Chapter Two
Two megacycles later, Dinobot and Rattrap had finally made it back with the human's equipment. Every bot except for Optimus and Dinobot were seated at the main console located in the center of the ship's bridge, with the equipment strewn on the table in front of them. Dinobot and Optimus were being repaired in the two Restoration Chambers positioned at the corners of the bridge. Dinobot's injuries were minor, so he would emerge in the next few cycles. The repair to Optimus's chest plate was almost complete. He had been in there for over a megacycle and would come out soon after Dinobot.
"What do you make of these things, Rhinox?" Cheetor asked, gesturing to the oddly shaped devices. There were eight items.
"These six are easy, it's those two over there that I'm not sure about." Rhinox ignored the two objects that had been shoved a little apart from the others, and picked up one of the six objects positioned in front of him. The device was diminutive in his huge hand, obviously built for smaller, more delicate fingers. It was wafer thin, silver like the color of the human's suit, and in the shape of an octagon. There was a smaller raised octagon in the center that looked like glass.
"This is a miniature holographic projector. You just press the octagon in the center..." Rhinox pressed the area indicated and moved his thumb out of the way.
A small, three-dimensional image hovered a few inches above the projector. The picture was of four humans, two big and two small. The larger two were male and female; the male was holding the woman in front of him with both arms around her waist. A half- grown boy held a little girl with red hair and blue eyes balanced on his hip, while the woman's hands rested comfortably on the boy's shoulders. They were all smiling and seemed very content.
The big green scientist pressed the button again; this time the image was of two human women, their arms around each other's shoulders. The taller one on the right was a later version of the little girl in the first picture. Rhinox pushed the button twice rapidly and the images disappeared. He passed it to Silverbolt.
"This next one is a scanner." Rhinox showed them a small device meant to fit in the palm of a human's hand. The gadget was mostly screen, with three small buttons and a dial on both sides. He gave it to Silverbolt. Cheetor had the holo projector turned on and was flipping through the pictures. "Hey guys, look at this one." Cheetor held up the holo projector. The image was of the woman, and a Maximal. They were shaking hands and smiling. By their relaxed demeanor, they seemed to be friends.
"Hmmmm," was Rhinox's only response. Things were getting stranger and stranger. The more they found out about this human, the less they knew.
"This one took a little while to figure out, but it appears to be a portable transporter." He picked up an instrument that was vaguely triangular in shape. It was the second largest of the items, about six inches long and three inches wide. A small picture shaped like a sleek, streamlined battle-ship was etched on the front. Indecipherable lettering was engraved beneath it.
Rattrap whistled, impressed despite his feigned disinterest. Neither the Preds nor the Maximals had technology like that.
"I believe it attaches somewhere on her suit. How it is activated, or even how it works; is a mystery to me." The inquisitive Maximal picked up the fourth item. The device was slightly longer than all the other ones and shaped like a metal rod.
"This is an all-purpose repair kit of a remarkably sophisticated design. There are no buttons of any kind. All I have to do is think of a tool and it becomes the tool I want. Watch." Rhinox concentrated for a second. The rod seemed to melt in his hand and reshape itself. It just a couple of nano-clicks, he held a small hammer. It was too small for him to use properly, but it was the right size for a human hand.
"This device is composed of the same metal as her suit. I've never seen anything like this; there's no record of this kind of metal in all the history of Cybertron. I scanned it with the ship's computer. The very atoms of this tool, and of her suit, are apparently unstable in their natural state. The people who made this device were able to harness and stabilize these atoms, forcing them to react and become active only when a Human or Maximal thought wave pattern is directed at them with specific instructions. They'll obey the mental command, and become dormant again."
Rhinox passed the repair kit to the waiting bots. He was about to continue with the next item when a beep and the sound of releasing air pressure cut off further conversation. The door of Dinobot's CR chamber opened upwards and he stepped out. The Maximal warrior rotated his now undamaged shoulder and stalked over to the others. He sat in the unoccupied chair next to Cheetor.
"How do you feel?" Cheetor asked him.
Dinobot rumbled deep in his throat and replied, "Satisfactory. What have you learned?"
Rhinox filled him in on what he had discovered so far.
"I've never seen a communicator like this before," Rhinox continued, lifting up a device folded in on itself. He flipped it open. The bottom half had three small buttons and a dial. "I get nothing but static of course, but it doesn't rely on line-of-sight like a laser pulse. It's powerful enough to penetrate the atmosphere, or to be heard halfway around this planet. Also, it's not affected by Energon emissions. It's incredibly powerful, especially for such a small device."
Rhinox closed the communicator, set it down and touched a small metal box. It rattled as he picked it up. "This is a box of microchips. Each one is designed for a specific purpose. I believe they are spares for her suit.
"From what you all have told me, and from my own observations, this armor of hers is of an incredibly complex design. Like the repair kit, it responds to thought waves, but her suit will only respond to her specific brain patterns. This suit is attached directly to her nervous system. Because of this, it's an extension of her body.
"Our beast forms are a melding of secondary organic components with our original primary robotic selves. With her the principle is the same, but reversed. Her flesh is the primary and the metal of her suit, secondary."
"Wait a second here, are ya tryin' to tell us dat dis creature is a Human Transformer!" Rattrap spoke in disbelief.
"Yes, that is exactly what I'm trying to say. If my theory is correct, this human is from a future far beyond ours. In the time we came from, humans didn't have anything close to this kind of technology."
"What of these two? Surely you have found out something?" Silverbolt asked him, gesturing at the two unknown objects. One was a six-inch square, very flat, with no buttons of any kind on it. The last one was shaped like a cube, with the edges rounded.
Rhinox sighed in tired frustration, shook his head, and replied, "I have no idea what they are. There are no buttons or dials of any kind, and they are only activated by human thought patterns. Unlike the repair kit, it will not respond to Maximals."
"Guess we'll have to find out from her," Cheetor said.
"The human should be placed in a more secure location," Dinobot grumbled, displeasure evident in his voice. "It could be a danger to us all. It should be in the brig where it can be kept under closer observation."
"Oh, come on Dinobot, you don't actually believe that she is a threat? She saved Big Bot from the Preds. She obviously hates Predicons, and she trusted us enough to talk to us after the battle." Cheetor said, glaring up at him.
"As much as I hate t' admit it," Rattrap began, rising from his seat and leaning on the table with his palms, "I gotta agree with Chopperface. This ape lady just dropped outta da sky for no reason. She may seem t' be an ally, but did ya see what dat nutty suit of hers did at a thought? Dat armor was badly slagged, but what about after she repairs it? Personally, I don't wanna be around if she decides t' go ballistic on us."
"While Optimus thinks she's trustworthy, he's not a fool. We discussed the situation and thought it best to put her where she is." Rhinox pressed a button on the table's console, bringing up an image of the human's quarters. The Axalon had been designed to house twice the number of bots than were on the ship, so there were plenty of extra cabins.
The cabin's door had been rewired to open only from the outside. They had taken away her blaster and placed it on one of the secondary consoles in the bridge. Since they could not remove her suit, they had left it alone. There was a camera mounted in the corner of the room.
The human female was lying on the hard metal bed, still unconscious. Her forehead was wrinkled and her head moved slightly from side to side; troubled by pain-filled dreams.
"She is secure enough, and more comfortable than she would have been in the brig. The camera's sensor will warn us when she wakes up," Rhinox concluded. He turned off the image.
At that moment, Optimus Primal's CR chamber opened with a beep and a low hiss of pressure. Optimus stepped out. There was no damage to his chest and he seemed refreshed and alert.
"Hello team," he said, in answer the greetings from those already seated. He looked curiously at Rattrap and Dinobot, and the objects strewn about the table.
"Was this all the equipment that you were able to find?" He asked them, sitting down on the last seat between Rhinox and Rattrap.
"Yep, Fearless Leader. Some pretty weird things we found too! Rhinox, tell 'im."
Feeling like a broken data disk, Rhinox gave Optimus the short version of what he had discovered about the human and her things.
"Interesting," Optimus responded. "Has she awakened yet? She's the answer to all our questions."
"No, she hasn't stirred since you brought her in," Rhinox answered tiredly. He still hadn't gotten any sleep, and it didn't seem like he was going to be getting any anytime soon.
Before any more words were shared, there was a sudden klaxon of sound, and the computer's soft male voice was heard over the intercom.
"Warning! The human's life-readings are fluctuating. Unable to establish a reliable reading. Warning! Dramatic fluctuation in human life form readings."
"Computer! Put on visual." Optimus commanded, leaning forward.
The computer complied, displaying the three-dimensional image of the human's room. She was obviously in great distress, thrashing around on the hard bed. There was no sound patched into the room, but if there had been, they would have been able to hear her screams.
Optimus wasted no time. He immediately leapt from his seat and raced down the corridor towards her quarters, followed closely by the others. Reaching the door a few nano-clicks later, he quickly entered the code into the keypad beside the door to release the magna-seal.
While he was entering in the code, he spoke to the others behind him. "Rhinox, Rattrap, you two come with me. The rest of you stay outside the door. It's too small in there to hold all of us."
The door slid open; revealing the human still twisting and twitching on the bed. She had stopped screaming, but was still in the grip of whatever trouble was plaguing her. She showed no signs of awakening when the door opened and the three Maximals entered.
"What's wrong with her, Rhinox?" Optimus grasped her firmly by the shoulders, trying to keep her from damaging herself. She only struggled more violently.
Rhinox quickly scanned the human with a medical sensor he had rigged earlier to compensate for her organic nature.
"Based on the readings I took on her earlier, she's in a state of mental agitation. She's experiencing succubus, and in her wounded state, further accentuated the..." Rhinox began.
"Whoa! Wait a nano-click! Say it again; in Cybertronian, perhaps?" Rattrap cut in, sounding exasperated.
Rhinox shrugged. "She's having a nightmare."
"What? Dat's it? Well den..." Rattrap stalked over to the head of the bed, leaned over and spoke loudly into her ear. "Yo, Monkey Gal! Naptime's over! Wake up!"
"Rattrap," Optimus began, as the smaller Maximal snapped his fingers next to her face. "Don't..."
Suddenly, the woman's body went rigid and her eyes flew open. She focused her pain-filled vision on the face of Rattrap. Still caught up in the horror of her dream, she didn't see him; she saw another face; a hated one.
With the speed of a striking snake, her right hand clamped around his like a vice.
"Ganitron!" she snarled.
In one fluid motion, she twisted out of Optimus's restraining hands and landed feet first on the opposite side of the bed; still holding on to Rattrap's wrist. Before any of them could act, she displayed a surprising amount of strength by lifting Rattrap off the ground with that same hand and literally tossing him across the room.
He sailed through the air with a cry of consternation and collided with Dinobot, who was just stepping in the doorway. They both hit the floor.
"Accursed rodent!" Dinobot said with a growl of distaste. He shoved Rattrap off of him, scrambled to his feet and drew his sword. He advanced on the human.
The woman, ignoring her injuries and the stabbing pain, drew herself up into an easy combative stance. She focused her thoughts to the suit. The system that she activated had not been damaged in the crash; it responded instantly to her request. The metal on her left hand became a liquid. Separating from her hand, it began to form a particularly vicious looking sword. The hilt solidified firmly in her grasp, while the edged blade stretched away from her hand to end in a slightly curved, razor sharp point. The newly formed blade glittered in the dim light.
This transformation took place in the space of a moment. Dinobot halted his advance for a surprised instant as he stared at the glistening blade held expertly in the woman's hand. He snarled in rage at being taken so by surprise. With his rotary sword held lightly in one clawed hand, he beckoned with the other. She strode forward.
"Enough!" Optimus roared, stopping everyone in their tracks. He stepped between the human and Dinobot, blocking their advances.
The woman lowered her sword in surprise. She blinked rapidly, focusing on them for the first time. Memories came flooding back to her; the crash, the battle, and the aerial rescue. She swayed a little and put her right hand on the cold metal of the wall, steadying herself.
"Thena rotuneau. Apologies. Did not recognize.. weia ..you." She raised her hands in a gesture of peace. The sword lost its solidity and melted into her hand; resuming its former gauntleted shape. "Everyone put up your weapons."
"But..." Rattrap began, his blaster still pointed at her. He lightly rubbed his shoulder, which now sported a small dent, with the other hand.
"Now!" Primal commanded.
With a muttered word best not repeated, Rattrap holstered his weapon. The others followed suit.
Dinobot was the last to comply. He received a hard look from Optimus. Grudgingly, he sheathed his sword and stepped back, glaring at the shorter human all the while. She merely met his eyes without fear and said nothing.
She turned to look at Optimus and said, "Optimus. Thena nema. Thank you. Saved my life."
"You're welcome. Now tell us, what happened? Why are you here?" Perhaps they would finally get some answers!
"Long story. No words tell you. Gruentda... Translator... broken." She tapped the thin metal band that encircled her forehead.
"Well, that's just Prime," Optimus sighed.
"Optimus," Silverbolt spoke, causing all eyes to turn upon him. "Perhaps we should allow her to repair her translator. If she can use the equipment we were able to salvage, perhaps then she will tell us what we want to know."
The human put a hand to her ribs and winced a little. "Yes," she said; her voice earnest and entreating, "Tell you. Equipment yastrea. No tricks."
Optimus Primal turned to Cheetor. "Cheetor; bring the human's equipment, but leave her weapon and the transporter behind."
The young bot nodded and disappeared out of the doorway. He returned a few moments later, arms laden with the equipment requested. He brought the items over to the single table in the right corner of the room and carefully placed them there.
"Thena nema, Maxicum." The human said to him. She descended upon the familiar objects eagerly, everything else forgotten in her excitement.
As she looked through the equipment, Optimus slowly backed up until he was even with a rather sullen Rattrap. He leaned over and spoke to him in a low whisper. He knew that Dinobot was also listening intently to his words, even though the bot was standing a little in front and to the side of them, moving not an iota. "Keep your weapons holstered, but be ready. There is no reason not to trust her, so far. But I'm not taking any chances. Watch her."
Rattrap nodded almost imperceptibly. Dinobot simply folded his arms. They had gotten the message.
While this interchange was taking place, the woman's excitement was replaced by alarm. There were several items missing; but they were not what caused her distress. The data disk was not here.
There was no use in trying to ask the Maximals where it was. What little of their language she could understand was spoken so oddly as to be nearly incomprehensible. She must fix her translator before anything useful could be learned on either side.
Fighting down her panic, she yanked the circlet off her head and turned it so she could see the curved inside. She made part of the metal of the circlet pull back, exposing the damaged microchip. Picking up the tool kit with her left hand, she gave it a silent command. It molded itself to her wishes, the tip becoming a tiny pronged instrument. She began her work.
Rhinox moved behind the human and watched her repairs with intense interest. The microchip was fairly standard; though of an advanced design. He would have had no difficulty in duplicating the translator, if it were not for one thing. The microchip contained a minuscule mechanism unlike anything the Maximal had ever seen. He postulated that it was what stabilized the metal's atoms and made the whole thing work.
But he could not be sure. He longed to take the tiny device apart. He did not think the human would agree to that, however.
The repair took less than five minutes of Dierdre's concentrated efforts. It was a simple procedure; all she had to do was reroute the current from the main SH4 circuit to the standby. She had noted the large bot's interest. Apparently the scientist of the group, he was doing exactly what she would have done had the situation been reversed. He was learning as much as possible through observing her while she worked. She suspected he had already discovered a great deal just from those few minutes.
However, if she was correct on the time period, he had no idea what the SH4 circuit was. Even if he did it was irrelevant. If he duplicated the microchip, he could never make it work. The chip was useless unless attached to the unstable Falchonite2 alloy to act as a catalyst. She knew they did not have a supply of the Falchonite2 metal. It was a rare metal found on a remote planet; its location so secret only United Earth's highest officials, and a few trusted others like herself, even knew it existed. The Maximals were Earth's closest allies, but the High Council of Earth thought it too dangerous to trust their secret to the Maximal Council of Elders. There were traitors everywhere. The woman placed the instrument carefully on the hard metal bed. She molded the metal over the now repaired microchip and placed it back on her head.
"Greetings Maximals," She spoke, in now flawless Cybertronian, "I thank you for all your help. If you will bear with me for a moment longer, I will do what I can to shed some light on the situation. I have several questions that I would like answered, myself. I need only a few minutes more."
"We have waited this long; we can wait a few more cycles." Optimus said amiably. "Proceed."
Dierdre flashed him a quick smile and bobbed her head in gratitude. She turned to the devices on the table and picked up the rounded square.
With a silent command, the top of the instrument opened, revealing several small hypos. She pulled one out, checked to make certain it was the right dosage, and moved the metal back from her arm to press the stylus against the now exposed appendage. With a tiny hiss, the high-pressured needle pierced her flesh. She felt a slight flush as the painkiller surged through her system. The sudden absence of pain caused her to drop her shoulders slightly. She pulled out two more hypos; one designed to promote natural healing; the other to strengthen her and clear her head. She injected them and placed the now empty hypos into the box. She closed the lid.
With a sigh of relief, the woman placed the box on the bed and turned to the Maximals, feeling a thousand times better and much more alert. She spread her hands out slightly from her sides and smiled. "Thank you for your patience."
Optimus inclined his head in acknowledgment. "If you will come with me..." He gestured with his hand towards the door.
"Of course," she replied, striding past him, following the backs of Cheetor, Rhinox and Silverbolt as they walked down the dimly lighted hall. She felt an escalation of excitement, although it did not show on her face. It was the Human Revelation all over again; in a way. These Maximals were learning for the first time that humans are not the primitives depicted in the Archives. She now knew what her great-great grandfather had felt when he made first contact with the Maximals so many years ago!
Yet she knew she had to tread carefully. These were not the Maximals she knew. They may yet prove to be hostile, though her instincts; and her recent experience, told her otherwise. She must gain their trust, which would not be easy. One of the Maximals in front of her, the one who had brought her equipment, turned his head and smiled slightly at her. She smiled back, taking an instant liking to him. The three who preceded her would not be a problem. The three who were behind her were another matter.
Optimus seemed inclined to trust her; but if he were the type of leader she thought he was, he would not depend solely on his instincts. She suspected he already had a plan to deal with her should the need arise. The small ratty looking one, who was glaring holes into her back, had a good reason not to like her. She kicked herself mentally. Throwing someone against a bulkhead was not an acceptable way to earn trust and good feeling. The last one, the huge, sinister Predicon-turned-Maximal radiated outright dislike. He would be the hardest of all to convince of her good intentions.
They emerged into what was obviously their bridge. She noted her blaster and transporter were on one of the secondary consoles. They were within view, but out of reach, for they were suspended in midair with a high-powered force field. She nodded her head ever so slightly. She would not have expected anything else.
Optimus gestured to a seat at the main console in the center of the bridge. She complied, sitting down slowly as she watched the bots. Optimus took a seat directly opposite to her, while the others sat on either side. The big, dangerous reptilian one stood, with his arms crossed, directly behind her. She twisted around in her seat and looked at him narrowly. He made her distinctly uncomfortable. But that was the whole point after all. That and to prevent her from making a break for the door or the blaster.
"Well..."Optimus said, obviously waiting for her to begin.
She cleared her throat. "There is something I must know before I begin. It's vitally important. Where's the disk?"
Silverbolt looked as baffled as the rest when he asked, "What disk are you referring to?"
"The data disk," She answered impatiently, "A small rectangular disk with black and white markings. Please, I must have it! The future of both your world and mine may depend on what it contains."
"We do not have any such disk. Perhaps it is still in the forest where it fell," Optimus speculated, glancing over at Rattrap.
Rattrap's reply was snappish. "Not a chance. Lizard-butt and I went over da area with a fine-toothed comb. It ain't in da woods."
She looked suspiciously at each of them. Their expressions varied widely, from open innocence to outright dislike. As with humans, bots have certain giveaways that any well-trained individual could use to distinguish truth from fiction. Her suit's optic sensor and her own training told her they were telling the truth, as they knew it to be. She closed her eyes in frustration for a moment. Life simply wasn't fair. "Then the Predicons have it," she gritted, pushing back her chair abruptly. It collided with the menacing one behind her, causing him to step back a pace. Enough to allow her to slide out. She was nearly inside the turbolift before a hand shot out and wrapped around her arm. It was the kind, wolf-looking one with the wings who had helped her when she was so weak after the first battle.
"Stop!" He cried, bringing her to a halt as the others stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her way. "What do you think you are doing? It's too dangerous."
"You want to go against all six Preds single-handedly? That's suicide!" The young one with the spots said.
"You do not understand." Her ribs were beginning to complain again. "I must retrieve the disk; you don't comprehend its importance."
She turned to the one who still gripped her arm firmly. "You have all been very kind to me, and I thank you for that. Please let go of me, I have no desire to hurt you."
The big green scientist spoke reasonably to her. "If this disk is as important as you say, surely there are some safeguards protecting it. That should buy us some time to prepare."
Dierdre sighed. "Yes, of course there are safeguards; several in fact. If everything goes as it should, it would take even the most brilliant code-breaker at least six solar cycles to crack the code. That's under ideal situations." She looked at Rhinox fiercely, tearing her arm away from the kind one's grasp. "But no plan is fool-proof; no code impregnable. There are a thousand things that could go wrong. My life is nothing compared to retrieving the disk before that possibility occurs."
The metal gauntlet encasing her hand melted and reshaped with startling speed. She held the deadly weapon easily, regret shining in her eyes. The Maximals began to draw their weapons, but Optimus stopped them with a gesture.
"No. We will not let you leave this place now. Even if you were able to fight your way through us, it would be foolhardy in the extreme to leave as you are now, with only a sword to defend yourself with. Despite your obvious improvement, you are still injured. Your suit is damaged severely, and you do not have your primary weapon." Optimus said firmly, pointing to the blaster still suspended by the force field some distance away. "You would be destroyed, and the Predicons would still have the disk. Nothing would have been accomplished except your own demise."
All the energy seemed to drain from her. She allowed the sword to return to its original, deceptively harmless, shape. Everything they said was the truth, but it was hard, so very hard, not to at least try. She had failed all who had depended on her; her squadron; her friends; her leaders.
"You're right, unfortunately. My squadron and I risked everything to get that disk. I lost many friends to the Predicons during that mission. Against all odds, we were able to steal the disk and its vital contents from the very heart of the Predicon Empire. To have sacrificed so much, and now this..." She shook her head, and gave a small sigh.
The human gathered herself up and looked at Optimus. "You have convinced me, for now. But I promise you, as soon as my armor is repaired and I am recovered, nothing, not even you, will stop me."
"Agreed. For the moment, will you please just sit down and tell us about how you came to be here?"
She reluctantly returned to her seat. The woman waited until the others had returned to their original positions before beginning her tale.
She ran her fingers through her flaming red hair before letting her hand fall to her lap. Straightening her shoulders, she began to speak. "My name is Dierdre McClananhan, and I am a Commander in the United Earth army. I was returning with what remained of my squadron from the mission I mentioned earlier, when we were assailed by a fleet of Ganitron's fighters. We sent out a distress signal to the homeworld, but we knew it would take too long for them to reach us."
"My squadron fought valiantly against them, but we were outnumbered and outgunned. We were forced to retreat, with the enemy at our heels. We reached a Jump-Point. Of all my crew, only four of my people remained. The rest…were destroyed by Ganitron's forces. The remaining ships of my squadron made it safely through the Jump, but my craft was damaged as I passed through."
"You know how Jumps work; the slightest miscalculation will throw you off course. That's what happened to me. Stardreamer's controls were frozen, so I was unable to maintain control of my ship. Apparently a Time-Flux was taking place at the exact moment I went through.
"The safeguards that would have protected me from such a Flux had been damaged. Not only was I thrown off course, I was thrown through Time. Somewhere in that maelstrom I must have lost consciousness, because when I opened my eyes I was plunging through the atmosphere of this planet. The rest you know.
"You knew what I was, but were shocked at the equipment I carry. I know I am on Earth, I would recognize my home no matter what time I was in. But when I was falling through the atmosphere my scanners picked up no signs of human habitation. Nor any trace that there ever was." She leaned forward; an intense expression on her face, "Just how far back did I go?"
The Maximals looked at each other. Optimus began to relate his own tale. "A similar thing happened to us. We were pursuing the Predicons, who had stolen an item of great value to the Maxmials. We followed them through a Warp Jump and we were pulled with them has they plunged through Time in an effort to escape us. Both ships were damaged in an orbital battle over your world, and crashed, just as you did. We only recently discovered ourselves just how far back we had come."
Optimus expression was sympathetic when he continued, "This may come as a shock to you, but we are over three million years in your past. I'm sorry."
"Haave!" Dierdre exclaimed. The translator remained silent, for the word had no Cybertronian equivalent. Overwhelmed, she scrubbed her face with her hands, rubbing away the last of the ashes from the fire. "Incredible!"