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Chapter five True purpose
A decacycle had passed since Ratchet gave the remaining Autobots a booster for their immune systems.
During this time, Sunstreaker and Skyshadow got married, but the happiness of their new pledge was clouded by grief.
Bumblebee had died an on-cycle later, and was buried.
Ratchet and Whirr were getting closer to creating an antidote, but weren't quite finished when others started falling ill to the virus.
the Remnant
A gift fic written by space-blue-spirit.
Jazz watched as a friend and fellow soldier was lowered into the grave.
Red Alert had fallen ill to the virus only on-cycles ago, and it didn't seem to take long to kill him.
Gathered around him were the other Autobots from their unit. The ones that had survived the Lumen War.
With a shaky vent, he scanned the crowd, wondering despite his best attempts not to, who they would bury next.
He hated to consider who would be next to fall sick and quickly die from the virus Shockwave infected Bumblebee with.
These were his friends, his comrades. Many of them, he'd known for vorns. Fought beside and for them.
This time, the head ops wasn't able to have their backs. To keep them safe.
The remaining Autobots listened with helms bowed as Prowl spoke a few words, then they started casting shovelfuls of metal gravel and dirt into the hole.
After taking his turn, Jazz tearfully turned to the young mech beside him.
"Let's get ya home, Blue."
Wordlessly, Bluestreak let Jazz lead him away, his faceplate emotionless.
The young Praxian hadn't smiled or laughed since Lumen. He'd barely spoken or showed any emotion.
At first, Ratchet was worried he wouldn't make it home to Cybertron, since they had to coax him to even eat or recharge.
Bluestreak had improved and could take care of himself now, but he wasn't the same Bluestreak that had left the planet. He'd returned a shell of himself. There was no more happy, cheerful Blue.
Jazz knew he was one of the most affected of those who'd been terrorized. Hun-Gurrr had ripped emotions and memories from the mechling in order to make him a better, more compliant minion.
In a way, it had been merciful that Steeldust hadn't survived. It would have broken him to see his best friend this way.
Even if it broke Jazz that he was no longer with them.
As they walked, the saboteur glanced over his shoulder at those following, again examining who was left.
His optics lingered on one group of four.
Not even a decacycle had passed since Iron Blade and Skyshadow had to bury their brother.
Bumblebee had been the first to offline from the virus. Others had begun to follow him mere on-cycles later.
Ratchet figured out the cause almost instantly, but he didn't know if there was a cure. He believed there was, and was trying to find one, though his own orns were steadily dwindling.
It seemed to target those who had been terrorized longer and the weaker or older first. The affects of being terrorized had taken their immune systems out, leaving them vulnerable to the virus.
Which was likely why Sunstreaker, the first to have been terrorized of the Autobots, was still with them.
Jazz distantly wondered as he watched what was left of the two joined families if Skyshadow and Sunstreaker would have become sparkmates if they'd known that all terrorized mecha would die prematurely.
He knew they probably would have anyways.
What he didn't know, was how long they'd have together.
Reaching the street, Jazz and Blue transformed and drove off.
Jazz continued to think.
He hoped to meet with Prowl later that offcycle and see how he was doing. The tactician was still acting as first-in-command, like Jazz was acting as second still. But the saboteur knew that Prowl was not quite the same anymore either, though he hid it.
It wasn't as bad as it had been with some mecha, but Jazz still had had to get to know his friend again. His best friend, who he'd known better than anyone.
Which made it worse than other mecha he'd known and had become strangers to him.
Like Bluestreak.
Jazz also knew, that Prowl in a way blamed himself.
After returning Bluestreak to his home, Jazz drove towards his own home.
Once he arrived, he locked the door behind him and leaned against it, covering his mouth to stifle a sob. He'd held in his sorrow for Blue's sake, though he didn't know why.
It was hard to be strong for someone who you knew no longer would care if you did or didn't. Who no longer cried at all, let alone started crying if he seen anyone doing the same.
Sliding slowly down the door, Jazz let himself collapse onto the floor, tears running down his faceplate.
Another dear friend had died.
The Autobots, his family, were all slowly dying.
And there was nothing he could do.
Jazz sobbed as he realized yet again, that there was few of the remaining survivors that hadn't been terrorized. Not only had many of them been killed in the battle before Hun-Gurrr arose, but few had truly escaped what came with him.
Eventually, all of them would die.
Except for three or four.
Jazz was one of them.
Jazz would likely watch the rest succumb and perish before he even reached anything remotely old age.
This was not how life was supposed to be. The old died before the young, the reckless before the cautious.
Jazz was by no means old, he was one of the younger Autobots, but mecha like Steeldust, Hotrod, and Bumblebee should not have died before he did. He also took the most dangerous missions and was on the more reckless side. Hound, Ironhide, and Magnus should have outlived him.
But they hadn't and for those still online, very likely wouldn't.
Any future sparklings Sunstreaker and Skyshadow's may have should not have to grow up without a sire, and quite possibly, without an uncle or carrier.
Barricade, Bluestreak, and Prowl should not be destined to follow their brother so soon.
The Wreckers numbers should not be so few.
Whirr, the last Protectobot, should have not had to bury his brothers-in-arms.
The two factions should not be nearly wiped out.
Jazz spark broke further as he continued to weep, already mourning for his friends.
His family.
End of gift fic.
/(Intro song is: Too Far Gone by Hidden Citizens & SVRCINA.)
Iron Blade awoke from a dream, which was strange because he wasn't one of the few who could dream.
In his dream, Vector Prime told him, "If there were ever a reason you need to speak with me you can. Go to the Well of Allsparks."
Later that orn, Iron Blade transformed and landed, looking down into the Well. "Vector, I'm here to speak to you!"
Then Vector Prime appeared behind the Knight of Cybertron in a ghostly form, "What is it you wish to speak to me about?"
Iron Blade turned around to face the Prime of time and space, and said, "Why… why must it be this way? So much suffering. So much death. What is even the point of our lives if only to end up just dying like this?"
"My time here with you is limited, so you must pay close attention to the importance of what I have to tell you," said Vector Prime. "Death is a part of life, you must learn to let go, and then move on. We don't get to choose our time. Death is what gives life meaning, to know your days are numbered, and your time is short. Now I know it hurts, seeing everything you've been through, but you know what? I've watched everyone from a sparkling to their last orn. Some of them were lucky and had centuries to live, but others were much less fortunate. You see, Iron Blade, I've been here for thousands of vorns watching mecha die from the stupid or evil actions of others and it broke my spark to see it, and now it breaks my spark to see your comrades die as well."
"If you could choose to go back, and do it all over again, knowing exactly how it would end, would you change anything?" asked the half-seeker.
"Some on-cycles without a hesitation, but then I remember my purpose for being given this power."
"What is that?" asked Iron Blade.
"Not to rewrite history. I am not to interfere with the natural flow of things," said Vector Prime.
"I wish you had interfered, and killed Megatron before he started our war."
"And you think that would have changed things how? For all we know such a rash action could cause someone much worse to take his place in starting the war."
"What do you mean for all we know? Aren't you the Prime of time and space, able to see everything that will ever happen?" asked Iron Blade.
"Not if I interfere. Besides, that is not how time travel works, if you travel to the past that past becomes your future, and your former present becomes the past which now cannot be changed by your new future."
"Still, it would have been nice."
"What happened happened and no one can change that, so why do you still hold this grudge?"
"Is it easier to forgive an enemy, or than to forgive a friend?"
"Since when was he your friend?"
"He wasn't, but he was a Sire to me for many vorns until he died and I joined the Autobots and learned what he had been hiding from me," the Knight of Cybertron explained, "Who I am hates who I've been."
"You have suffered much in your life and you learned violence from too young of an age. Even through everything that you have encountered, the two most important orns of life is when you are born, and when you find out why."
Iron Blade smiled slightly, "Must be a Prime thing, to know what to say like that."
"It is a gift that we all share."
"The deadly blows of almost ten vorns of war claimed almost all of us. It claimed countless lives, and those of us who survived were left shattered and broken," said Iron Blade
"I don't have much longer so listen carefully. Iron Blade, you are more like your Sire and Carrier than you think. You didn't get the chance to know them for very long, but you did get to know them longer then your younger brother and sister. That is an important thing you must always remember. You have your Carrier's wisdom and your Sire's passion to do the right thing. That, you must never forget."
The Knight of Cybertron smiled, "Thank you, Vector."
As the Prime of time and space started to disappear, he said one last thing, "Don't waste it, Iron Blade, don't waste your life."
The grey, black, and white half-seeker stood alone at the Well of Allsparks.
In the quiet of the now off-cycle Iron Blade listened to the wind as it whistled past his audios, and he remembered what the Prime had told him.
"The two most important orns of life is when you are born, and when you find out why."
Iron Blade did know his purpose in life, though he had a few, he believed that his true purpose was the one Vector Prime himself had given him.
As a Knight of Cybertron he was sworn to protect his planet and all those who inhabit it.
This was his true purpose.
(Credit music is: May it Be by 2CELLOS.)
(Credit song is: May It Be by Enya.)
Some of the dialogue from Vector Prime's and Iron Blade's conversation was borrowed from other movies/tv shows, but only some of them, most of the dialogue was my own.
Thanks for reading!
