Virus Evolution

Chapter 1

We have long forgotten who created our kind; we are called Transformers, sentient robots. Our world, Cybertron has been torn apart by our war; two factions the Autobots and Decepticons fighting for control of our home world that would continue suffer over 4 million years. Until a time came when our war was brought to Earth, a beautiful blue green world on the edge of the galaxy filled with life of every imaginable kind. Befriended by its inhabitants, humans, our war would continue on their world with disastrous consequences.

Our war has waged across the known galaxy, but it would be Cybertron where our fates would be tested. Megatron brought the Virus from Earth to merely enslave our civilization instead he almost destroyed us all. The Virus was a living organism with the ability to kill Transformers without inhibition.

During the last battle of the Evolution War when the leaders of the Deceptions and Autobots, Megatron and Optimus Prime clashed in the heavens above Cybertron both were overcome by the Virus. In one last valiant effort to save our world Optimus Prime released the power and knowledge held within the Matrix into the void of destruction that was engulfing our dying planet. Only the Matrix saved our civilization and our world from complete annihilation.

In the chaos of destruction, Optimus Prime and Megatron along with their warriors disappeared, many thought destroyed. And it was on that day Megatron became a god.

Thus we evolved. The Virus was the catalyst; our world of exotic metals and cosmic alloys bent and curved upon itself, taking on both organic and inorganic properties, metallic life. As Cybertron was reborn we were forcibly changed, all Cybertronian life would be forever altered.

- Isis Prime

---

1.3 Million Years Later…

"Sir, are you sure that informant's intelligence was worth the taels spent on it?" Crystal Ice asked as she leaned forward to study the screen that framed a very ominous black hole that was slowly pulling their ship the Julie-Ann into its horizon event. The insignia on her chest identified her as a military Autobot, not a civilian. Though the pulse cannon on her left forearm might also have provided a hint. Like most females of her race she was tall, constituted of a beautiful metallic alloy, possessing a curved elegance to her parts - a definitively feminine build. Males of the species having a tendency to be more bulky and angular, some would say stocky, following the stereotypical evolutionary standards for males and females. At least that was the prevailing theory.

The computer was scanning the event horizon of the dead star, looking for anything out of the usual. The source had sold the Autobot military command information that the Decepticons were spending a lot of time around collapsed star A2341. They appeared to be looking for something. Scans of the system had showed no enemy activity. "Command thinks its worth it," a rather over armored Autobot named Blackwolf said as he came over to look at Crystal Ice's computer display.

"This is dangerous, if we get too close we'll be trapped in the event horizon," Crystal Ice warned Blackwolf.

"How much closer can we get?" he asked.

Crystal Ice shook her head, "It might help to know what we're looking for. There is no Decepticon activity out there, even they're not insane enough to play around with a black hole."

Blackwolf chuckled, "You haven't met too many Decepticons then."

New data flashed across the screen that made Crystal Ice ignore her commander's comment as she quickly tried to evaluate what the computer was trying to convey. "Sir, there is something very large out there. I can't see it on scans, but it's creating its own gravity waves."

"Pull back now!" Blackwolf commanded his crew. The Autobot destroyer Julie-Ann immediately pulled back from the event horizon of A2341. "I need more information Autobots!" he yelled. Crystal Ice pulled up other scans at her station, but could not identify the origins of the additional gravity waves.

Several tense moments passed as the Autobots waited to see what might happen. Suddenly a massive robot-ship came into view on the main screen of the bridge. "That's Orgonix!" a female Autobot named Skytopaz breathed in shock. Her name was obvious from the beautiful blue hue of her armor. She stepped forward for a better look, "It was reported he was destroyed during the Norusin conflict," she added.

"Obviously the report was wrong," Blackwolf responded, "Weapons online!!"

The enormous Decepticon slid though space without a sound. Orgonix was too busy scanning the event horizon of A2341 to pay any attention to the Autobot destroyer; he had divine work to do. Orgonix turned back towards the black hole and continued his scans. "The god is here, he had to be," he thought to himself. Orgonix had dreamed of him, in the great cold void of white light. Orgonix had ignored calls from Decepticon command, demanding to know what he was doing. Though he has been punished for repeatedly failing in battle, the god had come to him, "My redemption!" thought Orgonix.

The Autobots watched Orgonix disappear back into the event horizon of the black hole; the Decepticon could obviously withstand the great power of the black hole. The energy required to keep from being pulled into the black hole was massive. As it was, the Autobot's destroyer Julie-Ann was beginning to show signs of stress due to their close proximity to this space phenomenon. "What could that Decepticon be looking for?" Blackwolf wondered out loud. No one had an answer.

"Should we follow?" Crystal Ice asked. "He doesn't seem interested in us."

"Yes, for now. Keep a safe distance though," Blackwolf responded. The Autobots continued their surveillance of the Decepticon, Orgonix.

Time passed, several days by Cybertronian time, and Orgonix kept up his hunt, his energy was almost depleted. Though he was in danger of being hauled into the black hole, he had to go deeper; the god had to be here. Orgonix had found other victims of the black hole's power floating around, slowly being pulled down into oblivion, either in deep stasis or dead; but they did not interest him. Orgonix wondered if he was being tested, to see if he was willing to sacrifice himself for the god. "Yes, a test," he thought, "I must prove myself worthy of finding the god!" So he went even closer, feeling the gravity currents pulling him down into a "watery" doom that he was not sure he could escape. But he continued to scan the black hole. "I must not miss any region."

Fear crept into his mind and he processed this need for self-preservation thoughtfully, but the god would laugh cruelly at him. To die for the god was to make the ultimate sacrifice, so he forced himself to go deeper into the black hole. Sensors scanned ancient metal debris and wreckage, "It was from Cybertron! How could that be? That world was light years from A2341! How did it get here, was it the god?" As he pondered these thoughts he noticed the Autobots following him. "Perhaps he could use them to escape, if need be," he thought, "Weakness! The god would not be pleased!" But he had been gifted with the vision; he had seen the god, sleeping in space, being pulled down in to the void of white light.

Suddenly his sensors screamed. He was lost! He could not escape now! "Failure!" Orgonix realized it meant that he would not be remembered; that he would never sit at the god's side. As Orgonix pondered his failure he came upon the god, floating harmlessly in space.

---

On a dead rock, a prison, orbiting a beautiful dark green-brown world where lightening criss-crossed its endless skies in a never-ending succession. The Watchers sneered in glee on their dead moon. Millennias of boredom was ending.

----

Isis Prime could have sworn that she had felt, "What was that ancient human expression?," she thought. It felt as if someone had walked over her grave. There was a disturbance in the Matrix within her chest, a recognition of something. She could not help but glance over at the tall, six-sided milky gray crystal that sat in the middle of the side table in her quarters; an artifact from an ancient time before she existed. No answer to her question came from the Matrix, only her experience and wisdom was within. She had no knowledge from the others, like other Matrix would have; she was the first, the Alpha. Perhaps it was nothing, but she never liked it when she got such feelings, they always greatly disturbed her. Isis Prime rose from her desk and wandered over to the crystal and ran her hand over it, but the crystal was as inanimate as ever.

Lightening broke the gray-green sky, reaching toward a power station relay, where its energy would be collected and used to power Cybertron. Before her was a silvery lake of liquid metal, then the city of Riyon in the distance, with its dark spires and tall monolithic buildings, each with its own unique beauty. Cybertron flourished now; a Golden Age. Through dark clouds the night sky could be seen and Cybertron's only real moon, Hades, rose in the sky. Hades was a forbidden place, no Cybertronian had walked its surface and survived since before the e-volve and Isis Prime would make sure it remained so. Only the suicidal went to Hades, and for the billionth time she wondered if their ancient contract with the Watchers had been worth the price to Cybertron.

---

Skytopaz saw the signal projected across her screen but did not at first realize what she was beholding. The computer confirmed again the ancient SOS signal. It was extremely weak, with little distance projection. It was one used before the e-volve. There were pre-e-volves out there in the cold of space moving around the black hole. "Sir, there are pre-e-volves out there, we're getting a general SOS signal. Unknown if Autobot or Decepticon." she reported to her commander.

Blackwolf, who had been studying other reports, stopped and turned his attention to Skytopaz, as did everyone else on the command deck, "Did you say pre-e-volves?" he asked carefully, trying not to show his shock. Skytopaz checked the signal again and nodded toward her commander, "I guess we know now what Orgonix is looking for." Blackwolf put his computer pad down and stood, "Okay Autobots, it's now a search and rescue!" "Skytopaz," he directed, "Contact the medical section and tell them to expect pre-e-volves. They will be exposed to the Virus as soon as we bring them on board."

"What if they're Decepticons?" Crystal Ice asked, "We should destroy them or else just leave them."

"That's not your decision to make!" Blackwolf reminded her, "Everyone knows the protocol for finding pre-e-volves." Crystal Ice did not voice her trepidation further, but brought up the required protocols for rescuing pre-e-volves. "Do we have Orgonix on our sensors?" Blackwolf queried.

"Yes, Sir, " Crystal Ice responded, "But he has entered further into the event horizon of the black hole than even we should follow."

"Follow him!" Blackwolf commanded.

Crystal Ice stared at the male Autobot, who was easily a magnitude larger than her, "That is stupid and suicidal!" Blackwolf, who was used to having his orders complied with, was speechless, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Noted Crystal. You can file a formal complaint when we get back to Cybertron." Blackwolf commented as he entered the new commands into the computer. The destroyer's computer warned of the danger of executing the new course. When the warning went unacknowledged, the computer immediately filed a report, sending it to Cybertron with the information of the discovery of pre-e-volves. It did have self preservation protocols.

The Julie-Ann slid down further into the black hole's event horizon. The Autobots needed to find the pre-e-volves as quickly as possible. The more energy they expended, the less were their chances of escaping the black hole's hold on them. Debris filled the main screen of the destroyer's command deck. It looked like the carnage left over from an ancient battle. Crystal Ice scanned the wreckage of ships and Transformers long passed into the Nexus. The scan indicted it was Cybertronian in origin, but that was impossible! The rest of those present on the command deck were stunned in to silence.

Suddenly, alarms warned of on an incoming attack, "It appears Orgonix has noticed us. He's turning!" Crystal Ice yelled, "All Autobots prepare for attack!" An energy mass hit the destroyer with full force, but its shields held. Orgonix was not firing a warning shot. "What is that insane Decepticon doing?" Crystal Ice exclaimed, "He'll be stuck here if he uses his remaining energy to attack us."

"We have found pre-e-volves," Skytopaz informed the bridge crew. "Beginning rescue protocols!" The destroyer's tractor beam pulled the ancient Transformers from space and into the ship.

"How many?" Blackwolf demanded.

"Not sure" Skytopaz responded. Another blast from Orgonix rocked the ship.

"Open communications with that Decepticon," Blackwolf ordered. When the communiqué line was initiated, Blackwolf warned Orgonix, "Decepticon, we know why you are here, for the pre-e-volves, but if you attack us you'll doom us all."

Laughter returned, "I am Orgonix! The god will reward me!"

Crystal Ice shook her head, "That Decepticon had been in space too long." Blackwolf nodded he had think of something quickly, he addressed Orgonix, "The god cannot reward you if you're stuck here with us. We should work together."

"Orgonix does not work with Autobots!" the Decepticon sneered.

"Don't be stupid, we're both being pulled down into this black hole. We should rescue as many of the pre-e-volves as possible and combine our energies to get both of us out of the gravity pull of this dead star!" Blackwolf reasoned.

"Orgonix has the god, what does he care for the others?" was the response.

Blackwolf stopped, "The god?" He thought, "This Decepticon is insane," but he tried again, "Maybe the god wants his followers to be rescued as well." Crystal Ice asked him what he was doing, but Blackwolf just shrugged.

Orgonix thought for a second, "This Autobot did make sense. After all, one should not anger a god." "Very well," he answered, "We will escape together and gather as many pre-e-volves as we can. But I want the Decepticons."

"And we want the Autobots." Blackwolf responded. A deal was struck. "Very well. We'll each rescue as many of the pre-e-volves as we can and exchange each others kind when we have escaped from this black hole."

"Agreed," Orgonix said. He immediately began pulling away from the black hole and pulling the Autobot destroyer with him. The destroyer scanned the wreckage, trying to pull any pre-e-volves they found, though not all could be recovered.

---

Once he was far enough away not to be affected by the pull of the black hole, Orgonix demanded an immediate prisoner exchange. Orgonix, for his part, spit two Autobots out into cold space and waited impatiently. Blackwolf commanded that the identified Decepticons be delivered in a similar fashion. Orgonix quickly rescued his cargo and was gone, leaving the Autobots to wonder what had just happened. Their pre-e-volves had been pulled into the main cargo bay and medical Autobots were already stationed to receive them. The Virus started its mutation of the pre-e-volve Transformers immediately; upon arrival in the destroyer the Transformers had been exposed. All Cybertonians were plague carriers. It was similar with Orgonix.

---

Marked "Highest Security", the message to Cybertron's high command was simple enough, "The Lord Prime has been located."

---

It took Isis Prime several readings of the high security communiqué for its meaning to sink in. "The Lord Prime has been located!" For millennia on end the Autobots had searched for the remains of their brethren who had fought at the end of the Evolution War. Now he had been found in the wreckage around a dead star 11,326.789 light years from Cybertron. "How?" she thought to herself. The fact was just too shocking. Already she could hear the Oracle Tell Basta trying to contact her, wanting to know details. She forcibly shoved the Oracle's thoughts out of her mind - she could wait. The message also mentioned that the Decepticon Orgonix had been looking for "the god." To a Decepticon the only god was Megatron. Could he have found Megatron? If the other Prime had been found, she could only assume the worse. To unleash that abomination on the universe again! And it would evolve! Isis Prime felt that strange sensation again and shivered. Megatron would bring only death and destruction, as before.

Isis Prime ordered Blackwolf to return to Cybertron immediately. The rescued pre-e-volves would be infected with the Virus by now; the pain of the transformation they would go through was unspeakable. Only those Transformers who had existed before the Virus knew what horror that was, as a majority of the living Cybertronians, like herself, had been created after the Virus had consumed their world.

---

Pain is a state of physical and mental suffering. The Consciousness came on-line and it felt pain; sensations of misery, "What is this?" The last thing the Consciousness remembered was the cold of space and a fall in to stasis. Mortally wounded; was this death? Physical changes were taking place around it as the Consciousness tried to remember, but it mentally screamed in anguish, it couldn't escape. Minute by minute the agony increased. The Consciousness struggled through the writhing agony trying to remember what it was, what was happening. Was it dying? Why doesn't this torture stop? But it continued. More information came through a void of haze and it called itself Prowl.

Prowl could suddenly see, hear, and smell. Thrashing against invisible restraints he yelled out at his unknown assailants. "Hang on, it's almost over," came a soft voice.

"Why are doing this to me?" he screamed.

"Hang on," the soothing voice said again, "The Virus must run its course, transformation is almost complete." Prowl did not listen as he tried to bring his weapons to bear, the voice quickly yelled, "Disable his weaponry, hurry!" Prowl's mind was burning, he wanted it to stop, he screamed and screamed. Then there was nothing.

Prowl woke with a start. His optical sensors adjusted to the lighting. He could feel his limbs and the pain was gone. As he sat up and looked down at his hands he did not recognize himself. He quickly looked around the room and found someone sitting in the far corner. "Who are you?" he demanded. He realized after he asked the question that his weaponry didn't work.

"Oh, you're awake," the figure said as it came into Prowl's line of sight. What appeared before him, he was not sure. It appeared humanoid in shape, but it wasn't a human. It was a Transformer, but not like any he had ever seen before. Skytopaz stood before Prowl watching him as curiously as he was of her. Prowl saw the Autobot symbol on her armor and relaxed a little. "Your name is Prowl?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded, "Who, or what, are you?"

Skytopaz was confused by the odd question. Maybe the Virus had damaged his mind. "My name is Skytopaz and I am an Autobot, like yourself, a Transformer."

Prowl scanned her body and found his scans were bounced back at him. He could register a power signature from her and, as he stopped to try to analyze the information, he realized she was also biological. "I find biological components, but…" he stopped as he realized the implication of what he was saying. She was both organic and inorganic.

"Of course you do," Skytopaz said patiently, "Scan your own systems and you will find the same reading." Prowl did as she said and indeed found that he himself had the same bio-energy reading. Now he was really confused. "Now if you will sit quietly I will explain has happened to you." she replied soothingly.

"I was on Cybertron…Megatron had unleashed some weapon…I cannot remember. How long has been?" Prowl began.

"Approximately, 1.3234 million years," she answered. The information sank in. He had been in stasis longer on Earth when the Ark had crashed.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Your on the Autobot destroyer, Julie-Ann," she said. "We are going home."

"Home?" Prowl asked.

"Cybertron," Skytopaz smiled.

"Excuse me, but what type of Transformer are you?" Prowl asked.

Skytopaz laughed as it dawned on her why he was acting so oddly. There had not been gender differentiation before the Virus. "I am a female of our race, you are male, if you are wondering."

The thought of being either male or female had never crossed Prowl's mind before, though the humans seemed to use the masculine when speaking of his kind. "Transformers do not have gender…" he stated slowly, but stopped.

Skytopaz laughed at his confusion, she couldn't help it. "The idea may take a little getting used to. We Transformers have evolved, there is gender assignment, we are now what are called "metallic biologicals." That is the simplest explanation I can give you."

Prowl studied the tall azure-blue female Transformer again, noting her eyes still, then darken. She was armored, but it curved around her, giving him the impression of a human female. Her height was approximately six meters. This was all very confusing to him.

"There are others of your, I guess, I mean, of our kind," he asked hopefully.

Skytopaz nodded, "Many."

"The others," he asked his friends. "Optimus Prime..., Bumblebee?" he asked hopefully.

Skytopaz was taken aback for a moment. "Why would he refer to a Prime on such a personnel level?" she thought, but she did not correct Prowl. "The Lord Prime is still going through the e-volve process and the other two are resting comfortably. Our records show one is Bumblebee and the other is Jazz. Unfortunately, no others were rescued from the black hole." Prowl nodded and began to look himself over. He had changed. He felt stronger and faster, though externally he was still a mystery to himself. On Earth he had been a police cruiser, but now he wasn't sure what he was.

"I am in robot mode?" he asked dumbly.

Skytopaz nodded, "Yes, your mobile form probably has not set yet, so do not try to transform from robot mode."

"You said we Transformers had 'evolved.' What did you mean, into what?" Prowl asked.

"In to what we are now," she responded. "I suppose you might be a little different because you were a pre-e-volve, I was created after the Virus changed us." Prowl definitely did not understand. "Everything will be explained," she promised, "You are among your own kind, I assure you. How do you feel?"

"Fine," Prowl said.

"Are you hungry," she asked, Prowl only gave her a confused look. "Do you desire energy?"

Prowl thought for a moment, "I believe I do."

"Then come," she said. Prowl stood and took several tentative steps, finding he could walk, though his balance felt a little precarious. His systems stabilized him. As Prowl followed Skytopaz out of the room and into the corridor he realized he could not help but watch how she moved.

"What is this?" he asked Skytopaz as he realized he was wearing what appeared to a bracelet. Strange symbols and designs were inlaid upon it.

Skytopaz held up her arm to show how she also wore such a bracelet, but with very different patterns inscribed on it, "It is called an Onc armlet, all Transformers wear one."

"What is it for?" he asked.

"Mating," she replied. "Don't worry everything will be explained. There will be a lot of new things to get used to, I assure you."

"Mating? Was that not something humans did to procreate?" Prowl thought. He decided that there were other, more pressing questions, than how exactly Transformers mated.

As they traveled through several corridors, they passed other Transformers who nodded and stared at Prowl in curiosity and he at them.

The galley was a beautiful area that had a panoramic view of the space the Autobot destroyer Julie-Ann was currently passing through. Tables were scattered throughout the room and other Autobots sat taking a meal of energy of one form or the other. "Don't worry everyone has orders to leave you and the others alone until you get a little more comfortable with your surroundings. I will be your re-educational liaison for now. Any questions you have, I will try to provide some answers. Once we get to Cybertron there are classes that will be provided to allow your re-integration into society. Unless you decide other wise I assume it will be in the military? "

"I guess," Prowl said absent mindlessly as he continued to study the other Transformers. Skytopaz left him at the table while she procured some energy nutrients. When she returned she had several glowing cubes of swirling colors with her. She placed them on the table in front of Prowl. "What is it?" he asked.

"A high energy protein mix. You absorb it through your facial orifice," Skytopaz replied as she demonstrated by picking up one of the cubes and putting it into her mouth. "Your body will process it into raw energy. Try it, it's good."

Prowl picked up one of cubes and did as Skytopaz had done, and sure enough, it tasted good. The new energy flooded his systems making him feel much better. "When will we reach Cybertron?" he asked.

"20.98 hours," Skytopaz returned. "Your file said you were the tactical and analytical officer for the Lord Prime?"

"The Lord Prime?" Prowl repeated, confused, "You mean Optimus Prime."

"You called the Lord Prime by name?" she asked surprised.

"Of course. His friends call him Optimus," Prowl said.

"You must be a very close confident of the Lord Prime," she said a little in awe.

"Well I guess, but why are you calling Optimus, 'Lord Prime'," he asked, curious.

"That is how a Matrix holder or Prime is referred to, using the feminine Lady and masculine Lord," she said simply.

"Did you say Lady?" Prowl asked shocked.

Skytopaz nodded, "I suppose there are two Primes now. Lady Isis Prime and Lord Optimus Prime."

"Isis Prime?" Prowl asked, "A female like you with a Matrix?"

"Lady Isis Prime or Lady Prime," Skytopaz corrected him. "Yes, Lady Prime is a Matrix holder."

The idea of another Prime was incredible to Prowl. There had always been just one, Optimus Prime. "This Lady Isis Prime is your leader?" he asked.

"Yes, since the time after we evolved," Skytopaz said. "How are you feeling now? Have you had enough energy or would like something else?"

"I think I am fine," he responded. "I don't suppose we could see the others?"

"I will check. Please come with me if you are finished with your meal," Skytopaz said.

---

Bumblebee, like Prowl, experienced the searing pain of the Virus during his e-volve and he was currently sitting quietly wondering what had happened to him. He seemed to be functioning, but his body armor was very different from before, though he retained his trademark canary-yellow color. He had to admit he felt stronger, if not larger. Unlike Prowl, he had awoke alone. As he stood gingerly he scanned his surrounding, "Hello?" he called out. There was no response. He figured if Decepticons had captured him, they would have restrained him if he was alone. He tried signaling Optimus Prime, but there was no response. Weapons were active. He felt different. He remembered the pain, what had happened to him? Since no one seemed to be coming he figured he would have to figure things out on his own and find his friends. Perhaps they needed rescuing; it would not be the first time.

Just as he was getting ready to explore a door slid opened and a gleaming white Transformer walked in. "How are you feeling Bumblebee?" the Autobot asked. He was larger than Bumblebee by quite a lot, but appeared to have no weaponry. The voice was familiar, but he did not recognize the Transformer in front of him. The Autobot laughed, "You do not recognize me do you old friend?"

"Do we know each other?" Bumblebee asked hesitantly.

"Yes, we fought many battles against Decepticons on Earth and I put you back together on countless occasions." Bumnblebee still did not recognize the Transformer.

"I'm Rachet," he said with a grin.

Bumblebee stared at the Transformer before him, "Rachet?" Rachet chuckled at his old friends confusion. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"I don't know," Bumblebee responded, confused.

Rachet nodded, "That is to be expected. Going through the e-volve is a painful process."

"E-volve?" Bumblebee asked, "Is that what has happened to me and why you look so different?"

"Yes, you were in stasis for a very long time," Rachet said.

"How long?" Bumblebee asked hesitantly.

"1.3234 million years," he stated. Bumblebee sat back down on the metal bunk he had been resting on.

"That long?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"We were in stasis longer on Earth after we crashed." Rachet said.

"Optimus Prime?" he asked.

"Optimus is still going through e-volve and it appears it is taking him considerably longer than you, Jazz and Prowl. Probably something to do with being a Matrix holder."

"He will be all right?" Bumblebee asked with concern in his voice.

"I don't know. Not all Transformers survive the e-volve, but Optimus was always the toughest of all us," Rachet said.

Before Bumblebee could ask another question, the door to his room opened and two more Transformers walked in.

Rachet smiled at the new arrivals, "Skytopaz. Prowl you have looked better!" Bumblebee looked at the strange Transformer that Rachet had called Prowl, but his attention was drawn away to the Transformer standing next him. "She is a female Transformer, an Autobot." Rachet said answering the question even before Bumblebee could form the question. This was even more confusing.

"Bumblebee, is that you?" Prowl asked.

"Yes, I think so, this new form is different," the yellow Autobot admitted.

"You don't know the half of it," Prowl said looking at Skytopaz who found the entire thing quite amusing.

Bumblebee point towards Rachet, "That's Rachet."

Prowl grinned and two Transformers gripped each others forearms in greetings, "Old friends?" Skytopaz asked.

"Yes," Rachet said excitedly.

" I knew you were a pre-e-volve, but Rachet you never mentioned you knew the Lord Prime." Skytopz said surprised. Many Autobots did not always speak of their pasts; they were just too painful and full of lost friends and sorrow.

"Old memories I thought best to put aside," he commented simply. Skytopaz asked no more questions.

"Lord Prime?," Bumblebee questioned.

"Apparently that is how Optimus Prime is referred to now," Prowl said.

"You'll get used to it," Rachet said. "Many things have changed since the Virus e-volved us."

"Medic, is Jazz awake? Who was assigned as his re-educational liaison?" Skytopaz asked.

"He is fine. I told Blackwolf I would handle both Bumblebee and Jazz," Rachet said. "I spent an hour earlier convincing him who I was and that this was not some Decepticon trick."

"Pretty elaborate one, if it is," Bumblebee grinned

Skytopaz did not think it was particularly funny, "Perhaps you can also take over Prowl's re-education as well. He would probably be more comfortable with an old friend."

"Not a problem," Rachet replied.

Skytopaz nodded, "I have a pending report owed to command that I need to finish."

"Of course," Rachet said.

"I will check on you later Prowl," she said turning and leaving the room. Prowl simply watched her leave.

"That is a female Autobot?" Bumblebee said still confused.

"Yes, you're male," Rachet added quickly, if Bumblebee was wondering.

"Gender assignment?" Bumblebee asked.

"The Virus caused Transformers to evolve into gender specifics, male and female," Rachet said. "The differences are obvious."

"This is all going to take some getting used too," Bumblebee grumbled.

"I want to meet this female Prime," Prowl growled.

Bumblebee looked from Prowl to Rachet, "Female Prime? Optimus is female?"

This questions made Rachet almost choke with laughter, "No Bumblebee, Prowl is referring to the female Matrix holder, Lady Isis Prime. After Optimus Prime disappeared with Megatron along with a large number of other Transformers, many assumed all were destroyed, so another Matrix came into being and it was given to a female Autobot called Isis Prime."

Bumblebee nodded numbly.

Suddenly the ship shook violently and alerts began blaring, "What was that?" Prowl asked as they looked around. The destroyer was hit again and this time it threw everyone to the floor.

"Rachet, to Medical Bay 3!" Blackwolf barked over the destroyer's communications system.

"Optimus Prime!" Rachet said and left without another word. Bumblebee and Prowl followed. Rachet ran down the ship's corridors taking a lift to the medical bay with Bumblebee and Prowl in tow. The Julie-Ann shook violently again.

Arriving at the upper deck of Med Bay 3, Rachet quickly ran to the observation level to see what was happening. Another female Transformer was there trying to get force fields up around the bay, "The force fields around the med bay aren't responding!" Unique said, as she desperately tried to re-route power to the computer. "I haven't seen an e-volve like this before!"

Bumblebee and Prowl looked down into the medical bay and saw what they guessed was Optimus Prime; the form was moving with swirling energy bursts about it. Something with the form glowed a searing blue giving off bolts of lightning that crashed against the walls of the medical bay. They were causing extensive damage to the ship's systems and there was fear of a hull breach.

"Optimus…" Bumblebee breathed, "What's happening to you?"

Rachet tried to help Unique re-route energy to the force fields, but to no avail. The ship shook again. "There is nothing we can do," Unique said.

"When did this start?" Rachet asked, studying the anguished form that was his old commander.

"About an hour ago, but energy bursts were not being given off like this. The Julie-Ann will not be able to absorb much more." Unique said. "The e-volve is taking much too long."

"Do something for Prime!" Prowl yelled at Rachet from across the deck.

"I cannot!" Rachet shouted back, "The Virus must run its course!"

"Scans of the Lord Prime are off the scale Rachet!" Unique said calmly.

Another Transformer came storming into the medical bay, "Rachet report!" Blackwolf yelled, "What is tearing my ship apart?" Blackwolf stopped when he saw the pre-e-volve form in the med bay. It did not look anything like a Transformer. "Primes can never do anything the easy way," he swore.

"Energy levels dropping," Unique called out. The pre-e-volve began to take shape. Everyone stood in disbelief watching the Virus finish with Optimus Prime, a Transformer created from the liquid metallic form and the Matrix stopped glowing.

"Prime…" Rachet breathed.

---

The first thought was blurred, "Where am I?" As Optimus Prime came on-line after his long stasis what he heard made him stop, "Cybertron on visual."

Home…