5 – Year 4
Secolinis, being everyone's favourite month, meant that going out on a trip was on the agenda of the Fourth year.
Polyhex was only one of the many cities on Cybertron. There were many smaller cities, but there were eight major cities, all holding different meanings. Polyhex was the city of Community and was where most transformers lived in or around. Fibos was the Land of Knowledge and was where most went to get advanced education (equivalent to Uni.) Nartos was the City of Communication; Hexatron was the City of Resources; Technico was the City of Warriors (where people went to get combat training) Seros was the City of Birth, and was where most creators went to build new Transformers. Biconis was stationed right on the equator, and was christened the Forest City. Delemon was the largest city of all, and was hereby the Capital of Cybertron, but held a reputation of being harsh somewhat these days. As the Forest city was nearest, the class of fourth years would be going to Biconis.
"Magnus?" Optimus called.
Currently, the blue mech was trying to find his mischievous brother. They were just out the back of their home with Alpha Trion in Polyhex, and there was a small forest right at their doorstep, so the two bots spent lots of time in there. At the moment, Optimus was searching for Magnus so they could start to pack for the outing trip the next day. It was getting dark too.
Optimus stopped at the small stream that flowed though the forest from a distant generator. Unlike on Earth, it was fresh oil to be found in these small and sometimes large rivers that flowed though the forestall regions of Cybertron.
"Magnus?" Optimus called again. "Come on we have to go back home now!"
No answer.
Optimus sighed in annoyance, and started to continue to walk along the river. Then –
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Optimus jumped a foot in the air as a very wet someone (and he had a shrewd idea who) jumped on him from out of the river. He fell over and was about to attack the someone on him, but found the cheeky grin of his brother smiling above him.
"Magnus!" Optimus yelled half in annoyance, half in amusement. "You're all wet!"
"So would you, if you had jumped in the river!" Magnus laughed back at him, sitting up on his older brothers chest and laughing at the expression in his optics.
"Alright, alright now get off." The blue mech grumbled, pushing his bother off him and then proceeding to jump in the river to clean himself.
Magnus, still chortling (for he hardly ever got to scare his brother) Stood up and shielded himself as his brother jumped in the river, spraying oil everywhere. "What's so urgent anyway?"
Optimus ducked his head under the oil for a moment, then came back up and said "Alpha wants us home in a few minutes, so I came to get you. Stalking Petro Cats again?"
"Yup!" Magnus replied excitedly and sat at the edge of the river with his lower legs dangling into the river. "I almost got one too! It was too sly though and outran me."
"Oh that's too bad." Optimus replied and ducked under the oil again. While he stayed under for a while, Magnus absent-mindedly looked at the slowly darkening sky. It was nice to watch the sun set …
Suddenly, Optimus came up right next to him and pulled him into the river with a huge splash and an "Aaaahhhhh!" from Magnus. Optimus laughed at the annoyed look on his brother's face and then stopped as Magnus tackled him. The two continued to play fight in the oil before Optimus checked the time and realised that they had been out for over thirty minutes!
"Magnus!" Optimus gasped out. "We better get back."
"Okay!" Magnus said happily, and the two of them headed back to their house.
***
As they got ready to recharge, Optimus mused on the evening. Magnus had been oddly quiet as they ate their energon for dinner, or when they watched a short movie on the CN. It wasn't till they climbed onto their recharge berths that Optimus asked.
"Magnus? Are you okay? You've been oddly quiet …"
Magnus looked over at him. Optimus wouldn't lie … he knew Optimus …
"Optimus …" He began. "Do you think I'm a bother?"
Optimus stared at him, startled. He had not thought that Magnus would ever think such a thing!
"Of course not!" The blue mech cried, half shocked, half in indigitation. "Why would you think such a thing?"
Magnus cringed a bit at the slight volume raise in his brother's voice, but then answered, "I … I just think that I might be a burden on you …" He stoped, looking away.
Optimus looked at him and then said gently, "Come here."
Magnus did, and Optimus pulled him onto his lap and then rested back against his bed. "Magnus … sometimes I really don't know what to do with you …"
Magnus looked up at him, surprised.
He smiled, and said, "The amount of silly questions you ask … if I didn't have to get you out of trouble with Jetfire, and come after you in the forest, and all the wresting we get into, why, my life would be very boring indeed."
Optimus laughed at a combination of memories and the look of surprise on Magnus's face. "A bother? You're like my best friend! And more … we are family too. You're no bother Magnus … you're my friend and my brother."
Magnus smiled at that and hugged him around the shoulders, saying "I just wanted to be sure … I feel something bad in the air Optimus, and I don't want you to be hurt …"
***
"Hey! Soundwave!"
"AAAAHHHH! Magnus get OFF!"
Soundwave cursed as his data pad went flying across the room as Magnus had tackled him in a fit of high spirits for going on an outing trip. Soundwave was a year below them, but he and some of the other third years were also coming along too. The dark blue transformer was one of them.
Magnus sat on the floor and laughed as Soundwave picked up the data pad he was holding before and examined it, not hiding a scowl on his faceplate.
"You erased that equation! It was a lot of work to figure out what –"
"Yeah, yeah I get it! But you can do it again …"
"That's not the point!"
"You're smart enough to come up with a quick way to do it."
Soundwave was about to argue back when he caught on to the compliment. "Thanks."
Magnus stood up as a chime went though the school, and a message followed, telling them that all Year 3 and 4 students were to go to the main gate to get on the hover bus.
"Hey Optimus, check this out!"
A few others turned to Jetfire also as he pulls out a huge bag of energon goodies. Strictly speaking, these types weren't allowed on the camp, but they got them anyway. Which was why Magnus hissed at him to put them away.
They flew though the small cities around the place as they headed towards their campsite in the tropical forests. The Cybertron sun blazed down on them, with some scattered acid clouds tinged with green floating over a dark blue sky. There was a murmur of chatter around the bus as the third and fourth years talked to one another about the places they had been.
"I went to Seros once when I lived near there." Said a third year, Red Alert.
"I used to live in Nartos," Said Soundwave. "There's communication towers everywhere around and my creator taught me to mix music."
"Mix music?!" Jetfire exclaimed. "That's a very advanced skill from what I've heard."
"I'm not that good." Soundwave said, a little embarrassed. "Just the basics and things. Its not really that hard, you've just got to have the right rhythm and not be tone deaf."
"I also lived in Nartos." Said Ultrasound. "All those signals made me dizzy, so I moved here."
"But your name – "Optimus started, but Ultrasound interrupted, "My creator had a tiny CPU."
"My creator came from Fibos!" Springer exclaimed, but Optimus interrupted him before he could say anymore.
"Most creators do come from that city." He said. "In fact, I don't know any creator that doesn't."
Springer crossed his arms, a little annoyed. "Well come on! You must've been somewhere Optimus!"
"Nope." Optimus shook his head. "I've always lived in Polyhex."
"I've been to Biconis before." Said a fourth year called Blastbox. "Its beautiful!"
"Has anyone ever been to Technico?" Springer asked the small crowd in the bus.
"I have!" Said one, a red and yellow transformer. "Its really cool! You do mostly warrior training there."
"Who're you?" Jetfire asked.
"Inferno." He replied. "I'm a fourth year too. I'm in your science class remember?"
"Ahh yes!" Jetfire said.
"What about Hexatron?" Said Springer.
"I've only been there for a day," Said another. He was mostly black but was highlighted with blue and looked a lot like Nightclash. "When my brother took me … the idiot."
"Are you related to Nightclash?" Optimus asked.
"Yes … unfortunately." There were a few snickers following his words.
There was a brief silence when Magnus, who had been quiet the whole time, said: "I've been to Delemon."
There was an equivalent to an intake of air around him. Magnus averted his optics and Optimus looked at him … he had never known …
"Magnus? You can't have been there! It's only a place that people who have finished school go … that's why it's the Capital of Cybertron."
Magnus didn't reply for a moment, then said, "Maybe not, but I remember it. The black buildings … darkened sky … the way two armies collided in battle and tore it to pieces …"
The crowd stared at him. What battle?
"Magnus?" Jetfire asked, because the red and black mech had rested back against his chair, seeming completely out of it. Jetfire looked at Optimus, who looked just as clueless.
***
Biconis was indeed a beautiful place. Everyone seemed to forget about Magnus's bizarre … memory as they all gazed out the windows at the huge metal trees and numerous ani-mechs that ran around the many houses. The 'trees' were scrap metal, built up over time by the planet and made into forests. There were many of them on Cybertron, and were sometimes used as fuels, but not often. It was illegal almost to destroy them; not like they provided air, but they contained vital minerals and such that kept the planet living in a way.
They stopped at their site. It had already been set up with enormous tents around the place. The bots got settled in.
***
"So, what was it that you dreamt about again Red Alert?"
It was nighttime, and the bots were in a group huddled around an energon fire. It wasn't for warmth, more like for light and to roast energon snacks on. It was fun to chat by starlight anyway.
"My dream?" Red Alert repeated. He was the most mature person in his year, but even so he had the strangest dreams of all. "I was walking along the road, and the sky started raining pink and purple paint on me! I didn't have a clue what was going on, but then this huge big black bot –" And here, he lifted his hands and spread them wide "- Told me that the sky was falling, and that I needed to save it! And then I sorda woke up and forgot most of the other details."
Magnus stared at him for a moment, before bursting out laughing. "Red –" He said, while trying to calm himself, "Your CPU needs a check by a real medic!"
"I am a medic!" He cried out indignantly, drawing himself up as much as he could while lying down on his stomach. "Well, training to be one …"
"Twisted …" Springer muttered, then poked a red energon snack on his stick and moved it towards the purple flames.
"No! Don't – " Optimus cried, but it was too late as the flames suddenly whooshed up as Springer put the red energon in the burning blaze. He blinked, his face black with soot, and the group burst out laughing.
"Someone needs to pay more attention in Science." Skyblast said matter-of-factly as Springer wiped off the soot with his blanket, glaring at the laughing crowd.
Magnus laughed and then felt suddenly drowsy, as though he had missed out on his energon that day. Optimus saw this, and said they should be getting a recharge soon. They all covered themselves in their thin blanket (more out of protection than warmth) and settled off into recharge; Magnus curled up by his brother's side.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Oh gosh lack of updating, IT'S NOT ME!!! *pauses to regain her breath* But man, Yr 11 has been making me loose my creative focus, not a good thing … but never fear! I have all my chapters planned out before hand, when you get the inspiration burst at the start of the story. I find that helps prevent writers block.
Anyways, thanx to all that reviewed! And someone mentioned to me about Femmes, yes they will come in, but not for a long time yet.
Oh and someone named Vanessa e-mailed me a very kind e-mail, and I tried to get back to you, but your e-mail address didn't work! I'm sorry I didn't, but I have no way to contact you! I feel dreadful about it too. I hope that whoever you are that you read this and hopefully send me an alternate address.
Anyways, happy reading!
ST