Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers.
The Greater Good
Chapter Six: The Price of Heroism
Brainstorm wandered slowly into the command center, his optics firmly locked on the datapad in front of him. Something knocked into his shoulder, and he looked up irritably at an awkwardly smiling Springer. At least, as awkward as Springer could look. Brainstorm had never really seen Springer anything less than all smiles and jokes.
"Sorry there, Brainstorm. In my own little world."
The Autobot scientist nodded. "Believe me, I know the feeling."
That was the third time he had collided with someone on his way from the lab. True, the second one wasn't technically a collision – he had almost kicked Wheelie – but still, the fact remained that he was becoming perhaps too enraptured in his work. Even Perceptor had asked him to slow down. And when Perceptor, the master of obsession, tells you to slow down, you know you're in trouble.
And yet, here Brainstorm was, making his way to the command center to speak to Optimus Prime.
Taking his attention away from the datapad and the complicated equations therein, Brainstorm made his way over to Blaster, who was in the middle of talking to someone on the other end. Someone he knew, obviously, because he was laughing and talking about something called 'Led Zeppelin'.
"Um… Blaster?"
The red 'Bot gave him a sidelong glance and nodded in acknowledgement. He pushed a button the console in front of him. "Just give me a sec, Jazz; got a customer." Blaster turned and gave Brainstorm his full attention. "Hey, Brainy! What can I do ya for?"
"Yes… um, is Prime available?"
The communications officer shook his head. "Nope, he left to- wait… speak of the devil," he corrected, gesturing to the entrance to the command center. Brainstorm turned and saw Optimus quickly making his way in, looking quite oblivious to anything else going on around him.
The former Headmaster quickly made his way over to the Autobot leader, and had to rapidly turn and increase his pace as Prime made his way right by him.
"Prime?"
Optimus suddenly shook his head, as though only just becoming aware of where he was. He noticed Brainstorm and sighed. "I'm sorry, Brainstorm. What can I do for you?"
"Perceptor and I still haven't gotten your confirmation."
Prime gave him a blank look.
"…about whether we can proceed with the power conductivity experiment?"
"I'm… afraid I haven't had the opportunity to read the report in full yet."
"Oh. I see. It's… just that Trailbreaker said you'd be able to give an answer by the end of the day, and we really need to get started."
"I'll look over it, Brainstorm."
"So… when can I expect to find out?"
"I don't know, Brainstorm. Something's come up recently that needs my full attention."
Prime turned and went into his office before Brainstorm could say any more on the subject. Slightly stunned by the rude (for Optimus) dismissal, Brainstorm turned to leave. He caught Blaster's optics as he left. The communications 'Bot gave him a 'what was that about?' look.
Brainstorm just shrugged and made his way back to the lab. Blaster frowned and returned to his conversation with Jazz.
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Hot Rod stepped off the shuttle and heard the familiar clank of his feet on the metal surface of Cybertron. Usually, he would enjoy breathing in the cool, metallic air, but there was little time for that now. He turned to Kup, who had just stepped off the ramp.
"So… where to?"
The elder 'Bot thought for a moment. "You go talk to Trailbreaker again. See if you can find anything more out about the battle. I'll head to the Eastern Data Hub in sector 12."
"Why there?"
"Because that's where the surveillance data was transferred to."
"Oh. Okay. Wait, why am I going to talk to Trailbreaker?"
"The Data Hub is a maze, lad. And at the rate you'll whiz about it, you'll probably wreck the damn place before you find anything."
"Yeah, but… I don't know how to question someone. When I was Rodimus I had the height thing going for me. Now, Trailbreaker's bigger than me."
Kup sighed and shook his head. "You're not trying intimidate him, for Cybertron's sake. He's an Autobot; you're trying to get him to open up more, not crack under pressure."
"Tell you what. You go talk to Trailbreaker, and I'll go to the Data Hub. Trailbreaker knows you better than me anyway."
Another weary sigh escaped Kup's lip components. "All right, fine. It's data file 642. But if you find anything, you call me right away. Don't watch it first, don't try to save it, don't. Do. Anything."
"Except call you."
Kup nodded. "Except call me."
"Right. Do anything except call you. Got it." Hot Rod grinned, quickly transformed, and hurtled away before Kup could even think about scowling.
"Cam-shafting, laser-loaded, too eager for his own good son of a bad mix of metal and circuitry…"
Kup continued his muttering the entire way to Autobot Headquarters.
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Red Alert looked up from his desk at the insistent beeping noise coming from the other side of the room. With a noise of vague protest, the security officer made his way up to the screen that adorned the control panel there.
"This is Red Alert," he said, pushing the 'receive' button more viciously than he needed to. Kup and Hot Rod's earlier visit had riled him up more than he was willing to admit. There was no need whatsoever for them to act in such a way; he was only following procedure, after all. How was that his fault?
Static filled the screen before Inferno's grinning visage appeared on the screen. It served to lighten Red's mood somewhat.
"Heya, Red? What'cha up to?"
"Working, Inferno. Like you should be," he replied curtly, nervously glancing back at the stack of datapads on his desk.
"Ah, don't be such a fuddy duddy. Jazz's gone to Metroplex to pick up some supplies, and I think Optimus has got better things to worry about than whether you're talkin' to me, don't ya?"
"That's not the point, Inferno. We need to follow regulations. Without them, we are left with no order, and-"
The towering red Autobot began making an exaggerated snoring sound, like that of a human when it was asleep. Red Alert sighed.
"What do you need, Inferno?"
"Just askin' if you're comin' down for Jazz's fiesta later."
"Jazz's… what?"
"Fiesta. It's like a party."
"I don't think you should be planning a party when you should be excavating the Ark. Wait…" He opticed Inferno suspiciously. "Is that why Jazz went to Metroplex? Party supplies?"
Inferno laughed. "Oh, calm down before ya break somethin'. Yeah, that's why he went. And guess what? Even Ultra Magnus didn't have a problem with it."
"We'll see about that. Let me speak to him."
"He went back to Metroplex with a whole pile of datapads. But seriously, Red; he didn't have a problem with it. He was more worried about Sideswipe and Sunstreaker," the fire truck 'Bot said with a smile.
"Typical. Those two have been a security risk from the astro cycle they came online."
"Right ya are. Anyway, are ya comin' or not?"
"I don't know. Perhaps. We'll see."
"Ah, c'mon, Red. It'll be great. Don'tcha want to see the old place again?"
"We'll see, Inferno." The security officer noticed another Autobot shuttle approaching Cybertron. "Now, I've got work to do, so if there's nothing else…"
"Naw, there's nothin' else. See ya later. Or not, as the case may be."
"Goodbye, Inferno."
Red Alert absent-mindedly switched off the monitor and made his way to the view port, looking at the Autobot shuttle. He went over to this desk and checked the schedule for the day.
There wasn't an Autobot shuttle on the roster for another day or so.
Now who could that be?
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Hot Rod transformed as soon as he entered the data hub. It was only then that he realised just how loud the transforming noise was. Gears turning, parts shifting… it was quite a strange combination of sounds. His audios could still hear the noise echoing in the vast room. He slowly made his way inside, feeling very humbled by the towering columns that ran the entire length of the room, looking similar to an Earth warehouse.
As a Transformer, Hot Rod had always felt rather cramped by the conditions on Earth. It was difficult to get into or simply see into some buildings, and so returning to Cybertron was always a refreshing change.
He wondered how small a human would feel in this place.
"Okay… data file 642… 642…" the flame coloured Autobot trailed his hand along the column beside him, absently tracking the numbers with his finger. "Ah. 642."
He pulled out the small chip and tucked it away in subspace. He turned and made his way out, heading for the door. Something stopped him. He looked out of the corner of his optic and saw a monitor looking back at him, as though taunting him to use it. Hot Rod summoned the small chip from subspace, and looked from it to the control panel, and back again.
Maybe I'll call Kup later.
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The chime to his door sounded, and Trailbreaker glanced up at it absentmindedly from his datapad.
"Come in."
It obligingly slid open, revealing Kup stood in the doorway. Trailbreaker felt something inside him tighten.
"Um… hello, Kup. What brings you here? I thought you were on Earth."
"I needed to talk to you," the security officer replied tersely, making his way into the room.
"What about?"
"You know what about."
Trailbreaker paused for a moment. If he were human, he would have swallowed nervously. "Uh… have a seat, please."
The elderly 'Bot sat down in the chair opposite him. Trailbreaker tried to make himself look busy by sorting through the datapads on his desk.
"Sorry about the mess… taking over Jazz's spot up here hasn't been easy – Cybertron's a bit bigger than Autobot City, let me tell you."
"I need to ask you some questions about Elita One, Trailbreaker."
"I… don't think… I…"
"What?"
"…you should go, Kup. I've got a lot of work to do, and I'm sure you've got better things to do with your time than listen to me yammer on about stuff that's already on report."
"Is that a hint?"
"It's… a fact. Everything you need to know is on those reports."
Kup frowned. "But that's the thing, Trailbreaker; I don't think everything is on those reports. Everything's just a little bit too vague for my liking. Not to mention some of the inconsistencies."
"In… inconsistencies?"
"You should co-ordinate with Ultra Magnus more. You can't seem to decide where you were stood on the day it happened. He says one thing, you say another."
"Um… Kup… it's not-"
"It's not what? It's not what it looks like? Believe me, I hope so, lad. I hope so with all my laser core and spark. Because if it is what it looks like, then it'll take a long time for the Autobots to get over it, if they ever do."
"Then why pursue it, Kup? Do you realise what this could do?"
"This isn't something that should be just swept under the rug and ignored, Trailbreaker. This is about truth… justice. Maybe I'm being old fashioned, but I thought that was what we stood for."
Trailbreaker shifted in his chair, unwilling to look Kup in the optics. The security officer pressed on.
"That's what Elita stood for. And she died fighting for it, killed by Decepticon fire."
Kup barely saw the relief register in Trailbreaker's optics through the black Autobot's visor.
"Then why come to me, Kup?"
"Because she wasn't killed by Decepticon fire, was she? She was murdered for Primus knows whatever reason, and by one of her own. Someone she trusted. Someone she would never suspect."
Trailbreaker barely managed to open his lip components. "And… you think that someone was me… is that it?"
"I'm not going to go pointing the finger at anyone. But what I do know is that someone killed her, and it sure as hell wasn't a Decepticon."
"Do you realise what you're saying? What it could mean?"
"Yes. But pursuing it is the right thing to do. It's what Prime would do."
Silence permeated the room like a bad odour. Trailbreaker said nothing. The comm on his desk bleeped for attention, and he couldn't answer it fast enough.
"Trailbreaker here."
Optimus Prime's deep growl of a voice came through. "Trailbreaker. Is Kup with you?"
The black Autobot glanced up at Kup. "…yes."
"Kup. Would you mind coming to my office."
It wasn't a request.
The security officer leaned forward to better speak into the comm. "I'm in the middle of something Prime, I-"
"Now."
And with that, the comm went dead. Kup, knowing when to ignore orders and when to obey them, made his way out of Trailbreaker's office.
"I'll be back to talk to you later. And who knows? Maybe by then we'll have the evidence to finish this business once and for all."
Without waiting for an answer, Kup left the room, leaving Trailbreaker alone in silence, staring at the desk in front of him. He buried his head in his hands.
After a moment of indecision, he slapped his hands down on the desk and quickly made his way out. He knew exactly what he needed to do.
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While Hot Rod had engaged in a few misdeeds in his younger years (and his older ones, come to think of it), he had never engaged in voyeurism, or 'bird watching' as Spike had once called it. But that's what watching the security footage of Elita's quarters felt like.
Hot Rod had watched Prowl and Windcharger's exchange, and had found nothing that would indicate anything more than he already knew; Windcharger was innocent. Something that was interesting, however, was how his recollection of where they were stood on the day of Elita's death correlated with Ultra Magnus' story, and not Trailbreaker's. After a rather terse exchange, Windcharger had left a frustrated Prowl alone in his office. Hot Rod had then been exposed to a rare show of emotion on the strategic officer's part as he slammed his fist into his desk in pure anger. It was unsettling to see from the usually calm and objective Autobot.
Prowl's talks with Trailbreaker and Ultra Magnus hadn't yielded any more results, either, except that everyone's stories had correlated at the time. Obviously, both Ultra Magnus of Trailbreaker weren't expecting to be questioned on the matter after a certain amount of time. It didn't helped that Prowl had had to walk on eggshells when talking to Magnus, who had been hit as hard by Elita's death as anyone, even Prime. Although Magnus hadn't known her particularly well, she was under his care when she died, and if Hot Rod knew Ultra Magnus, he knew that it would have been eating the City Commander up inside.
And so, here Hot Rod was, having had the brainwave of deciding to check any footage of Elita One interacting with Ultra Magnus, Trailbreaker, or Windcharger. The latter two didn't talk to her much outside of nods in the hallways of the Ark. Magnus, however, had visited her quarters often to discuss tactics and the state of the war on Cybertron. Hot Rod had smiled knowingly on more than one occasion as he saw Magnus become increasingly impressed by Elita's knowledge of tactics and fighting techniques. As Carly had once said, 'Chivalry is universal', and Magnus had quickly been corrected of that attitude through his interactions with Prime's life mate.
Next up was an entry that occurred just a few short days before Elita's death. Ultra Magnus stepped into the room, and Elita offered him the chair opposite her desk.
"No," Magnus said, raising a hand. "Thank you," he added, prompting Hot Rod to smile. He really did have something firmly lodged up his rear port back then.
"I won't be here long," the City Commander continued. "I've come to talk to you about Prime."
"What about him?" Elita asked, sitting down on the chair behind her desk, concern on her features.
"Have you noticed… anything strange about him?"
"You mean… compared to how he was on Cybertron?"
Magnus nodded. Elita smiled.
"He seems more comfortable, if that's what you mean. I'm pretty sure I've seen him smile a few times in public, too." She opticed Magnus sceptically. "What's this about?"
Ultra Magnus was silent for a moment. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed we've been losing ground to the Decepticons more and more lately, not least the loss of Cybertron."
"That was necessary, and I agreed with Optimus' reasoning. It was better to wait until we could launch a full scale attack than to continue with guerrilla efforts."
"Not just Cybertron. On Earth, too. Have you noticed just how frenzied the efforts to build Autobot City have been?"
"Well, it's not every day we create a Transformer the size of a city. But once he's finished, Metroplex will be able to handle anything that Megatron can throw at him."
"I'm just saying… Prime seems to be becoming more and more complacent as time goes on. It's his time on Earth. It's… changed him."
"For the better, I'd say."
"Not in terms of his tactics. He needs something to knock him out of this fantasy land he's been living in."
"What brought this on?"
Magnus paused, and then silently tossed a datapad onto Elita's desk.
"Moon Base Three was just destroyed. Shockwave led a task force inside that managed to blow up the entire planet."
"Any casualties?"
"Twenty or so humans."
Elita rubbed her weary optics with her hand. "Optimus is going to blame himself for this, isn't he?"
"But even this isn't going to be enough, Elita."
"Enough for what? You're talking as if this," she held up the datapad, "is a good thing."
"That's not what I meant. I just mean that… Prime needs something to make him take notice. To make him push back at the Decepticons as hard as they've been pushing us."
Elita gave Magnus a look that suggested she didn't like where he was going with this line of reasoning. "And… what would this 'something' be?"
He stepped forward, looking at her straight in the optics. "You need to leave him, Elita."
If he had been human, Hot Rod would have gagged on something, and coughed in surprise. As it was, all he could do was lean forward and watch evermore intently.
Elita scowled at Magnus incredulously. "What?"
"If you left him, he would-"
"Go even further into himself? Go back to how he was on Cybertron? Is that what you were going to say?"
"Damn it, at least we were getting somewhere on Cybertron! Optimus has been made so damn soft by the Earth and the humans that he's forgotten what war is all about."
Elita got to her feet. "Optimus Prime hasn't forgotten a thing. From where I'm standing, it looks like you're the one whose forgotten how Autobots fight a war."
She angrily stormed past him. He grabbed her arm, but more out of desperation than anger.
"Elita-"
"I don't want to hear it," she spat, shoving his hand from her arm and leaving the room. Shortly after, Ultra Magnus left as well.
And two days later, Elita One was dead.
Feeling numb, Hot Rod pressed eject and grabbed the chip. The doors to the data hub opened behind him, and the flame coloured 'Bot turned.
"Uh, I knew you said to call you if I found anything, but-" his words were caught in his vocal processor when he saw Ultra Magnus stood in the doorway, hands on his hips in a commanding poise.
"I don't know what you think you found, Hot Rod," he said, walking towards him, "but it would do you best to forget it."
Hot Rod didn't reply. No wisecracks, no sardonic smile.
Because nothing was funny anymore.
He slowly backed away from the Autobot that towered over him, who in turn was making his way towards him.
"Give me the chip, Hot Rod."
Hot Rod put the chip in subspace. "Come and get it."
He charged forward and transformed, knocking Ultra Magnus over him as he sped towards the door. Magnus reached up and pressed a button his arm, slamming the large door shut in front of the young Autobot.
Hot Rod screeched to a halt at the door, coming just centimetres from colliding with the solid metal. Magnus transformed into truck mode and came at him, hoping to slam him into the now closed metal door. His intended target transformed into robot mode and ran at him, leaping up on to him and transforming, his engine revving as he leapt off Ultra Magnus' trailer and landed on the other side of him with a crash.
Magnus transformed and faced his quarry, pulling his laser rifle from subspace.
Hot Rod gave pause at this, and transformed into his robot mode, staying deadly still.
"Ultra Magnus… you're not-"
"Give me the chip and we won't have to found out."
"You know I'm not going to do that."
The City Commander was silent for a moment. For the briefest of seconds, Hot Rod thought that he would give up and hand over his weapon. Ultra Magnus wouldn't fire on him. It wasn't in him.
Ultra Magnus took aim and fired.
Hot Rod leapt to his right, landing on his side. He took aim with his wrist blasters and fired both. Magnus leapt behind the now smouldering control panel, avoiding the lasers completely.
He came back up, preparing to fire at Hot Rod, but paused when he found the younger 'Bot missing. Cautiously, he stood up and made his way over, the black shadowy lighting of the data hub obscuring his vision. He activated his infra red vision but found it reacted negatively with the lights that were working in the room. A low growl escaped his lip components, and Magnus looked around in frustration.
"Where do you think you're going to go, Hot Rod? I've locked down the entire building. There's no way in or out."
"Don't you think the others are going to get suspicious?" Hot Rod said, his voice echoing off the walls in such a manner that it was impossible to locate its' source.
"There's been power fluctuations all over this sector of Cybertron. No-one is going to suspect anything for a while. Now. Come out and hand over the chip."
"And then what? A slap on the wrist and you let me go? Give me a break."
Ultra Magnus thought he saw a shadow move to his left, and took aim.
Nothing.
"What is it you think you've found, Hot Rod?"
"Obviously something important, or you wouldn't be trying to kill me."
"I'm not trying to kill you."
"Could have fooled me."
"I'm trying to stop you from destroying the Autobots as we know them."
"I think you did that all by yourself, Magnus."
The City Commander paused. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course you don't," Hot Rod replied, his morbid smirk evident through the tone of his voice. As he spoke, Magnus could have sworn he was talking to Rodimus Prime once again. "But, just for the sake of argument, let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time, there was a great Autobot soldier."
Another shadow flicked across his peripheral vision. Magnus turned. Again, nothing.
"This Autobot soldier was one of the greatest warriors in the entire army, and he followed the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, without question. Until Optimus disappeared on a mission for Energon. While he was away, things on Cybertron got desperate. Energon got low. And this great solider became more and more disillusioned. He continued to fight, but he was beginning to question himself, and his dedication to the cause. Then, word came from the planet Earth. Optimus Prime was alive and well."
Magnus backed away until his back was to the door, hoping it would give him a better chance of seeing his prey. Hot Rod continued talking, his location still obscured by the acoustics and shadows.
"The soldier couldn't have been happier. With Prime alive, the war could finally have a chance of ending. But something was different about Optimus. The people of Earth, the humans, had changed him. He had become less militaristic, less cold and unfeeling. He had gotten weak in his absence. The Decepticons were gaining more and more ground. They even captured the Autobots' home planet of Cybertron."
"That's enough, Hot Rod," Ultra Magnus said, catching a glimpse of something out of the right corner of his optic. He didn't move.
"So the solider decided to do something to make Prime take notice. To make him the unfeeling commander he had been on Cybertron. Or at least, the unfeeling commander that the soldier thought he should be. He tried to convince Prime's life mate to leave him, thinking it would reverse what the humans had done. But she refused. So the solider took the decision out of her hands."
"I said THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Ultra Magnus swung his rifle around to his right and fired in a frenzy of laser blasts. Nothing. Hot Rod wasn't there. He yelled in pain as two laser blasts rifled into his back, sending him stumbling forward.
Hot Rod leapt onto his back, reaching for the button on Magnus' wrist that would open the doors. The City Commander turned so that his back was facing the wall, and charged backwards, slamming Hot Rod into the solid metal. The young 'Bot groaned in pain as Magnus pried himself away from the wall, leaving the half crushed Hot Rod to fall to the floor.
Magnus put a large foot on Hot Rod's chest, pointing the rifle at him. He reached out with his other hand.
"The chip."
"Kiss my rear fender."
A sudden whirring sound assaulted Magnus' audios, and Hot Rod slashed out with his right hand, using the buzz saw component that was hidden in his wrist. Sparks and lubricant flew from Magnus' knee joint as he stumbled back, and Hot Rod quickly tried to scramble away. Fury knotting his features, Magnus reached down and grabbed the younger Autobot by the foot, and, using all of his strength, swung him around and into the wall face first.
Hot Rod groaned and tried to push himself up. Ultra Magnus put his foot on the small of Hot Rod's back and pushed down, pinning him to the floor. Keeping an eye on Hot Rod's arms, he once again pointed his rifle at Hot Rod.
"Give me the chip, Hot Rod. There's nothing more you can do."
Magnus felt the barrel of a laser rifle press against his back.
"No. There isn't."
Horror seeped into Ultra Magnus very spark as he turned and came face to face with a rifle wielding Optimus Prime, accompanied by Kup and Trailbreaker. The City Commander glanced at the black Autobot, who looked both ashamed and proud at the same time. Optimus gestured to Magnus' rifle.
"Put it down, Magnus."
The former City Commander slowly complied. Kup had since made his way over to Hot Rod, and was helping him to his feet.
"Are you all right, lad?"
Optimus winced as he saw the condition Hot Rod was in. Cracks and dents littered his usually smooth and shiny surface, his face made all the more older by the way it had been almost warped beyond recognition. He managed a small smile, but even that seemed to be causing him pain.
"Peachy."
Some time later, Red Alert arrived with the Protectobots to escort both Ultra Magnus and Trailbreaker to secure holding cells. Not that even the Protectobots could have held Ultra Magnus if he had any intention of escaping. But the look of abject defeat on the Autobot's features told Prime that he wouldn't be making any escape attempts.
First Aid quickly saw to Hot Rod. The manner in which he frantically raced to Hot Rod's side upon seeing his condition would have been comical in any other situation.
Optimus transformed and quietly asked them to put Hot Rod in his trailer for transport to the infirmary. Kup and First Aid delicately put the Autobot inside. Hot Rod put his hand up as they were about to close the doors. Reaching up, he pulled the chip out of subspace and slowly handed it to Kup.
"Don't… lose that, now," he said, resisting the urge to cough and make himself look like even more of a weakling.
"Not on your life, lad."
They closed the doors and Prime patiently waited for First Aid and Kup to transform and accompany him.
The journey to the infirmary was a silent one. Optimus barely heard the rumble of his own engine or the roar of the Aerialbots as they soared overhead. He tried to think of some consoling words to comfort the damaged Autobot in his trailer, but could come up with nothing. Perhaps because even he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Not after this.
"…Prime?"
Optimus was silent for a moment. "Yes, Hot Rod?"
"Everything'll be okay. You'll see."
It was that simple for Hot Rod. It truly was. Even after all he had found out, all he had discovered, he wasn't disillusioned. He wasn't giving up hope.
Even in this bleak time, Optimus Prime drew some strength from Hot Rod's overwhelming faith, and hoped that someday he would be able to return the favour.
It was little wonder Hot Rod had been chosen by the Matrix.
"Rest. We'll be at the infirmary soon."
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(A/N: This was originally going to be two chapters, but they seemed too short separately.
Well, there you have it. The culprit is revealed. I hope the reasoning for why Ultra Magnus killed Elita didn't seem too out of character – I was really trying to write it in such a way that it was actually believable that the Magnus from the show would do it.
But, if you don't think so, please say so. Honest reviews are the best, folks.
And don't concern yourselves, this is nowhere near the end…
Speaking of which, review!)
