Chapter 6: No Hard Feelings
The Autobots stood in silence as they looked at Orion Eclipse before the ex-Decepticon and Autobot medic, Knockout steps in to offer a suggestion. "If I could make the suggestion, Ultra Magnus, sir: why don't we perform the Cortical Psychic Patch for us to know for sure that the young bot is indeed an amnesiac?" The Autobots looked at Knockout and their leader asked him, "Are you sure?" Knockout nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. I'll be the one to go inside the lonely not-so Decepticon's head to ask him some questions." He told Ultra Magnus.
Orion Eclipse was surprised by what the red Autobot medic said. Is he going to enter inside his head?! The Autobots agreed to Knockout's idea of performing the Cortical Psychic Patch and find out if what Orion Eclipse said about his memory loss is true.
So they take their prisoner to the laboratory and they prepare to perform the Cortical Psychic Patch on both Orion and Knockout. Bumblebee takes Orion Eclipse to his operating table and he can tell by the look on his face that he is very anxious about having someone enter inside his head.
"It's okay. You'll be alright, I promise." Bumblebee said to Orion.
"How so?! If I didn't know any better, you Autobots are trying to get inside my head just to invade my thoughts!" Orion Eclipse exclaimed.
"Knockout just wants to know if you're telling the truth. That you are an amnesiac and that you're not a threat." Bumblebee said.
"I AM telling the truth! I am not a threat! I don't know what a Cortical Psychic Patch is, but I hope that you're not planning to mess with my head." Orion said in both anger and anxiety.
"Don't worry. Knockout will only ask you a few questions and then this will be over soon." Bumblebee promised.
Orion Eclipse sighed in frustration and anxiety before he laid down on his operating table and allowed the Autobots to begin the Cortical Psychic Patch and have Knockout enter inside Orion's subconscious. The young Cybertronian and the medic went into a deep sleep before Knockout entered into Orion Eclipse's subconscious.
To his surprise, Knockout could see that Orion's mind was set on inside a dark cave in the mountains of Idaho on Earth. He figured that this was where the young Decepticon loner spends most of his days in his own life of solitude.
"Helloooo. Anybody here?" Knockout called sarcastically.
"Leave me alone!" Orion Eclipse replied.
Knockout looked around the cave until he could see Orion Eclipse feeling sad, scared, defensive, and miserable. Knockout did his best to try and talk to the young bot peacefully as he raised his hands to let him know that he's harmless. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you, we're not gonna mess with your sanity, we just want answers." Knockout said peacefully. "What do you wanna know other than how THIS thing on my chest is the symbol of these Decepticons you robots keep yammering on about?" Orion Eclipse said as he pointed at the Decepticon insignia on his chest.
Knockout sighed before he told Orion, "Look kid, I know you're upset. Trust me, I know how it feels like to be a prisoner of the Autobots. But the thing is, that Decepticon insignia does not define who you are, it only shows what you are."
Orion Eclipse looked at Knockout before he asked, "Alright, then what am I exactly?" Knockout replied, "Well, Hot Rod said that you don't behave like a Decepticon and you are a Cybertronian just like me and any other bot who was born and made on Cybertron. Cybertron is our homeworld, our planet, and Primus is our life-giver. He's basically a god." He told Orion. "Why are you inside my head?" The young bot asked the medic.
"I'm a doctor and you are the patient. I went inside your head only to know for sure if you are an amnesiac and that you've been wandering around the Earth for so long that you're in dire need of answers and medical care. So tell me, Orion: Do you remember having a family? Where you live and how you lost your memories?" Knockout asked Orion as if he were his patient.
Orion Eclipse paused for a minute and then he replied, "I don't remember anything about my past at all. All I remember was being lost and alone. I was feared and hated by humanity and the only peace I found was in the mountains and being alone with nature. I had no real friends to talk to. Just rocks, trees, and animals."
Knockout made a sympathetic comment about Orion's backstory. "That's sad. I'm sorry to hear that. Anything else that we should know?" The medic asked. "I survived on these bright blue crystals that helped me feel nourished and I kept them in my cave in case I ever got hungry." Orion said before Knockout told them what those crystals he mentioned were called, "We call them Energon. Energon is what fuels us which is kinda like food and gas and blood and electricity all mixed into one. Orion, when Ratchet, Hot Rod, and Ironhide brought you into our base, they asked me to take a good look at you, and...you were infused with Dark Energon! We did everything to remove it before it would corrupt you. It's the evil version of Energon. Dark Energon is considered extremely dangerous, being able to reanimate dead Cybertronians as mindless Terrorcons and bring inert and inanimate machines to life. Dark Energon also has the same harmful effect on humans as normal Energon. They say that Dark Energon is the blood of Unicron the Chaos Bringer himself." Knockout explained.
Orion Eclipse was confused when he heard Knockout mention the name Unicron, "Unicron? Who is he?" Orion asked. Knockout answered briefly, "Unicron is the rival of our life-giver Primus. He is the worst of the worst. He lives to destroy everything and everyone in existence. Optimus Prime defeated Unicron back when he possessed Megatron." he said. "Optimus? Do you mean the one who spoke to the three Autobots who attacked me and my human friend, Anthony? When we found that massive sword in the stone?" Orion Eclipse asked.
"That sword would be The Sword of Primus. It's an elegant weapon for a more civilized age." Knockout said, making a Star Wars reference. "Optimus Prime was the leader of the Autobots before Ultra Magnus took his place when he sacrificed himself to restore our homeworld of Cybertron and he became one with the Allspark." Knockout told Orion Eclipse.
"And who is Megatron?" Orion Eclipse asked Knockout.
"Megatron was Optimus Prime's greatest enemy." Knockout replied "He was once the leader of the Decepticons until he learned the true meaning of oppression when Unicron possessed his body and Optimus Prime exorcised him and...he left, put himself into exile and we never saw him again. Some say that Megatron is dead, others believe that he's still alive somewhere." he said.
"What did he look like?" Orion asked.
"Before he was possessed by Unicron, Megatron was tall, bulky, and evil-looking. His metal was silver and purple with battle scars, his eyes were red, he had razor-sharp teeth, scars on his face, and his shoulders were spikey." Knockout described.
Orion Eclipse thought for a moment before he started to remember his nightmare he had the other night back on Earth and everything in his subconscious mind began to change shape and now he and Knockout were set on a battlefield at Cybertron much to their surprise. Then, they saw Megatron fighting against Optimus Prime.
"That's him! I-I remember him!" Orion exclaimed.
"You do? How? When?" Knockout asked.
"He was the evil robot that appeared in my nightmare. He was fighting against Optimus and everything was on fire!" Orion replied, feeling terrified.
"Calm down, Orion. It's just an illusion. What you see around here, I think I know what it is: It's what's left of your memories." Knockout told the young bot.
Orion Eclipse's subconscious began to change as his spark was beginning to calm down from the nightmare he had earlier back on Earth. Now both he and Knockout were standing underneath the stars on a peaceful night. Knockout looked at Orion Eclipse before he asked him a few questions to know for certain if he really is an amnesiac.
"Orion, do you remember who you are? Where you came from?" the medic asked.
"No. I don't remember where I came from or how I was born. All I could remember is my name. I swear I mean it when I say that I've lost my memories." Orion Eclipse told Knockout.
"Maybe we can help you regain your lost memories." Knockout replied.
"Really? How? Is there a way to cure my amnesia?" Orion asked.
"I'm not so sure if there is such a thing as a cure for it. But perhaps we can help you learn more about yourself. Although you do seem to remind me of someone I once knew, someone who was very close to Megatron." Knockout said.
"Who?" Orion Eclipse asked.
"I'm not quite sure who it was. But if it's true that you've gotten amnesia from some kind of incident you were in and that you've been a loner for some time now, then perhaps we Autobots can give you a chance. We'll even help you stay in touch with your human friend and maybe you could join us as an Autobot." Knockout replied. "You know, I used to be a medical officer to the Decepticons under Megatron's rule before I eventually joined the winning team and became an Autobot medic. I was their prisoner before I changed my allegiance," he told Orion.
"Why are you telling me this? I'm not sure if being an Autobot is a good thing. All I want is for humanity to accept me for who I am, not what I am." Orion said to Knockout. "Anthony was the only human on Earth who understood the fact that I'm friendless."
"I think we all know what that feels like." Knockout replied.
"Will you talk to your leader and ask him if he and the Autobots can let me go? I want to go home, I want to meet my human friend again." Orion asked.
"But where will you go from here, Orion? You're on Cybertron, not Earth. You will need a space bridge to travel from one world to the next." Knockout told Orion Eclipse. Orion sighed deeply before Knockout gave the young bot a suggestion. "How about you stay in our base until we can figure out how to restore your memories?" Orion shook his head. "But...I don't wanna stay here. I feel like a prisoner and I don't wanna be locked away like an animal! I just want to go back to Earth." he said. "I know, but Earth isn't your birthplace. Cybertron is. No need to worry about your friend. Ratchet told me that that teenage human put up quite a fight to protect you from him and his Autobot comrades." Knockout said.
"So what happens now? Am I still a prisoner of the Autobots?" Orion Eclipse asked, wanting to be done with his conversation with Knockout in his subconscious.
"That's up to Ultra Magnus to decide. He's the leader of the Autobots after all since he took Optimus Prime's place after sacrificing himself to restore our home planet." Knockout replied.
After the Autobots were done using the Cortical Psychic Patch to have Knockout speak to Orion Eclipse inside of his head, Orion Eclipse opened his optics which was changed from the color purple to sky blue because Knockout and the others had removed the Dark Energon from his system while he was in stasis mode. He then sat up before Knockout spoke to Ultra Magnus and told him that Orion is indeed a victim of amnesia and that he does need help. Soon afterward, the Autobots looked at Orion Eclipse and they all but wondered what they and their leader should do with him now.
After speaking to Ultra Magnus, the Autobot leader spoke to Orion Eclipse and he told him, "Orion? We're sorry to hear about your memory loss. Knockout has told me that you are innocent and that you're merely a victim of circumstance. But for now, you will stay here on Cybertron near the Autobot base until further notice. Ironhide will be training with you, Springer will do some studies with you, and we will treat you not as our prisoner, but as our guest." Ultra Magnus instructed the young bot.
"But what about Anthony Carter? Will I ever see him again? He's my friend." Orion Eclipse said.
"Don't worry. He will be fine and you will see him again once after we get to know you better." Ultra Magnus replied. "Right now, the Decepticons have a new leader. We don't know who it is yet, but if Optimus says that he will stop at nothing to destroy both Earth and Cybertron, then we must be ready for whatever happens up until now," he said.
Hot Rod stepped in with an apologetic expression on his face before he spoke to Orion Eclipse. "Hey, uh...Orion is it?" he asked.
"What do you want?" Orion Eclipse asked.
"I want to apologize for the way I treated you in front of your human friend. It was wrong and I let the great war cloud my judgment." Hot Rod began. "We didn't realize that you've done absolutely nothing wrong and that you actually found The Sword of Primus before we did. You were just trying to spend some quality time with your human friend, but still what I did was wrong and brutal. So, all I wanted to say is...I'm sorry." Hot Rod apologized to Orion.
Orion Eclipse considered the red and yellow Autobot's words before he smiled at him and patted him on the back. "I forgive you. But don't hit me in the head next time, okay? It really hurts."
"Okay. I will admit though that I am sort of a hothead." Hot Rod said admittedly. "The name's Hot Rod." he introduced himself. Orion Eclipse shook the Autobot's hand. "Orion Eclipse." the young bot said his name to Hot Rod.
Bumblebee walks in along with Knockout, Smokescreen, and Ironhide. Hot Rod then introduces Orion Eclipse to the Autobots. "Orion, this is our lieutenant, Bumblebee, our medic, Knockout, and our fine warriors, Smokescreen and Ironhide." Orion Eclipse makes an awkward smile and waves at the Autobots before he looks at Ratchet. "That's Ratchet, our oldest medic. Don't get too hard on him. He may not always agree with someone, but he's a fine doctor once you get to know him." Hot Rod told Orion.
Orion Eclipse scoffed with doubt. "Yeah right. That's the bot who called me a sparkless monster," he said in disgust. Ratchet made some of his Ratchet noises before he responded, "Ah! No, we thought that you were a Decepticon scout that was either sent by Starscream or Shockwave to steal...Agh! Okay, okay you're right. I might've said something like that, but then again I did have to be hit hard by that kid and his crowbar for that insult because I deserved it." Ratchet admitted before he groaned in frustration. That made Orion smiled malevolently at the old medic before he asked. "Who's Starscream and Shockwave?"