Author's note: Takes place on Cybertron, approximately 1992.

XXX

Dominant Pipes:

"'Gate? C'mon, we're about ready to go," Pipes said as he stood in the doorway of the storeroom that he and Tailgate had been using as temporary quarters at the Autofemmes' base. "Magnus just got word from Earth that Omega Supreme's gonna be here soon. You got your gear ready to go? Not that we got much but, better t'be ready now 'cause we're gonna have to floor it when Omega gets here."

Tailgate turned, optics bright in the room's darkness. "I can't go," he said, solemnly. "They need me here, Pipes. I have to stay, if I don't who's going to take care of them?"

Pipes stepped into the room, moving toward Tailgate. "Take care of who?" he asked, glancing around the empty room. "We're all going to Earth. You an' me an' Magnus an' the others. Remember? We're gonna rejoin Prime's army."

"I remember, Pipes," Tailgate snapped. "I'm not stupid. But I have a responsibility here, can't you understand that? I can't just leave! The people of Iacon need me!"

Pipes's optics flashed. "Iacon? Tailgate, Iacon's a crater. The only people there are th' dead. An' most of them are nothing more than picked over chassis and scrap."

"They still need me!" Tailgate said, rocking on his feet. "They need me to speak for them, Pipes. Nobody else will!"

Pipes checked his internal chronometer. They had just under eight breem before they had to leave. "'Gate, you have to come with us. You can't make it back home by yourself. Shockwave knows we were on the move," he said. Maybe this time, he'd get lucky and simple reason would work. "If you stay here, you're gonna be on your own. Elita-1's people don't have th' resources for another mech an' neither does any other rebel group. An' goin' solo's just suicide."

Tailgate shook his head again, optics sparking. "I have to go back, Pipes," he said. "You don't understand, I can't leave them alone. They need me to defend them."

Pipes let his optics dim almost to the point of shutting down. "'Gate, they're dead," he said, as gently as he could. "You know that, they're dead, they don't care if anybody's there to defend them or not!"

"They do so!" Tailgate yelled, slamming a fist into the nearby wall. "I can hear them, Pipes! Just because you can't doesn't mean that they're not talking! They want me to stay, they don't want me to leave them alone and forgotten! Nobody else is going to take care of them, they're just going to see them as resources to be smelted down as necessary!"

"Tailgate, I'm not letting you stay on Cybertron," Pipes said. "If I can't persuade you, I'm gonna knock you out an' have Springer an' Hot Rod help carry you onto the damn ship. But you are not gonna stay here an' get deactivated for a bunch of rusted frames!"

Tailgate stopped and stared at Pipes, his optics almost white with fear. "I don't want to leave," he said, voice small. "I don't want to go to some weird planet. Our job is here."

"Magnus says otherwise," Pipes said. "An' 'Gate, he's been at this a lot longer than we have. He knows what he's doing. We got to trust him, just like we always have, okay? Besides, I'm going to be with you so how bad can it be, huh?"

Tailgate paused. "Really bad," he said. "You know how bad it's been here."

Pipes turned, looking back out the door. "I know, but there's going to be more of us there," he said. "We won't be alone. We'll be with people who remember Cybertron the way it used to be, Tailgate. We can tell them about what it's like now an' they'll know. Nobody's going to forget Iacon. We won't let 'em."