Oh dear, I haven't forgotten about this I swear! School's just been a problem for me and I wanted to try writing another short story. Here, have a new chapter. :)


Springer had fought alongside Ultra Magnus during the days of the Wreckers, serving as his trusted lieutenant. The triple-changer never left the giant's side, and he even gave up the chance to travel with the other Autobots to Earth, for he knew that there was still business left to take care of on Cybertron. Only when the Wreckers disbanded and parted ways from Cybertron did Springer willingly break away from the group.

Now he had found his way to Earth with Ultra Magnus' guidance. How disappointed and angered would he be to learn of Magnus' capture? Optimus and Ratchet could only exchange glances with one another, as if asking one another what they should tell him.

"Springer to Ultra Magnus, are you there? "the static-filled transmission broke the tense silence that plagued the ship.

Optimus gathered up the courage to finally respond to Springer through the communicator, "Springer, this is Optimus Prime. You have my permission to land temporarily at our base, but be aware that we will be moving very soon. "

There was another deafening silence that hung over them before Springer returned Optimus transmission.

"Optimus? Is that really you down there? Where's Ultra Magnus? "He asked, "He's the one who called for me. "

"I'm sorry to inform you that Ultra Magnus has been captured by the enemy. Unfortunately, we lack the resources to engage in combat with the Decepticons in order to successfully retrieve him. "Optimus explained their current situation to the triple-changer.

"Optimus, permit me to aid you in any way I can." Springer responded almost immediately, "I have some ammunition, medical supplies and a small stockpile of energon aboard my ship. It's not much, but taking your situation into consideration, I guess every little bit helps. "

"Thank you, Springer. With your supplies and extra firepower, we might have a better chance in rescuing Ultra Magnus. "Optimus smiled, Springer couldn't see it but he knew from the sound in the Prime's voice that he was extremely grateful.

"Just doing my duty, sir. I'll be landing within the next couple of joors, just hang tight down there. "

The night had not yet changed into dawn, and Shockwave was still taking pleasure from prodding at Ultra Magnus' processor in search of those memories that Megatron had wanted to give back ever so badly. Knock Out had walked out for an energon break, but Shockwave refused to leave from his spot until he had accomplished his task.

So many places to look, so little time. He had utilized as many outside stimuli as possible on the great Autobot to invoke some kind of reaction which would cause him to remember, yet nothing worked. So, it was back to square one for Shockwave, he'd just prod about his memories and see what he could find.

It was then that Shockwave stumbled upon a strange audio file. One that had been stored long ago for no in particular reason, and from what he could tell, hadn't ever been opened and had just been left sitting in the deepest parts of the Autobot's processor for Primus knows how long.

The deadpan Decepticon began to wonder what would happen should he play the file…

BOOM.

The sensation of falling.

Crashing. Screaming. Medics shouting orders at one another. A sense of being lifted and transported to another location.

More shouting. Another feeling of being moved.

Lastly he heard the sound of a young, familiar voice begging for him to be alright, for him to wake up and not go offline.

Orion.

All of these sounds hit Ultra Magnus hard, as if he was being pounded into the ground by Devastator's gigantic fists. Then a memory fluttered back to him. Shockwave prodded his mind again so he and Megatron could view it on the screen above them.

Magnum was working diligently on a project he had been assigned to oversee in Polyhex. He was busily looking over one of the support beams on the fourth floor of the structure, and although there wasn't much currently holding the structure up at the moment, he trusted the engineers' judgment that it would hold together.

Unbeknownst to the young Cybertronian, a plot had developed in the shadows and they were beginning to whisper to one another. He wasn't lucky enough to hear their words. If he had listened more closely, perhaps he could have evaded his fate that very day.

A multitude of bombs had been strapped to a few of the beams that supported the floor where Magnum had been stationed at that very moment in time. It wouldn't matter if he removed one or two of the bombs either, for they were all rigged to blow at the same time, and there were many. Oh so many. For the rebels wanted this structure to come crashing straight down no matter what. Since Sentinel Prime himself had wanted this to be built, they wanted it to be destroyed. As a result, innocent lives would be lost.

The hour of darkness finally arrived as Magnum hummed happily to himself while overlooking the carefully secured beams.

Then came that flash of white light and searing heat.

And then he fell from the sky as citizens below cried out of fear. Magnum might have also screamed, but his voice had been overwhelmed by the structure that collapsed on him. The rest was searing pain, which gradually died off into nothingness, and that feeling of being lighter than air as his Spark struggled to survive.

On the other side of the monitor, Ultra Magnus was losing his composure after viewing this memory. The explosion that had destroyed his previous self had shaken his own current frame violently. Magnus gasped sharply and began to struggle against the cuffs that had him bound to the table, but his struggles were still in vain.

Oh the pleasure Shockwave was getting out of listening to Ultra Magnus as he shed away his usually stoic composure. The sound of him venting in distress filled the atmosphere of the room, and Shockwave thought it to be the sweetest harmony that he had ever heard in his life.

Pain pricked at his processor as the memory of his death and rebirth filled him. All of the terror and other emotions that he hadn't felt for such a long time came back to haunt him, and it nearly made him sob, but he soldiered through it like he always had. Then he remembered the cries of his brother as he tried to reach him though their bond, and he remembered how Magnum closed off their bond so Orion wouldn't have to feel his pain. It ripped across the surface of his Spark to the point where he felt as if it was about to shatter within his chest.

He needed Optimus now more than ever after being hit with such a powerful force. He desperately reached through their bond until he found his brother's presence.

:: ORION! :: He cried in agony.

:: Magnus, what is it? What's happening? :: Optimus sounded alarmed as he communicated with him.

:: The cortical psychic patch! They used it on me…! ::

:: Hang on, Ultra Magnus. Springer's on his way and he should be here very soon. Once he arrives, we'll disgust a way to rescue you. Understand? ::

:: Orion, I REMEMBER- :: Ultra Magnus cried out again both across his bond and out loud at the same time before closing his end of the bond so Optimus wouldn't have to feel his pain. Déjà vu.

After he closed his bond, he began to settle down, but not very much. Magnus felt quite broken on the inside after suddenly remembering what had happened to him. He began to imagine all of the moments he might have shared with Orion, and what moments they could have shared if those explosions at Polyhex never happened. But, then again-

"So, Magnum, how do you feel? " Megatron snarled evilly at Ultra Magnus as he rose up off of his table while Shockwave slipped behind Magnus to unhook him from the machine.

Magnus was silent for a while but soon began to laugh a little, which caused the Decepticon leader to become confused.

"I guess I should thank you for revealing my past to me, for showing me what kind of relationship I shared with my brother before the war began. Might I ask why you showed this to me? "

"Just as a kind gesture, for you might not live so long to further enjoy your memories. Predaking still waits below, and I do believe that tomorrow's dawn shall be your dying day. " He turned to the Eradicons who had stood guard at the entrance, "Take Magnum back to his cell and await further orders. "

"Yes sir! " They both said in unison.

Once more, Magnus did not resist them as they forced him off of the table and out into the snaking corridors of the immense Decepticon fortress. Down they descended into the dungeons where Magnus was thrown into his holding cell once more, and restrained by the stasis cuffs that held him up in midair.

He lowered his chin so it rested on his armor. Then, he offlined his optics with the hope that he would be overcome by visions of Orion and the sweet moments they must have shared in their youth, instead of being plagued by thoughts of death , destruction and pain.

Primus must have heard his thoughts, for fate smiled upon him. As he was swallowed up by the darkness of recharge, the figure of Orion Pax with his smiling faceplate appeared in front of him, and together he and Magnum strode through the beauteous Crystal City. He never wanted that dream to end.

Golden light began to peek over the horizon and reach up into the blue sky above as dawn finally arrived. It was such a welcoming sign to the Autobots, finally realizing that the light had come again in lieu of their darkest hour.

Optimus had been leaning against the side of the ship for half a joor, his black servo had been grasping at his chest after communicating with Ultra Magnus through their bond. He hadn't been expecting the other Autobot to close his end of their bond, yet when he stopped to think about it, there was something about the way Magnus had closed himself off that seemed eerily familiar.

Ratchet had been standing beside his leader the entire time, attempting to console him. The medic failed to realize that the Prime hadn't been listening to him the entire time.

"Optimus, what happened? " Ratchet asked for the hundredth time, "Optimus? "

"R-Ratchet? " He finally snapped back into reality, "Magnus. The Decepticons used the cortical psychic path on him, and it must have been causing him pain. He closed off his end of our bond, so now I cannot reach him. "

Ratchet's lips had parted to further speak with Optimus, but his vocalizer was silenced by the sounds of an approaching ship. Both Autobots exited Ultra Magnus' vessel to find another Cybertronian ship hovering just inches above the ground in front of the hangar where they had taken shelter. Everyone inside, except for Smokescreen and Bumblebee exited from the hangar to investigate the origin of the sound, and find out who the owner of this ship was.

Within second, the ship touched down onto the ground and whipped rust-coloured dust in all directions. Engines gradually quieted, as did the surrounding atmosphere as every bot and human on-site waited with growing anticipation.

As Optimus and Ratchet approached the new ship, the hatch of the vessel slowly parted, and a ramp lowered itself down onto the soft desert sands. A green Autobot stepped out from the parted hatch and descended down the ramp to approach the others. Springer walked across the sands and stopped right in front of the group, his face hardened into a stoic look that reminded Optimus of Magnus in a way.

"SPRINGER!" Erupted a pair of voices from the group as both Bulkhead and Wheeljack burst from their ranks and tackled the triple-changer as they had all done back in the days of the Wreckers. A chorus of laughter sprung from the pile of bots, even Springer spontaneously lightened up after giving off the demeanor of being a battle-hardened warrior.

It warmed Optimus' Spark to see the three friends united again after such a long period of separation. Perhaps it was good for Springer to soften up a little after being alone in space like Wheeljack had. After their laughter subsided, the three Wreckers rose up from the sands and Bulkhead began to introduce the lieutenant to his team.

Finally Springer made his way over to Optimus, where he gave a more professional salute as a greeting.

"Springer, reporting for duty sir. " He spoke with a soldier's pride.

"At ease, Springer. We thank you for coming to join us in our time of need. "

"Optimus, I hope you don't mind but- "Springer turned and motioned at his ship, "I brought someone else along with me. "

Someone else was there too? So Springer hadn't come alone after all? Who was it that accompanied the Wrecker in his journey across the galaxy?

Sunlight poured through the clouds onto the ground below, meeting with the bright orange and gold coloured plating of the second mech who was descending the ramp onto the Earth below.

"His name is Hot Rod, and he wishes to help us in any way he can. "Springer announced.


I've been busy and tired all week, sorry about that guys. I'll be sure to get on the next chapter first thing tomorrow. Anyway, welcome aboard Roddy.