Primes (In order of receiving Matrix) :

Prima

Primon

Onyx

Vector

Megatronus

Solus

Alchemist

Amalgamous

Quintus

Micronus

Nexus

Sentinel

Alpha

Time Units (Found on Tf wiki):

Astro-second: .498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Cycle: 1.25 hours

Deca-cycle: ~3 weeks

Groon: ~1 hour

Klik: 1.2 minutes

Meta-cycle: 13 months

Orbital cycle: ~1 month

Solar cycle/lunar cycle: 1 day/1 night

Stellar cycle:~7.5 months

Deci-vorn: 8.3 years

Vorn: 83 years

Currency:

1 credit: ~60.25 shanix

1 cred card: 400 credits


Note; this chapter is going to be in 2 parts and this is part 2!


Ch. 16

"Hello, …hello are you okay?" Meister groaned in response to the muffled voice. His optics flickered on, he recoiled back by the bright light that insulted his sensitive optics. The voice holding the light didn't even apologize as he started touching him. The droid tried to move away, but his joints felt like they hadn't been maintained for orns. "Half of your frame looks like you've been in stasis when there was a Council. What's your name?"

Meister frowned before something that the mech said caught his attention. He sat up and looked at him with his optics wide and alert. The mech in front of him was white with red accents, and had unfamiliar mark. "Excuse me 'when there was a Council'? That can't be right, Alchemist was recovering from that attack on the Council. Where's Prima, I need to speak to him."

"Woah, woah there kid." The mech dropped the tool onto the small cart that was next him, and gently pushed the mechanism back on the cold metal slab. "You are clearly suffering from major processor damage and some heavy circuits. The old Council all killed each other."

The droid shook his helm while trying to pull away from the Cybertronian that looked like he was trying to be a medic which was weird because this mech was missing the medic sigil on his arms. Meister shook his helm until something twinkled in the corner of his vision and he panicked all over again. The mech was struggling to restrain the mechanism, and he had to call for help when Meister managed to get a few punches in. The droid fell to the ground and dragged himself to the other side of the room, and pull down the metal tray. Meister's visors clattered to the ground and two small items slid across the floor. Before the droid could grab them, two pairs of arms pulled him onto his peds.

"No, let me go! I need to find my family! I need to talk to the Council!" Meister started kicking and tried to even bite one of the medics. The medic that he had first seen was turning his helm to the side to initiate stasis lock, but he couldn't find the port. He didn't know what else to do beside sending a short burst of electricity through the silver mechanism's systems via his neck. Meister screamed loudly before crashing.

When Meister onlined again, he finally noticed his surroundings. It had some familiar instruments hanging from the ceiling, walls, and even had some strewed about on counters. He turned his helm to the side to see that there were screens standing beside him with thin wires attaching from them to his chest plate. Looking down, Meister noticed that he had a pair of stasis cuffs holding him to the berth. The sound of the door opening was quick to pull his attention; it was the mech from before. "Oh good, you're online. Took nearly an entire deca-cycle for us to repair you enough to online, now maybe you can help me figure out what you are. You have no spark, but you clearly aren't a spark eater or one of the sparkless."

"I'm not telling you anything until you return me my stuff and tell me where the Council is." Meister lunged quickly at the medic, but he stopped when he saw two chips dangling from his digits. He settled down quickly, even backed away from him. "Put those down, in fact give them to me. You don't know what you have there."

The medic saw the pure fear in the strange colored optics, offering them to Meister, "I scanned them, and they aren't circuits like I thought. You can have them back on three conditions; you tell me your name, who gave you your upgrades, and your word that you won't cause any more problems for me or my staff."

Meister cautiously took the chips from the mech after nodding in agreement with the terms. He remained silent as the mech removed the cuff from his wrist, until he finally looked up with that look of needing to know the truth. "Did you see a mech with Predacon features or two younglings that look alike?"

"Predacons? They've been extinct for nearly a century, those lucky to survive are now dumber than a nail. And I will need a visual of these younglings." The medic crossed his arms with a small gesture at Meister, silently telling him that it was his turn answer questions.

"My name is Meister, a company called Artificial Life, and I promise I will refrain from attacking you or your staff. And who are you?" He knew the medic hadn't seen Star or Saber because their chips were now in his servo. The droid only hoped that Casper was online and safe somewhere. There had to be a logical reason as to why they weren't in their frames or why he couldn't remember centuries of his memories. "You, are not afraid or disgusted with me. Why?"

The medic looked at the silver mechanism with confusion, "why would I be afraid of you? I go by Ratchet. What is Artificial Life, I haven't heard of them?" Meister didn't know whether to smile or frown at this news. If this mech didn't know who or what AL was, then the Council did it, they got rid of his creators.

"Because I am not like you. Artificial Life was a company that rose into power as the leading company for drones. The founder, Gearshaft, was an engineer that was known for his artificial intelligence expertise. It took him over four hundred trials to create the first successful AI droid. After the first successful batch, Gearshaft sold over seven trillion droid of various models." Meister covered his mouth quickly as he turned his back from Ratchet. He leaned forward with his servos going up his face as a groan. Meister started hitting the sides of his helm as he muttered to himself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid processor. Why can't I break these protocols?"

Ratchet was quick to grab the silver servos from anymore self-harm. "None of that now, calm down and explain to me. I can't help you if you won't help me. Understand?" Meister looked into the blue optics with a big frown on his face. He remembered this look; it was the same look Alchemist gave him when they were first learning to trust each other. Streaks of blue slid down his face plates as memories replayed in his processor. The droid looked back at the door behind him. "Meister, do you understand?"

"I, understand." The Polyhexian sat up straighter while placing the chips inside a compartment in his wrist. He slowly slid off the medical berth and started walking towards the table his visors layed broken. A saddened sigh escaped him, "and these were my favorite pair." The silver mechanism looked behind him and saw that Ratchet was standing there watching him with that all too familiar expression. He was being studied; Meister was always studied, everyone trying to figure out what made him tick. "Staring is rude."

"Well you only had your oil levels increased and you act as if you just got reenergized. Why were you hitting yourself? And what is an AI droid?" Ratchet was clearly as inquisitive as Alchemist was, which got a small chuckle from Meister.

The silver mech held the visors close to his chest with a shake of his helm. "I refuse to answer any more questions medic Ratchet. I'm sorry, but we only just met, and I don't know if I can trust you. Now that I'm repaired and properly fueled, I will take my leave. Is Maccadam's still around?"

The medic stood there in shock before he quickly grabbed Meister's shoulder, which caused him to get personal with the nearby wall. He grunted in pain from the harsh movement. "Meister, what did we agree on after I fixed you? I'm a medic, I won't hurt you. Okay?"

"You did fix me," Meister pulled Ratchet away from the wall and looked him in the optics. "Okay, I'm sorry. Can I think about my current predicament? Alone?"

The medic frowned at the droid, and his gyros screamed at him that there was something not right about this, but he was going to trust that perhaps this one patient will actually rest. He gathered his tools and snatched the visors from the staring Polyhexian, slipping the broken pair into his toolbox. "I will have a friend of mine repair these while you recharge, I'll come check on you in thirty kliks and I expect to find you in that berth when I do."

"Is that an order?" Meister frowned at the white and red mech when he took his visors.

"No, it is a suggestion." Ratchet made one final glance over at the Polyhexian before leaving him alone. Meister waited a bit before finally making a move; he looked around for any cameras before shifting into a small Insecticon and scurried under the door. He took a mental note that the sensors were still slag against anything that was smaller than cyber cat. The droid was trying to figure out where the exit was, but when several peds nearly crushed him during an out of the blue rush, Meister blindly went one direction.

He climbed up the wall to avoid any chances of being smashed. The droid needed to find Maccadam, no Vector, he would be able to answer his questions on what happened and why he can't remember anything after having a nice time with his family. Meister stopped in his tracks when he just realized that none of the signs were in the traditional Neocybex. "But then who downloaded this new lan- Ratchet, that explains why I feel off."

"Hey, did you hear that?" A mech holding a medical datapad stopped with a femme stopping too. The mech looked around for the origin of the voice, but he shook his helm when no one in the halls stood out. "Weird, I could have sworn."

"Clearly you need more time off Amb." The femme teased the mech as she dragged him to their original destination.

Meister followed after them until he saw a large sign above a pair of doors that said 'exit'. He dropped from the ceiling and shifted into a mech that looked like a mech that belonged there when the hall was cleared. He looked around before hurrying for the exit. When he stepped outside, Meister froze in absolute disbelief at what he was looking at. The once clear Cybertron sky was now filled with smog from flying transits and factories scattering the horizon. The droid did a small turns in disbelief at what his home was turned into.

"Meister, run now!"

"Casper?" Meister jerked his helm around expecting to see his conjux endura landing behind him, but he was only greeted with silence. He felt a small surge of anger at not knowing anything besides that solar cycle. The Polyhexian looked around before shifting into his technohawk form and flew for Maccadam's to get answers. He landed on a light pole across the street from the bar, it was just as busy as ever and looked exactly as he remembered except the sound from inside. It sounded very odd, but also had a very noticeable beat which indicated to be some form of music. Meister was going to have to investigate later, but he was more focused on getting his answers. He dove done before shifting into his astro fox form, Meister remembered that this form was often the quote mascot of the council with how often he took this form when citizens came to them. The mech ignored the surprised patrons as he ran through the crowd, straight for the bar and jumped onto the counter.

"Ahh, how the slag did this thing get in!?" One of the drinkers at the bar stumbled off of his barstool. Another customer went to capture the fox, but a servo was quick to snatch the oncoming wrist while the droid growled in warning.

The pair jumped in surprise when Maccadam stopped them. "He is allowed to be in here." Meister leapt behind the counter before trotting into the back of the bar. He shifted when Maccadam closed the door behind him. The bar owner locked the door before his current appearance transformed into Vector Prime. "Do not worry about them, they will simply think I have come to check on you for a couple kliks." The Prime spoke with a tone that confused the droid.

"You sound angry with me?" Meister couldn't recall anything he did to cause such anger.

"If I do recall, you blamed me for not warning my brothers and sisters for Megatronus' betrayal." Vector crossed his arms and glared at him. Meister's face twisted in confusion by this statement.

He shook his helm with a gesture at the door, "Megatronus did what? No, he wouldn't hurt any of you. And I would never blame you for anything, you don't see all of your visions. Vector, I don't understand what you are talking about. I was with Casper and then I online to this weird medic fixing me, and Cybertron is different and speaking a strange language." Meister's frame started rippling as he paced in front of the Prime. "I am so confused, the medic said Alchemist is offline but that can't be true! He can't be offline, he just can't!"

"Meister," Vector Prime put a servo on the silver mechanism's arm to stop him from his pacing. The amber optics looked up at him with a look of dread and honest confusion, "do you not remember anything after that rally?"

The droid shook his helm with his servos going to the white and maroon mech's wrists. "Please tell me that the Council really isn't dead. What about Artificial Life?"

"Megatronus became… infected with something and killed everyone. I have no idea where Artificial Life went, Gearshaft has disappeared but droids can still be found in the richer parts of the cities." Vector Prime's anger at the droid subsided when he realized that he wasn't pretending to not remember any of this information. "Let me show you. Come."

A teal colored light appeared in front of the pair, and Vector Prime didn't give Meister any time to give his consent on going through. On the other side of the light was the Council room, and Meister was met with Megatronus tossing Onyx Prime to the ground and his armor splattered with energon. Vector Prime pulled Meister behind a pillar as they watched the Council members rush their brother as he charged towards them. From the sidelines Meister saw his past self, standing in front of the new Prime, Nexus Prime who was the newest addition to the Council.

"None of you care about Kaon or any of the other cities that do not follow your precious box! I have been your obedient puppet long enough and now it's time for our time to rise! Starting with the death of you!" Megatronus was hysteric and was fighting off everyone while the guards were evacuating the tower.

"Megatronus, we will free your people. We have promised you this. Now, please brother stop this fighting." Amalgamous wrapped his limbs around the larger Prime's arms hoping the contact alone would calm the raging mech. Megatronus jabbed his elbow into Amalgamous' voice box, causing him to release his hold out of reaction, giving the Prime enough time to turn around with his servos going around his neck. Meister gasped into his servos when the golden helm slid across the floor to his peds. Vector Prime and Meister watched as they fought viciously against the other until Megatronus stood over the bodies of almost all of the Primes. The only one left standing was Vector Prime after he carefully removed the Matrix from the chest of the deactivated form of Nexus.

"Meister, take this and run." Vector Prime handed the stunned Polyhexian the Matrix. The visored mech looked down at it and immediately tried to give it back, but the Prime shook his helm as he pushed it close to the silver chest. "No, we must not let Megatronus have the Matrix. Take it and your family, and hide. Take it off Cybertron if you have too."

"Meister," Megatronus stopped his charge hoping he could convince the droid to give him the artifact. He extended an energon stained servo with his optics burning with passion to see the Matrix in his hold. "Meister, give me the Matrix. You know why I had to kill them. They never would understand your pain at being looked at like a monster, but I do. You and I, we are the same. Treated like objects and second-class citizens. But if you give me the Matrix, I can give you the actual freedom you deserve. We could kill Gearshaft and bring down Artificial Life."

The silver droid looked down at the artifact that glowed softly in his servos. When it layed there in his servos it was like he was absorbing information, but also emotions which surprised the droid. It felt like all of the Primes were around him telling him to run while Megatronus was still there trying to convince him otherwise. His chest plate clicked open and he placed the Matrix inside before closing up with his armor clicking in anticipation. "I'm sorry Megatronus, but you will have to kill me before I allow you to corrupt our home."

"You fool!" Megatronus roared before quickly charging for the retreating mechanism. Vector Prime tackled his brother to the ground, and the same teal light that brought them here opened up behind the two Primes on the ground. "Meister, run now!"

The silver droid shifted his legs into ones of a Velocitronian and zipped out of the room as the light absorbed the two. Meister was in such a state of shock that he didn't realize that Vector Prime took them back to the present until the mech spoke. "And you disappeared for nearly two centuries before word got around that the Matrix was floating around again. And when I tried to ask you about it in Polyhex, you refused to answer me."

"Wha- but I don't remember any of that!" Meister whipped around to face Vector Prime. "What happened to Alch? Casper, Star, Saber? What happened to Mask?"

"I-I don't know my friend. When I went to go see Alchemist at his home, his body was being carried off by medics. They told me that someone killed him. And Mask's base of operation was blown up, enforcers said it was due to all of the ruby dust collecting in the warehouse." Meister's optics widened instantly, and both servos went to his mouth at the news. "But there were no bodies found, so they could have made it out."

With this news, a sigh of relief escaped the droid at even the smallest of hopes that Mask is out there somewhere safe. If Mask was still a group, then Casper and the twins' bodies could be safe in hiding! "Then Casper and the twins could be somewhere safe! And what about the Matrix? I don't have it at all."

"Perhaps the Matrix suppressed your memories to protect?" Vector Prime rubbed his chin in thought. They didn't know the full powers of the Matrix, so it isn't too unrealistic that in order to protect itself the artifact would erase the droid's memory banks. Meister put a servo to his helm with his legs buckling under him. The Prime dropped to his knee just in time to catch the silver helm from hitting the floor. "Meister, Meister what's wrong?"

"Oil… low… frame… shutting…-own." Meister placed a servo to his helm as he felt himself detach from his shell. The droid's chest involuntarily opened up as his optics started to flicker. When Meister's optics turned back on, he realized that he was back in the hospital room he escaped from. He sat up quietly and was greeted with Maccadam speaking to Ratchet.

"You must keep him safe; his life could be in danger if Artificial Life is still around." Maccadam smacked the back of his servo into his other one.

Ratchet put his servos on his hips, one servo held a datapad that had Meister's designation on it. He looked annoyed and had that air around him that said that he was more annoyed with the droid than the bartender. "I can't just keep someone here! I have patients that need these rooms. As soon as he is able to fend for himself then he has to go, that is the rules."

"What if he helps you with your patients? He could stay here and work for you." Maccadam gestured at the silent silver mechanism. That was when they both noticed that Meister was online. The bartender dropped his arm as they looked at each other in a state of awkwardness. "Oh, you're online. How are you feeling my friend?"

Meister looked down at himself as he did a quick scan of his systems. "I am functional. My oil reserves are full, and all systems are green. Is what you said true, that AL are still looking for me?" There was a mute nod from the mech, and Meister climbed off the berth with his servos clenching tightly. "Then the medic speaks the truth, I cannot stay here. They will stop at nothing to get me; I will have to go on the run."

"Don't be ridiculous Meister, you have no credits and no one else we knew is online. The medic can help you with remaining hidden." Maccadam stepped closer to the Polyhexian with the fists going into his servos. "You will be safest here where you can remain hidden, even help the people. Just like before."

"Is that an order? I have no code holder V-Maccadam, what am I supposed to do about that? I do not even know how long I have survived without one." The droid brought a servo to his chest plate as a frown formed on his lips. He shook his helm in disbelief that someone who he confided in was actually wanting him to trust a complete stranger. That went against everything Alchemist and Wicker taught him.

Maccadam rested a servo on the silver shoulder as if he knew Meister was not going to agree so easily. He pulled the droid away from receptor shot of the medic that was clearly listening to them. The disguised Prime turned his back to Ratchet as he folded his arms over his chest to avoid gesturing too much. "I know that all of your functioning you have trusted and depended on Alchemist, Mask, and Casper, but right now I- Cybertron needs you. You are the only one who knows where the Matrix is and getting into the vault."

"Why not go back in time and ask me where I hid it?" The droid shook his helm as he whispered to match the tone of his friend.

"Because the last time I saw you before you disappeared again, you made a vow to never work with the Council again. Alchemist's deactivation really hurt you. Meister, please just try to work with this medic until you can remember anything that could help us. Without the Matrix in the servos of a Prime, we could very well lose any chance of Cybertron being safe." His servo flew to the side as his voice rose slightly.

Meister looked over the other's shoulder to get a glance at the staring medic. His attention went straight back to the blue mech in front of him. The droid's frame started rippling as emotions started to rise up again, but he forced them back down as he nodded stiffly. "Okay, I will help the medic and look for the Matrix. What happened to Megatronus? Is he-"

"He is in a permanent sleep until the Council is rebuilt." Maccadam spoke with a sorrowful tone in his words and an expression in his optics to match. Meister felt a twinge of sadness because he understood the Prime's pain. Just like him, Vector Prime had everything, and they were taken from him in a blink of an optic. The droid curled his fits when a voice in the back of his processor told him that it was the Council's fault for taking his family from him, and that he knew very well what happened to Casper and the twins. He shook his helm when the voices grew louder; Maccadam just barely touched the silver mechanism's servo before the droid smacked it away from him. "Meister, what is wrong?"

"It's all yer fault! Cas, dah twins, my people would be only if ya only stopped Artificial Life!" Meister's optics fizzled from amber to a bright red, his digits grew sharper, and his horns grew sharper. He shouted in his anger as he shifted into his wolf form. Ratchet new was surprised in all his onlining, but to see something like this happen was absolutely new to him. Meister went to tackle Maccadam in all his new found rage, but Ratchet jumped right in front of him. The wolf slid to a stop as he growled, not wanting to hurt a medic.

Some times the occupation a mech has tells you a lot about them.

Meister shook his helm when he heard Alchemist's words ring in his processor. Ratchet held his servos out in a non-threatening way. Their gazes were locked as the medic took slow cautious steps forward. "Medic, be careful, he is unwell. Something is wrong with his reasoning circuits."

"There is nothing wrong with him other than he is clearly stressed and upset because of you." Ratchet gave the bartender a quick glare before turning back to the cyberwolf. "I know you are scared, but whatever you experienced in the past you can't let your emotions hold you in that moment. Whoever you lost, do you think they would want to see you hurt your friend or anyone innocent. If you hurt me, you will hurt all of my patients, and they have done nothing to you."

Meister's optics rippled between amber and red as if he were fighting himself. The shift was a slow and long process as if it caused the droid an immense amount of pain. He remained on the floor with a servo covering his mouth, energon fell from his optics as if he experienced death all over again. "Alch." The droid didn't know what happened, but all he could focus on was that Alchemist was clearly dying and was trying to say something to him, but his words were mute. He fell forward with his arms folding over his helm as he cried hard when the pain in his spark returned.

Ratchet placed a hesitant servo on the back of the silver frame, but when it wasn't bitten off he kept it on. "I think it's best if you-" the medic turned around to speak to Maccadam, but was greeted with empty space, "leave. Come on, you need to rest, we can talk when you have recovered some more."

The droid was too much in a state of shock and uncertainty to even argue with his coding about the command. It oddly brought a sense of wholeness at having a command, even though he knew that Alchemist and everyone who fought to give his kind freedom would be disappointed in his lack of fight. When he was taken back to the berth, he quickly grabbed the red servo and gave Ratchet a long and deep stare. "I am not a puppet."

"Never said you were, now rest." Ratchet finished reconnecting cables before he left the room with one more glance over his shoulder. He shook his helm as he continued to go check on his other patients.


I am deeply sorry for my absence, I have been dealing with a lot of personal stuff, but I am not going to abandon this story until I hit that complete button!