I started writing this one back in high school! Enjoy!


Coby sighed as he sat in class, moving his pencil idly back and forth. He was so bored it was almost painful. He knew all of the stuff they were going over and wanted nothing more than for the bell to ring, announcing he could get to the Autobots' base. The big hand of the clock slowly inched towards the twelve. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the bell rang shrilly.

Coby was out of his seat before anybody else had registered that class had ended for the day. He quickly got into his locker, unceremoniously shoving his books into the bottom and grabbing his bag. As the locker door shut, Lori hurried up to him, her own bag slung over her shoulder and her eyes alight with excitement. It was nice that they were still friends, considering how bad their break up had been, and the only reason they were still friends was because of Bud; the easy-going kid could be quite mellow when he wanted to be.

"I can't believe that fall break is here!" she exclaimed and they half-ran to get out of the school.

"Nine days with the Autobots!" Coby laughed. "I can hardly wait!"

"C'mon guys!" Bud yelled impatiently from where he stood outside the high school.

Coby chuckled at his brother's impatience as they ran towards the park where the Mini-Cons were waiting for them, but inside he felt a strong urge to get to Velocitron that made his stomach tighten. The feeling, which had been weak at first, but growing stronger for quite some time now, made him uneasy, but he wasn't quite sure why. Six-Speed beeped, bringing him out of his thoughts, and he slipped into the green car, ignoring Bud's and Lori's angry questions. As soon as they were settled, the Mini-Cons took off, speeding along toward the Autobots' Earth base. The Mini-Cons were going so fast that it took hardly any time at all to get to their destination. They were greeted by a smiling Scattershot as they slid to a stop.

"Hey guys. I was wonderin' when y'all'd get here," Scattershot chuckled. "Ready to go?"

"Of course!" Bud exclaimed. "I can't wait to get to Gigantion!"

"Jungle Planet is where I want to be!" Lori said happily.

Coby said nothing, instead hurrying away from them and deeper into the base. When he thought he was alone, he sighed heavily and sat down, placing his head in his hands and trying to ignore the urge. There was a noise close to him and Coby looked up to see Landmine staring at him. The yellow mech had recently returned from his hunt for Starscream with no luck. He had been rather disappointed until the kids' antics had cheered him up. He walked over and stared down at the bronze-haired boy.

"Somethin' wrong, Coby?" Landmine asked, lowering himself to the floor.

"Yeah," Coby said softly, his brow wrinkled.

"Wanna talk about it?" Landmine asked.

Coby nodded. "I do, but I don't know if you'll understand."

"Eh, I've been around a bit. Try me."

"Well…I've been thinking, Landmine. Every time I go to Velocitron I feel so free!"

"What's there to think about then?" Landmine asked, confused.

Coby looked at the ground. "It's not just me. Lori feels the same way about Jungle planet, and Bud about Gigantion."

"What's so strange about that?"

"It's like…the planets have a hold on us. I mean, I never want to leave Velocitron. I can hear something calling me, too. It's…I don't really know how to describe it. It's like a shadow of a sound, there but not really."

Landmine frowned. "What's it saying?"

"I-I can't describe it, Landmine. It's not a language I can understand."

"Have ya told Hot Shot?"

"I did, but…he didn't understand. He's so busy. Being the leader of a whole planet is stressful for him. He wishes that Optimus and Override hadn't left. I've caught him, well, crying."

"We all wish they hadn't left," Landmine sighed then fully registered Coby's words. "He's been crying?"

"Yeah, but don't mention it to him. He's embarrassed about it," Coby said quickly.

"I won't. But I do want to talk to him about it. If he needs help, he should ask, not stress himself out!"

"You know Hot Shot. He's too proud to ask for help."

"Well, he shouldn't be," Landmine sighed.

There was a pause. "What about Velocitron?" Coby asked softly.

"Nothin's tried ta hurt ya?"

"No," Coby replied, glancing up at the yellow mech.

"Then if ya wanna go, go," Landmine said with a smile. "There ain't nothing wrong with wanting to be someplace."

Coby smiled back and stood up, grabbing his bag. "Well…okay. I'll go. Would you mind opening the space bridge?" Landmine did so and Coby walked to the entrance. "It's been nice talking to you."

"You, too," Landmine replied. "Now get outta here!"

Coby grinned and started walking, paying no heed to the entrance closing behind him. His body felt light and tingly, but he continued to walk. Soon he saw the exit point and he pushed through the thin, almost nonexistent barrier that separated the space bridge from Cybertron. Coby wasn't surprised that Lori and Bud were already gone. As he had told Landmine, they each felt the call of the different planets. Coby suddenly realized he had walked to the entrance of the Velocitron space bridge without even thinking about it.

"You're as impatient as the other two!" Jetfire exclaimed as he walked over.

"Sorry," Coby muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Eh, don't be," Jetfire laughed as he opened the bridge. "Hot Shot's waitin' for ya."

"Thanks, Jetfire," Coby said with a smile as he walked down the bridge.

In the year since Optimus and the others had been gone, Jetfire had modified all space bridges to allow humans to walk through them without being inside a vehicle. They had installed a machine that pumped enough oxygen to allow humans to breathe. Coby was thankful for that, as he wanted to be alone at the moment. He listened and, as he got closer to Velocitron, the calling started up again. The pull was even more irresistible than it was last time. It made every inch of him burn with the need to be on Velocitron. Coby wasn't aware of when he started running, but he was suddenly shooting out of the bridge on slamming into Clocker. The young mech yelped and sat down in surprise.

"Coby! Are you alright?" the blue mech asked immediately.

"Y-yeah," Coby said dazedly. "I'll be fine." He paused then looked around. "Where's Hot Shot? I thought he was going to be waiting.

Clocker looked upset. "He was busy so he sent me."

"I didn't mean that I don't want you to pick me up. I was just surprised."

"Oh. Okay," Clocker said, his demeanor brightening. "Come on then. We have a bit of a drive."

Coby got into the driver's seat and smiled. "How fast can you go?"

"Just watch!" Clocker cried out proudly as he took off.

Coby laughed, gripping the seat as Clocker sped along. The calling became a bit quieter as the blue mech's speed increased. All too soon, Clocker hit the brakes and slid to a stop in front of a stressed-looking Hot Shot. Coby got out of the car, delighted that he wasn't shaking, and looked up at the miserable mech, his smile fading.

"You okay, Hot Shot?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I guess," Hot Shot sighed, looking down at the boy. "Why don't you go check out the new race track? I need to speak with Clocker."

Coby nodded and whistled as he walked in the direction Hot Shot pointed in. He didn't really care what he did, so long as he was on Speed Planet. His emerald eyes lit up when he got there. The race track was a wonderfully complicated series of twists, turns, and loops, ending in a lengthy stretch. He grinned, wondering what it would be like to race the track. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the burning need returned full force, and the calling was no longer a shadow.

The teen followed the sound, unaware of his surroundings until he came to a small hole that led underground. Coby squeezed through and crawled forward, the noise beckoning him on. How long he crawled, he wasn't sure, but he eventually found himself in a cavern big enough for him to stand up in. A pulsing, bright blue mass hovered in front of him and Coby realized that the ball of light had been the thing calling to him. Now that he was there with it, the calling had stopped. The air in the cavern was warm and beat gently against his skin like the waves of the ocean, a gentle soothing feeling that relaxed him and took away his fear. A deep voice that Coby could swear he'd heard before spoke to him.

"Coby, reach out and touch it."

"Why?" Coby heard himself ask. "What is it?"

"The piece of my spark that allows me to watch over Velocitron."

"What will it do to me if I touch it?" Coby whispered, taking a small step back as tendrils of light detached from the surface and hung there, waiting for him.

"It will transform you into…a smaller version of me, I suppose. You will be the planet, yet you, unlike me, will still be a separate entity. You can see past and present of Velocitron, hear the thoughts of the mechs on it, feel the troubles and strains of the planet itself, yet you will be separate from it. You will be and won't be at the same time.

Coby's eyes were locked on the ground. "Primus?" he guessed quietly.

"Yes Coby?" Primus' deep voice asked gently.

"Can…can I think about it?"

"Yes, young one, you may. But I ask that you not tell anybody yet."

"Why not?" Coby demanded angrily; he'd been planning to ask Hot Shot about it.

"They might influence your decision, and this is something you must decide for yourself."

Coby was silent for a moment. "I'll think about it."

"As you wish," Primus replied. "Follow the light and it will guide you out. Follow your ears to come back."

"Thanks," Coby said as he turned to leave.