Disclaimer: Not mine!
A/N: Sorry for the delay - had...issues with letting me update. -.-
- Chapter 6 -
The next week was busy, as the Autobots worked to rebuild the Ganymede base, a process impeded by the Decepticons making periodic attacks. Magnus and Optimus decided to send me to Earth after the second such attack, even though I'd proven I was very good at running and hiding when the Decepticons showed up. Ratchet was to accompany me to Earth, since both Magnus and Optimus were needed on Ganymede, and it was decided that I could use my 'alt form' to help explain what had happened up on the Moon - not the actual events, of course, but the 'official' story. The official story was that there hadn't actually been a weapon up on the Moon, but a hidden femme, locked in stasis, who was currently on Ganymede, recovering. I let Ratchet field most of the questions, just piping up to give the questioning generals and ambassadors a human perspective, letting them know that this new femme was no threat, just different. And old. I tried not to pout every time I had to add that.
What time we didn't spend talking with government officials who were worried about the Moon, I spent quizzing Ratchet up. He seemed infinitely amused at how curious I was now about the more personal aspects of a Cybertronian's life. Especially the mating and courtship parts.
"Can you blame me? I didn't really have to worry about it before now," I grumbled over the comm line - I'd kept all our discussions to comms, since I didn't want anyone accidentally overhearing.
"No, it's understandable, I just find it entertaining. Magnus was a confirmed bachelor before the war started, according to Optimus," Ratchet said with a smirk. "To see him suddenly - what is that phrase you humans have? Ah yes, 'fall head over heels' for you, is entertaining. You needing to ask about Cybertronian courtship and mating just makes it more entertaining." I eyed Ratchet suspiciously.
"Why do I get the feeling that you asked to come to Earth with me?" I said.
"Well, it was hardly difficult to predict that you'd have some difficult questions to ask, and who better to answer than a medic," Ratchet replied smugly.
"I hope you're not taking the opportunity to give...creative answers," I said, glaring up at the medic.
"No, of course not. I am a professional," Ratchet scoffed. Regardless, after that conversation, I started double-checking his answers however I could, and kept a list of everything I couldn't verify, intending to take a detailed look at his medical database the next time I was on Ganymede.
Eventually, of course, Ganymede was mostly reconstructed, and I returned there, along with several NEST soldiers - including Major Lennox and Epps - who were supposed to assess the situation for their superiors. Which they did, eventually, but really they were just there to make sure their friends were alright, since most of the Autobots hadn't been seen on Earth since Megatron had made his move. They were also, of course, curious about the 'new femme', and I took the opportunity to transform and give them a few clueless looks whenever they tried to talk to me - my voice was the same between forms, and I didn't want them to recognize it, so everyone just told the humans that there were some language issues. When they left a few days later, most of the officers went with them, since they usually stayed on Earth - only Magnus stayed up on Ganymede.
Of course, that meant that I got to spend time with Magnus - actually, I was recharging in his quarters. He was apparently in charge of assigning quarters, but refused to assign me any. Not that I really argued - he was a busy mech, and me using his quarters meant that I was guaranteed some time with him during a day. Also, he was apparently quite affectionate when not trying to overcome the cultural difference in mating rituals. I got all the snuggles, hugs, kisses, and gropes a girl could ever wish for. He held back from anything further, though, and for that I was grateful. The way Ratchet had described things seemed complicated, and I wanted it to have time to settle before, well, actually trying it.
Magnus did actually go back to Earth more frequently than I'd previously thought - though, when I stopped to think about it, he'd been back to Earth often enough before that he could carry on a relationship with me, so I should have anticipated it. Still, he seemed to spend half his time on Earth, talking with a handful of generals that I learned were the Autobots' main liaisons outside of NEST, and who approved Autobots for duty on Earth. More often than not, I came with Magnus to the meetings, and though I got some strange looks the first time, I stood quietly in the background, and only piped up when Magnus needed a human perspective expressed to the generals. They didn't give me any strange looks or protest after that.
It was two weeks later that, while driving into Washington with Magnus, I felt something blip on my sensors. It was very faint, and when I probed further, I realized that the signal was coming from San Francisco.
"Hey, Magnus, are you pi-" The signal suddenly got stronger, and more insistent, startling me.
"Am I what, Terry?" Magnus asked curiously.
"You're not picking that up, are you?" I asked - I doubted he'd be so calm if he was.
"Picking what up?" Magnus replied.
"Hrm. Find us a bridge spot. I think I need to be in San Fran," I told him.
"You think? Why?" Magnus asked, sounding confused, even as he turned, heading for a secluded spot where we could safely disappear without causing problems. Thanks to the space bridge technology on Ganymede, the Autobots and their allies could appear or disappear from anywhere on in the solar system - except for the places they'd set up bridge jammers, such as most of Ganymede, and on all the NEST bases. However, on Earth there was still the issue of civilians not in the know seeing vehicles randomly disappear into thin air - or worse, being caught on the edge of a space bridge, something Ratchet informed me was 100% fatal.
"I'm picking up something on my sensors," I told Magnus absently, pestering my sensors for more information. They were blaring insistently now, and not in a friendly way, insisting something was horribly wrong in San Francisco, and I needed to get there now. "Hurry," I urged Magnus.
"How can you even pick up anything from San Francisco?" Magnus asked curiously.
"I don't know, but it's screaming at me," I told him urgently.
"In a good way or a bad way?" Magnus asked, slowly slightly. Knowing he would insist I stay here if I said bad - I was only beginning combat training - and also knowing that I needed to go, I gave the only response I could.
"I have no idea, but I need to be there. I think it might have something to do with how advanced my body is," I replied. Magnus still seemed reluctant, but he found us a spot to bridge, and didn't ask me to get out of his cab as the bridge formed around us. Right as the bridge reached critical mass, I saw something change in it, and suddenly my sensors were screaming about something else entirely.
"Shit!" I managed to yelp before the space bridge swallowed us.
Usually, when travelling via space bridge, you don't even notice the few seconds of travel from one end to the other. According to Ratchet, a Cybertronian's chronometer actually stopped when going through a bridge, so they technically lose those few seconds. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had helped establish that fact, and since then, had done their best to travel through the same number of bridges. Sunstreaker claimed it was because he was only a few seconds older than Sideswipe, so if he went through a few more bridges than his twin, he'd end up younger. Sideswipe said it felt funny when they got too far ahead or behind each other.
Magnus and I, however, noticed the time spent in this space bridge. Mostly because it hurt like hell - it felt like I was on fire, heat and pain coursing through me and hurting in a way I hadn't thought was possible since I became Cybertronian. I know I screamed, and I think I heard Magnus screaming, too, for those twelve seconds - according to my chronometer, which didn't stop. Then suddenly we were out, and without thinking, I blindly grabbed for Magnus' door handle, tumbling out of his cab and transforming back to my mech form before collapsing on the ground with a groan. Once I was bigger, it didn't seem to hurt so much, but the aftershocks remained, and I just lay on the ground, twitching, for a minute.
My systems settled down pretty quickly, though, and I pushed myself up. Glancing behind me, I saw Magnus had also transformed and collapsed on the ground, but he seemed to be out cold. I suspected I had my more advanced tech to thank for me still being conscious, so I went to check on him. I had absolutely no training in telling if a mech was healthy - my training with Ratchet in that regards wasn't supposed to start until later - but I could do a visual check, and my sensors seemed to be good at alerting me to things going wrong.
I had just rolled Magnus over to get a good look when my sensors announced another space bridge was opening, and I whirled in its direction - the space bridge was clearly not normal, but it wasn't like the one that had brought us here. It also didn't seem to hurt as much, as Vector Prime stepped out of it completely nonchalantly. He actually seemed surprised to see me, and even more surprised to see Magnus.
"What are you doing here?" we blurted out at the same time. Vector snickered, and I glared at him.
"This does explain the ripple," he said, stepping towards me and offering me a hand up. I took it, then glanced down at Magnus.
"Can you make sure he's OK? I can't tell, yet," I said, worried, and Vector glanced down.
"He's fine, for now. He won't survive long in this place, though," he said, then looked at me. "I need to take him back to your time. When did you leave?" I recited the precise date and time, down to the millisecond. "Good, thank you. Step back." He crouched next to Magnus, resting his hand above Magnus' spark chamber.
"What about me?" I asked, and Vector glanced up.
"You'll be fine," he said, then disappeared in the fastest forming space bridge I'd ever seen - and it was one of the funny ones from before. I expected him to come back a few minutes later, thinking he'd meant that I'd be fine until he got Magnus to safety, but after several minutes, there was no sign of Vector, and with a growl, I kicked at the spot I'd last seen them, and turned my attention to my surroundings.
Once I told my sensors, 'ok, tell me about where I am', they started screaming at me. Apparently wherever I was had gotten nuked a few billion times - the radioactivity was at the top of my very large scale. And it was obvious that it had gotten nuked, too, since there was rubble all around, mixed with traces of worked metal and other signs of civilization. There was nothing identifiable, however, and when I looked up to see if I could figure out where I was with stellar clues, there was a dusty haze that obscured the sky from view. Grumbling to myself, I set my systems to work, analyzing what they could. I specifically asked them to compare things to my recorded Earth norms - I didn't want to even think it, but I'd started on Earth, and had been bridging to somewhere else of Earth, and had probably time travelled. And lets face it, Earth's future has always had a significant chance of involving a nuclear holocaust.
While my systems worked, I picked the direction that seemed to have the bigger pieces of rubble and started walking. After a kilometer or so, my systems informed me that they had concluded that no organic life could exist in this environment. I'd kinda figured that, so I ignored it and kept walking. A few more kilometers, and my systems tried to tell me their results were 'inconclusive'. I put them back to work and kept walking, hoping that there would be energon sometime in my future.
I'd been walking for almost five hours when my sensors picked up something, ahead of me and to the left, and I immediately swerved towards it. With all the radiation around - albeit slightly weaker than where I'd started - my sensors couldn't pick up anything specific about it, so as I got closer, I started to move more cautiously, activating the camouflage protocols that Ratchet had shown me. All Cybertronians had them, and for all my body was advanced in technology, apparently my camouflage protocols were exactly the same as everyone else's - they changed my armor's colour to whatever was behind me. They weren't precise or fast enough to render me invisible, effectively being the Cybertronian version of camo clothes and face paint, so I moved slowly as I approached.
It turned out there was no reason to be cautious, however - there was no one ahead of me. The blip on my sensors, in fact, was apparently a stable space bridge - a wormhole. It was an angry orange in colour, glowing enough to cast its light on the landscape around it, making the radioactive dust an ugly greenish-orange that was closer to puke in colour than anything else I could think of. Making a face, I got as close to the wormhole as I dared, running a full scan of it. The reports came back, again, inconclusive - my sensors had no idea where the thing went, how it was existing, why it wasn't tearing up the planet, anything. I glanced around, half expecting Vector Prime to appear, but when he didn't, I turned back to the wormhole and shrugged.
"Better than hanging around here, walking in circles," I told it, then stepped forward. The trip through the wormhole was smooth, and as I emerged from the other side, I looked back at it in surprise before turning my attention to my new location.
The first thing that caught my gaze was the distinctive form of Jupiter hanging over me, and then my location systems beeped at me and informed me I was on Ganymede. I looked around in surprise, expecting to see Autobots - or someone - nearby, but I was once again alone, this time in familiar ruins. It was hard not to recognize the Ganymede base, after all the time I'd spent on it recently. Frowning, I took a moment to orient myself, realizing I was in the space bridge control room, and then headed for the nearest console.
It was destroyed, but there was power - albeit very little - so I headed for the command center. I'd only been there once, to deliver something to Magnus, since I technically wasn't cleared to access it, but I knew that, as the most important part of the complex - next to the med bay - it had superior shielding and back-up generators. Granted, it was also the biggest target, but hey. I was halfway to it when a chance glance to my right revealed that there was a ship still resting in the spaceport fields. Curious, I detoured, making for the ship. As I approached, I realized that it had apparently landed after the destruction of the base - not only did it look newer, but there were signs of junk being moved out of the way for it to land. It also seemed to be an advanced form of a human shuttle - the form was familiar enough that I could tell, even without the big American flag plastered on the side, and the English lettering naming it 'USS Starcaller'.
Detecting an Earth atmosphere inside, I walked around the shuttle until I found the cargo bay doors. They didn't open when I approached, but my sensors detected that the atmosphere on the other side was slowly draining, so I waited, and after a few minutes they opened. Stepping inside, I waited for the doors to close and the atmosphere to return before transforming into my human form - I'd had some time to glance around, and realized that while the ship was built to accommodate Cybertronians in the back - there were even a few cubes of energon nearby that had long since lost their charge and gone bad, becoming nothing more than pink goo - the ship was obviously meant to only be fully accessible to humans. Fortunately, I could deal with that.
I exited the cargo bay via the only door that didn't lead outside, and then followed my sensors to the front of the shuttle, where the primary systems all apparently led. Stepping through the final set of doors, I looked around in amusement, wondering when the Star Trek geeks took over. It looked distinctly like a Star Trek bridge, right down to the lone chair in the center, though it had a lot more console and screens, and wasn't quite as aesthetically pleasing. There were also actual toggles and switches and buttons, instead of just light-up consoles.
Given the familiarity of the design, I decided to make an educated guess, and headed for the seat at the front left of the 'bridge'. Sliding into the chair, I scanned the console before pressing a random button. Alarms immediately began blaring.
"Oh shit!" I yelped, and hit the button again. The alarms turned off. I sighed in relief. "God, what I wouldn't give for a vocal command interface right now," I said as I inspected the console. Deciding it was too complicated, I instead headed for the 'middle' chair - Captain's chair had to have something interesting, right? Yeah. Everything was passworded.
Grumbling to myself, I went to another console, but it, too, was passworded. Going quickly through all the 'stations' on the bridge, I discovered that only the front left one was unlocked, and so with a sigh, I took a seat there again, and began an in-depth scan, sitting back and letting my systems figure out how it worked while I thought about my day so far.
It was clear, by now, that Vector Prime felt I was supposed to be here. For what reason, I didn't know, partially because I had next to no information at this point. With Ganymede destroyed like this, I was fairly sure the radioactive wasteland I'd come from was Earth. Which left the obvious question of what the hell happened, and was I supposed to be here so I could find out and prevent it? I doubted it - Vector Prime, from what I remembered, was supposed to protect the time continuity, and I'm fairly sure that included apocalypses. Then again, Earth was supposed the new home of the Cybertronians, but they seemed to be mysteriously missing, and, well, Vector was still Cybertronian.
I was pulled out of my ponderings by my systems informing me they'd figured out the console, and I turned my attention to it, now seeing digitally overlaid labels on the buttons. I saw one labeled 'communications' and with an 'AHA!' I hit the button. The screen in the middle of the console blinked on, and presented me with several options. It was extremely user friendly, and I couldn't help but laugh at that as the console essentially walked me through setting up a cross-band transmission.
"Hey, this is me, I'm looking for somebody, anybody, preferably with Energon cuz I'm getting the munchies," I said into the slide-out microphone once the console informed me it was broadcasting. I decided against giving my name unless pressed, since I didn't know how things had unfolded quite yet. There was no response - I hadn't expected one - and the console asked if I wanted to repeat the transmission. I hit 'yes', and it started playing it in a loop.
While it was doing that, I poked around the buttons until I accessed the database. Most of it was apparently fried - someone seemed to have deliberately damaged the databanks, according to damage reports from the shuttle. All core systems were still functional, however, including the sensors, and I used them to scan the base - they were powerful enough to scan the entire thing at once, and get past shielding that my own sensors couldn't.
When I got their report back, I realized it was probably a good thing I had detoured to the shuttle, since the sensors were detecting loose plasma in the command center - it was apparently as good at keeping things in as it was at keeping them out. The plasma was reading as intense enough to have come from the corona of a star. How that was possible, I wasn't sure, so I filed it under 'things to ask the others when I get back' and let it be. I turned my attention, instead, to the ship's logs. They were passworded, and I had just settled into trying to find a way into them anyways when the console beeped, startling me. The communications menu popped up again, informing me I had an incoming transmission. I hit the 'accept' button, and the screen changed, a Cybertronian face appearing.
"Whoever you are, I hope, for your sake, that -" the Cybertronian's angry comment was cut off as he stared in shock.
"Hi!" I said, giving a little wave that I hoped was visible.
"How -" the mech on the other end trailed off, then shook his head, beginning again in a much more friendly tone. "The Sol System is restricted space. How did you get in?"
"Don't really know," I said with a shrug. "I was going someplace else entirely, and next thing I know, I'm hanging out on Ganymede."
"Yes, we've traced your signal there. Are you still flight capable?" the Cybertronian asked.
"Er - I think so? I had to switch ships," I said, mentally apologizing to Magnus for referring to him, even indirectly, as a 'ship'. "I haven't really figured out this new one yet."
"We have schematics for most of the technology from the Sol System - if you can find an identifying number or name, we could see what we could pull up to get you out," the Cybertronian offered. I hesitated only a moment.
"USS Starcaller," I said. The Cybertronian froze for a moment, then turned and said something in some form of bastardized Cybertronian to someone or something I couldn't see. I didn't know Cybertronian myself (yet), but I knew that what the mech on the screen had spoken wasn't it - it was similar in sound, but it wasn't quite the same. I frowned briefly, clearing my expression as he returned his attention to me.
"It will just take one moment," he said. "What happened to your old ship?"
"It didn't like the environment," I said with a shrug. "So I had to ditch it. I was lucky to find this ship."
"Very. Last reports said the Starcaller was destroyed," the Cybertronian said seriously, then glanced down. "Ah, here we go. By the way, I'm called Warpchaser."
"Nice to meet you. I'm..." I hesitated for moment, then continued with a mental shrug. "I'm Terry." Warpchaser smiled, my name evidently not ringing bells, and then he set about talking me through take-off for the ship. After a certain point, it was pretty easy to figure out, and Warpchaser signed off, giving me co-ordinates to meet them at. I agreed to do so, but having the navigation systems figured out by now, I made a slight detour in the direction of Earth - I wanted to give it a quick fly-over. I was unsurprised when I found it completely irradiated, with a spacial anomaly on the surface that I suspected would register as a wormhole if I got more precise readings. I left my destroyed home planet behind and resumed course to the co-ordinates Warpchaser had provided.
I couldn't help but gape a little when Warpchaser's ship came into view - the blasted thing was huge. And, according to my readings, riddled with spark energy. A sparked ship. I hailed them as I approached, and was surprised when I got someone besides Warpchaser. The new...being...was neither human nor Cybertronian, and did not look friendly. He looks a bit like a cross between a dwarf and a moth, actually, complete with the antennae, wings, and beard. He snapped a few things as I looked at him blankly, and eventually, looking extremely annoyed, he switched to English.
"I suggest to don't try anything funny, pirate, or I will be forced to open fire. I assure you that the virus you introduced to my ship to get it to co-operate with you is in the process of being destroyed," he snapped, a funny slur on his words, as if he were used to speaking more quickly.
"I didn't use a virus," I said blankly.
"Right, just like you're not using a filter to make yourself look human," he scoffed. "I suggest you cut the lies, and drop your filter. Let me guess, Kindari?"
"What's a Kindari?" I asked curiously. The alien on the screen snarled, and the ship suddenly shuddered. The sensors screamed at me that I'd just been shot at - only a warning shot, but still. "Whoa whoa whoa! Let's just take a time out here! I swear to you, I'm not Kindari, whoever the hell they are, and I'm not using a filter! I can prove it, if you'll meet me face-to-face. Or my-face-to-your-security, if you want!" The alien scowled, looking suspicious, then glanced over his shoulder.
"Activate a tractor beam, bring the ship into our cargo bay. But be careful - remember the vessel is a protected artifact," the alien snarled, the last said with a pointed glare at me. I just arched an eyebrow at him.
"I'll see you shortly, then," I said, and cut the connection. If he got to be rude, so did I. Frowning once the connection was cut, I reached out with my Cybertronian sensors, scanning until I got a beacon off the ship in front of me. I sent a comm ping and a moment later Warpchaser was on my comms. He apparently was the ship.
"Primus, I am so sorry, I didn't - wait. How are you contacting me on Cybertronian frequencies?" he seemed confused.
"I'm Cybertronian with a human alt form," I told him, deciding to trust him.
"Oh...OH. That's why you were asking about energon!" Warpchaser seemed alarmed at that. "Why did you send out that beacon?"
"Because I have no bloody clue what's going on," I said, and hesitated briefly before continuing. "I'm going to be straight with you, Warp - I just time travelled from the early 2000's, AD, Earth timeline. So I'm a little confused as to what's going on." Warpchaser was quiet for a minute, while I watched him grow closer in the shuttle window, the tractor beam moving me very gently around to the cargo bay.
"Whatever you do, stay in your human alt form," he finally said, slowly. "I'll cover for you as best I can, but it's going to be up to you to act as human as possible. You cannot let them know you're Cybertronian."
"Why not?" I asked curiously.
"Just...trust me. I'll explain it all later," Warpchaser seemed pained. "I've got to go, they're still scanning my systems, looking for the virus they think you used."
"They're what?" I couldn't help but be alarmed, but before I could question his further, Warpchaser cut the connection. "Damn." I was left to stew, wondering what could have happened that I was supposed to remain in my human alt form. The few hints I'd gotten didn't seem to spell out anything nice for the Cybertronians either, if the rest were being treated the same way as Warpchaser. He seemed to be in an extremely subordinate position - I was reminded of the Pilots for Leviathan ships in Farscape, in relation to the Peacekeepers. Frowning at that unwelcome connection, I watched as the Starcaller was pulled into Warpchaser's cargo bay and set down gently, then I headed for the exit hatch.
I was unsurprised to have several dozen guns pointed at me the instant the hatch opened, and I stood there, waiting, while the alien from before stared at me in apparent shock.
"This is...impossible," he frowned. "I hate chameleons." I gave him an exasperated look.
"Dude. I'm speaking English, I am physically human, and I'm flying a freaking human ship out of the human home system. And you still think I'm pretending?" I exclaimed.
"Humans have been extinct for a thousand years, pirate, so don't you try to argue your way out of this!" the alien snapped, and I stared at him in stunned surprise.
"We...have?" I said - I couldn't say I hadn't been expecting it, but it was still somewhat of a surprise. "Well crap." The alien frowned at me, but then his expression hardened, and he started speaking again, this time in the language he'd spoken when he'd first contacted me. I just stared at him blankly, and he seemed to get more and more frustrated. It eventually got to the point where he was practically shouting at me. The aliens holding the guns, I saw, where looking a bit uncertain now, and then someone new entered the cargo bay, trotting over to our little group. He spoke quietly to the guy who was apparently in charge, and the two turned to look at me, the one guy looking stunned, the other curious.
"Lemme guess. He just told you I'm telling the truth?" I asked sweetly.
"My...apologies. Apparently you are, as you say, human," The alien looked like he had to literally force those words out. "I am Captain T'ral of the Sparkship Warpchaser. I welcome you aboard, Holy One." Then they all bowed.