New Lease
By One Lucky Unicorn
Author's notes: I'm a relative latecomer to the Transformers Animated series and the "Prowl died? NOOO!" bandwagon, lol. Initially, New Lease was going to be an alternate universe story that was entirely separate from my main batch of Extinctioners stories, but I wound up liking the concept so much that I decided to officially make it part of my fanon-verse. A word of warning to canon purists - this story will deviate from some of the events that occur (or will eventually occur) in the Extinctioners comics, so it still is an AU.
CHAPTER ONE: PROWL GETS A LIFE
Primus, Creator of the Transformer race, stood on a platform looking down at the Well of AllSparks, the resting place for the spirits, or sparks, of deceased Transformers. The spirits there couldn't see him unless he made his presence known, which he would often do to comfort the departed and explain where they were, if the duty wasn't delegated to a trusted Cybertronian who'd been at the Well for a long time.
The expression on Primus' face plate was a pensive one. While on one hand he would always be happy to welcome his children home, where there was no suffering, pain, or war, on the other, it saddened him to know they wouldn't see their loved ones again until they themselves passed on.
Out of the blue, a familiar energy signature brought Primus out of his thoughts. He was glad for the interruption though, and without turning around pleasantly rumbled a greeting to the newcomer behind him. "Hello, starchild."
A scarlet and yellow humanoid bird had appeared behind him, and came to momentarily hover by his head. Starchild was just one of several names for her kind, the nearly immortal elemental creatures known as phoenicians. While capable of traversing whole universes, when it came to making their homes, phoenicians tended to stick to one particular galaxy that would also become their protectorate. This realm was not one of their native ones, so Primus was pleasantly surprised to see this particular phoenix again. She was different from others of her kind, and was frankly a breath of fresh air to be around. From their talks in the past, Primus knew that the phoenician's protectorate was much like the ones he watched over (for in the multiverse, there were as many dimensions as there were stars in the cosmos). While most of the inhabitants just wanted to live in peace and were more advanced than a number of other races in the multiverse were, strife and warfare continued to be common issues among them.
"Never could fool you, huh Primus? By the way, may I just say that you still don't look a day over a century?" Came the bubbly response as Phenix, as the black-clad bird was called, gracefully touched down on Primus' immense right shoulder plate.
"The key is to looking young is thinking young." Primus replied with a smile, turning his head slightly so that he could better see his guest. "What brings you here?"
"Oh, just needed a break from work was all. I wondered what my favorite Creator-God was up to and decided to drop by to visit." Affectionately, Phenix patted his shoulder. "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."
"Not at all. I was just doing some thinking. I trust you are well?"
"I've got no complaints. We've had a few scrapes with Mahn's allies, but nothing major yet."
The two of them conversed together for awhile before Phenix turned her full focus on the Well, regarding the scene inside with interest. Primus and his children were an endless source of fascination for her - robots who could feel and think like beings of flesh and blood were definitely something that one didn't see where she came from. Something suddenly caught her attention, and she sat up a straighter. "Who's that?"
His optics following where Phenix was pointing, Primus saw a lithely built mech whose paintjob was predominantly black and gold. He was wandering around as though he were either lost or searching for something or someone. Like the rest of the shades, he appeared transparent to both Primus and Phenix's vision, barely distinguishable from the background. A soft, sad sigh escaped Primus as he watched the figure. "He is a recent arrival, and a young one too, as you can see. He knowingly sacrificed himself in order to save the lives of thousands."
Phenix slowly shook her feathery head, clicking her tongue softly. Her telempathic powers allowed her to sense the confusion and sadness that emanated from the spirit. No doubt he was missing his friends and family unit just then. At least he'd performed a heroic act before his death. "It's always a tragedy when the lights of the young are extinguished before their time. What happened, if it's alright to ask?"
"Decepticons attacked a large city on an alien world, Earth – a different Earth from the one you know of, of course. Some Autobots who were stationed there tried to recover pieces of the AllSpark to stop them, but could not gather enough. So that mech gave up his own spark in order to complete it, and saved not just his comrades, but the entire city."
Primus' tale left her silent. That couldn't have been an easy decision for the young Autobot to have made. It spoke volumes about the nature of his character. "Someone with that kind of bravery would be a worthy addition to my team." Phenix quietly said. "They're a good bunch, and we've weathered everything that's been thrown at us so far, but we can still use all the help we can get."
"Yes, from what you have told me I agree that he would indeed be of some significant use to you and your allies. Suppose I gave him to you?"
Phenix's curved beak fell open before quirking into a grin as brilliant as the sun that empowered her. "Really?"
"We both agree that the young deserve a chance to live out their lives, correct? Well, I have a feeling that this particular bot was meant for more."
"Oh, thank you!" Phenix threw her arms as far as they could reach around Primus' helm, but being only the size of a tall human female, that wasn't very far. "You won't regret this!"
"I'm sure I won't." Charmed by the phoenix, Primus chuckled before returning his attention to the spirit. He could give the mech the good news in person himself, but he had someone else in mind for the job instead – someone who the dead Autobot would recognize…
Death wasn't turning out to be at all like what Prowl expected.
The Well of AllSparks was supposed to be idyllic and peaceful. That was what he'd been told all his life anyways. There was certainly nothing restful about this place. Prowl believed he had done the right thing in sacrificing himself to save Detroit from the Decepticon's cloned forces. He may not have led a perfect life, but didn't think he deserved to be stuck here… where ever 'here' was.
Prowl had no idea how long he'd been there. Time was meaningless in this haunted place. He couldn't see the ground at his pedes. A heavy white blanket of fog kept everything covered. The rest of his surroundings were a muted violet color that gradually transitioned into a faint gray towards the horizon. Occasionally, the cyberninja would hear what sounded like faint whispers, but each time he tried following the sounds to find their source, they would abruptly cease. He would try calling out to see if anyone else was there, but no response ever came. Once he was sure he saw something, a bright red and yellow creature like some sort of a bird, briefly standing out like a flame amidst the darkness.
Just when Prowl was ready to give up any hope of ever finding a way out, there was a gentle touch at his elbow. In an instant he whirled around, servos raised as he prepared to defend himself. Seeing who was standing there behind him, his optics widened behind his bright blue visor, and he immediately dropped his aggressive stance. "Master Yoketron!"
Looking just as calm and unflappable as he had been in life, the much older mech gazed back at Prowl. "Greetings, my student."
"Are we in the Well of AllSparks?" 'If Master Yoketron is here, then perhaps being trapped here won't be so bad.' Prowl hopefully thought.
"No. It is the in-between place, what some call 'purgatory'. You performed a most noble act on Earth, giving up your spark to save your friends and the organics. You have surpassed even my expectations, and I am very proud to have had you as my student. But it is not your time yet. There is somewhere else where you are needed."
Prowl silently digested what he'd just heard. While no longer haunted by the belief that he had failed Yoketron, his spark still leapt for joy at hearing Yoketron himself declare he was proud of him. He was also relieved to learn that this place wasn't the Well of AllSparks, but where was he going now? And who needed him? He eyed Yoketron quizzically. "Somewhere else?"
"Yes. That is why Primus sent you here from the Well of AllSparks." Yoketron simply answered.
It was then that Prowl realized the in-between place was changing. The thick fog and darkness were fading, being driven off by a bright white light that was steadily growing in strength. His gaze happened to shift down to his servos and then his arms. To his surprise, they were looked strangely pale and ghostly in the dazzling light, as did the rest of his form. Even Yoketron was starting to fade away, much to his dismay.
Before white nothingness engulfed his vision and his processor went offline as though he was about to go into recharge, Prowl saw Yoketron smile enigmatically at him.
"I will see you again. But not yet... not yet."
The next thing Prowl became aware of as he began coming out of recharge was warm air washing over him. His audio receptors relayed noises to him from his environment – buzzing, chirping. It sounded very much like the sounds Earth animals, namely insects, made. Was he back on Earth?
He hadn't been and still wasn't exactly sure what all his resurrection would entail – whether or not he'd still be able to remember his previous life, if he was going to be rebuilt in an entirely new body and have to start life all over again as a protoform. But no, he could still remember being Yoketron's student, winding up in Detroit with Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead, meeting Sari, and everything else. Something from his time in purgatory lingered in his memory banks – a red and yellow figure. It was very vague though, and he couldn't recall anything further about it.
Grateful to have retained his memories, Prowl turned his optics online to see where he was. At first he was assaulted by blinding light, but as his optics gradually adjusted to it, the light became tolerable and his sight cleared. He must have been lying on his back, because all he could see was the sky, pristine blue and cloudless. Curious, his stabilizers should've kicked in to inform him of his awkward position.
The prospect of being back on his adopted home world excited Prowl. He took a deep breath, relishing the scent of the fresh air. It was the same mixture of earth, dampness, and purity that Earth forests usually had. Somehow, the air smelled even sweeter now.
Wait. Was he actually breathing? How was that even possible? Transformers didn't need to breath! Confused, Prowl made to stand, then stopped. Something about his body's center of gravity felt… off. 'Perhaps I've grown so used to being dead that I need to get acclimated to being alive again.'
Shaking his head slightly at the thought, Prowl started to push himself to his pedes again, and caught sight of his left servo. Normally that wouldn't have been any cause for alarm, save that he now had a hand covered in black fur instead. And his arms – they were still lean like before, but now they were furry, just like his hands.
'Why – what is this?...'
The normally stoic Autobot's spark thumped wildly in his chest as he looked himself over, trying to make sense of what had happened to him. Thick, glossy black fur now covered his long, slim form. An inverted wedge-shaped section of golden-yellow fur marked much of his upper chest and extended beneath his upper arms. A jagged streak of black ran across his chest, breaking the golden-yellow triangle in half.
Catching a glimpse of something behind him, Prowl turned his head to try and see what it could be. It was a little difficult to make out exactly what the black object was, so he twisted around for a better look. The object reappeared again, and he was quick to reach out and snag it. He was amazed to find that in his grip it was silky and soft to the touch, being covered in the same fur as the rest of his body. He gave the object a slight tug. There was an answering pain in his aft. Realization swiftly set in. He was holding what humans called a tail, an appendage that a number of (non-human) organics possessed.
He had a tail.
A billion questions surged through his processor. Wondering what else he would discover, Prowl tentatively reached a hand up to his head. There were ears there, actual ears, on each side of his head. They were triangular in shape, slightly rounded at the tip, and covered in fine fur that was just slightly thinner than the rest of his coat was. Carefully he felt the rest of his face. Primus, a pointed muzzle was jutting out of his face plate! There were numerous long whiskers growing out on both sides, and a warm, furless nose (if he had to guess at what it was, since he couldn't really see it) at the very end.
Feeling disorientated, Prowl sat back down in the grass, only to hastily adjust his position when he realized he was sitting on his tail. He'd been turned into an animal, or at least some type of half-animal being. He didn't understand why he had been returned in this form. While he did possess more of a familiarity with assorted animal species then his colleagues, he couldn't tell exactly what sort of animal he was now. He did recognize that he was some sort of carnivore, as he saw that he sported sharp white claws on the ends of his fingertips and toes, and, using his tongue (another peculiar feature), could feel equally sharp, curving teeth lining his jaws. Great. The idea of having to consume other animals for fuel was so unappealing. He supposed the claws were rather fascinating little tools though. Flexing his hands over and over, he watched as they extended outwards before partially retracting again.
'Enough of that.' Prowl thought, attempting to force himself out of his daze. With a sigh, he assessed his situation. He was in the middle of a clearing. Tall trees loomed over him on all sides. He had nothing – no throwing disks, no jetpack, nothing. He could defend himself without those things of course, but he could also admit that he might have some problems if he happened to run into a Decepticon or some other formidable opponent.
Taking deep breaths seemed to be helping with the dizziness. The logical thing to do next would be to find out exactly where he was. When Prowl felt well enough to walk, he clumsily rose to his feet. Looking down, he saw that he was standing on his toes, with the rest of his paw-like feet raised off the ground. There were golden-yellow markings lining the lower halves of his… paws? His feet? Aside from the fur and feet though, his body structure was still basically humanoid.
Holding his arms out for balance, Prowl took his first awkward steps in his new form. He focused closely on his footing, hoping not to fall flat on his face. He staggered dangerously several times before finding himself down on the ground again. For someone so used to having impeccable balance, this experience really was frustrating. It was no wonder his balance was thrown off – the center of balance for a human-sized organic body was entirely different then a robotic one. Sighing, he stood and had another go at walking. While his legs looked and moved differently from before, walking was still the same basic process: lift one leg, put it down in front of the other one, repeat.
It took Prowl ten attempts before he felt confident that he had the hang of walking down. While he brushed grass off his fur, he scrutinized his surroundings, but recognized nothing. Picking a direction at random, he set off. Eventually, he came across a trail and decided to follow it, hoping to locate some more signs of civilization that might give him a clue to his whereabouts. While the forest looked bucolic and inviting, Prowl's desire to find the others took precedence over everything else. The lonely, dreary atmosphere of Purgatory had been oppressive for even someone like him. He wanted to see Optimus, Sari, Bulkhead, Jazz, Ratchet, and everyone else. Primus, he even missed Bumblebee and his incessant prattling. Knowing Bumblebee, he'd have a wealth of snarky comments about Prowl's changed appearance.
So far, Prowl was not enjoying the experience of having a tail. It dragged the ground, so he would raise it, but as he wasn't used to having a tail in the first place he'd forget to keep it up, and it would fall and become dirty as it was dragged through dirt and other ground litter.
While Prowl's organic form lacked sensors, his senses of hearing and smell were very well-developed. So much so that he was startled when he heard what sounded like one or two creatures coming his way. It would be ideal to hide. Humans might find his appearance startling, to say the least.
Prowl bounded up the nearest large tree, his claws helping him grip the rough bark. Soon, he was crouching on a branch hidden amidst the tree's thick leafy crown. The speed of his ascent surprised him. It would seem that this new body was capable of great nimbleness and equipped for climbing. Perhaps he was some species of feline.
Prowl's position afforded him clear view of the trail. He watched and waited, staying as still and silent as a statue. Sure enough, three beings soon came into view, nearing his location. One looked human - somewhat. He wore human clothing consisting of a long-sleeved black shirt, matching pants, and tan vest, over his muscular form, but instead of having a normal head, he had a skull. The two others with him were clearly not human either, but bipedal creatures who possessed animal features like himself. One was a dog, a pit bull terrier, and the other a fearsome-looking lynx. Both were dressed in formfitting black costumes bearing red and white highlights on the front. Stunned, Prowl could only stare at them. It had never occurred to him that he may not have been the only humanoid animal around.
When the trio was right below his tree, both "animals" (if he could call them that) halted, sniffing the air. Their cohort stopped to watch them. The lynx raised his head. His eyes locked on the spot where Prowl was concealed, and narrowed.
"Someone's up there."
'Slag.' They'd picked up his scent. Prowl bit his lower lip, a sense of foreboding falling over him. These strangers made him uneasy, but he couldn't put a finger on why exactly.
"Whoever's up there, get down here now!" Skull-Head demanded. Prowl saw him reach for the sidearm hanging from his belt holster and raise it, aiming up at the tree. He heard a 'click' as the gun's tab dropped into position.
With a mental sigh, Prowl weighed his options. If he had still been Cybertronian and had his weapons, then he would've paid Skull-Head's threat little heed and simply hurled a throwing disk at his gun hand to disarm him. Human bullets couldn't harm a Cybertronian, after all. But they certainly could harm a flesh-and-blood body. He was not about to waste his second chance at life.
The tree's leaves rustled as Prowl reluctantly jumped down from his branch to a lower one, then leapt to the ground where he nearly fell as he landed on his feet, but recovered in time. Maintaining a calm demeanor, he faced the three. Skull-Head's hollow black eyes glared at Prowl from out of his sinister white face. It took Prowl a klik to realize that his face really wasn't a skull after all - he was just wearing a cowl designed to resemble a skull.
In contrast, the animals looked surprised. In fact, they were staring at him like he was insane, Prowl realized. What was so startling about his appearance? Then the pit bull, who he now realized was a femme, gave him a decidedly salacious grin. It occurred to Prowl that he had seen bots eyeing others who they'd taken a lustful interest in with that same look, and it made him even more uncomfortable. Still, in spite of his misgivings about the strange trio, he stepped forward, hands held out beseechingly. "Please, can any of you tell me where I am?" He was relieved to find that his voice was much the same as it'd been before, minus the electronic undertone.
"Silence, beast!" Skull-Head barked, his harsh voice cracking the stillness of the forest like a whip. "You are now prisoner of the Mahn Empire!"
If Skull-Head thought that Prowl would just quietly submit, then he was sorely mistaken. Even though Prowl was taken aback by the human's response to a perfectly polite question (as well as put off), he was already getting into a combat stance. "I am no one's prisoner."
"Take him." Skull-Head commanded his cohorts. The hulking lynx charged. The wild cat pulled his lips back in a snarl to expose deadly white fangs. Claws that were at least seven inches long sprang from the lynx's fingertips like switchblades. That was… unexpected, but Prowl was hardly frightened. After going up against space barnacles, mutants, and all manner of Decepticons, it took a lot to alarm him now. He allowed his fighter's instincts and training to take over.
Prowl sidestepped, allowing the lynx to rush past him. The lynx wasn't slow by any means, twisting to the side to slash at Prowl before he could counterattack, but Prowl was faster still, weaving and ducking in order to evade those lethal claws. Deciding that close range combat was too dangerous, especially without a weapon of his own to counter the lynx's claws and because he was still getting used to his body, Prowl backed off, putting some space between him and the lynx.
As the two fighters circled one another, the lynx snarled and growled at Prowl the entire time. In turn, Prowl coolly regarded him, waiting for him to make the next move. He reminded Prowl of Megatron's lackey Lugnut: big, aggressive, and powerful. Hopefully he was prone to making dumb mistakes just like his Decepticon counterpart did too. Prowl was still aware of the presence of the pit bull and Skull-Head, and was prepared in case they wanted to jump in and help their friend. However, the both of them simply seemed more interested in watching the fight then anything.
When Prowl had maneuvered back in front of his tree, the lynx rushed him again, intending to pin him against the trunk. At the last second Prowl sprang to the side, feeling the lynx's claws rake the end of his tail. Thank Primus much of his tail was covered in long fur and the appendage itself was too thin to be injured.
Rebounding off the trunk of another tree, he came flying at the lynx, intending to catch him in the head with a kick. His blow never landed as the lynx sidestepped and swatted him out of the air, sending him crashing to the ground. Landing hard, Prowl grimaced. Looking up through pain-bleared eyes, he saw the lynx reaching down towards him, grinning sadistically. Suddenly, he howled in pain as Prowl's foot shot out and connected with his groin. As he staggered away, Prowl hopped back to his feet.
Intending to knock the cat out, Prowl started moving in for the (figurative) kill when he suddenly froze. For some reason, he was becoming dizzy. He shook his head, hoping the sensation would pass, but it only worsened. Something was wrong. Numbness was spreading throughout his body. He tried to step away, but his legs refused to obey. His limbs, which were steadily weakening, could no longer support his weight, and he swayed on his feet before falling heavily on his side, breathing hard as he struggled to fight the sudden tight pressure in his chest. It was like a giant invisible hand had gripped him and was squeezing. He struggled to make himself focus, but couldn't. The world around him had taken on a strange, almost dreamlike quality, blurry and moving in slow motion. He no longer knew where he was. He was only dimly aware of the pit bull standing over him before mercifully succumbing to unconsciousness.
