My name is Eage, pronounced 'Iggy'. Riptrack says it's pronounced 'e-aug-e', and technically he's correct, but I tell everyone it's Iggy and when they ask why he says it differently I say it's because he has a Russian accent. Okay, I don't know what a Russian accent is, but everyone else doesn't either, so they call me Iggy.
So, if you actually care, you're probably wondering who I am and who's Riptrack and why no one knows what a Russian accent is. Well, I guess to explain me; I have to give a flashback to before I was made. Here's what they told me:
A war went on, a long, long time ago. It was Decepticons versus Autobots. Who are they? Um, they're robots who are way bigger than humans. They both started out on their home planet Cybertron, but the Decepticons broke the peace and tried to take control of the planet for themselves. So basically, Decepticons are evil and Autobots are good. Anyways, their war went on. And on. And on. The Autobots had spirit, but they were hopelessly outnumbered and in the end lost.
Now, I live on a planet called New Cybertron. Hey, I didn't pick the name, alright? Anyways, there are two planets under the Decepticons control: Cybertron, and New Cybertron. However, even though the Autobots were defeated doesn't mean they obey the Decepticons. There is a secret force of former Autobots (they say current) who rebel in every way they can, hoping some day to overthrow the Decepticon rulers.
In the hopes of finding some way to restore the peace, they searched all the old records. They found, to their surprise, that New Cybertron used to be a planet called Earth that was occupied by carbon based life forms, such as trees, bears, dogs, flowers- but most importantly, humans. They knew that something must have caused Earth to change, but they couldn't find any evidence to know what. However, they guessed that humans held the key to finding out and possibly reversing the effects (although really they were just hoping for them to find out the events that caused this), ultimately sending the government into chaos or at least taking away one of the Decepticons planets.
Thus, I was made! Okay, it wasn't that simple. See, there are kind of some problems that prevent humans from ever living on either planet, such as the lack of oxygen and food and water. Instead, to make sure the humans could survive, they used the last preserved DNA of humans and combined it with cybertronic technology, to make a combination of human and bot that was the size of an average human. They named the experiment E.A.G.E., or Electronic And Genetic Experiments. Well, it was going to be experiments, but I was the only test subject that survived. Thus, they named me after the experiment. How creative.
Anyways, they were expecting me to know exactly what to do.
Um, yeah, about that… I had no idea what to do. Give me a break, I was just formed! So, I started out by researching. Which quickly turned incredibly boring. I did learn what I needed, though. I learned that Earth was still carbon based around the incredibly early years of 2010, but all our records past that are destroyed until 2030, when New Cybertron was already present.
That's when I decided to go into our files on time travel. I was bored, and that seemed the only way to know what really happened. Riptrack, and I quote, said 'you're wasting your time, dinking around in those old computers!' Then he yelled more about getting back to work, but I stopped paying attention. Oh yeah, Riptrack was the head of project E.A.G.E. he says he still is and therefore is in charge of me, but I'm not buying it.
Oh yeah, who's Riptrack? Well, he's part of the rebellion and his name makes no sense because all he does is stay at the base and keeps track of things and does his own research and complains and yells how I'm not doing a good job. But, the Autobots would be screwed by now. He's like the leader behind the computer. I don't know if that makes sense, but he's second in command to the leader. I don't know the leaders' name, because he's so secretive, so he's just 'the leader.' All the Autobots are nearly constantly out, so Riptrack is my only company.
So, time travel. As I said, we have records on theories and people who have supposedly gone back in time, but no one has yet to come back. However, once I pieced together the clues, I discovered the rules of time travel that you must know if you want to ever return.
Rule 1: you cannot go forwards in time from the moment you leave. However, you can go to any time in the past before your lifetime, and within that time frame you can go forward or back as much as you please. For example, if you're born in the year 2000, you could go back to 1354 and then to 1765 and even then to 435, if you wanted to and if you followed the other Rules.
Rule 2: you can never relive a moment twice. Then there would be two of you at the same time. The universe wouldn't understand what was going on, and you and your second self would instantly explode. Example: if you go to September 16 2000, you can go to September 15 and September 17 but never again September 16.
Rule 3: the most important rule. It's not the best idea, but it's fine if you change a couple little things in the past. However, if you ever change even the smallest detail and it somehow effects the time you are born, your life will soon be over. That's why it's better to go billions of years in the past, instead of right before you're born when even breathing could upset something. So how much time do you have if you do change something? For one thing, as soon as you change something big your time button no longer works- you are stuck in whatever time period you're in. You have as long as you have been in that time period before the change, that long after the change to live. Okay, I'll use numbers so it's easier to understand: let's say you arrived in 2000 on September 7. You make a giant change that affects your future on September 21. So, you were already there 2 weeks. 2 weeks after September 21, you will die. That's it, game over, no return trip home. That's why so many haven't returned- they changed the past.
And now, jumping to the present time, I had just finished telling these rules to Riptrack. Needless to say, he was not pleased.
"Eage, I told you specifically NOT to be researching time travel!" Riptrack shouted angrily, looking at this giant screen. "It's been proven illogical and impossible!" I was sitting on a pile of books on his desk. Sure, we're a futuristic society, but you've got to turn to old records for the past. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention we're in the year 5 million something? I forgot the actual date, not that I need to know, considering I do absolutely NOTHING. Plus, I never get to see any of the real futuristic stuff because rebels aren't exactly part of the height of technology.
"But I've already checked every record from 1000 to 3000, and every record in the possible time frame has been destroyed!" I explained as calmly as I could. "The only possibility to find out what truly happened is to go there!"
"Nonsense." He scoffed, turning to face me. His optics (robot eyes) looked very displeased, as usual. The only time I ever saw them pleased was right when I opened my eyes that first time, and then I had to go and ruin that look by admitting I knew nothing about the past.
"Riptrack, I know what I'm doing, because I'm the only time traveler who actually knows how it works!" I tried to argue. "Besides, someone would have to build me a time button before I could even try to get permission." My little plan worked- Riptrack may be an advisor and researcher, but deep down he's an inventor.
His optics glazed over as he thought about it.
"Don't tell anyone." He said annoyed, standing up and going over to his lab.
"Not a soul." I promised, getting down and following him.
...
"Sooo… are you done yet?" I asked. It had been 2 weeks since I convinced him to try to build a time button, and it was silent in the lab, save for the soft buzz of Riptracks' tools.
"No, Eage." He said, not even looking up.
"Iggy." I corrected. He ignored me. "Now are you done?"
"Eage, I wasn't done two seconds ago and I'm not done now." A few sparks flew up as he worked.
"Iggy." I corrected again. I waited a minute. "What about now?"
"Eage, stop asking me every ten seconds!" Riptrack sighed.
"Iggy, and actually it's been a minute." I knew I shouldn't be testing him, but I was bored.
"Aren't you supposed to be doing something important?" he asked exasperatedly, trying to make me leave.
"When do I ever have something important to do?" I sighed quietly. That shut him up- he knew how badly I wanted to actually be needed by the team. But,when you're the weakest member who's a genetic experiment that cannot be repeated, you're not allowed to do much.
…
"Now are you done?" I asked, 4 weeks later. Ugh, why must inventing take so long?
"Just finishing." He said, sounding like he was excited but trying to hide it.
"Yes, I'll get to time travel!" I said excitedly, punching my fist in the air. He glared at me.
"You haven't gained permission yet." Riptrack clarified.
"Oops, forgot." I said in a sarcastic tone.
"Eage-"
"Iggy." I corrected.
"- I'm only trying to protect you." Riptrack told me.
"From what?" I argued. "I'll be safe, and I'll be good, and I'll come back, and why do you care? I was informed that I was only created to be able to figure out what happened, nothing more."
"That was the original purpose." Riptrack agreed sadly.
"So when I have the opportunity to complete my mission, you're telling me instead to sit around a nearly empty base with my nose stuck in some destroyed book that can't tell me anything?" I said. Riptrack looked at me.
"If this is truly how you want to go forwards, then so be it." He sighed, handing me the button.
"You… you're serious?" I said, examining it.
"Yes." He sighed. "I'm going to regret this, but yes."
"Awesome!" I shouted. Then I looked at it again. "Um, how does it work?"
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to remember you don't know." He said. He then lectured me for about 3 hours on how it works and what buttons to press and how he's so awesome for making it- okay, technically he didn't say that last part, but it was implied. Ugh, boring. However, he did manage to get the point across, and I understood how to work it. He told me to go stand in this special chamber so I'd have an exact location to focus in on when I returned.
"Now remember, you'll have to return exactly to this spot one second in the future." Riptrack said as i entered.
"uh-huh." i agreed.
"don't stop the change, just observe it and come back- then we'll go back and stop it ourselves." He informed me.
"Wait, wouldn't that just mean you guys are the ones to die?" i asked, knowing what happens if you change something. "You guys get to save the world and i don't?!"
"you'd stay here where you're safe." Riptrack said softly.
"Yeah, i guess i'd really rather not die." I said. "So, you aren't expecting me to commit suicide to save those people?"
"Your top priority is to stay safe." Riptrack agreed.
"I get it, alright?" I sighed. "Stay safe, be good, i'll be fine! don't worry so much!"
"Eage?" He told me. "You're going to a time where there are humans mainly, not Autobots."
"Yeah, i know- so?" I asked, not seeing his point.
"Just a thought, you might want to actually blend in." He said, pointing to me.
Instantly the right side of my face turned red. of course! how could i have been so stupid to forget such an important detail? See, being half-robot and half- human has many aspects. most of the time, i decide to show my normal state, where the left side of me is robot and the right is human and i wear human clothes. from the period i'm studying, of course, because there are no real humans left- just me. however, i can also transform to show myself as only a human or only an Autobot. it is also awesome, because whatever side isn't being shown is being healed within, thanks to some of Riptrack's inventions.
"Sorry." I said, quickly to full human. "Thanks for that." He smiled (SMILED!) at me.
"be safe, Eage." He said one last time, adjusting last minute settings or whatever.
"hey Riptrack?" i said, hand hovering over the button.
"Hmm?" he said, trying not to look at me like he didn't care.
"Really, thanks." I said in my kind voice. "If i don't see you again- not that i won't be safe," i added at his small glare. "But if something happens, i want you to know thanks for everything."
"You're welcome." He said, turning to face me one last time. I smiled at him, and pressed the button.
And then i was yanked into oblivion.
Everything spun around me, colors and light and sound and taste and smell and feel all became one blur that was rapid and never stopping. i tried to close my eyes, but that just made my head hurt. I was excited and nervous, scared and overjoyed, and every other emotion you can think of. (except for romance, yuk.) And then... everything started to slow down. i braced myself for impact. 1...2...3...
I didn't have time to see where i was before i hit my head and blacked out.
