This is an original work of fiction. I don't own any of the copyrighted material blah, blah, blah, bling, bling, bling, blah…..
Beast Machines: Regeneration
The world was black, a cold blanket of night, where he was all alone. Yet suddenly he was aware. Before he had been aware, but this was different. This was consciousness. It was as if he had awakened from a long dream, and still groggy, was slowly coming around. He blinked his optics. Suddenly off in the distance came a light. It was a dim at first, like the sun coming up over the horizon, but it steadily came closer until he realized it was a face.
"Primal," his voice rasped. "Primal, is that you?" He squinted. It did indeed look like Primal, but was different somehow. This Primal was more organic. He was different than the Optimus Primal he had known. The face stopped.
"Dinobot," it whispered. "It is indeed Primal. You have been offline for a very long time." Dinobot looked the face over, again, in disbelief. Then he suddenly looked downwards. He sensed suddenly that he was more than just consciousness. He saw hands. His own hands, and they were corporeal. He had been with the matrix for so long he had forgotten what it felt like to be in a functioning body.
"Much has changed," he continued. "After you helped us escape Earth we returned to Cybertron, only to find Megatron in control. He had taken every transformer spark on the planet and attempted to do the same to us."
"What?" Dinobot snarled. "Megatron was always insane, but even I had no idea his madness was so…. all consuming. How did he accomplish this?"
"We never found out. He tried to combine all sparks with his, and have the planet controlled by mindless drones. Fortunately we stopped him."
"What does this have to do with me, Primal? Why are you here if you were victorious?"
"We were victorious, but Megatron and I destroyed one another in the final battle," he said with a pause. "I journey now to join the Matrix, but I will be unable to rest. There is yet another threat lying in wait, on New Cybertron. Perhaps worse than Megatron."
"What could be so terrible and dishonourable?"
"The Matrix only showed me a glimpse. A horrible glimpse of war; a war worse than even the Great War. I know that Megatron is behind it somehow, from beyond his grave, but I have no way of warning the others, so I sought you out."
"What can I do?" Dinobot, asked with his optics wide. "I'm as dead as you are, Optimus."
"Yes, but the Matrix gave me the power to bring one back to aid the others." Primal smiled at his former comrade. "I chose you."
"I…" he said pausing. "Am honoured." He said taking a deep bow, before his former commander.
"Will you accept this responsibility?"
"Once again," he said thoughtfully. "Destiny casts me upon the stage of history to determine the future. Fighting destiny is a dangerous practice and one, which I shall not engage in again. These are the times that try bots' sparks and it is up to the warriors to do what must be done. I shall accept your confidence Primal and go forth upon my chosen task."
Primal smiled. "I knew I could count on you. Now then, I must be brief. The Matrix draws me inward and my time grows short. When we arrived at Cybertron the Matrix gave me the power to reformat others. I must now concentrate and reformat your existing body into a technorganic one."
"Technorganic?" Dinobot asked quizzically.
"Yes, a combination of technology and organics. All transformers are technorganics now. The entire planet reformatted, " Primal explained. "I'm about to restore your spark and reformat your old body."
Optimus Primal then closed his optic shields and prepared to do his last reformat. He could feel the life energy draining from him as he changed the second-generation transmetal body of Dinobot II into a new technorganic form. The beast form was still a raptor, but looked considerably different. The now technorganic body's optics flashed open and looked around the water filled bridge of the mighty Decepticon ship the Nemesis. Dinobot was suddenly very alive again, and underwater. He had to get out of the submerged ship if he was going to be of any use to anyone and was still groggy and disoriented.
"Maximize!" he snarled instinctively. Nothing happened. "Terrorize!" He snarled this time. Still nothing happened. "What good are these infernal technoroganic bodies if they can't transform?!" he growled in frustration. Suddenly the voice of Optimus returned.
"We don't transform like that anymore, Dinobot," he said calmly. "Calm down and concentrate on your inner spark. Then say I am transformed."
"I am transformed," Dinobot said aloud. Nothing happened. "Still nothing happens!" he growled angrily.
"Concentrate and try again."
Dinobot continued to try again, but found nothing happening each time. Finally in frustration he walked over to one of the control panels and pushed a series of brightly coloured, square buttons with his claws. He couldn't stand being so deep underwater any longer. The buttons on the panel were small, however, and his claws couldn't manipulate them. He gave up on that endeavour quickly as well. He pounded the keyboard angrily, until there was nothing left to work with. His temper had definitely not improved over the years. Primal, still observing, found himself wondering if Starscream had been right about death only making one a little crankier. Finally Dinobot found what he was seeking. He found a hidden compartment with the seal of the original Megatron. He mentally thanked himself for studying Decepticon military history and tore the hatch open. Inside was a small room with a throne and a series of computers and busts of the room's owner littered the area. Dinobot grabbed the bust, which read in the ancient tongue 'Megatron shall endure', and pulled on it. Another hatch slid open on the opposite wall and found a simple escape craft consisting of a single seat, controls and a large supply of fuel. Dinobot, still in beast mode, climbed into the craft awkwardly and shut the glass shield and pulled the lever. The craft rocketed upward like a rocket and within a few minutes reached the surface of the ocean and came to rest upon the waves. In the distance he could see shore and forced the craft towards it.
Upon arriving at shore he felt Primal's presence again. "Now Dinobot you must master transformation before returning. Now concentrate and say I am transformed. And stay calm!"
Dinobot growled quietly, but then was silent. "I am transformed," he said calmly. Suddenly he could feel himself changing. A bright light emerged from him and within a few nanocycles he found himself in robot form. His new robot form was relatively similar to his robot form, Same blue and brown colour scheme and green optic circuits. He retained clawed fingers on his hands, but at least there were five of them now. He still had an incredibly strong and powerful body and would stand much taller than the majority of transformers. He marveled at the new body. He fired green lasers into the sky, affirming that his optic lasers were still in tact. He also wielded a newer version of his sword. This one was more similar to a broad sword from ancient earth, but had a chain running around the serrated blade.
"It worked, Primal," Dinobat marveled.
"Congratulations," Primal said. "You accomplished your first transformation. It will get easier in time."
Dinobot nodded. "The new concept makes more sense to me now."
"Good. Now about your mission. You must take that craft back to Cybertron and warn the others that there's another threat looming somewhere and that it will happen soon."
"When will this happen?"
"I don't know, but I know it will be revealed with the testing of a new technology on Cybertron. In the vision I saw….
"What?"
"Cheetor…., Rattrap…., Black …., All of them……..gone," Primal said, wincing.
"How?!"
"I don't know. Without their wisdom and experience the new Maximals of Cybertron will not survive the coming conflict."
"I will defend my comrades to the last, Primal."
"I knew you would be the best one for the job."
"To be or not to be…. That is the question that lays unanswered for our future."
"I must go now. I warn you beware Megatron. His body maybe destroyed, but his essence lives on. I sense he's changed now, however."
"Changed…how?"
"I don't know… I'm out of time. Goodbye."
"Primal, no…" Dinobot had never been comfortable with Primal's leadership, as he was always so sure of his own right to command. Now, however he found himself longing for that level-headed maximal sentiment that ebbed from his command structure. He was gone for good now. He would never see his old leader until he re-joined the matrix. He walked over to the escape pod and began to tinker with it. He punched in the co-ordinance for Cybertron and prepared to take off. His mission was of the utmost importance.
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Nightscream was slept uneasily. Since Primal had gone he had been unable to go offline without nightmare routines. They troubled him deeply. Every night he heard voices… familiar voices from the past, but he could never place them. Once again he heard them.
"Nightscream….."
"Who's there?" the maximal called out into darkness.
"A friend," came the response.
"Who?"
"You know me…."
"Show yourself!" Nightscream called.
There was a brief pause and suddenly he saw an all too familiar face. Megatron's. "Hello, young one. Do, you remember us, er me?"
"Of course I remember you, you monster!"
"You cut us to the quick," Megatron responded. " We, er I'm you're friend, yes."
"Has your spark decayed?"
"You trusted me as Noble, did you not?" Megatron growled.
"Yes, but you betrayed me! I hate you!"
"Is that anyway to talk to your own father, no?"
"What?!" Nightscream yelped. "What are you talking about?"
"Why do you think you were the only transformer on Cybertron with their spark in tact? Do you honestly think I would not make such an oversight on purpose?"
"You're lying."
"Check your temporal records for ten stellar cycles ago. You'll see that I'm right. I created you upon my return to Cybertron, but you were defective and turned against me, yes. We shall never forget that, no."
Nightscream was silent for a few moments and then suddenly began to sob. "By Primus, you are…."
"Yes, I am. You remember. Now, Son… I need your help. I have little time. I don't even have a spark at this time. I'm simply the essence of my spark, and that of another."
"Why should I help you?!!"
"Because my aims have changed. I no longer want to create the kind of world I did before. I understand free will is essential. I simply want to live my life how I should have. At the time I was misguided. I'm trustworthy now, yesss."
"No! Father or not you're lying!"
"I think I can persuade you, my son."
"No, NO!!" Nightscream felt his own freewill draining away as Megatron tried to consume his spark. "I'll help you…… father."
"No here is what we shall do… the Maximals have a spark regenerator, with which they can take an essence such as mine and reform the Spark. They intend to use the collected essence of a long deceased autobot , but we shall insert our essence instead. For now I will inhabit your body. If you try to warn anyone of this deception I will terminate your spark immediately. I suggest you join me willingly however. I can offer you power you've only dreamed of."
Nightscream was silent for a moment "Why do you speak as if you're not alone?" Nightscream said, changing the subject.
"Because, my dear boy, I merged with some of the essence of deceased ancestors…. Galvatron's essence and mine are now one. Now come, we have much to do. I will live again."