew he looked as wary as Megatron appeared to him. They had only conversed through messengers: Soundwave's cassettes and small messenger probes supplied by Midnight. This was the first real meeting for some time and Optimus felt slightly apprehensive. Megatron was a worthy and respected foe, the one Decepticon who had managed to kill him in the end.
"I have come," Megatron stated calmly, though there was an underlying edge. His optics scanned his opponent and Optimus thought he saw a glint there, though he couldn't be sure what it was about.
"And I thank you for it," Optimus replied. "We need to talk."
Megatron raised one corner of his mouth. "You already said that through your messenger. So what is this really all about?"
Optimus didn't know how to answer this. He simply started with the facts, then went over to the assumptions and theories. He hoped this would be enough at first.

* * *

Wild Card knew he had found more than he had bargained for when he finally located Midnight. The Sentinel leader had broken every barrier and limit to flee from the South Port complex and miraculously no one had been hurt. Rodimus had thankfully given him a clear path and no Autobot was in danger of getting confronted by Midnight because of the order to keep the hell out of his way. Wild Card sent a signal he had found him and then terminated the connection, trusting in Rodimus to keep his promise that no one would interfere. He had, to tell the truth, no idea how to handle the situation, but instinct told him that he might have the best chances to talk to his friend. Midnight thought all the Sentinels were his enemies and Wild Card hoped he would, in this flashback, be associated with Seekers. The reformed Seeker just hoped that the association would go as deeply as recognition. They had never been enemies and Wild Card cherished this friendship.
Jeff Interfaced with him as he transformed. "You think he'll really listen?" the human asked quietly.
"Let's hope he won't shoot; everything else has to be seen," Wild Card answered calmly as he approached the lonely building.
Midnight had chosen one of the East continent's unpopulated districts to touch down and Wild Card thought it was rather freaky here. Everything was in a bad state of disrepair and would be the ideal hideout for rebels and other unwanted people. His scanners were on full, though he more or less fixed on Midnight's barely detectable signature.
Jeff sighed. "If he's under completely, we might have a problem."
Both knew about the torturous experience Midnight had had in the VR world the Sentinels had created, trying to find out whether their Interface was real or forced by the Seekers. It had nearly killed both of them, driving Midnight to the edge of insanity as he had tried to protect Steve from dangers that were just imagined, not real. Wild Card shuddered as he thought about this cruelty and what he would have done in Mid's place. When Mid had told him about this not so long ago, Wild Card had been completely shocked. If someone tried to hurt Jeff.... His Interface sent a calming wave of trust and reassurance. This would not happen and they had to concentrate on their goal here. Wild Card nodded and stepped into the building.
He found Midnight in one of the basement rooms, his infinitely black form nearly disguising him completely in the shadows. Only the flashing of his visor betrayed him.
"Midnight?" Wild Card asked softly.
The Sentinel leader trembled, his arms wrapped around his body. "No," he moaned softly and Wild Card's fuel pump clenched slightly at the distressed sound.
"It's me, Wild Card," he went on, carefully coming closer.
Midnight looked at him, but Wild Card bet he didn't really see him. He saw something provided by the flashback.
"This is not real," Midnight whispered.
"What you see is not real," Wild Card affirmed, "but you are not in a VR space. You are flashing."
His friend doubled over as if he had cramps, gasping. "They are killing him!" he whispered, pain and agony clear in his voice. "Have to save him...."
"Do you remember me?" Wild Card asked, taking another step forward.
The green visor fixed on him. "You are not real."
"I am. I'm very real. Do you know me?"
"Wild Card." The voice faltered.
"We are friends, remember? I would never hurt you..."
Midnight cried in agony and suddenly materialized his gun, aiming at his friend. "This is not real!" he insisted. "You want to separate us!"
Wild Card jumped out of the way of the shot, but it nevertheless hit his wing. Jeff cursed softly and the Sentinel rolled back onto his feet again, raising his hands.
"Mid!" he insisted. "You are flashing! You are experiencing a nightmare!"
Midnight's visor flared with bright energy and he screamed again, his gun clattering to the floor. "No! It will kill him! He has to live! It's my fault! Don't make him suffer for it!"
Wild Card felt a sense of deja vu as he heard the words. He had felt the same as Midnight when he had Interfaced with Jeff, only that he had had support, not opposition right from the start. He approached Midnight's trembling form. The insane light in the visor was growing. Wild Card wished he had an idea what Thon Roque had done to bring him around.
Suddenly Midnight lashed out and Wild Card used everything at his disposal to fight back as Midnight attacked him for real. Both were Interfaced completely and both had abilities far superior to others, but Midnight was driven by a sense of utter protectiveness. Wild Card stumbled under the blows, gasping as one tore deeper than expected. He managed to pin Midnight with a blow of his own and, to his own disgust, hit one of the veins. Midnight screamed as he skin broke, but he had no sense enough to harden the skin. He was too absorbed in his nightmare to register simply things like this.
"He'll fight to the end!" Jeff breathed.
"I don't want to hurt you!" Wild Card told his friend as he pinned him down, finally getting him under control for at least a few second. He knelt on him, wishing he had a few more tons of weight to insure Midnight wouldn't throw him off. His own design was too light to really keep the struggling Sentinel leader down for long. "All of this is a flashback! Midnight, you have to listen to me!"
"Why don't you just kill me?" Midnight whispered weakly. "Get it over with and kill me."
"NO!" Wild Card yelled. "This is not real! Listen to yourself! Listen to Steve! I know he's somewhere inside and dreaming as well!"
The dark body beneath him trembled badly and he felt the slick 'blood' flowing down Midnight's upper arms where Wild Card's grip was crushing the veins lying open. It disgusted Wild Card even more.
"He's not anywhere close to reality," Jeff stated flatly.
"We have to get him to see it!" Wild Card insisted.
"And how?"
The former Seeker stared into the twisted face of his best friend. There was no way he could get deep enough to access the Interface link. That was impossible. He opened a line only used by them and called softly.
The answer was another tremor running through Midnight. "No," the leader protested weakly. "Not real."
It is real>> Wild Card sent over the connection. Only the two of us use this private channel. I called you on it shortly after I Interfaced with Jeff. You are flashing, Mid!>>
Midnight gasped and his body arched under Wild Card. The Sentinel tightened his grip and more blood flowed. Midnight moaned in pain.
"It's not working!" Jeff called in despair.
"It has to!" Wild Card ground out and started to tell Midnight things out of their past.
Suddenly Midnight screamed again and threw him off. He stumbled away, his stabilizers clearly failing. Wild Card made one last desperate lunge and tackled him. He slapped him across the face and Midnight's head flew around.
LISTEN TO ME!>> Wild Card yelled with all his power over the line.
Midnight flinched violently.
Wild Card's hands were slippery with the fluids Midnight was losing, but he didn't care as he grabbed the slightly stunned Sentinel leader and pushed him up against a wall.
This is a DREAM; a NIGHTMARE! It's not REAL. Get yourself together! This might kill Steve if it doesn't kill you first!"
"No," Midnight moaned and struggled a bit. "He has to live....!
"Then stop fighting me! I'm real, the world you see isn't!"
Wild Card held his breath, almost literally, and waited. Midnight's face showed strange expressions, then he seemed to collapse, his full weight falling into Wild Card's arms.
"No," he breathed again, shivering slightly.
"Don't go into shock here!" Wild Card ordered, roughly grabbing his shoulder and pushing him up. If Midnight did go into shock, his bit of medical knowledge told him, this might end with another flash. "Do you hear me?!"
Midnight raised his head and stared at Wild Card. "You are real?" he asked, his voice pathetically weak and slurred.
The other Sentinel nodded, wincing at the vulnerability his friend displayed. For a second he had the insane wish to beat everyone involved in the original VR torture to pulp. How could anyone do this to a living being?
"I'm real," he said gently. "So is everything except for this flash. We have to get you back to med bay."
"No!" Midnight protested. He started to tremble again.
Wild Card frowned. Spook was in med bay and he was responsible for the condition Midnight was in right now. Was Midnight aware of this or had his aversions for med bay a different origin? He was truly afraid to go there!
"You need medical attention," he insisted nevertheless.
"Not med bay," Midnight whispered, losing his battle against the threatening darkness.
Wild Card shook him again. "Stay awake!" he ordered. "I'll get you to someone else, then."
Midnight's protest was barely heard. Wild Card dragged him to his feet, wishing he could Gate. Now he had to carry him back and it would be a real problem, with the weight and all.

* * *

The sensation was that of a rebirth. She gasped and clutched he chest, doubling over. A warm sensation spread through every nerve ending, every circuit and seemed to embrace her. Something whispered through her mind, brushing her thoughts.
Gaelon?>>
The answer was a warm wave of emotions, followed by a gentle, Yes>>
She was confused and happy in one, suddenly feeling whole again. You are back!>> she whispered, her mind voice shaking with emotions.
Yes. Because They are coming>> was the soft answer. It won't be much longer>>
The female host knew that by the definition of her friend 'not much longer' was open for interpretation. It could mean anything from weeks to millennia. She decided not to ask for a more definite answer.
Who is coming?>>
Tji. Many of them. They are close>>
She shuddered. No..... What will we do?>>
I'm not sure>>
Then we have to fight!>> she said fiercely.
There was a silence inside of her that seemed to stretch through every single cell.
Eventually .... yes>> was the slow, reluctant answer.

* * *

Spook was peripherally aware that this was not his own mind. The insanity all around him had quieted down and he was able to think more or less clearly. He looked around and saw a strange landscape, a natural landscape. He moved carefully around and was suddenly flung away from the landscape into a position more associated with watching than really being part of something.
And he watched, confused by the sudden change of view. What he saw made his skin crawl and emotions swamped him.
Someone was running. He recognized the black Sentinel he had met years ago on Cybertron, the one who had shown him that Interfacing had taken place and that the robots created as offspring from his own race were truly capable of what the Creators had wanted them to be. Midnight, he remembered, the Sentinel was called. The two of them had not met on friendly terms and their battle had been rather violent, with Spook ending up taunting him over the Interface link. Looking back at it now, Spook felt a bit ashamed by his actions. It had been a violation of privacy and he had only done it to display superiority, a streak still alive from his origin. Right now Midnight looked like he was in no shape to battle anything larger than a microbe. He stumbled and lost his footing.
Something loomed up over the Sentinel and it looked like a giant robot, badly distorted, but the Sentinel symbol was clearly visible.
Midnight screamed in protest and fired volley after volley at the horror, retreating. One hand clutched his chest.
Spook was overwhelmed by emotions of panic and a fierce sense of having to protect his Interface partner from those who wanted to separate them. Spook blinked.
The scenery changed and Midnight lay on a table, his skin all but gone, gleaming metal covered by sticky, yellow blood. He screamed and tried to go up against the bonds. Beside him, on a table, lay a human figure, unconscious and white as a sheet.
Spook again got the overwhelming impression of having to protect the human from harm, to kill those who wanted to get to him, to utterly destroy them. Midnight suddenly got free and reached for the human, his fingers trembling. Shadows detached themselves from the walls and moved to intercept. Midnight fell to his knees, sobbing and curling his arms around himself. Spook felt desperation rise inside of him as he saw the young Sentinel suffer.
This is a nightmare! he thought and was suddenly aware that it was just that. Realization hit him like a cold wind. His mind cleared from all confusion and he knew where he was. Midnight's mind. Inside Midnight's nightmare, which was, he also knew now, old and a still open wound.
He moved in on the Sentinel leader, trying to tell him it was just a nightmare, that it was not real. Midnight raised his head and feverish bright optics fixed on Spook. Defiance, anger, rage, agony, utter emotional pain; all that flooded over him and he pulled back with a hiss of surprise.
Then he was flung away from the desperate figure, traveling back to another place at lightspeed.
Sound hit him.
Sensations of light, metal beneath his hurting body, pain in his limbs, and soft voices flooded over him. His memory supplied him of the last events before the shut-down and he remembered Gating, fleeing from the lifeless creature he had once known as Omen. He activated his optics and focused on the first thing he saw. It was a human, he realized after some time of staring at the for him tiny figure. The human was looking at him with a calculating look, dark brown hair framing a pale face with equally dark eyes.
"He's back," the human said and he determined from the voice that it was female.
Someone stepped into his line of view. This one was much bigger and clearly a robot. Spook recognized the Sentinel symbol on the black chest. Silver intermingled with the black.
"He's reactivating quite nicely," the Sentinel said calmly, his voice very reassuring.
Spook tried to speak. "Where...?" he croaked.
"Give your repair systems time," the Sentinel admonished. "You've been through a lot."
Spook hissed in frustration at his inability to speak. He briefly wondered if he could access this Sentinel's Interface link, then decided after the last catastrophic outcome and their possible knowledge of just who their patient was, he wouldn't try it. He tried to raise his head, which was easier than he had thought, but someone pushed him back and he discovered an Autobot standing with the Sentinel.
"Need to ... talk to...leaders...."
"Stay calm," the Autobot said, his voice very gentle. "Your circuits need rest."
"No!" Spook growled, but it was only a wheeze.
"You think you can handle him?" the Sentinel asked.
The Autobot nodded. "Go and see after your friend. He needs you more now."
Spook rearranged his optics, swiveling them behind their golden-yellow cover a bit without anyone noticing it, so he could look around a bit. He gasped inaudibly as he saw a motionless, black form he knew lying not far away from him. Another black robot was bending over Midnight, this one clearly female and the female was wearing a symbol identifying her as a Key. Then his line of view was blocked by the Autobot.

* * *

The base had been set up shortly after the catastrophic loss of Cybertron to the rebel slaves and so it could be called rather old and ancient. The Quintessons stationed there, tending to the machinery and supplying the few still active Quintesson ships with parts and fuel, were firm in their belief that no one and nothing would ever even think about attacking them. One reason was that this system was outside any known space and on a map it would be a dot on the other side of the border. So the chief controller, an Enforcer, was surprised when he picked up a ship coming closer. He checked on the ship's ID code signature but came up empty. He checked again with one of the long range scanners and was greeted by a marginally better result. At least the overall construction hinted toward its origin. He was a bit puzzled, though. Cybertronian? Surely no Cybertronian would ever venture outside the known universe!
The ship came even closer and he discovered that it looked rather unusual for a Cybertronian ship and it had no markings. Where a marking might have been in former times was only an empty space, which looked like the mark had been burned off. The Quintesson Enforcer called his superiors and waited for them to check his data while he watched the ship come even closer. It looked more like a floating city, he decided and puzzled over that.
"Destroy the ship."
The command came in seconds later and he nodded. Yes, that was the only logical choice. He touched the weapons controls and swiveled the cannons into position.
The ship opened up a large door at the front and several small objects flew toward them. The Enforcer ignored them. They would be of no consequence after the destruction of the ship.
He was proven wrong.

* * *

Wild Card had first called Raven, then carried Midnight under a lot of strain to the entrance to the tunnel leading to the doorway chamber. Raven had already expected him. Her diagnosis confirmed what Wild Card had been afraid of all the time. Midnight was slipping, becoming catatonic. Even though Wild Card protested first, Raven had Midnight brought to med bay. He needed help, badly, and out here this help could not be given.
Rodimus strode into the med bay waiting area, his optics displaying worry. "Any change?" he asked the likewise worried Sentinel.
Wild Card shook his head. "No. They can't keep him from slipping further away and it looks like the whole thing might start once more. Skywolf said he's reliving it all." He rubbed the place Midnight had severely punched him. "This is insanity, Rodimus!"
"What about Spook? Couldn't they disconnect him?"
Jill joined them, looking tired and worn. "We thought we had. He's slowly coming around and was conscious for some time, but Midnight is too far gone inside his own nightmares to realize that the trigger has disappeared."
Rodimus looked over at the bustle in the treatment room. "What if he doesn't come out?" he asked the dreaded question.
"We don't know," Jill confessed tiredly. "Mel proposed trying an empathic link, but she is not strong enough for it. None of us can enter the Interface link."
Rodimus knew what it meant. If Midnight kept himself inside this vicious circle, there was no helping him. "Keep me informed," he said softly, then left again. When he was back in his office, he fell into his chair, suddenly feeling as tired as right before a complete shut down. There was so much else to do and not enough time; and too many problems piled up all around him. With Optimus on his way to Halicon, he had even more worries than ever. What if it didn't work? What if Optimus was wrong believing in Megatron's offer of a temporary truce while the two met on the neutral planet? He rubbed his optics.
[Rodimus?]
[Yes?] he answered, trying to drag himself out of his tiredness, which was clearly emotional, not physical.
There was a short pause and he felt Shanygn take inventory of him. He hated it when she did that. [That bad?] she then asked softly.
[Worse] he sighed. [What's up?]
[I just heard from Winterhawk on Alean, Roddy. There has been a call .... from the Seekers ... they ask to meet with Midnight to discuss the terms of either a surrender or an alliance....]
[What?!] Rodimus jumped from his chair, staring at nothing specific since this conversation was taking part in his mind and Shanygn was not present.
[That's what he said. Now we have a problem]
[We do] he agreed. He thought furiously who might be able to handle this. Wild Card and Skywolf somehow shared the position of second-in-command, though neither of them were officially nominated. Skywolf was needed in med bay, so there was only Wild Card. Rodimus opened a com line and called the Sentinel.

* * *

Cyclonus exited the warp gate and Megatron watched him turn toward the planet that was their destination. There was no other ship around and except for them, there was also no artificial construction anywhere. Soundwave sat transformed beside him, connected to Cyclonus on-board systems and checking constantly for anything that might be a threat.
The Decepticon leader saw the planet loom up before them and he once more doubted his decision, though he would never confess that to anyone. The last years had been different from any of the million years he had lived. He had started to work together with his greatest foe, though it might turn out to be nothing but a cunning Autobot plan. Still, he didn't think that Optimus Prime would operate this way. When the first messages had come in he had been surprised. When he had received data from the Autobot he had been confused. And when the transfer of information had started to become a regular exchange on an irregular basis he had discovered that there were a lot of things he didn't know that Prime knew and vice versa, and together they painted a picture of looming danger and threat.
Now he was about to have the first face-to-face meeting. Megatron's lips curled into a slight smile. One reborn leader to another.
Cyclonus entered the atmosphere and Megatron concentrated on the meeting ahead.

* * *

Spook descended upon the turmoil of emotions. He had to find Midnight, had to undo the damage he had done. He knew he had triggered this by reaching for someone to hold on and survive; and he had heard it from the low level conversation of the medics around him while they thought he was unconscious. He kept on feigning unconsciousness or sleep while he frantically searched for a way to help the young Sentinel.
He found the one he was searching for as a tight ball of steel in the middle of nightmarish visions and incredibly strong emotions of fear.
Protect him.
Don't let them harm Steve.
He has to live.
The furious sense of protection, to guard the more fragile Interface inside of him, gave Spook a lot to think about. Apparently the experiment of the Creators had had success, though those who had Interfaced were humanoid. The Sentinels' sense of protection was strong and he realized that each of them would rather die than let anything happen to their partners.
"No," he breathed softly. "This is my fault."
Spook touched the steel ball and felt him shudder. Forcing himself through a thin crack he encountered a frightened and very vulnerable soul, wrapped tightly around his human Interface, which was in a coma.
"Midnight," Spook whispered, caressing the shivering being.
"Leave me alone," he moaned. "You are not real!"
"But I am real," he said calmly. "You need to trust me."
Midnight tried to get away from him and Spook cursed those who had inflicted the torture upon the young robot in the first place.
"You are needed," Spook insisted. "You can't just curl up and die!" He hesitated one second, then decided to confront the Sentinel with what he knew and what would soon be one of the greatest threats the Cybertronians had ever faced.
Midnight gasped and Spook felt the Sentinel open up a bit. "No!" he protested. "This can't be!"
"It will soon be," Spook said gently. "We need you to fight this menace. If you don't fight for yourself, your people won't fight either."
"They can't just give up!"
"But their leader gave up!" Spook shot back. "Why should they fare better?"
Midnight roused more, his energy pattern gleaming angrily.
That's the spirit! Spook cheered.
"How do I know this isn't a trick?" the Midnight asked.
"Look into yourself, young one," Spook told him, his voice soft. "I wouldn't lie to you. You and the others, the Autobots and Decepticons, the Sentinel and Seekers, are like a last line of defense. If you lose, your kind dies as quickly as it was born!"
They stared at each other and Spook opened up a bit more, giving the young leader the chance to see for himself that what he had shown him was the truth, nothing more, nothing less.
"Great Cybertron!" Midnight whispered.

*

Skywolf was jerked out of his review of several files when he heard the scrape of very soft metal against metal. He looked up and saw Midnight's green visor glow with consciousness and life.
"Mid!" he breathed and jumped up, running over to his friend's side.
Midnight turned his head as he saw him coming and smiled weakly. "Hi," he whispered.
Skywolf immediately checked his functions and was surprised to see that everything was climbing back to normal.
"Will I live?" Midnight asked with a fine smile.
Skywolf frowned. "Yes, barely. Do you know what happened to you?"
"I think I remember most of it and.... and more." He tried to get up and Skywolf pushed him back down. "Wolf, I need to talk to Rodimus!" Midnight insisted, once again trying to get up.
"He can come here. You sit back and tell me how Steve is. Can you phase him out?"
Midnight glared at his friend, though it was a half-hearted glare, without real force. He was too weak. "Yes," he finally resigned and Steve appeared lying close to his Interface partner, looking pale and completely out of it.
Skywolf handed the human to Kayla and Jill, who carried him over to the smaller treatment room.
"Call Rodimus," Midnight insisted.
"After I check you," Skywolf returned sternly. "No arguing, Mid, I'm a medic. You don't argue with medics."
Midnight sighed again and tried to relax as Skywolf started his check-up.

* * *

Nightmare watched the doorway like a specimen under a microscope. He was in his equine mode, his red optics fixed on the ring structure. He didn't move and showed no sign of being truly alive in there. Mel was starting to worry about him. After she had wrapped up the business in med bay, got herself something to eat and caught up on some necessary sleep, she had come down here to check on the Gatekeeper. She had found him like this, rigid and unaware of his surroundings. Raven had greeted her with a smile and answered her questions as to what Nightmare was doing. Apparently he was trying to scan for some anomaly inside the doorway system, which was taking his full concentration. Raven was guarding his still form and Mel settled down to do the same. She had nothing else to do right now and spending her time down here gave her at least the chance to pick up on her study of the two robots. Raven was as fascinating as a study as was Nightmare and Mel's interest in them was great.
Bat hopped closer to her, craning his neck to look at her notes and muttered something, which made Mel grin. She gave the little winged lizard a slap. Bat stuck out his tongue and flew back to settle down on Nightmare.
Raven smiled at the smaller human as she got out her laptop and began typing. She transformed and settled down on some equipment, discreetly keeping her team mate company and letting herself get subtly examined by the strange empathic powers of Melissa Witwicky.

* * *

Wild Card knew the planet and he knew the place Tornado had asked for them to meet. Skritakaar, a small planet, inhabited by intelligent, bipedal life. Jeff was surprised at the beauty of this world and immediately liked it. Skritakaar had this effect on you and it was also very calming on frazzled nerves. Wild Card had to confess he had a lot of those. He calmed down and then landed, transforming in the process.
"I was expecting someone else," a voice said and Wild Card saw Tornado stepping around a large tree.
"He's indisposed," Wild Card answered, feeling himself tense as he also saw Phoenix.
Tornado regarded him closely. "He would never send someone else, even if he was 'indisposed'," the Seeker stated.
"How would you know?" Wild Card demanded. "You never knew him."
Tornado smiled slightly. "I know you two were close friends as Seekers, but we all knew him. Where is he? Dead?"
"No," Wild Card ground out. "What do you want, Tornado? You wanted this meeting to discuss something of an alliance....."
The blue Seeker hesitated, then apparently decided to risk it. "We all know what happened lately. Robots have disappeared. There are reports about other robots, strange ones, appearing where the others have disappeared."
Wild Card's optics narrowed. He hadn't heard about that.
"Seekers have vanished without a trace as well and we seem to be the prime targets," Tornado went on. "We have no idea what is going on and our numbers are dwindling. We want to ask for an alliance."
Wild Card saw that this took a lot out of Tornado. He was a proud warrior.
"Or a surrender," the Seeker added softly.
The Sentinel shook his head. "Midnight would never ask for something like this," he said calmly. "He would welcome you, but not as defeated enemies, but as friends."
Phoenix stepped to Tornado's side. "What do you know about these mysterious vanishings?"
"Not more than you do. We are trying to find out more, but we never found traces of either those kidnapped or the kidnappers."
"Where is Midnight?" she asked again.
"Back on Cybertron," Wild Card answered truthfully.
They looked at each other, Wild Card not willing to discuss Midnight's condition. Tornado finally sighed.
"So if I want to talk to him, I have to come with you?"
"In a way."
The Seeker hesitated, then looked at Phoenix. "You stay here."
"No," she contradicted and gave him no chance to repeat the order. She transformed and hovered in the air.
Tornado muttered something that made Wild Card smile briefly. Then the two jets also transformed and flew off.

* * *

"He's awake?"
Rodimus erupted from his chair and was out of the room before Hoist could stop him. The Autobot looked after his commander and shook his head. Rodimus would never be able to suppress the temperamental side of him and Hoist had to confess he didn't really want him to.
Shanygn was already in med bay and helping Skywolf restrain their young friend as he fidgeted around, trying to get out. Rodimus blocked the doorway when Midnight finally managed to fight Skywolf off. When he saw the Autobots' second, he stopped.
"Sit!" Rodimus said sternly and pointed at the bed. "You won't leave this room until Skywolf declares you fit enough to do it."
"But I'm needed!" Midnight protested.
"We're handling everything for you right now." Rodimus smiled. "You want a briefing or you want me to come back when they have restrained you by force?"
The Sentinel sighed in defeat and walked back to the bed, sitting down. Skywolf gave a satisfied grunt and nodded at Rodimus. then left the room. Shanygn stayed.
"So, what is going on in the world outside?" Midnight asked casually.
"You tell me first what's going in there," Rodimus said and pointed at Midnight's head.
The black robot hesitated, then shook his head. Steven was asleep in the next room and not allowed to Interface right now. Midnight felt a bit empty, but he knew it was for the best.
"What did Wolf tell you?" he wanted to know.
"He told me what he suspects since you don't come forth with a confirmation. He thinks that the dying mind of Spook reached out for something to stabilize him and that this something was you, since you were once connected to him." Rodimus tilted his head. "So?"
Midnight nodded. "It's true," he sighed softly, then shuddered. "I felt the Gate he was using some time before it let him go. It screamed and yelled.... I know it's not a good description, but that is what I hear. Then I heard him, calling for help, just before he left and finally crashed down on Cybertron." Midnight clenched his hands into fists. "And when he fought for his life, he sought a life line. Bad for him that the life line proved to be pretty messed up." He smiled wryly. "I started to flash."
"I saw that."
Midnight sighed. "I can't describe it, Roddy. It's pure horror. I heard Wild Card brought me back...."
"So he did," Rodimus confirmed. "He tried to keep you awake, but you slipped into a coma." He frowned a bit. "How did you get out? What made you come around all of a sudden?"
The Sentinel leader hesitated. "Spook," he then said.
"What?!" Shanygn and Rodimus exclaimed nearly simultaneously.
"He.... contacted me again," Midnight confessed. "He told me things .... terrible things .... Rodimus, I need to talk to all of you. I need to talk to Optimus!"
Rodimus took his trembling shoulders, afraid he might simply fall back into another nightmare. "What happened?" he asked.
Midnight calmed down with sheer inner will. "What I'll tell you has to remain between the two of us for now," he said, his voice intense.
Rodimus nodded and Shanygn closed the door. Midnight was silent for a few more seconds, then relayed to the two of them what Spook had shown to him.
If Rodimus could have paled, he would have done so. Instead, Shanygn did it for him.

* * *

Sphere gasped and Starscream whirled around, just in time to see her go completely rigid.
"Sis?"
Sphere's optics went dead and she collapsed. Starscream caught her and lowered he to the floor. He had seen this reaction once before and that had been down in the computer core room, though he had only seen her lifeless body and how she had come around later.
"Damnit!" he cursed as she didn't react. He looked at the ceiling of the room. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
Ralyk was eerily silent.
"Why always her?" Starscream yelled.
Again, no answer.
The former Decepticon cursed softly again and settled down beside his sister.

* * *

Med bay was silent. Skywolf had retired to recharge and Jill was asleep. Kayla was with Spellbinder and First Aid was somewhere in the second ward to check on another patient. Midnight left his room and walked over to the quarantine station. He stopped outside and looked at the silent form in the room. Spook had looked worse when he had found him, but he still wasn't looking like his old self again. His wings had been rebuilt by First Aid, but they were nothing skeletal structures right now. His skin was colorless, but no longer burned and flaking off. As Midnight stared at him, Spook lifted his head and golden-yellow eyes came to life. Midnight felt an icy fist bury itself in his mind. Still, he had to go in there.
Slowly, very slowly, he opened the door and stepped into the room. Spook didn't move. His long tail was more or less curled up on the table, but a good part was hanging down. Midnight stopped beside the ancient creature.
"Why did you come?" Spook asked softly.
"To confirm once more that what you showed me is true."
Spook lifted his head and Midnight had to hold on to himself not to move away. "Through what? Looking at me? I don't think there is much more to do." He looked at Midnight with those intense eyes. "I showed you all there is, young one. My mind was open, I couldn't lie."
Midnight clenched his hands into fists. "Why did you do it in the first place?" he asked.
"That is the true reason why you came, isn't it? Well, I did it because I had done you harm, Sentinel. Not when we met first. You survived that, though you hate me for it." Spook smiled slightly. "Do it. It helps your kind survive against mine. Or what is left of mine." He shook his head. "This time I hurt you more, caused you and your Interface pain. I just wanted to survive long enough to give you the information I had, not more. I didn't count on surviving at all after that." The tail started to move slowly. "But I did and I owe it to those I always thought below my notice; our descendants."
Midnight believed him; he truly did. "Will you help us further?" he asked.
"How? I told you all there is to know. I am not a warrior, Sentinel."
"You are a protector," Midnight said. "Help us protect this world. Help us make it as safe as we can make it! You know about doorways, you know about the system. If all you told me comes down on us, we have to protect it."
Spook tilted his head. "Intriguing idea," he confessed.
"Will you help us?" Midnight repeated.
"Will you trust me?"
Midnight looked at him. "No."
Spook chuckled. "Good." With that he curled his tail completely around himself and rested his head on it.
Midnight left the quarantine room and leaned against the closed door when he was outside.
Next time wake me>> a tired voice said and he looked down, discovering Steven. The human looked pale, drawn and like he had been thrown out of the deepest sleep. I hate to wake up with a feeling of dread >>
Sorry >> Midnight replied and gently touched his friend's mind.
Steve smiled. I'm fine, really. Now, care to explain to me what this whole nightmare was all about? >>

* * *

Sphere woke slowly, her optics coming to live with their usual, emerald glow. Starscream felt it even before it happened. Their bond as a team was very close and the last hundred years had shown him just how close they were. Ralyk had planned them as a team, he knew, and it had succeeded. She was his partner and, even closer, his sister. They were of the same design and they knew each other inside out. Of course, they fought. Their fights were sometimes loud and angry, but never really personal. And he needed to vent off his temper.
"We are leaving," she said as she sat up.
"Leaving?" he echoed, slightly confused.
She got to her feet, grabbing his arm for support. "Ralyk won't be able to hold them off much longer and it says we are leaving." Her emerald eyes held his. "It wants us to go to Cybertron, to get them the data they need to fight this war, to see the truth."
He held her back from walking over to one of the computer cubes. "We are going to Cybertron?"
She nodded.
"How do you want to secure Ralyk when we are gone?" he demanded. "The moment we leave and Ralyk shuts down, they get control over the system! We can't allow that!"
Sphere smiled. Starscream had truly come a long way from the angry individual he had been.
"We are taking the activation codes with us," she explained. "We split them between us and when we arrive on Cybertron, we share our half with the Black Team. This way we minimize the risk. The part we share with the other team will be forever erased from our memory cores right after the transfer."
"What about Ralyk?" Starscream insisted.
"Ralyk will come with us; the station will be a dead husk by the time they get inside," Sphere said calmly. "I will carry Ralyk."
"You? But how? It's so vast!"
"I was designed to do it," the female explained and touched the tattoo on her forehead. "I was a Host once and I was recreated to serve this function once more."
"It might smother you!" Starscream protested. "You could be erased!"
She shook her head. "You know how it is inside a Host, Screamer. It is a separated place from the one my mind inhabits."
He looked at her, then nodded slowly. "When do we start?"
"Right now."

* * *

Nightmare flinched violently and the tail lashed out briefly, catching a piece of Perceptor's equipment and throwing it clear across the room. Bat gave a squawk of protest as the sudden movement caught him off guard and he lost his balance, landing gracelessly on the quartz floor. Mel was jerked out of her doze with a start.
"What...?"
The Gatekeeper snorted nervously and stomped his hooves. "Something's happening," he whispered.
"Wossname!" Bat said heartily.
Nightmare looked at Mel. "Leave."
"But ..."
"I said leave!"
Melissa looked at the large equine and nodded slowly. His emotions were clear and she felt this wasn't simply a suggestions or an order. It was a necessity. She had to leave. With a last look at the two robots she left, running back to the elevator shaft and getting up to the South Port complex.

* * *

The fortress hovered above the asteroid and, after few minutes of scanning it for any life at all, moved on. It left behind a completely destroyed base and three Quintesson mother ships, which were nothing but complete scrap metal now. Nothing moved, nothing twitched, nothing functioned anymore.

* * *

Tornado came in low behind Wild Card, Phoenix following him in turn. Wild Card was aiming for South Port and they landed in the front yard, so to speak. He motioned the two Seekers to follow him inside. He met Jazz halfway between the main conference room and med bay.
"Jazz, where is Rodimus?"
Jazz glanced at the two Seekers, his optics lingering on Phoenix a moment longer. "He's in his office."
"Thanks."
They proceeded and Tornado silently took in everything around him. When they arrived in front of the office, Wild Card knocked shortly, then entered, followed by Tornado and Phoenix. Rodimus looked up from his work and his face remained neutral.
"Where is Midnight?" Tornado asked calmly.
"On his way here."
Phoenix remained close to the door, while Wild Card walked over to the window and leaned against it. He'd leave only if requested. He knew the state Midnight was in and if he came here it only meant he was able to walk, not much else.

* * *

Sphere looked around the vast hall for one last time, her emerald optics glowing with regret. She had come to like it here, to feel at home. Maybe it was lonely, but it wasn't boring.
Something moved inside of her, touching, probing, urging.
She sighed and turned toward the large doorway looming up over her. Starscream stood beside it, his red optics faintly worried, but his face showing determination. He knew what was at stake here and he knew they had to make it.
Sphere climbed the few steps toward the doorway, then touched it. Something inside of her, something that was her, not the other presence, merged with the doorway controls, setting them, controlling them, giving them orders. Sphere had learned the basics of how to work the doorways, though she was a long way off from really controlling them. The doorway began to rearrange its rings in a specific pattern.
A resounding boom echoed through the station and she felt the urgency grow. Now!
The Key looked up at her team mate and brother. Starscream nodded. He was ready.
The boom echoed again.
"Go," she said calmly.
Orange light exploded inside the rings and then became a steady glow of intense color. Starscream didn't hesitate. There was no time for hesitation now.
The station shuddered and creaked.
Starscream entered the doorway.
Sphere watched him disappear, then completed her last task: she erased everything there was in the computer banks. Her fingers flew over the control cube and it lit up like a Christmas tree, sparkling, then dying down. Everything around her grew dark, the bluish sheen becoming a dull gray, then complete black.
Something burst with a loud bang and the station seemed to tilt slightly.
Sphere turned to the still open doorway and stepped inside. The energy at work ripped her away from the space station and she was faintly aware that the large doorway shut down the second she was inside. She was also aware that this meant an unstable tunnel and would result in a lot of disturbances. Her last conscious thought was that she would hopefully arrive in such a condition that her guest could be transferred to its new quarters. Then she was enveloped by darkness.

* * *

The ship went into orbit around Cybertron and a small shuttle detached, homing in on the South Port. It landed gracefully on the assigned pad and the doors opened. Optimus Prime had expected Rodimus to be there, but his second-in-command was nowhere to be seen. And then a tremor ran through the planet beneath his feet. Megatron, who was cautiously stepping out of the shuttle as well, stopped abruptly and frowned. He discovered the Autobot named Jazz running toward them.
"Optimus!" Jazz called, appearing like out of breath. "We got problems!"
Megatron saw the Autobot leader frown and then a new tremor hit, this time stronger.
"What is going on?" he demanded.
"Doorway trouble! It started a few minutes ago and it's getting worse! The guys can't control it! It's going rogue!" Jazz tried not to stare at Megatron.
Another Autobot joined them and Megatron watched Silhouette transform. Her blue optics were glowing deeply. "It's trying to channel energy in a mass we never recorded before," she reported calmly. "Raven and Nightmare are trying to contain it, but it looks like we have a massive energy surge on our hands."
Optimus' optics narrowed slightly and he looked over to a rather non-descript building not far away from them.
"Evacuation?"
"We handled it," was the brief reply. "You should be out of here as well." Her optics briefly brushed over the three Decepticons.
All of a sudden a flare of white flashed up into the sky.
"Oh, no!" Jazz moaned.
Optimus started running and somehow Megatron found himself following his long-time foe. Jazz, remaining behind, only now started to wonder what the Decepticon leader was doing here, peaceful and at Optimus' side. He banished the thought to be pondered a later time when a new tremor hit.
"What is going on?" Megatron demanded as they raced side by side toward the building.
"I wish I knew!" was the brief answer, then Optimus added, "The doorway seems to be shunting power."
Which is bad, Megatron added silently for himself, aware that Cyclonus, Soundwave and Silhouette were following them. He didn't care. As they descended into the tunnel he had never walked before, Megatron felt more tremors. A low hum seemed to penetrate everything and it was impossible to shut it out of his audio sensors. When they arrived in the chamber at the end of the tunnel, Megatron stopped like he had hit a wall. His mouth dropped open in utter shock. Prime had told him about this, but actually seeing it.... the proof.... and all of it seemed somehow alive....
The chamber was large and the walls were made out of a bluish-black quartz-like material he had never seen anywhere before. In the middle of the chamber was a large ring lying on the floor and another one was attached to the ceiling. Both rings were made up of three separate sections. The outer one was always the broadest, covered with inscriptions, then came a completely black one, then a nearly translucent one that seemed to bend the light in the room around it, partially reflecting it in soft colors. One part of the wall was open and he discovered the familiar figure of Nightmare handling something like a quartz cube, his fingers flying over the smooth surface. It lit up under his touch. Raven was close to the bottom ring, one hand on the surface of the broad outer ring, her face screwed up in concentration.
And then the innermost ring moved slightly. A high whistle rang through the room and Raven touched the ring with both hands. The ring moved back into its old position, but it shuddered.
"I can't hold it much longer!" she called.
Nightmare worked frantically. "It's no use!" he snarled in anger and his optics flashed deep red. "It counteracts my commands and I can't get through!"
"We have to stop it or it's gonna blow!"
Optimus walked over to Rodimus Prime, who was watching the whole procedure with a mask of concentration. "What happened?" he asked.
Megatron saw how Rodimus looked briefly at him, then decided that if there was a threat, it was the structure, not the Decepticon, and shrugged.
"It started about fifteen standard minutes ago. Nightmare picked up the flare and the doorway began to open on its own, upsetting the whole planet. We've been trying to shut it down ever since, but with no success. The energy built-up inside the doorway is incredible and unparalleled. It's coming out way like a tidal wave and the dam will break under it."
The ceiling structure detached itself a millimeter and Raven hissed in anger, sinking her claws into the rings as if it was nothing but mud. Her eyes glowed bright yellow.
"Shut it down!" she demanded in a rough voice.
Something sparked from the upper ring.
"I can't! It's coming through!" Nightmare yelled.
Soundwave gave a groan and grabbed his head, stumbling against the wall as a high-pitched whine echoed through the room. Megatron clenched his teeth together, then his optics widened. The floor ring had started to move. The inner ring turned smoothly, sliding into a new position with an audible 'click', like an oversized combination lock.
"It's opening!" Raven screeched and fought the doorway, but she managed only a ninety degree turn, then the inner ring slid back with a resounding hum.
The female went to her knees, stabilizing herself against the structure. Megatron saw out of the corners of his optics how Cyclonus made a step forward to get to her, but then stopped. Then the inner ring moved yet again, this time taking the middle ring with it. Both slid into a new position and again he heard a 'click'. Now the ceiling ring began to move, the whole structure starting to detach itself.
A distant roar could be heard. From the expression on everyone's face, this was not normal. Something spiked out of the lower ring, which had not really moved and an optics-torturing lightning bolt that turned the whole chamber into a world of black and white shadows arced up, disappearing into the upper ring. The impossible brilliance seemed to etch itself into Megatron's memories. There was a moment of absolute silence, then the sound came. It was an explosion of sound, nearly shattering the audio receptors as it washed over every Cybertronian in the chamber. It wound itself up through every cell and seemed to turn him inside out. Megatron was unable to move, even though his instincts screamed to get away from here. He saw Soundwave collapse under the onslaught of noise, then the column of light exploded out of the upper ring. Megatron saw something in the column, saw it flying toward them and a few beats of the fuel-pump later a silver and dark blue robot stumbled out of the light, collapsing to his hands and knees. There was a Decepticon symbol on one wings!
Nightmare, apparently the only one who had any coordination left, grabbed the stranger and pulled him away from the doorway, which was screeching loudly. The next set of tremors let Megatron stumble forward as the very planet seemed to tilt. He gave a cry of alarm as he fell toward the doorway and the light. Someone held him back from falling toward the rings and he discovered it was Optimus Prime. The Autobot leader's hand clenched around his forearm, holding on.
The upper ring tilted as well, trembling and shuddering. There was a deep bass hum, then another screech and a second figure appeared in the light. This one seemed to shoot forward like a bullet, its entrance also marked by an explosion of energy that washed over everyone. A shrill whistle of pain could be heard and a flare sizzled downwards into the lower ring. Fingers of lightning crackled out and one hit Optimus Prime, who screamed in pain and his hands clenched even tighter into Megatron's forearm. The Decepticon wondered dimly if it would leave marks.
Optimus collapsed.
Megatron fell forward --
and slammed into the something flying out of the column of light, which seemed much fainter than before, dying....
He gasped and went to the floor, aware of the weight pinning him down. He rolled around, saw a slender figure beneath him for a second, and then a firestorm of energy ended the world for him.

*

Several warp gates away, on worlds as yet to be explored or to be settled, worlds that had either a small thriving group of intelligent life or none of it at all, the doorway structures creaked with strain as rogue energy brushed by. The rings shook, trembled and some of them started to slide several inches, then audibly locked down again. All of them were guarded, their Gatekeepers alerted by the sudden energy surge. On all worlds the Gatekeepers felt something change, something profound.

*

Ralyk gave a gasp of pain, sensations hitting it which it had never really felt before. It curled up inside its host body and disconnected from the sensors. This was too much and too new and too sudden. But still, it felt more than it had ever felt before and the sensations were as strange as they were fascinating. Finally everything quieted down and Ralyk relaxed a bit, starting to check on its host.

* * *

"Ten bases destroyed, as well as twenty ships obliterated!" The Enforcer lashed nervously with his tentacles. "There is no trace of any survivors and no ID on who did it. All we can say is that they are moving in from outside the borders. The last post was several light-years inside the known universe."
The Quintesson looked at the screen, his masks displaying no emotions, but deep inside he felt fear rise inside of him. All hidden bases had been destroyed, completely, utterly. There was nothing left to reconstruct. Whoever their enemy was, they were not out for conquer; they were out for total obliteration.
He turned to his comrades. "We have to secure our positions."
"We will call in our forces," the second Quintesson agreed. He turned toward the Enforcer, who nodded and started the recall.
"We have to determine who our enemy is," the third one said.
"No information has yet been found on the forces behind the attacks," the first Quintesson reminded them.
"Then we will be the first to obtain it."
With that they retreated out of the command room, each wrapped into his own fear, but not ready to admit it.

* * *

Energy traveled through hidden passage ways, exposed cable tunnels, corridors, buildings and every living creature on the former factory planet. It arced, it bounced and spread, covering everything and subtly touching several of the Autobots and Sentinels -- checking, sensing, approving ... changing.
Inside his chamber, deep beneath Cybertron's surface, but right next to the doorway, Vector Sigma was flooded with energy and it seared through him, but it didn't hurt. The sensation was first exhilarating, then strange, then calming. A program activated. It was a program neither Vector Sigma, nor Alpha Trion, had ever known about. It was small and had always seemed unimportant, though it never been erased.
Alpha Trion watched as the program began to activate another one, which in turn opened a storage unit no one had ever known about as well. The energy traveling all over Cybertron began to run into the storage unit and fill it. When it was over the program shut down and began to erase itself. Alpha Trion furiously thought about what this had been all about. What had happened?

*

Rodimus came around to the sensation of hyper-sensitivity and a strange tickling feeling. He looked around and tried to remember what had happened. He couldn't have been out for more than a second and everyone around him was already moving as well. Optimus stumbled to his feet and staggered over to Megatron, who was lying over a female robot, not far away from the doorway.
The doorway!
He looked over at the now silent rings. They appeared as if nothing at all had happened! Rodimus stumbled toward Nightmare, who laboriously climbed to his feet. He was aware of Cyclonus, who was helping Raven, and Soundwave, who had not moved at all.
"You okay?" he asked the Gatekeeper.
Nightmare nodded slowly, apparently not very convinced.
Optimus helped Megatron to his feet. The Decepticon leader was one of the few closest to the brunt of the firestorm and he was unable to stand on his own. Optimus stabilized him, but Megatron detached himself and staggered back against the ring, apparently unaware of what it was he was leaning against. Optimus looked at the female on the floor and breathed a soft, "Oh, no!"
Megatron focused on the female. It was a very unusual design. The skin that wasn't burned, looked a light metallic blue. White hair spread over the floor and on her forehead was a tattoo, etched into the skin. The whole face looked more humanoid than robotic, softer and without so many angles. The light in her obviously green optics was out.
The first arrival, the one with the Decepticon symbol, staggered over and fell to his knees beside the prone female. "Sphere!" he breathed, his voice sounding rough.
Rodimus hurried over. "We have help on the way. Nightmare's okay, as is Raven. Soundwave shut down. Looks like overload."
Optimus nodded and Megatron saw deep worry in his optics as he turned to the silver and blue robot. "What happened?"
The red optics fixed on the Autobot leader. "Ralyk shut down."
Nightmare made a faint sound of disbelief and Raven stared at them.
"What a damn wossname!" Bat whispered. "Oi!"

* * *

Megatron stood in the med bay and watched the Autobot medics work. He let his eyes wander, thinking back to the last time he had seen the South Port complex. It had been millions of years ago and at that time, South Port had been nothing but one of the many outposts of the Cybertronians. When the civil war had devastated the major city scapes, the Autobots had fled to many of the outposts, but only South Port had made it back to functioning status like that. Now it was maybe the major command center of the Autobots, spreading out like nothing. Megatron was very impressed by the achievements.
While looking around, he also discovered a Sentinel and several humans, one clad in a kind of exo-suit. The exo-clad one, a young female if he knew humanoid physiology, was now standing beside Sphere, who was treated by First Aid. Soundwave was on another stretcher and, following Perceptor, recovering on his own.
"She's weak," First Aid said calmly. "The firestorm of energies hit her nearly full force, penetrating everything."
"Can you help her?"
Megatron looked at the silver and dark blue robot. He knew him somehow. In a way.....
"We will do what we can." First Aid looked at the human. "Mel?"
The female human nodded. "She's there .... fighting."
First Aid calmly started to work, helped by another human, a male this time, and Megatron turned his attention back on Soundwave, who was his bigger worry now, beside the fact that he was surrounded by enemies. The human, Mel, walked over to him, looking at the prone Decepticon, her face screwed up in concentration. Then she turned to the Decepticon leader, who had approached the table his communications officer lay on.
"He's okay," she said without being asked. "A bit confused and in bad need of some peace time, but his circuits seem to have taken the assault quite well."
Megatron was confused. Who was that human? She had simply looked at Soundwave without consulting a medical instrument!
"Megatron." He turned as he heard the voice. Optimus Prime stood behind him, his ancient blue eyes resting on him. "Come with me."
Megatron followed his former enemy. He had learned to at least trust him a bit since Optimus Prime had come to Halicon and he found it was easier than he had thought. He respected the Autobot leader, he had proven to be a worthy and dangerous foe as well as a capable commander. Maybe he had different ideals and ideas, but all in all, Megatron had to confess, he was not so much different.
"Who are those two?" Megatron asked as they walked down a corridor.
The Autobots passing him gave him uneasy, wary and most of the time hostile looks, but he ignored them. Megatron had heard about the doorway energy washing over Cybertron and its effects, mainly through listening in to one of the Autobots reporting to Optimus Prime. Apparently there had been no major damage and South Port's emergency evacuation was being reversed.
"They are the Gatekeeper and the Key of Ralyk. We'll debrief them later when Sphere's functional again." As he saw Megatron's inquiring look, Optimus decided that a bit more of an explanation might be due if this was ever to become a working partnership, though he wisely left out the part concerning Starscream. There was time for that revelation later.

* * *

Nightmare was in sickbay when Starscream found him. The other Gatekeeper was in his equine mode and talking to a human he didn't know. As he walked up to him the human looked at him and Starscream felt like his mind was briefly brushed by something, then left alone again. This was strange....
"Nightmare?"
He looked at him.
"We need to talk."
The Gatekeeper nodded. The female human left them and walked over to one of the treatment rooms. Bat looked closely at Starscream and then took off after Mel. Nightmare followed Starscream to one of the empty waiting areas outside the ward. He transformed and leaned against a wall.
"How is Sphere?"
"Still recharging and should be up and about for the briefing," Starscream answered. "But before we meet with the Autobots and --" he hesitated, then ground out, -- Megatron, I have to explain something to you first."
Nightmare nodded, thinking about his own inevitable confrontation with Megatron. "Shoot."
Starscream smiled humorlessly, then briefed Nightmare on what had happened on Ralyk and what Ralyk was expecting of the two teams.

* * *

Sphere walked down the tunnel to the doorway chamber, but instead of entering the chamber, she stopped in front of one of the many closed and sealed doors. The Autobots had yet to discover what was behind them and they had more pressing matters than forcing doors open at hand. She put her palm flat against a part of the wall and the door opened without making a noise. She stepped in.
Sphere had recovered quicker than the Autobots had thought. This was due to her different construction and her repair systems, which were similar to Raven's, though Raven had much more sophisticated programs. The other Key had visited her in med bay and helped her initiate a few of her programs she had not yet known about. She was not yet completely healed, but in a few days she would be as good as new.
Vector Sigma sat on his pedestal, glowing only slightly. Sphere had never been here, but she somehow thought she knew everything, every part of the room and most intimately the golden sphere with the honey-combed exterior shell There were cable tunnels running from the pedestal toward the walls, covered by bluish colored metal. More tunnels ran up the wall, again covered by blue metal plates. This device had given every single Cybertronian life, but Sphere felt none of the awe the Autobots or Decepticons had for the mega computer. She had never been born as a robot and even though she now was one, her origin was vastly different.
As she walked closer to the globe it began to pulse faintly, as if detecting her presence and it most likely did. She stopped in front of it, studying the shell, taking in the each indention. Vector Sigma had been created by those who had also created the station, though they had not created the entity Ralyk. Something stirred inside of her and she stretched out one hand, placing it over the key hole.
A weird tingling ran through her and she saw the globe pulse once, brightly and painful for the optics, then it quieted down once more, though the pulses continued. It didn't lift off the pedestal, though. Sphere sensed something leaving her, like tiny feet crawling along her nerves, then it was over. She shivered slightly, then let her hand fall away from the globe. It still pulsed.
-- Transfer complete --
-- Initiation starting --
She smiled as she heard the familiar voice inside of her, then turned and left the chamber.

*

Alpha Trion was jerked out of his thought by a massive surge of energy. Around him the world of Vector Sigma changed rapidly, taking on a blue hue and out of the corners of his eyes he thought he saw mysterious symbols swirl through the energy fields of the mega computer, but every time he turned nothing was there. Alpha Trion tried to contact Vector Sigma, but the ancient being didn't respond. Worried, he moved closer to the center of his world. The blue color seemed to grow in density, becoming a myriad of small patches, each a subtly different shade of blue, some even black.
And then he met the mind he had only once felt before.
Alpha Trion recoiled like under shock. "What...?!"
Something seemed to move out of the blueness around him. It was not very large, but radiating age and power like nothing he had ever felt before. Though it was not much bigger than him, it seemed vast, going on for eternity in front of him, stretching out, touching, knowing.
-- Do not be scared -- the entity said with a voice he recognized, having heard it before as well.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
-- I belong here -- Ralyk answered softly.
More of it seemed to stretch out into the infinity of Vector Sigma, starting to manipulate.
"What do you want? What are you planning?" the first-generation Autobot asked, dread swinging in his voice. A small, nagging voice told him that this had always been destined to happen, but he had never listened to it.
-- Preparing -- was the answer. -- It is time to defend, to stand up and fight --
"Against whom?"
Ralyk didn't answer with words, but sent a bunch of images that made Alpha Trion stagger back under the onslaught. His optics widened as he saw them, realized the threat, realized what it meant if nothing was done.
-- Initiating first stage --
The soft voice echoed all around him as Alpha Trion moved away from the center, deeply disturbed and frightened.
-- First stage initiated --
-- Confirm system shut down and lock --

* * *

Cyclonus felt uneasy being around so many Autobots and without a good number of back-up warriors. If the Autobots decided to break their truce, they would be dead. But they wouldn't, he told himself. Not the Autobots.
The three Decepticons had been confined to one level in the South Port complex. Soundwave was calmly waiting for the outcome of this mission while Megatron was in some kind of pre-conference meeting with Optimus Prime. Cyclonus stood at the window of the room assigned to them. Cybertron had changed a good bit in the last decades and it was still changing.
Suddenly the door opened and he turned -- and stopped. His optics flashed ever so slightly as he saw their visitor. Soundwave merely remained where he was, watching the encounter motionlessly, but not without interest. His mind stretched out briefly, touching Raven's and he was greeted with a soft voice in his mind. Then she concentrated on the second Decepticon in the room.
"Hello, Cyc," she said. "Long time no see."
The Decepticon lieutenant looked at her, then nodded. "Very long time," he answered.
Raven smiled slightly. "We have a lot to talk about, but the conference will start in a few standard minutes. I'm here to accompany you the conference room."
Their optics met and he only nodded again. Soundwave rose and followed them.

* * *

Nightmare walked into the medical ward and nodded at Mel, who was talking to Jill. She gave him a curious look and he felt her mind brush past his, instinctively reading him. He smiled slightly. She still had to train her limited powers, but he didn't really mind being the test object. Mel was only limited in the way that she couldn't read emotions from organic life, human life; she was completely limited to robot life, which gave her a unique position. First Aid employed her help when having difficult patients and it was the best training she could get.
Skywolf was present as well, checking on their only patient so far. And it was exactly this patient Nightmare wanted to talk to before the meeting he had been called to attend. He wasn't looking forward to the meeting, especially with Megatron present, but the latest developments had shown it was necessary.
"How is he?" the Gatekeeper asked Skywolf.
Skywolf whirled around and stared at the visitor. "Sheesh! Damnit, Nightmare, make a sound when you move!"
Nightmare smiled. "I do."
The medic scowled. "Right. One day my fuel pump will stop because you prowl around like that! Cats are louder than you are!"
Nightmare shrugged. It was a heritage out of his old life as an Assassin and even though he thought he moved with enough noise to wake the entire planet, he was still walking soft enough to freak others. Mel often joked about it.
Skywolf sighed and turned back to his station. "He's conscious. You want to talk to him?"
"If possible."
Skywolf nodded. "Sure, okay. Just don't freak. He looks a bit ....er.... loose."
Nightmare blinked, then went into the quarantine room. One look at Spook told him what Skywolf had meant. Spook's body looked like a jigsaw puzzle. Parts were missing, parts lay open, parts had just been replaced and missed even the slightest bit of paint. The half-serpent lay on the table and endured it, his golden-yellow optics lighting up when Nightmare entered.
Bat, who had taken in his usual position on Nightmare's shoulder when he was in robot mode, looked coolly at the larger robot, his faceted eyes displaying hostility.
"I think we can skip introductions," Nightmare said without preamble.
"I think so, yes," Spook replied and lifted his head a bit. "Hello, Bat."
"Wossname!" Bat grumbled.
"As charming as ever," Spook replied. "You haven't changed in all the time."
"Up yours!"
Spook curled his lips back over his sharp teeth. Bat hissed softly and his scales rose. He extended his wings.
"Bat," Nightmare said softly.
The winged lizard muttered something under his breath and settled down again, but he kept on glaring at Spook.
"I didn't think you were still around, Nightmare," the older robot now said.
Nightmare smiled humorlessly. "I'm hard to get rid off." He had stopped a few feet away from Spook. "Can you feel the system?"
Spook tilted his head. "Of course."
"Is it completely down?"
There was a short silence while Spook accessed the doorway system. "No. Many doorways have shut down, many because of power failure, but it's still running." He frowned in surprise. "Ralyk shut down." His optics fixed on Nightmare. "What happened?"
"I think you know."
Spook smiled a bit. "I do, though only a small part of it. I didn't feel Ralyk shut down."
Nightmare grinned wryly. "You were far out of it, Spook."
"That much is true. So the station is dead?"
"Looks like it."
They regarded each other for a long time and Nightmare didn't know how to feel about it all. Spook had never been a pleasant person to be around with and he had only marginally improved, but still -- they were all on the same boat now. If it sank, they'd all go down.
"There is a meeting in a few hours," he said calmly. "Does anyone know what you know?"
"Midnight."
Nightmare stared at him in surprise. "What? How?"
"It was the only way to bring him around, my friend," Spook explained. "He knows what I know and will tell you. I want to help you."
"I see." Nightmare pondered this, then nodded. He turned to go. Before he left he looked back over his shoulder.
"Watch over the system," he said seriously. "If it activates, tell me or any of the teams."
"Teams? Plural?"
Nightmare smiled humorlessly. "Ralyk's team arrived before shut-down."
The half-serpent gave a startled hiss, then nodded. "I will watch the system, listen to it. It is my job and I will keep doing it."
"Thank you. Oh, by the way, if you can come up with a list of those doorways still accessible, I'd be most interested in it."
Spook chuckled. "I see what I can do." With that he laid his head back on the table, his optics dimming a bit.
Nightmare smiled slightly, then left the quarantine again. He had a meeting to attend.

* * *

The conference room was one of the largest and best secured in the complex and Megatron had to say he was impressed. The time between his arrival and the conference had been spent trying not to get into the way of any Autobot with a blaster and learning more about the changes that had taken place. But all of this trouble was small compared to what was undergoing in this conference room. Optimus Prime was present, sharing his position at the top of the table with his second-in-command Rodimus Prime. The Sentinel Midnight and the Seeker Tornado were also present, as were those four individuals marked by Ralyk as part of the doorway system. No one else had been allowed in, except for Cyclonus and Soundwave, who sat beside Megatron.
"This meeting," Optimus Prime began, "falls under strict silence outside this room. And this means everyone of us present." His optics fixed on Megatron, who looked back neutraly at him. "If we spread the word of what is discussed here today we might just as well bury ourselves right now. Panic could be a too mild word for what would spread throughout the ranks. Everyone in this room has the same basic information and I shared this information with Megatron. Through the arrival of the Ralyk team and the apparent shut-down of the doorway system a lot has changed though and this makes it necessary to debrief everyone."
Midnight nodded slowly. "And I guess I'll start because of what I have learned from Spook." The black Sentinel interlaced his fingers. "We all know about the disappearances lately and none of those vanished have ever been seen again, either functional or in parts. Spook's explanation shed enough light on this mystery to give us more to worry about than mere kidnappings."
He touched a button inserted in the conference table and a holographic projection popped up in the middle of the table, turning slightly.
"A witness saw this symbol on the chest of the robot connected to the kidnappings. I ran it through the Alean archives and came up with a few interesting references out of old files, but Raven was the one who could tell us what this means: it is the symbol of the warriors of the First Ones, just like Raven is marked as a Key."
Megatron's eyes narrowed, but he kept his silence.
"None of us were able to imagine what the warriors might achieve with the kidnappings, but Spook told me. The warriors are possessed. To explain this a bit better I have to start far in the past. You all know we are not of Quintesson origin, that our personalities were shaped by Vector Sigma, who in turn had been stolen from a race known as the Creators and who programmed or shaped the mega computer. The Quintessons merely supplied the bodies. These Creators are not physical in the sense of the word, they are energy beings, and they had a plan as to why they gave birth to a race of robots. Their plan was to make it possible for them to merge with another being so they had a physical body. The joining with organic life backfired and killed one of them. They then went to creating artificial life, but without intelligence their bodies were too heavy to move for them, too alien. They wanted vessels, so they gave life to their robots, those we know as the First Ones."
Midnight looked at Raven, who nodded silently.
"Since they were not experimental enough to insert themselves into their first creations they studied them and designed newer and better robots. But they also wanted them to undergo a field test, maybe develop even further on their own, become even better, so they let the Quintessons steal Vector Sigma. It took the new designs out into the universe and challenged them. The Quintessons began to supply bodies to the personality cubes Vector Sigma spewed out and sold the products. They also activated us, the Sentinels. They didn't know that our abilities to absorb energy was exactly what we had always been destined to do. We were supposed to be carrier vessels for the Creators. Drawing energy out of robotic life and effectively killing the robot in question was not our intended purpose, but we were used this way until the younger generation of Autobots and Decepticons overthrew their masters."
Midnight looked at his hands and then continued.
"The Creators had lost interest in their pet project by the time of the revolution and had left the known universe, leaving behind a space station we know as Ralyk and the doorway system. The doorways were guarded by either those First Ones following their last orders or reformed later generations, like Nightmare. Of the First Ones, not many survived on their own and those who did were mainly warriors, who bear the symbol we see here. Raven and Spook are those non-warriors who survived on their own, Spook being a protector and responsible for doorway security."
"And now they have returned," Sphere said calmly.
Midnight nodded. "Spook was able to flee from the warriors. He says they were taken over, their minds and personalities dead. You can see it in the eyes. It's also what our witness said: the eyes of the robot with this symbol were dead, as if he was no longer there."
"The warriors were never designed for this," Raven supplied. "We were just there for study, you Sentinels had the equipment to handle a Creator merging without losing yourself and the energy being taking over."
Midnight nodded, the looked at Sphere again, silently asking her to add her knowledge to that of the others.
"We fought the warriors and those inside with them," the female Key said softly. "They started to attack Ralyk about one hundred years of Ralyk time ago."
Megatron shot her a sharp look. A century?
"Time passes differently on Ralyk," Sphere explained, looking at him as if she had felt his inquiring stare. "Ralyk is surrounded by several layers of protective shields and able to throw up time distortions, which leaves it in a bubble of time that runs along different lines."
"Why attack?" Tornado asked. "Why this sudden violence?"
"We don't know," she confessed. "Ralyk has never told me about suspicions or musings or maybe the truth. It might if it finds out why. Anyway, the Creators possessing the First Ones and which call themselves 'Tjineran', tried to take back the station, but Ralyk had no intention to let them. It told me once that it can see the difference and the danger and it won't let them harm us. We fought the Tji, but it was getting obvious that we might not hold out forever without endangering you by keeping our knowledge to ourselves. We began shutting down Ralyk, preparing to activate the main doorway for one last time and getting here."
"You left the station to them?" Tornado asked sharply.
"No," Sphere's team mate answered and Megatron had this nagging knowledge again that he knew him. They had not been introduced and the Decepticon leader thought Prime had done that on purpose. "Ralyk is dead now and of no use to the Tji when they eventually breach every shield. Before we left, Ralyk downloaded not only its activation key codes into Sphere and me, but it also downloaded itself into Sphere. We shared our half of the codes with the second team," he nodded at Nightmare and Raven, "and this shared part was immediately erased from our circuits."
"You have Ralyk inside of you?" Rodimus Prime asked, perplexed.
Sphere shook her head. "I had. I was a trained Host in my life previous to this one and when Ralyk recreated me into this body, it also installed a space for itself to download into. Something like a compressed version of it, anyway."
"If you no longer have it, where is it now?" Optimus Prime wanted to know.
"Inside Vector Sigma."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
"Vector Sigma?" the Autobot leader finally breathed.
"Yes."
"But ...why?"
Sphere smiled humorlessly. "Because Ralyk, as well as every one of us, plays a role in the defense of Cybertron. It needs access to everything and Vector Sigma insures this access. It will secure the planet as it secured its own body, the station."
Megatron thought he slowly started to understand it.
"In what way?" Rodimus asked tonelessly.
"Reshaping, rearranging, renewing....." Sphere shrugged. "There are many ways, but none of them will be obvious to any of you. When the time of the confrontation comes, it will be ready."
"I see." Optimus Prime looked thoughtfully at her. "Anything else? What about the doorway system?"
"I asked Spook about it," Midnight said. "He can tap into the security system and monitor the doorways. He says the system didn't shut down, but a few doorways blew under the power output. He will come up with the locations of those still active."
"They will need protection," Nightmare said calmly. "If the Tji see that Ralyk is dead they will want to find another way to get here."
Raven nodded in agreement. "It would be easy for them to take out those guarding the doorways because they can get into any robot and take over."
Another silence settled over them, then Midnight's visor flashed slightly.
"Maybe not everyone," he said slowly.
"Come again?" the dark blue and silver robot asked.
"They take over those without an Interface space by killing the mind, which is rather bad for them because they now have a dead husk, which they have to control down to the very last function. That was why they designed us in the first place and which is the main reason Seekers were hunted so badly." He glanced at Tornado, who nodded slowly. "But what about those who are already Interfaced?"
They looked at him, stunned, thinking, pondering.
"If they take one of you over and kill the Interface...." Rodimus finally said slowly.
"Then the robot partner dies as well and they have another dead husk," Midnight finished, smiling slightly.
"You want to exchange the guardians of the doorways for Sentinels?" Nightmare tried to clarify.
"No, I offer a Sentinel as a bodyguard for those in danger," Midnight answered. "If Spook gives us the location of the functioning doorways, could you get my people there?" he then asked Sphere.
She nodded, convinced that Ralyk would help her through those coordinates representing more than just basics.
"That's madness!" Rodimus exclaimed.
"No, strategic thinking," Megatron spoke up for the first time. "These doorways are weak points that can immediately prove fatal if one of them takes the invasion forces to the heart of Cybertron. Unless anyone can shut them down completely, they need to be secured."
Optimus nodded slowly, agreeing. He turned to Midnight. "What about shutting them down?" he wanted to know. "Could Spook do it?"
Midnight shook his head. "He only monitors activations, he can't actively influence the system."
"The system can never be shut down completely, unless all doorway structures are destroyed," Sphere said. "There is always a low level of energy running through them and if someone knows how to supply enough energy to start up an activation, then he can travel."
"So you need bodyguards for those who can protect the doorways," Megatron finished, looking at Optimus Prime. "I'd offer my forces, but they are as vulnerable to these energy creatures as any of you."
Optimus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I want to know where these doorways are and how many Sentinels we can deploy."
Midnight nodded. "Can be done."
"What about our centerway?" Rodimus now asked.
"Still functional," Nightmare answered. "A bit off balance, but that will change in a few days when it has stabilized every cell."
Rodimus looked at Midnight. "Looks like you get a bodyguard job as well."
The black Sentinel grimaced slightly.
Optimus looked at Megatron. "You heard what is at stake," he said slowly. "And I heard your offer, so I take it we have a truce for now?"
Not only for now, Megatron thought grimly. Wars can last longer than 'now', Prime, and if any of us even thinks that this civil war is important compared to this, then he should be melted down immediately. Our battles of the last million years dwindle down to the level of 'petty' seen against this threat.
"Yes, we have."

* * *

Alpha Trion watched the world around him become more and more a copy of what he had once seen as Ralyk. Everything was a bluish black with strange symbols moving just beyond his field of vision. Every time he tried to concentrate on them, they became mere shadows.
"What is going on?" he asked.
Vector Sigma seemed to shift a bit. "Connections."
"Connections? To what?"
There was a short silence. "Everything," the mega computer then said slowly.
-- Upgrading -- Ralyk whispered softly and Alpha Trion thought he saw parts of it stretch out black tentacles everywhere into the blue light.
"What?!" he exclaimed.
Vector Sigma shifted once more and the Autobot saw a display pop up, showing him Cybertron like some kind of wire-model. The tentacles were slithering through the wire construction and forming dark pools here and there.
"It's using the connections to insert itself everywhere! But ....!" Alpha Trion shook his head. "Why? What for?"
-- Upgrading -- was the answer again, then Ralyk turned its attention back to its work.
Upgrading. Alpha Trion looked back at the display. The changes were not very spectacular and all in all they seemed useless, but still.... What was behind all of this? Upgrading.... What was Ralyk upgrading? Certainly not the weaponry already on the planet. It didn't even touch the defensive systems; it simply rerouted powerlines to areas that were as far away from any defense control station as could possibly be! The first-generation Autobot sighed and sat back, simply watching. Maybe he'd find out by looking at it, seeing what it did.

* * *

The next days were a mere blur. All Interfaced Sentinels were called to Cybertron for briefing. They were told the necessary, that they were to act as buffers and shields, protecting the Gatekeepers, though none of them knew that they would be fighting against their Creators. Midnight had argued against telling his people everything, though Rodimus and Optimus had been all for it, minimizing possible dangers if the Sentinels and Seekers concerned ever heard about the truth. Midnight had told them that if they knew, they'd be paralyzed in the first battle, afraid to raise a weapon against those who had given them life. He would take responsibility for it.
Spook had supplied a map Midnight was reviewing when Rodimus finally managed to tear himself away from his own load of work.
"How's it going?" the Autobot asked as he flopped into a chair beside Midnight, looking at the map as well. It was projected into the room.
"Got nearly everything covered," Midnight said, sounding a bit tired. He punched up some more information and Rodimus was presented with a complete map.
"We have about twelve to fifteen confirmed, functional doorways," Midnight went on. "Spook supplied some names to the Gatekeepers there and Nightmare supplied some more. Five doorways were completely destroyed and we are trying to find a way to get those Gatekeepers here. Some of those worlds are close to warp gates, but they also present a liability for the team going there. Non-Interfaced are easy targets. We also don't have enough Sentinels to cover every doorway, so those close to Cybertron and in reach of a warp gate will be visited on a rotating schedule. The schedule will be on a chance base, no fixed time."
"Who will do this?" Rodimus wanted to know, aware what strain this would be.
"Wild Card volunteered. He can exit warp gates everywhere at random, he's light and he's fast. I wish we knew where Firefall's friends disappeared to. They'd be a great asset as well, with their Interface modules already occupied by a symbiont." Midnight shut down the holographic projection.
Rodimus nodded. Those robots, all like Firefall bonded to an energy creature, would have evened the numbers and they might not have to decide to send every Interfaced Sentinel away.
"We will start deploying the shields the moment we can get our centerway operational again," the Sentinel leader went on. "Nightmare said he'd introduce the teams to each other. The other Gatekeepers will recognize him and Raven."
"So Sphere and Starscream will stay here and set the centerway?"
"Yes. The way I understood it, the centerway sends them to their destination and Raven gets the two of them back. Sphere and Starscream just have to make sure the centerway is safe to reactivate and retrieve them."
"How long will it take?" Rodimus wanted to know.
Midnight shrugged. "Depends on how long Nightmare needs to tell his story and how fast Raven can set each coordinate. Hard to say, really."
Rodimus nodded. "Keep at it, but also get some rest. You look dreadful."
Midnight smiled wryly. "That's just my design," he joked.
The young Autobot looked seriously at him. "I mean it. You are not yourself and you've been hiding behind your work!"
Midnight turned away, rising from his chair. "I'm fine, just busy."
"Busy, eh? I know Skywolf said no Interfacing, but judging from Steve's expression, you've been shutting him out again." Midnight's visor flashed once. "And don't give me that look," Rodimus continued. "I know what I'm talking about! I'm Interfaced as well and Shanygn has that expression when I'm either swamping her with anger or shutting her out." He frowned. "Have you been flashing again?"
"No!"
Rodimus flinched back from the sharp reply. Midnight stared at him in anger, then got himself under control again.
"No," he repeated calmly. "No more flashing. Just the nightmares."
Rodimus looked compassionately at him. Both of them were friends, close friends, and that Midnight confessed this to him showed the Autobots' second once more just how much he trusted him.
"The past," he said softly. It wasn't a question.
Midnight nodded slowly. "Steve is having his own share of nightmares and we try not to bother each other with them. It will pass and I hope by getting to work on lots of other things I can stop it."
"Have you talked to the others?"
"No." The Sentinel shook his head. "I can't. Not ever."
"It's a part of your past, Mid! Neither of you ever faced it!" Rodimus told him intently. "If you keep bottling it up, hoping it will be fine, it will help no one! Don't you think the others feel bad about it? I saw their faces down in med bay when you started to flash and ...."
"Shut up!" Midnight hissed. "It's my past and I deal with it the way I see fit!"
Midnight's skin grew even darker, turning him into a true black hole. The blackness seemed to radiate around him and Rodimus shivered as he looked at him. Midnight was special even among his own kind, which were different enough from the Autobots, and he was also a Sleeper, more powerful and more sophisticated than his kind. The young Autobot tried not to flinch back from the menacing figure.
He raised both hands. "Whew, slow down, Mid! I was just trying to help."
The black Sentinel wearily shook his head. "Thank you, but no. It's nothing we can deal with right now."
Then when? Rodimus asked quietly. He sighed and rose from his chair. "Get some rest anyway," he advised, then left the room.

A few steps down the corridor he met Shanygn, who was leaning against the wall. Her dark blue eyes met his and there was no mistaking her worry.
"He won't listen," Rodimus sighed.
Shanygn followed him down to his office, where more work awaited him, not at all pleasant he knew.
"It was a difficult time, Roddy," she answered softly.
He closed the door behind them and looked at her. "What do you know about it?" he wanted to know.
"Not much. I wasn't with them when it happened. Everyone is pretty close-mouthed about it, as if they think this would make it undone. But it won't." She sighed deeply. "Wolf was hit pretty hard about the result of the VR questioning and blames him for what happened afterwards. Thon Roque was the only one who ever got Midnight to talk, as far as Jill told me, and when he died and Mid became leader ... they tried to forget it."
Rodimus nodded. "It will always come back as long as they all try to forget it."
Their eyes met and Shanygn nodded. "You can't do more than offer help. He will talk when he is ready."
"I hope so." Rodimus looked at his desk and sighed theatrically. "And now for the most unpleasant part of this day: calling Autobot City and explaining the last few days to the guys there."
Shanygn chuckled. "Good luck. I'll be in my quarters and catch up on some reading."
Rodimus smiled and then called Metroplex.

* * *

Nightmare was working on the doorway when he heard the soft steps behind him. His audio sensors knew these steps and when he looked around he wasn't surprised to face Megatron. He automatically shut off the program supplying him with all the weak spots and structural design. It always popped up unwanted. Nightmare wondered why Megatron was allowed to move so freely. Then again, why not? Optimus had made it clear that they were allies, though Nightmare wasn't so sure. Of course, the threat concerned them all, but how much had both commanders their troops under control? What if groups started to fight against each other?
The two robots looked at each other and Nightmare became aware that Mel was still present. She was just working on the other side of the room. He hoped she was wise enough not to interfere and not to show up. Bat glowered at Megatron and the Decepticon regarded him with curiosity.
"What do you want?" Nightmare asked, his voice cool and emotionless.
Megatron smiled. "Is that a way to greet an old friend, Static?"
Nightmare clenched his teeth and hissed. "I think you are talking to the wrong guy."
"And I don't think so at all." Megatron still smiled, but his optics bore into Nightmare's. "I know who you were and you even confessed it."
"It is the past. It is dead. Just like the two robots who knew each other then."
"I didn't die," Megatron said calmly, taunting. "I merely got remodeled. Now I'm back."
"But Static isn't and he never will be." Nightmare remained motionless, only clenched his hands into fists. "What do you want, Megatron?" he repeated.
"I want to get to know you again .... Nightmare," Megatron answered calmly. "Our first meeting after your rebirth was not what I had planned it to be -- if I had had control over my actions."
Nightmare gave a snort of laughter. "Control? You are always in control and you always were -- in your mind."
"Maybe."
Megatron leaned against the control console of one of the many instruments brought down to the doorway chamber to explore the structure. He looked around and his eyes narrowed on a small, humanoid figure in an exo-suit, standing close to the bottom ring structure. He had seen her before, in med bay...... Out of the corners of his eyes he saw Nightmare move silently closer. It amazed him just like millions of years ago that this large robot could move so noiselessly. The human simply looked at him, her eyes calmly meeting his, then she turned away and walked out of the chamber. Megatron felt something strange brush by and he frowned. A thought struck him.
"An Interface?" he asked, allowing a fine smile to creep over his features.
Megatron knew about Interfaces, though not as much as he liked to know. Personally he thought it was disgusting to bond with a human on such close quarters, but everyone had to decide for himself what to do with his life. Megatron knew he would never allow anyone else access to his innermost thoughts. He despised the Headmasters and was glad Galvatron had thrown them off Charr long ago.
"No, a friend," was the cold reply. "Keep away from her."
The Decepticon leader smiled even more. "Of course." He regarded Nightmare with new interest. "I want there to be no doubt about our working relationship, Nightmare. We have a common past and we might have a common future as warriors against a threat no one can even begin to assess. We were friends in that long passed past and I see that even this past as an Assassin was not enough to get between you and the Autobots, especially Optimus Prime."
Nightmare froze slightly.
"I see you had your confrontations...." Megatron went on. "As for the future .... we will meet more often and you will see a lot of your old comrades again."
"I know. But I am Nightmare, a Gatekeeper. I bear the symbol of my past, but that is about it, Megatron."
"I accept that." Megatron turned and walked out of the doorway chamber.
Outside he saw the human again. Their eyes met and again he felt something brush by, ever so faintly, ever so softly. The female human walked back into the chamber and Megatron watched her curiously. Whoever or whatever she was, he would find out about it.

* * *

"What in all the hells of Alcan Six is going on over there?!"
Rodimus winced, sure that he could have heard Kup all the way from Earth to Cybertron without a vidlink.
"Kup, please calm down," he said.
"Calm down? CALM down!! After what you just told me? Kid, you must have a chip lose! All of you must have several chips lose!" the security chief exclaimed. "You are offering Megatron an alliance? Are you utterly mad?"
"No, trying to survive," Rodimus explained calmly.
"With Decepticons in our ranks?"
"Yes, exactly. Kup, if you give me a chance and stop yelling, I'll explain everything to you, okay? I'm coming to Earth in a few hours, so vent off some of this steam and call the others together."
Rodimus looked expectantly at his older friend. He had been greeted with yells of protest the moment he had had Kup on screen. The security chief had given him no chance whatsoever to start a briefing. Somebody must have leaked Megatron's presence here and Rodimus wasn't even surprised. Too many had seen him and more were still seeing him now.
Kup growled something under his breath and then quieted down. "All right."
Rodimus shook his head and then terminated the link. He could have briefed them all over vidlink, but you never knew who might listen in by any chance. He rose and left his office, giving Shanygn a call that he was leaving.

* * *

Spook sat inside the quarantine room and studied the reports he had been allowed to review. The Autobots didn't really trust him completely, but they were ready to try. Midnight had not shown up again and Spook knew that the young leader needed a lot of time to heal. Calling up the list of Sentinels and Seekers which would be send through the doorway to the other worlds, he compared notes between what he knew and what Ralyk had revealed. He knew they had still too few shields, but they had to be enough for now. He made some changes to the pairings. Spook knew about each Sentinels' and Seekers' abilities and he knew the Gatekeepers. The pairings had to compliment each other's abilities, otherwise it would be worthless.
The door opened and Raven stepped in. Spook turned his head and smiled slightly at the Key. He knew Raven from long ago and he had always thought her dead, killed by the warriors because she was none of them.
"How are you coming along?" Raven asked and glanced at the screen.
"Almost done." Spook activated a copy command with his tail and then handed her a disk. "These are my suggestions. Show them to those in command."
Raven took the disk and stowed it away. "How are you feeling?" She gave him a closer examination.
Spook knew how he must look. His body was still missing the paint and First Aid had told him that he wasn't sure about the wings at all. They were mending, but it would take some more time for them to be able to handle his weight again. Spook had to congratulate the Autobots on their work. They had done a marvelous job considering he was an alien construction. His own repair programs were hard at work and he was on a constant energon feed.
"Fine, considering I was dead when I arrived," he answered, curling his tail around his body, smiling slightly.
She nodded. "Anything new on the system?"
"No. I'm listening constantly and nothing has come up yet. I will warn you, Raven, don't worry. This concerns everyone's survival."
"Thank you."
He shrugged. "Just a way of trying to make up for my mistakes."
Raven understood. "Midnight," she said softly.
Spook nodded gravely. "It's my fault and I acknowledge it. He will need time to heal, but eventually he will. I just wish it hadn't happened."
She smiled. "There are a lot of things I wish had never happened, but they did. We have to face it." With that she turned and left.
Spook cocked his head and smiled after her, then curled up and shut down to the lowest level. He kept on listening, as he had promised he would, but every other function was down for recharge.

* * *

Tornado found Midnight outside the South Port complex, doing nothing extraordinary. He was just sitting there. When the Seeker approached, Midnight looked up.
"I was looking for you," Tornado said.
"You found me. Any problems?"
The Seekers had been brought to Alean, all of them, and some of them were even here on Cybertron. Tornado and Phoenix were two of those who were living on Cybertron now, helping as best as they could. They were accepted by most of the Autobots and Sentinels, but some had great difficulties, especially Dagger, who hated every Seeker fiercely. Midnight had sent Dagger away to Earth to keep him out of the way of most of the Seekers. There was no chance he could keep his friend away from every Seeker, except if he sent him to some uncharted planet, but this was the best solution right now.
"I heard you had some. You have not enough people to cover the doorways everywhere." Tornado sat down on what looked like a cargo box.
"We can handle it for some time. Wild Card will cover those close to Cybertron." Midnight smiled humorlessly. "Until someone of us Interfaces, we have to work like this. And even then, the untrained partners could easily fall in a fight against the Tji."
Tornado nodded. "That's why I have an offer to make to you, Midnight. You know that many of us tried to force Interfacing, most of all Braintrust, and it failed miserably. None of us really could join with an organic being and we soon gave up, except for our former leader."
Midnight nodded. He knew all about it.
"What none of us ever realized, well, not until I had a deeper look into it, was that we did Interface, ever so briefly. When the organic died, so did a part of us. We didn't consciously feel it and the more we tried, the more of the Interface circuits were destroyed. Part of us died, but we didn't realize it." Tornado looked at his hands. "Some of us never tried Interfacing, some always tried to no avail. Those are the ones who are, more or less, half dead in many regards." He looked up, his optics glowing slightly. "I talked to Sphere first to verify my theory and she thinks it is possible."
"What is?" Midnight asked.
"Those of us who have destroyed their Interfacing capabilities, can not be taken over by Tji. We are as safe as those who are Interfaced."
The Sentinel leader stared at him. "What?" he breathed.
"I checked with every Seeker and I can offer you five more shields," Tornado explained, his voice calm. "They have all agreed."
Midnight still stared at him. What Tornado had told him about the Interfacing results was incredible!
"Thank you," he finally managed.
Tornado smiled slightly. "You are welcome." He rose from his sitting position. "I'll send them over to the others at South Port to get their assigned posts. When will they leave?"
Midnight shrugged. "Nightmare and Raven still have to work on some of the coordinates, but we'll be ready soon."
Tornado nodded. "Tell me when it's time." With that he transformed and flew back to South Port.
Midnight watched him go, his mind reeling with the revelations. So the Seekers had effectively killed part of themselves by trying to copy something the Sentinels had done and which would have come to them naturally, had they given it time. But Braintrust had driven them to Interface and had killed thousands of innocent lives through it. Midnight felt sorry for those who had now lost this incredible ability forever. They were assets in this war, but they were also victims. The young Sentinel tried to imagine being unable to Interface and he shivered involuntarily. It was an ugly and frightening thought, one he didn't want to hold very long. He wondered who those Seekers were, hoping that Tornado wasn't among them. He had no idea how often or if ever his new friend had tried to Interface. He just hoped he hadn't committed partial suicide yet.....

* * *

Megatron's optics seemed to glow as they fixed on the female robot. She was about a head smaller than he was, slender and her body was colored in a light metallic blue. A mass of white hair spilled over her shoulders down her back and she had a kind of crown on her forehead, holding the hair out of her face. The crown extended along her cheeks, finishing in two blunt ends that looked like mandibles. The etched-in tattoo was her most prominent feature and he wondered what it meant. She was beautiful in an alien way, he had to confess, and quite different from all the other females he had met before. She was a bit magical.....
He looked over to Starscream.
Starscream.
Well, he had mixed memories of his former second-in-command and this meeting was as unexpected as it was interesting. Apparently Starscream had been reborn. Megatron had been surprised, mildly put, when Optimus had revealed to him who exactly this silver and dark blue stranger was.
"I see you found a new body to possess, Starscream," Megatron said pleasantly, but his voice held a taunting note, testing him for reactions -- and he got them.
Starscream bristled slightly. "I didn't possess this body, Megatron," he said with forced calm. "It is mine."
"Who did you steal it from?"
The former lieutenant clenched his hands into fists. The female laid a hand on his arm and Megatron's interest was even more piqued. He had wandered down to the doorway again, just to watch it, to see it work, to see the two teams work it. It was a fascinating device and it captured his interest to no end.
"How come you work together with him, my lovely?"
"Keep away from her," Starscream snarled.
Megatron smiled at the reaction. Very interesting. "I just want to get to know her." The smile widened. "Or is she just one of your pleasure-bots?"
Starscream's optics flashed brightly, but he still didn't charge. Megatron congratulated him on his self-control. It looked like had changed a bit in the last years.
"My name is Sphere," the female now said coolly. "And I'm not a pleasure-bot."
Megatron smiled broadly, quite taken by her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sphere," the Decepticon leader said smoothly. He looked at Starscream. "I see you got a lucky shot."
"She is not my life partner," Starscream ground out.
"How sad...."
"She's my sister," Starscream hissed and his optics glowed dangerously. "Leave your hands off her!"
Megatron raised his hands. "Why, Starscream .... I would never even think about it."
Sphere's hands grabbed Starscream's arm and he quieted down with force. "I think you should leave," she said, slightly challenging.
"As you wish, milady," Megatron replied teasingly and saw a flash in the green eyes. Quite nice. And she was Starscream's sister. Intriguing. Suddenly several people stepped into the room and he turned, discovering not only Optimus Prime, but also every Sentinel and Seeker chosen to be a shield to the Gatekeepers on other worlds. Since Rodimus Prime was on Earth he was not present for this.
"We are ready," Nightmare announced.
Starscream pushed Sphere slightly back and then stepped in front of her, glowering at Megatron, who simply smiled faintly and watched the proceedings.
"I'm opening the doorway to the first location," Raven said and Sphere walked over to her to take over the controls after she was done with this first setting. "The planet's name is Viji and it's pretty close to the border."
Megatron watched the spectacle of the doorway opening, once again fascinated by the display of power, harnessed into a form that made it possible to use it to such an extent. The mechanism was alien and ancient, never designed for them to truly control it.
Nightmare and Spellbinder, already Interfaced, stepped into the column of light and disappeared. Raven transformed and flew after them.
"How long do you estimate it will take?" Rodimus asked.
Sphere shrugged. "No idea. Nightmare knows them all, but it will still take some time to convince them of the threat to us all." She looked at the doorway. "All we can do is wait. I think you guys should settle for some waiting." She smiled. "I'll handle it all in shifts."
Optimus nodded. "Everyone knows about the list of which planets get located and accessed first. Starscream, call those shield units who are on next. I want this to proceed as smoothly as possibly and as quickly as well."
Everyone nodded and those shields who were not yet anywhere close to be moved walked out of the chamber again. Only Wyrdlight and his Interface partner stayed. Optimus came his way and Megatron nodded at him.
"Do you think it will work?" he asked calmly.
"No one knows, least of all me," the Autobot leader answered levely. "What about your Decepticons?"
"I am leaving today. I will tell them all they need to know."
"Can you keep your troops under control? The last thing we need is a continuing civil war!"
Megatron nodded slowly and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "It will be hard. Some will embrace this peace, but some won't see any sense in it." He smiled cruely. "But I have ways to make them see it. What about your Autobots?"
Optimus smiled a bit, his optics glinting. "I think it is the same on our side -- just that I prefer talking to those objecting to the truce instead of threatening them."
Megatron spread his arms. "Whoever said anything about threats?"
The Autobot leader suppressed a smile and looked at the glowing column of light. He was worried, but he didn't show it and Megatron knew why. Too much depended on their success of securing the doorways. If they fell into the wrong hands, it would mean disaster.

* * *

Anrhenjx surveyed another batch of deactivated robots coming in. It was slow work and it was even more painstakingly slow to test these 'recruits' for compatibility. Most of them died immediately after a joining and it always took a long time for the Tji in question to regenerate from the shock. Only the Seekers had proven to be more compatible than the rest and the few of the first generation of robots still alive were not enough to house all Tji. Many 'acquire' robots were only stored, not even tested, and Ath'antheia still had to decide whether to melt them down or keep them in case they came in handy later on.
Anrhenjx checked his body's functions, aware that the life force of the one he had taken over, a warrior called Echo, was almost gone. He sighed. Even though these bodies were better than most, only those robots called Sentinels had been created to house a second life form. Sooner or later the warriors and other first generation creations would die and the Tji would be left with dead husks, something that gave them shelter against attacks for some time, but was hard to move as lightly as if it was also controlled by the original owner.
He left the storage room and walked back into the command center of the fortress, formerly known as Scorponok and commanded by both humanoid creatures and Cybertronians. Sadly, none of the Cybertronians had been of any use to the Tji. They had bonded to humanoid forms and had been tainted -- useless. Ath'antheia had ordered them to be scrapped right after their conquest.
One of the other Tji nodded at him as he checked the coordinates they were approaching.
"The Quintesson base is in reach," he said. "We are ready."
"Good. Proceed."
The fortress descended onto the small outpost of the Quintessons and there was only a half-hearted attempt to defend themselves. The base fell, just like the others.

* * *

Ralyk witnessed the movements of the Autobots, how they deployed shields to the vulnerable Gatekeepers, and it was pleased. Its creations and the offspring were working well together and the alliance was a step further to a working defense against the threat of the Tji.
Something seemed to tentatively knock at his shields and it turned its attention to the two occupants of the shell it had taken over. Vector Sigma had surrendered easily to him, recognizing his parent and following his pre-programmed orders in case something like that would ever happen. The program had been locked deep inside himself and not even the closest scan would have detected it.
"What are you doing?" Alpha Trion demanded. "You are changing defense grids!"
-- Yes -- Ralyk replied gently.
"Why? Why change them in this way? You are not even installing new weapons! What are the energy storage units for?"
Ralyk regarded the first-generation Autobot and shifted itself a bit. Alpha Trion was one of the first Autobot offspring and one of the oldest third generation creations of its Creators. He had no way to contact anyone outside Vector Sigma without Ralyk noticing it and Vector Sigma would no longer assist him; the mega computer was under Ralyk's command now.
-- Watch --
And Alpha Trion watched. A computer model of Cybertron popped up in front of him. The globe turned slowly and data was displayed. Alpha Trion frowned in puzzlement.
"Shields?" he then asked, confused. "Why only shields and not better weapons?"
-- You already have weapons enough --
-- Shields are a better defense --
-- We are not the ones attacking; we are defending --
Alpha Trion continued studying the model. "Several layers of shields...." he muttered. "What are those?" He pointed at the shields marked in red.
-- Time distortion fields --
The Autobot gaped at him. "But ... but...." he stuttered. "You are changing Cybertron into a copy of the space station?"
-- No --
-- I am trying to make it safe --
Alpha Trion looked back at the model again. "What about the Autobots here? Do they know?"
-- Their leaders will get informed when everything is ready --
"How? And who will control the system?"
There was a short silence, then Ralyk answered,
-- They will know --
-- All leaders --
-- Program initiation has been completed --
"What?" Alpha Trion exclaimed.
Ralyk opened another file for him to see and he stared at it, mouth agape. Through the energy washing over Cybertron several Autobots had been changed, including a Sentinel.
-- They will be keys to the system, controlling it -- Ralyk explained calmly.
Alpha Trion tried to digest that. "I see," he finally said slowly.
The wire-frame model and the data disappeared and the bluish black, rune-covered walls reappeared.
"When will the Tji arrive?"
-- Unknown --
Alpha Trion settled back, thinking. Too much changing too fast.

* * *

The planet was a desert. All water reserves lay hidden deep beneath the inhospitable ground and only the high mountain ranges brought some new sights. Spellbinder looked around and smiled. Even if this was only a desert, it was nice. Especially considering that this was a totally new planet to be explored. Nightmare transformed and looked around, aware that there had to be a Gatekeeper close. He sent a signal.
Raven landed on his shoulder, her yellow optics scanning the surrounding plains.
"I knew something would come," a soft voice said and both new-arrivals turned. "I just didn't think it would be you, Nightmare."
The voice belonged to a large, scorpion-like creature, clearly a robot. It was colored in copper and sandy brown, intermixed with dark brown. There was the Gatekeeper symbol on its large front claws.
Nightmare smiled. "Hello, Sable."
The scorpion-like creature transformed, shifting its parts and turning into a bipedal robot. "What is happening?" Sable asked. "And who ...." His optics widened as he saw Spellbinder's insignia. "Sentinel!"
"His name is Spellbinder," Nightmare explained. "And we are here because we are at the brink of a war and every Gatekeeper is a target."
Sable gasped. "What?"
Nightmare nodded. "Let me give you the brief version....."

* * *

It was over two weeks after they had started sending the Sentinels and Seekers through the centerway. Nightmare was tired when he turned to Raven, who was setting the doorway for the last time. It had always been the same throughout the universe: Raven set the Cybertron centerway, they went to the planet, introduced the Sentinel or Seeker, which were now called 'shields' to the Gatekeeper, explained the necessary -- Nightmare was transmitting the data to the Gatekeepers instead of telling them vocally -- and then Raven set the doorway back to Cybertron; and the whole procedure began anew.
The world around them was a beautiful forest with high spires of rock protruding between the trees, giving it an almost magical look. The planet's name was Arry and it was on the other side of the danger zone, close to this side's border and hopefully out of the line of fire for some time. Nightmare just hoped everything would be all right. All Gatekeepers had been thoroughly informed of the danger they were in, reminded that they needed their shield and that this partnership was vital. If any of them couldn't get along with their new team mate they would have to find a way.
"Take care," ShatterX, the Gatekeeper of this world, said softly.
Nightmare smiled at the insectoid creature. The faceted eyes reflected the light coming through the canopy of trees. ShatterX looked fragile with her slender, graceful legs and the wasp-like body, but she could take on an army and not lose a leg. Gatekeepers had been designed for strength and power and their bodies only hid this fact.
"I will. You two get together and work on your partnership." He looked down at Hellfire, the cougar-like Seeker.
Hellfire gave him a canine smile. "We will," he said.
ShatterX nodded and moved her transparent, glittering wings. Nightmare stepped into the doorway, followed by Raven. When he could see again, he was back at Cybertron. The doorway chamber was empty except for Optimus Prime, Sphere and Starscream.
"It's done," he said tiredly. "All doorways are secured."
"Good work, Nightmare," Prime said and nodded. "You two better recharge and get some quiet time."
"Anything new?" Raven wanted to know.
"Nothing. Everything is quiet, but it always has been. I'll be leaving for Nebulos in a few hours and Rodimus is still on Earth. Midnight will stay here as your shield."
Nightmare nodded slowly and followed Optimus out of the doorway chamber. Raven remained where she was, simply settling down and resting.
"How is the situation on Nebulos?" Nightmare asked while the elevator took them up to the surface.
"I still have to brief the Headmasters on everything, but they should be as safe as the shields from take-overs," Optimus said. "The political situation has quieted down and Daniel informed me that the Nebulan government has allowed an Earth survey team a two months stay on the planet. I think it's a small victory."
Nightmare nodded. Nebulos was guarding itself furiously, afraid to let outsiders in, especially those who had had no connections to them in the past. Autobots were approved of, as were specific humans, like the Witwicky family, but everyone else's request was turned down. Nightmare had read about the Nebulan history in the Archive, mainly out of curiosity because Mel sometimes told her things about her brother's work, and he had found that this planet had had a very difficult past. The Nebulans were afraid of outsiders who might suppress them again, turning them into slaves once more after their own people had treated most of the population like this for decades. Even the current government was regarded with caution.
"He's doing a good job."
Optimus smiled. Daniel had turned into a responsible young man, taking over the liaison job on Nebulos, working together with Arcee who was Cybertron's liaison to Nebulos. He was still very attached to the female Autobot, but now it was a mere friendship, not a Headmaster partnership.
They arrived inside the South Port complex and Nightmare walked to the recharge chambers. He had no private quarters here or anywhere on Cybertron because he spent most of his time down in the chamber or exploring his new old home.
"What about Megatron?" Nightmare asked after a prolonged silence.
Optimus looked at him, then said calmly, "The Decepticons' main force will remain on Charr, though they will move if the situation becomes too dangerous. Megatron and Cyclonus will move freely between our planets. Will you have a problem with that?"
Nightmare looked sharply at him. "No," he answered coolly.
Optimus regarded the Gatekeeper and former Decepticon. Since their rather violent encounter nearly two decades ago a lot had changed, especially in Prime's mind. He accepted Nightmare as what he was now, though it had been a long and emotionally painful process and Optimus had had to fight hard not to let the knowledge of Nightmare's past come between their growing alliance.
"Good," Optimus finally said.
Nightmare gave him another sharp look, then nodded and went toward the recharge chambers, leaving Optimus standing in front of the elevator to the next level where his office was. The Autobot leader watched him disappear.

* * *

Rodimus had spent the last weeks on Earth, patiently answering Kup's and Ultra Magnus' questions, evading clear definitions of their enemy and who they were. It was a precarious situation and he hated to keep his friends in the dark, but it was necessary. Then there were the latest reports. Quintesson bases had been destroyed and the path the destroyer was taking coincided with the disappearance of Cybertronians close to the borders. Rodimus had talked to Optimus and they had decided not to look any deeper into this. The Quintessons weren't their concern and sending out troops might just end with them also disappearing.
"Hiya!"
Rodimus looked down and discovered a dark-haired man clad in a dark overall. There was a badge on his left chest and a name tag on the other.
"Hello, Nick. How's'it going?"
"A-okay," the engineer replied. "Raoul and I went over some new designs for Metroplex's systems and it seems to work just fine. I'll be leaving for Cybertron in a few days, though, and Raoul will have to finish our experiments alone."
"Cybertron?" Rodimus asked, a bit puzzled.
Nicholas shrugged. "Just broadening my field of expertise," he explained. "I heard there's another one of this older race on Cybertron and Optimus finally agreed to letting me help First Aid getting this guy's systems down in the computer in case something happens again."
Rodimus smiled. Nicholas had a knack for taking technology apart in his mind. He took a look at a machine or a mechanism and when he saw how it worked or should work, he could repair it. He kind of worked similar to Melissa, but Mel had the advantage of being a limited empath while Nicholas was not. He just ... knew.
"Well, have fun then."
Nicholas grinned and Rodimus walked away.
[Hi, handsome. How are you?]
[Shanygn!] he groaned and heard soft laughter. His Interface sat on a terminal in the corridor, her feet dangling in front of the screen, which was currently off-line. She smiled at him, her dark blue eyes dancing with amusement. [Nice to see one of us thinks this is fun]
[Greetings from Carly and Spike] she said, ignoring the last sentence. She had set her mind on getting him to relax a bit and she would do everything score this victory.
[Don't tell me you went shopping] he teased.
[Nah, of course not. Listen, how about breaking away from this tense bureaucracy and taking a ride down to the coast?] Shanygn raised an eyebrow.
Rodimus had to confess it sounded just great. [You're on]

* * *

The last of the Quintesson bases fell several weeks later. The Tji watched in satisfaction as the base was obliterated under the blaster fire. There were still some Quintesson ships out there, but they were no threat. The Quintessons were on the run.
"So much for the thieves," Ath'antheia said and turned away from the screen. "Now for the stolen goods."
The Tji called up a map similar to the doorway map Spook had supplied the Autobots with, of which Ath'antheia knew noting about, of course.
"Set course for Trbeca," he ordered.
The fortress changed course, heading for the small planet which held one of the few doorways still functional.

* * *

Spook watched the system.

* * *

-- Initiating second stage upgrading --
-- Modifying central structure --
-- Connections made --
-- Proceeding --

* * *

Optimus watched the star-speckled sky, feeling dread rise inside of him every time he thought about the imminent confrontation with the Tji and what would happen to his kind. Silhouette sat beside him, keeping him silent company, supporting him by just being there. She had come up here to the tower some time ago and had done nothing but sit with him, waiting. The tower was a place Optimus had chosen as his refuge when he wanted to be alone, but Silhouette had shown no move to grant him that wish and he was grateful. Her presence was enough and she had supported him in the last years this way. Since he had lost Elita he felt tired, but he knew he had to go on. His people needed him. Though Sil was Rodimus' life partner, she was also close to Optimus on a completely different level. She somehow regarded her like a little sister -- age-wise.
Both of them continued sitting together, each wrapped up in his or her own thoughts about the future. Optimus knew it would be a brutal war, maybe even more destructive than the civil war against the Decepticons. This time they faced those who had designed them -- really designed them -- and they had shown to be quite ruthless. They had to be on their toes -- or perish completely.