This story takes place some time after Bad Spark. Basically everything is the same, except that the aliens haven't taken Tigatron and Airazor. All Beast Wars characters are property of Hasbro, Mainframe and Alliance, but all others belong to me, the author.
Reflections & Discoveries
Scene opens in Rhinox's lab where Specter is standing on a platform as Rhinox does some scans of his body.
Specter: How much longer?
Rhinox: Just stay still for one more minute.
Specter does so until Rhinox tells him that it was OK to move.
Specter: So what did you find?
Rhinox: I have no idea yet. I still have to go through all this information before I can tell you anything.
Specter: How long might it take?
Rhinox: About two megacycles, but I not sure. Once I find out, I'll notify you.
Specter: Very well.
Specter leaves Rhinox's lab and heads to his quarters, but runs into Cheetor on the way.
Cheetor: So, what did Big R find out about you?
Specter: He has yet to tell me. He must look over the data he has collected before he can give me an answer.
Cheetor: Oh. I am sure Big R will find out soon enough.
Specter: From what I have heard about his skills, I am confident that he will. Anyway, I am going to be in my quarters till he is done.
Cheetor: But that is going to be boring, why don't you do something like play a vid game with me? It will help pass the time.
Specter: No thanks, I already have things to do.
Cheetor (disappointed): Oh. Maybe next time, then.
Specter: I'll make sure that I am not busy the next time you ask.
Cheetor (cheering up): That will be great! I look forward to it.
Specter: Well, see you around.
When he got to his quarters, Specter laid down on his bed and started to think. Specter knew that Cheetor was a nice kid, and that the catbot just wanted him to open up to someone and be friends, but Specter was unable to. He had always been a loner, with the exception of only one other person, and that someone was named Joseph. The two of them had known each other for a long time, and so had been like brothers to one another. They would do anything for one another, and help each other out if one of them was in trouble. Remembering this made him think of how hard it must have been for Joseph to leave Specter when he had told him to. Luckily, Joseph had, or he would have received the same treatment that Specter and Blade had been given.
This current state of existence was one he would not wish upon anyone. Specter would have been like a mindless drone, just carrying out orders without questioning, if it had not been for the "Reawakening", which was what he had come to know the event as. This reawakening was merely him regaining memories of the life he had once had and the person he once was. These memories at first came to him as bits of flashes, until at last they all came to him at full force.
He could not handle what had been done to him as well as what had been taken from him but he learned to accept this hand that fate had dealt him. Not liking where his thoughts were going, he decided to go out for a walk to get them out of his head. His walk eventually led him to a cliff where he saw the sun setting over the horizon. After a while of watching it, he sensed the presence of some one behind him, knowing who it was without having to turn and look.
Specter: Nice view... Tigatron and Airazor, is it?
Tigatron: Yes, that is correct.
Specter had only met them once when he had first arrived, but he had heard what type of 'bots they were from Cheetor, who seemed to look up to Tigatron, and had a sibling-like relationship with Airazor. Both of the Transformers preferred to be out of the Axalon and in the wilderness, patrolling the far-off sectors.
Specter: So, what brings you here?
Airazor: We were on our way to report in, but we decided to take a look at the setting sun before we did. We were surprised to find you here.
Specter: I was just about to go back, so do not let me bother you. The only reason I was just looking at it is it reminds me of sunsets back home. See you later.
He left them alone without any more words. He knew enough about those two to know that they had a thing for each other and he did not want to intrude on their moment. That and he also knew how to tell if others were in love, since he too had been in love once. Her name was Allison. She was blond, had blue eyes, was slim figured, and in his opinion, was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Their relationship seemed to be going great to the extent that he might have asked her to marry him, but like everything else in his life, it had a problem beneath the surface. It was the military career he had chosen to follow. It made him face many dangers during the war. It had been too much for her, not knowing if he would be coming back after a mission, so one day she had had enough and left without a word. It had left him devastated, but he did not blame her, considering how things turned out. Before he had time to think more about this, his comlink indicated that someone wanted to get in touch with him.
Specter: This is John, come in.
Rhinox: I have finished going over the results. You might want to come in to see for yourself what I found.
Specter: Very well. I am on my way back.
Closing the comlink, he proceeded to head back to the Axalon. Seeing how everything turned out in his life, he doubted the findings would be anything good. After he entered the Axalon, he went straight to Rhinox's lab, deciding it would be best to get it over with.
Specter: What did you find?
Rhinox: More like what did I not find.
Specter: Huh? What do you mean?
Rhinox: In examining the data, I discovered many things that should not be in a normal human body.
Specter: Such as?
Rhinox: For one, your blood stream has nanites flowing through it.
Specter: Nanites? As in robots small enough to travel in the bloodstream?
Rhinox: Correct. It seems that whenever you get hurt, they fix the damaged areas- and since there are thousands in you, the repair is done almost instantly. But that is not the only thing I found. Your blood itself seems to be unnatural.
Specter: How so?
Rhinox: It seems to so how be able to reanimate dead cells.
Specter became silent once he heard Rhinox say this. There was only one thing that he knew could do that, but it was contagious and dangerous to organic beings.
Specter: Is it contagious to others?
Rhinox: No. I did not detect anything that indicated it being contagious, why?
Specter (a little at ease after hearing this): No reason, just curious. Is that all?
Rhinox: One more thing. It involves your skeleton. It seems to be made of some metal alloy that I can not identify. It seems to closely resemble a metal you humans call titanium, but it seems to be stronger.
Specter knew right away that Rhinox was talking about neo-titanium. If he remembered correctly, it was an artificially created metal that could only be made in space.
Rhinox: Are you all right?
Specter: Yes, but there are things I must think about.
Rhinox: Very well. If you feel like talking to someone, I am available.
Specter: Thanks Rhinox, I appreciate it.
Stepping into the corridor he began to think, a thing he was doing more and more of these days. The news he had received was not much of a surprise, since he had suspected as much, with the exception of the nano machines in his blood. This news also confirmed what he had feared. He never would be able to go back to his old life, even if he wanted. He had only one choice now, which he soon realized was the only option- to forget the past and leave it where it belongs. This, of course, meant that he would have to accept his current state and position. He would help the Maximals as best as he could to end the war. And most important, he would also deal with Blade and end everything that was between them both, one way or another. Heading into the command room, he is greeted by Cheetor.
Cheetor: Hey, John. So, what did you find out from Rhinox?
Specter: Please do not call me that anymore. Just call me by my codename, Specter.
Cheetor: But why?
Specter: I have come to terms that the person I was once is long dead. I am just a shadow of the person I once was.
Cheetor: But I am sure you can find a way to be human and have your life back.
Specter: I thank you for having an optimistic view in my behalf, Cheetor, but let me tell you something. You must realize that some things are just meant to be. So for now on, just call me Specter and not John, OK?
Cheetor half-heartedly nods his head in reply.
Specter: Good. Now I have to tell the others about this, and I also need to speak to Optimus about something important.
Cheetor: Can I ask what?
Specter: Nothing much, just that I'll do anything I can to help you guys end this war, and perhaps prevent one from happening.
Cheetor: You lost me there. Prevent another war?
Specter: Yes, I need to speak to Optimus and tell him the reason my ex-comrades and I came here for. When do you usually hold you meetings?
Cheetor: We will tonight, as soon as everyone comes in.
Specter: Good.
Later that night at the meeting, everyone made their daily reports, and soon afterwards, everyone was finished. Right before the meeting was adjourned, however, Specter spoke up.
Specter: If I may, I have something very important to tell you.
Rattrap: Ah man, can this wait? I am tired.
Dinobot: You are always tired, rodent.
Rattrap: Are you calling me lazy, lizard lips?
Dinobot: Well, I am not the one who falls asleep during monitor duty.
Rattrap: Why, you…
Optimus: Enough, you two! Go on John.
Specter would have to tell the rest not to call him John later, but for now, it was the most important thing first.
Specter: Thanks, I was about to tell you why my ex-comrades and I came here. It was for the golden disk Megatron had stolen.
Optimus: How did you humans find out about this? Cybertron has broken off any contact with Earth.
Specter: Gossip.
Optimus: Huh?
Specter: I mean that word spread beyond Cybertron after it happened and reached some of the human-occupied colonies, who, in turn, passed it on to Earth. We even heard rumors that the disk had some kind of secret that could be a danger to Earth, and so we were sent to get it back.
Cheetor: This does not explain why Blade wants to turn every one of us, including the Preds, into slag.
Specter: That is true. His reason is purely out of hatred for Transformers.
Anolis: Why? We have done nothing to him.
Specter: It goes back to the end of the war between the Decepticons and the Autobots. Their fighting raged for years on Earth, causing destruction and death for the humans of that time, who were stuck in the middle of it. That, and Earth was almost destroyed on many occasions. Many humans, even to this day, have had a deep hatred for Transformers because of this.
Cheetor: I never knew…
Dinobot: Of course not. It is something that the Maximal Elders have hidden.
Specter: Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
Rattrap: What do you mean by that?
Specter: Just an old saying from Earth, It states that those who forget what happened in the past are in danger of repeating the same mistakes over again. Anyway, the disk is only half of the story. After having heard about the disk, we also heard that there was trouble brewing on Cybertron. It seems that some Maximals think that the rest of the Predacons had something to do with the theft, thus creating conflict that I believe has not been resolved. If this continues, a war might break out.
Cheetor: Oh, no!
Specter: It gets worse. If war does break out, and if somehow the location of Earth is discovered by the Predacons, the humans will fight back.
Dinobot: Humans are weak, and would not stand a chance if it happened!
Specter: Maybe, but a lot of things have happened since the war between the Decepticons and the Autobots. Our technology has gone far beyond our level in those days, and, in some cases, even surpasses some of your technology. Besides, what makes you think that Blade's squad is the only of its kind? Earth will fight back, and I would not be surprised if the decision to attack both the Predacons and Maximals was made because of the resentment towards Transformers.
Rattrap: Oh, boy.
Optimus: That is more the reason why we must defeat Megatron and find a way back to Cybertron!
Specter: I agree, and I am willing to help you any way that I can.
Optimus: Everyone is dismissed, unless that is not all?
Specter: No, that is all I had to say.
After getting up, Rattrap and Rhinox went to their assigned jobs at monitor duty, while the rest went to their quarters for rest.
Optimus: I'll have Rhinox show you how to use the monitors, as well as finding a way for Sentinel to allow you access to the ship when you are outside.
Specter: Very well.
Heading their separate ways, Specter thought about the future. He did not know what it held for him, but he was going to face it head on when the time came no matter the outcome.