11: Unexplained Window

What, no! Stop him!" Cheetor exclaimed. "Don't let him close the vortex!"

Rhinox shook his head sadly. "I don't have control over the vortex, Cheetor."

Cheetor stared at Rhinox. "You're giving up?!" Optimus and Rattrap walked out of the room. Cheetor looked after Optimus. "You're giving up?!" He looked ready to burst, absolutely fuming. "You—you pack of decepticon descendents!" he shouted as loud as he could, and ran.

Rhinox shook his head, and turned back to the computer screen. "Ugn!" Someone punched him; he fell out of the chair, seeing stars. Rhinox found that Depth Charge standing over him. "Whah…?"

Depth Charge reached down and picked up the rhino-bot with a vice-like grip. "You get that slagging computer working, or I'm going to scrap you," he said, in his usual gruff, but cool and collected tone.

"I told you, I can't!" Rhinox retorted, speaking loudly in the hopes that Optimus would hear.

"Look, the message is still up on the screen!" Depth Charge shouted in a vicious voice that would bring Optimus in for sure. "You said you could access this freak's internal computer so long as this stuff's up. So access the Vortex controls!"

"I'll try," Rhinox concurred reluctantly. He accessed the controls again. "Yes, I have control of these. But…"

"But what?" Depth Charge asked impatiently.

"But he has a set of back-up controls. It's a battle now. Whoever can hold up their controls the longest, will be able to free Blackarachnia or imprison her. Call the others back in here; they need to see this. But don't get your hopes up."

Depth Charge grunted. "I gave that up a long time ago."

***

Knight struggled toward the light; he wasn't sure if his eyes were tricking him, or if it was really true, but the Window To The Present seemed be diminishing in size. It was harder to see. By the time he reached it, with Blackarachnia still on his back, it was too small to fit through.

"We're too late," Blackarachnia whispered. "Does this mean…we're stuck here?"

"The door hasn't closed yet, Blackarachnia," Knight replied. "We do not give up until the door is closed. And besides, look! Someone is fighting in our favor."

Blackarachnia looked at the window, and it grew in size. Then, after a moment, it shrank again. "And someone is fighting against us," she observed. "I bet Depth Charge and the other maximals are trying to save us. Somehow they know I'm in danger."

"Look! Whatever your friends are up to, it is working!" Knight exclaimed. The window out of the blackness was now big enough to fit through. "You first, Blackarachnia."

"No." Suddenly the spider looked stone-resolute. "I am not going to risk losing you again. You're going first. I don't care what your honor says."

"Ladies first—"

"Shut up," Blackarachnia said, trying to look angry, although amusement was seeping through her voice. They were at their old game again.

Knight agreed to go first as he saw that it really mattered to her. Before he could get up the window, though, a volley of gunfire went off. As Blackarachnia drew her own weapon, Knight instinctively jumped in front of her.

"It's just like the good old days," she said dryly, "when you always block my trying to shoot with your big, hairy body!"

"It's my duty," Knight smiled. His countenance went serious as he turned to face the darkness. "Whoever is shooting, will you show yourself? We mean you no harm, and if you desire a route out of this place devoid of light and fresh air, it is safe to say that we can aid you."

Suddenly the Window To The Present shut.

"…Or not," said Knight. "Ugn!" someone knocked him to the ground. "Blackarachnia, run! We're under attack!"

Suddenly there was gunfire, and a scuffle between nobody-knew-who began. Blackarachnia could hardly see what was going on; she didn't want to fire lest she hit Silverbolt by accident. Where was Silverbolt? It was so dark she couldn't see him. Blackarachnia didn't know how much time had passed before she was thrown to the floor.

Her COM-link clicked into life. There was some static, and then Cheetor's voice came through. "Blackarachnia? Are you there? Please be alive!"

"Cheetor!" the she-spider exclaimed. "Cheetor, how did you find us?"

"Us?" Cheetor's voice came. Depth Charge's voice broke in to their conversation. "Hey spider, didn't I tell you not to go get yourself scrapped?!"

"Well, whatever you guys are doing, it's keeping me from getting scrapped so far," the spider replied. "Just keep fighting to get us out of here. There are two others with me: a wolf and a robot, I think. I don't know if they are maximal or predacon."

Rhinox's voice came through the COM-link. "No, Depth Charge, I'm not closing connection, for Cybertron's sake! I just want to talk to her! Hello, Blackarachnia? One of the robots with you, is he controlling the Vortex? I mean, does he appear to be doing anything suspicious?"

Blackarachnia was getting more worried. What was happening to Silverbolt? "I can't see." Her voice was frantic.

Then the Window opened again. The smallest slit of light cast the battlescene into relief. Silverbolt was out cold on the floor and the other bot appeared to be fighting some kind of battle in his mind. "I can see now. That bot's definitely up to something," Blackarachnia said into the Com-link. She explained the situation.

"Blackarachnia, listen to me," Rhinox ordered sternly. "If you have your gun, fire at that bot. He's controlling the Vortex which you're trapped in. As soon as you fire, I can make an opening out of there, but it will only last while he's down in his moment of shock. When you see the opening in the dark get wide enough, get through it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but I have to bring Silv—I mean, the wolf out with me," Blackarachnia said. "I'll try to grab him and we'll both jump through. Here goes. Blackarachnia out." She fired at the indistinguishable robot as best she could in the dark.

With a sharp cry, the robot fell to the ground. The slit of light expanded, and Blackarachnia could see the plateau outside, in the daylight, and in present time. She darted over to Knight and nudged him to get him going, but he was unconscious.

"Aw, come on, Bowser-boy. Don't go dying on me now!" She grabbed his back feet and dragged him along as fast as she could. "Ooh, you're heavy! Come on, Fido, you and I are gonna get out of this together." But the robot which controlled the vortex was already getting up! Blackarachnia pulled for all she was worth. No!

The vortex closed.

***

"Slag it." Rhinox turned away from the computer in distress. The whole room was silent. It was over. Blackarachnia was lost.

"Your stupid ideas never help anyone!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"I did the best I could," Rhinox grunted.

"I don't understand," Optimus said, with a heavy sadness in his voice. "She gave herself up for that wolf. Why?"

"She thinks it's Silverbolt," said Depth Charge. His voice was strangely hoarse. Why? He asked himself. Why should I be upset? I knew once I grew close to someone that they would disappear. But this thought did not cheer him up.

Cheetor had been dumbstruck thus far. He couldn't believe it. "No," he said. "No. No, no, NO!" his voice rose to a heartbroken yell. "I don't get it! I don't understand! This can't happen!"

"Yes it can!" Depth Charge snapped. "It's called the world, kid. Get used to it."

"No!" Cheetor shouted. "If the world was this hopeless, I don't think my spark would have ever come online. I wish it didn't! Blackarachnia is out there. Slag it, so is Silverbolt! Can't you feel them? We can't just give up on them!"

Optimus stared at him. "… Maybe you're right." He and the maximals began to hope against hope that their friends would come out alive.

***

Light.

Blackarachnia had only been in the dark for a minute before the window opened again. She heard the cries of shock and fury from the robot she had shot at. Just one more pull. Blackarachnia pulled Knight through the door and it closed behind them. They both toppled over onto the ground.

Knight sat up. "We're out! But…what…happened?"

"What does it matter?" she exclaimed, suddenly happy again. "We're out! And we're together. Knight, after seeing those scenes from the past…surely you remember that they are your memories?"

Knight did not answer. He didn't know. He only knew that he did not want to join the maximals if they were as bad as Darkstar said. His mind was overwhelmed with thoughts about what to do—Darkstar. Darkstar would know. Darkstar usually always knew the answers to Knight's questions. "Blackarachnia, allow me to escort you back to wherever you came from, and then—"

"You'll come back with me?" Blackarachnia exclaimed.

"—Then I'll go back to my pack," Knight finished. "Only for a little while. I'll see you again. I just want some advice from a friend; then I'll return to you."

"But…Silverbolt…does that mean you still don't remember?" Blackarachnia seemed crestfallen.

"Not yet." Knight hadn't found that root yet; that connector—which could make him remember who he really was—was still invisible. For all he knew, Knight could be Silverbolt or just some other Transformer. He hoped he wasn't a Transformer at all.

"Go ahead to your pack then, Balto. You don't have to escort me," Blackarachnia said with feigned cheerfulness.

"I'll see you again," Knight promised, and left.

Blackarachnia watched him go. So many things had happened so quickly. Her trip back in time, being imprisoned inside the vortex, those two other robots…but she was still alone. Silverbolt was still not himself. It did not make logical sense that Silverbolt could be alive at all, but she somehow knew it was true.

The sound of jets came into hearing as Optimal Optimus soared into view. Cheetor, Rattrap, Rhinox, and Depth Charge were all riding on him.

"Oh no," Blackarachnia groaned. How had they found her? Until she could prove Silverbolt was alive, she thought it would be better to hide. Thus she ran out of sight. The spider-bot settled down, ready to rest and dream of a future plans for a life with Silverbolt. Together they would fly hand in hand.