12: Rising Action

That night, Megatron was going through some records on his computer. "Black-Comet's studies…Vortex control, time/space fabric…" he mumbled. "It's all drabble! Wait…what's this? Ah…shortly after Protoform X's escape and the Omicron Massacre, Professor Black-comet disappeared. Yess…Ah, here. It was later conjectured that he stole a ship and took off for Earth." Megatron laughed triumphantly. "And if he truly made it here, then that old miser is still moping around with the Time Vortex in tow. The disruption on the plateau was no coincidence, as I suspected."

Inferno walked up to Megatron and bowed respectfully. "You sent for me?"

"Ah, yes," the purple bot replied, with the infamous Megatron smile appearing on his face. "Tell Waspinator and Quickstrike to hold the fort. Rally everyone else to me. We've got a universe to turn to my own purposes, and little time to be wasted doing it."

***

"Down there!" Cheetor shouted. "I saw her!" He was still riding on Optimus, with Rattrap, Rhinox, and Depth Charge beside him. "Well? Aren't we gonna go after her?"

"Not now, Cheetor," said Optimus. "More urgent business is at hand. Rhinox, are you sure about you said earlier?"

"About the computer?" asked Rhinox. "I'm positive. "I've repaired the parts of the computer that crashed. We can scan maximal and predacon energy signatures again, except for Silverbolt's. I couldn't recover his."

"That can only mean one thing," said Optimus. "Silverbolt is still out there, but somebody doesn't want us to know it. That somebody is the entity that you said you sensed, Depth Charge. And whoever this person is, he can control a Time Vortex, and he doesn't have an energy signature. Now listen, Megatron knows that a Vortex is a major tactical advantage—perhaps a way to change the past."

"So what are we going to do about it? What can we do?" Rhinox pondered.

"You don't think…" Depth Charge mused. He looked shocked in sudden realization. "You don't think that that wolf Blackarachnia keeps talking about is Silverbolt? And…Silverbolt could be the one controlling the Vortex!"

"My thoughts exactly," said Optimus. "If Silverbolt is alive, his surviving had to involve some strange incident with his spark—the power of a Transformer's spark has not been fully explored. Who knows? Silverbolt's spark may control the time Vortex."

"Yeah," said Cheetor in a dull voice, "except I doubt Silverbolt would try to keep Blackarachnia hostage inside a Vortex!" Cheetor was aware how wrong the other maximals were in their guess.

"Hey," said Depth Charge, "Blackarachnia wanted me to meet Silverbolt; she's not going to drop the idea. All we have to do is wait here for her to come with Silverbolt."

"If you think you're right, why don't we all just follow her?" Cheetor asked impatiently.

"Think about it logically," Optimus advised. "If this wolf is Silverbolt, he would have returned to us immediately. Unless, of course, his memory was wiped. Then he would naturally follow the instincts of his beast mode and live with a wolf pack. A bunch of huge, noisy robots trying to track down a clan of quiet and swift animals would be impossible."

"I guess so," said Cheetor reluctantly. "Man, a cat waiting for a dog to make its next move before he can make his own—if that isn't wrong, what is?"

"What about Mega-brains?" Rattrap asked. "He'll be comin' heya too, won't `e?"

"That's why we're going down to the plateau. We'll wait for him there, and put a stop to his schemes. Weapons out, maximals!" Optimus ordered.

***

"Knight!" Brent growled. "You've been gone almost two days straight. The sun is setting. Where have you been?"

"Scouting," answered Knight shortly. He was in no mood for long explanations. "Where is Darkstar?"

The black wolf, as usual, seemed to materialize out of nowhere. "Knight," he growled, "I need to speak with you." The two wolves went off by themselves. "You worried me. I needed you today, but you were gone. Now you had better explain."

"I got lost," Knight lied. He knew he couldn't tell Darkstar that he had spent the day inside a vortex with a Transformer, and that he was passionately in love with this Transformer.

"You got lost?" Darkstar smiled. It was the same smile: too expressive, too knowing, for a wolf to have. "You lost yourself in the dark?"

"Yes," Knight answered, shortly again.

"But it was daylight."

"We were trapped!" Knight said quickly.

"Where?"

"U-underground," Knight said, regaining his calm. "We were trapped underground."

Darkstar looked disturbed. "…We?"

Knight was dumbstruck, lost to words.

"You and a Transformer?" Darkstar asked, growing angry. "You and that beast you insisted on rescuing earlier? Knight, haven't I explained to you what they are? Murderers! Monsters!"

"But not intentionally, I am sure!" Knight defended. "I have never felt so at ease with anyone in my life."

"Then maybe you do belong with them," Darkstar said in a low voice. "I was a fool to think I could change you, to think that you could violate your heritage. You're a monster and a murderer yourself, Knight; but I wanted to give you a chance. I gave you the freedom to decide what was right. Yet still…you are doomed."

"I am not a murderer, and neither is she!" Knight shouted, hoarse.

"You're a liar as well, I see. And what happened to your noblese obligue? I was a witness of our brown scout's death, and that spider killed him. That makes the spider a murderer. Even if she wasn't a killer, she is only one Transformer. One good one does not make up for an entire race of evil ones!"

"If the robots are truly and intentionally evil," said Knight, "then Blackarachnia would know it, and so would I. We will be different from them. We will stand strong together, on our own."

Darkstar shook his head and smiled sadly. "Like I said…I was a fool for trying." He took off running.

"Darkstar, no!" Knight shouted. "This doesn't mean we can't still be friends!" With a groan of irritation, Knight took off after the black wolf. Darkstar was an oddity Knight did not understand. Sometimes he appeared to care for Knight and the other wolves; other times, like when he smiled that meaningful leer, he seemed only desiring to use Knight for his own purposes. What those purposes were remained a mystery. Knight thought he had seen Darkstar's power-hungry look somewhere before…but where? Oh yes, on the face of a predacon.

***

Megatron, Tarantulas, Inferno, Rampage, and Dinobot II were on their way to the plateau. Dinobot was running alongside Megatron and they were both swift in their reptilian beast modes.

"Sir," Dinobot's clone growled, "what, may I ask, are we doing?"

"Going to find an old friend," answered Megatron, "—an old friend who holds the key, or should I say Vortex, to victory."

***

There was a deathly silence as the five maximals sat on the empty plateau. This was where, only a few nights ago, Cheetor had fought Depth Charge. He was glad Depth Charge didn't tell Optimus about it.

Cheetor was sitting beside the manta-ray, in his beast mode. "Well," he sighed, "this is a pretty good night: Blackarachnia is safe, and in a minute we get to shred the preds."

"Don't count on it," Depth Charge said callously.

"What, you gonna hog all the predacons to yourself?" Cheetor asked. "Cuz I'm way faster than you could ever be."

"No," Depth Charge retorted sharply; "I mean don't count on the spider's being safe. She'll be killed somehow or other. I still can't believe she wasn't lost in the vortex. How did she get out? What caused The Window to be reopened?"

"We did," said Cheetor. He was silent as he thought it over. Maybe there was some truth in what Tigatron had told him—love equals strength. It was Cheetor's care that had made him keep believing they would get Blackarachnia back. Everybody had given up except him. Could such an unscientific, unphysical thing as love be strong enough to open a vortex? Not that he loved Blackarachnia like Silverbolt loved her—but he was her friend.

***

Blackarachnia was a few miles off, hiding among the rocks. She was thinking similar thoughts. Was it really her hope and determination, combined with the care her friend was feeling for her, that opened a door out of her black prison?

The spider-lady shot her head up upon hearing a familiar noise. It was a wolf howl: the high, noble call which so often struck fear into the hearts of humans. Why were they afraid of wolves, she wondered? Yes, wolves had the power to kill a human, but one thing that made the animals so amazing is that won't do it. Generally if sane and undisturbed, wolf would never attack a human or a robot.

On the other hand, Blackarachnia thought, the wolf which had attacked her seemed quite in its right mind. That black wolf had had the strength to tear her apart, which normal wolves couldn't do. And where did that gunshot come from which had stunned her? Oh well. It didn't matter now.

Her spark was with Silverbolt, wherever he was. The once majestic, graceful avian wolf may be temporarily disfigured and unable to fly or transform, but he was still Silverbolt. He was still Blackarachnia's knight in shining armor: pure, strong, and fast, with the heart of a true Wolf.

Blackarachnia had been in her beast mode, hiding among some rocks. Now she got out of her hiding place and scampered off. She had to find Knight. No matter who he was, maximal, predacon, or wolf, memory or no memory, she had to find him.