A bit more exposition for you. Thanks for baring with me.
Chapter Twenty:
He hadn't expected this.
Is this what was meant by "Til All Are One"? One what? He was clearly not one with anything. He was a separate entity in this place, his existence here bothered him. Was he truly dead? Did the Matrix refuse him?
Why? What reason did the Matrix have for holding him away from the beyond? Was the information he held not valuable for the growth of the Transformers? Why, damn it?!?
"You're asking the wrong questions," the voice spoke softly, unrecognisable to him. Though he had no body and no mouth to speak from, he said: "Where am I? What is this place?" And though he had no optics, he could clearly see his surroundings.
Nothing.
This place was a construct of nothing. It didn't make sense. Was he after all, one with the Matrix? Did it allow for individual personalities? And without warning, his view changed; his surroundings melted into each other, colours ran together until they formed what he knew as the orchard. Botannica's orchard. And stood before him was Optimus Primal, a smile across his face.
"Welcome, Cheetor. We have much to discuss"
* * *
He had found himself perched atop one of the surrounding buildings overlooking the space-dock. The size of the starship ahead overwhelmed him, matched only by its apparent firepower. Weaponry covered the majority of its hull and he doubted that he could get any closer than he currently was. But he had a strong feeling that he would find her there. He couldn't grasp why; Silverbolt knew that this would be his final destination. He transformed, his beast mode clung shakily to the ledge that he had sat before:
He leapt from the building and soared towards SHOURISHA.
* * *
He found himself with a body once more, his familiar yellow fur was free of burns and he walked tall and stable. Primal stood by his side as they moved through the orchard; the details were perfect. The way the trees intertwined with each other, the rich green colouration of the leaves. It had always been his fondest memory of the place. A time when, although they were without Optimus, they were happy. Cybertron had rebuilt itself, remoulded itself to its former incarnation. Hadn't it?
"You may not want to hear what I have to say." Optimus continued to walk as he talked, his huge knuckles dragged along the dusty floor, "and nor do I relish in telling you." Cheetor looked down at him, a puzzled expression on his face.
"I don't understand. What is this place? Really. Is it just a memory? Are you even real?" He could hear Optimus chuckle, his voice brimming with bass.
"Whether I am real or merely a memory doesn't matter. You have to listen to what I say. There will never be peace on Cybertron until you do." He stopped and sat, "I've been sent to you by the Oracle." Cheetor sat beside him, stretching his long legs before him.
"Am I offline?" He asked a twinge of sadness in his voice.
"You didn't survive the fall from the shuttle if that's what you mean." Optimus sighed. "We were used." He said solemnly. "I thought," he paused before continuing, "I was told that the seeds of the future can be found in the past. This," he raised his arms to the orchard that loomed overhead, "is not our past."
"I don't follow Bigbot."
"The seeds of the future can be found in the past, but my mind had become clouded. The reformation. . . "
Ahead of them a light began to grow. It snaked its way through the trees towards them. Yet Cheetor felt no fear at the arrival of this. Optimus stood and said:
"The reformation was a trap and we were the bait."
The light continued to grow and he shielded his eyes from it. He looked to Optimus who glared at the incoming luminance. "You're not making any sense." He said and as quickly as the light had grown; it dissipated.
HE MAKES PERFECT SENSE IF YOU ARE WILLING TO LISTEN.
The voice was loud and it boomed throughout the orchard. Cheetor couldn't pinpoint its origin; it seemed to come from everywhere. He spun around, desperate to see the source.
"Who are you?" He asked, uncertain of the response.
I AM PRIMUS.
* * *
The first null-ray rifle shot had missed but the second found its home, clipping his wing sending him spiralling to the ground. A wave of dizzying pain sped through Silverbolt's system and he transformed, though too late to delay the crunch as he hit the floor. And for a moment, his world was black.
With voices:
"He wants him alive."
"Take him to Megatron."
* * *
AN EVIL IS COMING CHEETOR. YOU MUST ALLOW IT ACCESS.
"I've heard all this before," The Maximal said, "It doesn't answer anything. Is Megatron the evil?" He spun to face Optimus who stood by his side in the orchard, "we've beat him before, we can beat him again."
"It's not that simple anymore," He said, looking at Cheetor with saddened eyes.
THE EVIL IS WITHIN HIM. The voice of Primus boomed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He shouted, putting his hands to his temples. "The evil is within him?"
OPEN YOUR MIND. HAVE NO BOUNDARIES. YOU MUST SEE.
He sensed it before he actually saw it; the orchard melted away, the trees fell to the ground without sound; absorbed into the fabric of this new place before him.
Cybertron. But not from a time that he had experienced. Were they still his memories now? He glanced to the sky, to see:
"Unicron," He said. But it couldn't be. And with that thought, chaos erupted around him as the planet was being eaten alive.
THE MATRIX DESTROYED HIS BODY BUT IT COULD NOT BREAK HIS MIND. HIS POWER IS NOT UNLIMITED, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
"I have to give him access?" Cheetor asked. Optimus nodded.
SHE WILL LEAD HIM TO ME. THE ONE KNOWN AS SUTENEKO PRIME WILL STOP IT AT THE HEART.
His thoughts raced. "I didn't find Suteneko Prime." He turned to Optimus, "I failed." The elder Maximal smiled at him: "Did you? Are you sure?"
ONE WILL RISE FROM THE RANKS.
Cheetor stared at Optimus, "It's you. You're Suteneko Prime?" Primal laughed, shaking his head.
"No" He replied, "It's you."
Chapter Twenty:
He hadn't expected this.
Is this what was meant by "Til All Are One"? One what? He was clearly not one with anything. He was a separate entity in this place, his existence here bothered him. Was he truly dead? Did the Matrix refuse him?
Why? What reason did the Matrix have for holding him away from the beyond? Was the information he held not valuable for the growth of the Transformers? Why, damn it?!?
"You're asking the wrong questions," the voice spoke softly, unrecognisable to him. Though he had no body and no mouth to speak from, he said: "Where am I? What is this place?" And though he had no optics, he could clearly see his surroundings.
Nothing.
This place was a construct of nothing. It didn't make sense. Was he after all, one with the Matrix? Did it allow for individual personalities? And without warning, his view changed; his surroundings melted into each other, colours ran together until they formed what he knew as the orchard. Botannica's orchard. And stood before him was Optimus Primal, a smile across his face.
"Welcome, Cheetor. We have much to discuss"
* * *
He had found himself perched atop one of the surrounding buildings overlooking the space-dock. The size of the starship ahead overwhelmed him, matched only by its apparent firepower. Weaponry covered the majority of its hull and he doubted that he could get any closer than he currently was. But he had a strong feeling that he would find her there. He couldn't grasp why; Silverbolt knew that this would be his final destination. He transformed, his beast mode clung shakily to the ledge that he had sat before:
He leapt from the building and soared towards SHOURISHA.
* * *
He found himself with a body once more, his familiar yellow fur was free of burns and he walked tall and stable. Primal stood by his side as they moved through the orchard; the details were perfect. The way the trees intertwined with each other, the rich green colouration of the leaves. It had always been his fondest memory of the place. A time when, although they were without Optimus, they were happy. Cybertron had rebuilt itself, remoulded itself to its former incarnation. Hadn't it?
"You may not want to hear what I have to say." Optimus continued to walk as he talked, his huge knuckles dragged along the dusty floor, "and nor do I relish in telling you." Cheetor looked down at him, a puzzled expression on his face.
"I don't understand. What is this place? Really. Is it just a memory? Are you even real?" He could hear Optimus chuckle, his voice brimming with bass.
"Whether I am real or merely a memory doesn't matter. You have to listen to what I say. There will never be peace on Cybertron until you do." He stopped and sat, "I've been sent to you by the Oracle." Cheetor sat beside him, stretching his long legs before him.
"Am I offline?" He asked a twinge of sadness in his voice.
"You didn't survive the fall from the shuttle if that's what you mean." Optimus sighed. "We were used." He said solemnly. "I thought," he paused before continuing, "I was told that the seeds of the future can be found in the past. This," he raised his arms to the orchard that loomed overhead, "is not our past."
"I don't follow Bigbot."
"The seeds of the future can be found in the past, but my mind had become clouded. The reformation. . . "
Ahead of them a light began to grow. It snaked its way through the trees towards them. Yet Cheetor felt no fear at the arrival of this. Optimus stood and said:
"The reformation was a trap and we were the bait."
The light continued to grow and he shielded his eyes from it. He looked to Optimus who glared at the incoming luminance. "You're not making any sense." He said and as quickly as the light had grown; it dissipated.
HE MAKES PERFECT SENSE IF YOU ARE WILLING TO LISTEN.
The voice was loud and it boomed throughout the orchard. Cheetor couldn't pinpoint its origin; it seemed to come from everywhere. He spun around, desperate to see the source.
"Who are you?" He asked, uncertain of the response.
I AM PRIMUS.
* * *
The first null-ray rifle shot had missed but the second found its home, clipping his wing sending him spiralling to the ground. A wave of dizzying pain sped through Silverbolt's system and he transformed, though too late to delay the crunch as he hit the floor. And for a moment, his world was black.
With voices:
"He wants him alive."
"Take him to Megatron."
* * *
AN EVIL IS COMING CHEETOR. YOU MUST ALLOW IT ACCESS.
"I've heard all this before," The Maximal said, "It doesn't answer anything. Is Megatron the evil?" He spun to face Optimus who stood by his side in the orchard, "we've beat him before, we can beat him again."
"It's not that simple anymore," He said, looking at Cheetor with saddened eyes.
THE EVIL IS WITHIN HIM. The voice of Primus boomed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He shouted, putting his hands to his temples. "The evil is within him?"
OPEN YOUR MIND. HAVE NO BOUNDARIES. YOU MUST SEE.
He sensed it before he actually saw it; the orchard melted away, the trees fell to the ground without sound; absorbed into the fabric of this new place before him.
Cybertron. But not from a time that he had experienced. Were they still his memories now? He glanced to the sky, to see:
"Unicron," He said. But it couldn't be. And with that thought, chaos erupted around him as the planet was being eaten alive.
THE MATRIX DESTROYED HIS BODY BUT IT COULD NOT BREAK HIS MIND. HIS POWER IS NOT UNLIMITED, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
"I have to give him access?" Cheetor asked. Optimus nodded.
SHE WILL LEAD HIM TO ME. THE ONE KNOWN AS SUTENEKO PRIME WILL STOP IT AT THE HEART.
His thoughts raced. "I didn't find Suteneko Prime." He turned to Optimus, "I failed." The elder Maximal smiled at him: "Did you? Are you sure?"
ONE WILL RISE FROM THE RANKS.
Cheetor stared at Optimus, "It's you. You're Suteneko Prime?" Primal laughed, shaking his head.
"No" He replied, "It's you."