CHAPTER SIX: CAUGHT IN A WEB
Cybertron, long ago
“It should probably go without saying, Theseus, but I don’t think you quite realize what it is you have created.”
“I cannot take credit for his creation,” replied High Councilor Theseus, regarding the wide-eyed Expanse with his colleague Shockwave. “That honor goes to Boreas, who authorized the operation to begin with.”
“Still, the fact that you’re even associated is going to put a target on your head, in Proteus’s optics.” Shockwave raised a hand to his blue-plated chin, regarding the young ‘bot in front of him. “I will admit, his existence is something of a technological marvel. A cold-constructed ‘bot with powers? The Functionists aren’t the only ones whose heads will be spinning if they learn about him.”
Theseus placed a hand on Shockwave’s shoulder. “Which is exactly why I need you to keep him safe. Safe and hidden. The Functionists are slowly but surely accumulating their power. If Proteus successfully passes his legislation to legitimize their influence, it will send Cybertron on a dark spiral, and ‘bots like young Expanse will suffer the consequences.”
Shockwave eyed his fellow councilor warily. “There’s something else you aren’t telling me, Theseus. I can tell. You aren’t exactly the type to care about the safety of individuals. What is your real reason for caring about Expanse and his safety?”
Expanse looked between the two councilors, oblivious to the meaning of their words. He watched as Theseus glanced at him before whispering something into Shockwave’s audio receptor; the entire time, Shockwave simply stared at Expanse, almost as if he was studying him as some sort of art piece. It was the same way the bots who had operated on him back at the laboratory had looked at him. It was a look that Expanse was beginning to grow quite tired of.
Once Theseus was done speaking, Shockwave nodded sagely. “I see. Yes, it would be imperative to keep him out of sight and out of mind. Primus forbid if a bot like him were to fall into the wrong hands.”
“And that,” Theseus said with a small smile, “is why I feel safe in knowing that I am putting him in the right ones.”
Mojoworld
“If you’re quite done screaming, maybe we can have a proper discussion—”
“Give me a break!” Gears snapped at his counterpart. “If you had been through the same scrap that I have, you would be doing the same!”
“What makes you think I haven’t already?” Other-Gears retorted. He gestured to himself and the other four Autobots in the cell with them. “We’ve all been through some tough slag. We might be from different realities, but we are still Autobots at the end of the day.”
“Well, I’m still not sure about this one,” muttered a blue and gray Autobot as he pointed a thumb at a green mech with a very sleek and streamlined body.
“What are you talking about?” the green mech replied. “I’m an Autobot, just like you! Decimus Prime, at your service!”
Gears raised an eyebrow. “Decimus Prime, huh? How does a Prime of all bots gets themself captured?”
“Unless I’m mistaken, Primes in his reality are little more than generals,” said a bulky brown and tan Autobot. “Certainly not the legendary bots they are in my reality.”
“Nor mine,” said Other-Gears. “Now then, how about we introduce ourselves to our friend? Hopefully he’ll be courteous to do the same.”
“Whirl of Earth-82302,” said the blue helicopter bot.
“Fallback of Earth-112610,” said the brown bot.
“Silverstreak of Earth-90801,” said a small silver and white bot.
“Ben— I mean, uh, Decimus Prime of Earth… uh… something or other.”
The five strange bots all looked to Gears expectantly and he sighed as he lowered his head.
“Gears of Earth-9814,” he grumbled.
“Well met,” said Other-Gears. “So, Gears, how did you end up here?”
“I was on a mission on my Earth when I got teleported to some other reality. Earth-Four-something, I dunno. Anyway, it turned out that another ‘bot from my Earth was captured and taken to this place, and so some humans went with me to rescue him, only for me to get captured.” Gears splayed his hands out. “Now do you see why I’m so frustrated.”
“Fair enough, I’d say,” said Fallback. “I was just performing a routine scouting mission when I was captured. Based on what the others have told me, they were all just minding their own business prior to getting abducted.”
“Not me!” exclaimed Decimus Prime. “I was going up against Vilgax and his forces when—”
“Not now, Decimus,” Other-Gears said exasperatedly. Shaking his head, he said to Gears, “When I was captured, I overheard my captors saying that they had nearly finished collecting ‘bots from the ‘main pillars.’ Don’t ask me what that means, but since I was the last one to end up here before you showed up… I’m guessing they’re getting ready to do whatever it is they’re planning to do.”
“Wonderful,” Gears said. “And I take it you’ve already tried breaking out.”
“Trust me, pal, if it were that easy, we wouldn’t all be here.”
Gears sighed as he slumped down onto the floor, holding his head in his hands. Once again his processor was beginning to overheat from all the information he was being given. If he got another info-dump, his cranial unit was probably going to explode.
Suddenly, the room started to shake and he quickly got back onto his feet. Around the six Autobots, the walls began to raise, revealing metal bars that separated them from a much larger chamber. In fact, the “room” they were in was actually a cage that was being lowered from the ceiling, and Gears could see several other cages similar to theirs. Some carried an assortment of Cybertronians, others humans and a variety of other beings. In one, he could see Spider-Girl along with a bunch of other costumed heroes similar to her; likewise for Jean Grey and her cage full of various X-People. Once the cages had touched down onto the ground below, the bars of their cells lowered, freeing them all from their respective cages. At the same time, a massive screen that overlooked the entire chamber turned on to display the visage of a rather grotesque-looking being.
“Welcome, my champions, to Mojoworld! You have all been selected to take part in a tournament that will decide who is worthy enough to make the transition to the New World! This is only the first of many, many more to come, so please be courteous and make it quick!”
“Screw that!” exclaimed a Decepticon that had been in one of the other cages. “I’m outta here!”
He converted to his jet mode and started to take off only for a massive energy beam to fire from out of the ceiling and disintegrate him. On the screen, the disgusting creature shook his head in admonishment.
“Oh, I’m afraid that it’s not going to be that easy. If you wish to leave the arena, then you must win the tournament. If you don’t, then you die. Simple as that, really.”
“So, what, are we supposed to fight each other?” Whirl called out.
“If you think it will improve your chances, then have at it,” Mojo replied. “But the main objective of the tournament—the only one that will guarantee your victory—is survival.”
With that, Mojo pressed a button off-screen and from above descended several dozen blue and purple robots. They did not appear to be Cybertronian from what Gears could tell, but they were still big and appeared to be heavily armed.
“And with that, let us begin Stage One! If you can survive the Sentinels, then you may proceed to the other stages. If not, well… it’s been nice knowing you.”
The Sentinels’ optics glowed to life as they began to march on their awaiting victims, arms raised to unleash hell. With no other options at his disposal, Gears deployed his weapons and charged into battle.
* * *
As battle broke out between the Sentinels and the dimensionally displaced heroes and villains, Mojo studied his main monitor and tapped a clawed finger on the screen.
“Major Domo, get over here.”
Mojo’s obedient right-hand man was at his side in an instant. “Yes, my liege?”
“That one Autobot… the blue and red one… where did you get him?”
“The monitors captured him along with Spider-Girl and Jean Grey of Earth-103192, my liege.”
“But he’s not from Earth-103192, is he? I’m pretty sure that one got killed off already.”
“Yes, my liege. He is from Earth-9814.”
“What?!” Mojo whirled around, staring at Major Domo in disbelief. “You mean the same reality that Expanse is originally from? What are even the odds of that? We only just registered it in our database a few months ago!”
“I’m not quite sure what happened, my liege,” Major Domo said. “An external factor must have pulled him from his original reality and dropped him into Earth-103192 before he ended up here in Mojoworld—which I believe he accessed through Dr. Reed Richards’ Bridge.”
Mojo narrowed his already tiny eyes as he clenched his fists. “Richards,” he growled. “A most confounding human—and he’s not even a mutant! Someone must be behind this… and I’m going to find out who.”
“Of course, my liege. Before or after the tournament is finished?”
“Oh, after, obviously. Get me something to munch on. This one is gonna be a riot, I can already tell.”
“The ratings seem to be positive at the moment.”
“Good. Make sure it stays that way.”
Earth
As the Cobra B.A.T. and Viper drones flew out of the hideout to terrorize the city of Detroit, Old Snake stepped away from his computer and turned around to face Sari in her cell. However, his attention did not appear to be focused on her as he raised a hand to the side of his mask, speaking into a hidden communicator.
“Make this quick. I’m busy.” The Cobra leader paused as he listened to the speaker on the other end. “Yes, actually. How did you…? Whatever. Shall I bring her to you, then?”
Knowing that Old Snake was referring to her, Sari felt her heart sink into her stomach. As she swallowed her building dread, Old Snake turned away from her and motioned to Baroness and Doctor Arkeville.
“Follow me.”
Baroness raised an eyebrow at him. “Where are we going?”
“No questions. Just follow me.”
With some reluctance, Baroness and Arkeville followed Old Snake out of the room, leaving Sari alone with her father and the still-unconscious Autobots. For the longest time, the only sounds she heard were those of the battle taking place outside and the intermittent sobs of her father. Just as she was about to offer her father futile words of comfort, she heard an all-too familiar voice echo throughout the chamber.
“And so the wayward child returns. It has been a while, hasn’t it?”
Sari clenched her fists. “You.”
From out of the shadows, a large arachnid emerged, all eight of its green eyes glowing as it walked over to Sari’s cell. The tarantula brought its head close to the bars of the cell, enough for Sari to see the saliva dripping from its maw.
“You continue to be a persistent factor in the universe’s confounding scheme,” Tarantulas hissed. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
Sari glared at the Predacon. “Let me guess, you’re the brains behind Old Snake and his schemes? Guess it’s true when they say there’s always a bigger fish.”
Tarantulas cackled, a sound that made Sari involuntarily cringe. “Oh, even one as arrogant as myself cannot take credit for everything that a human like himself has done. Think of me as more of a… benefactor. There is enough overlap between our respective schemes that we each saw it beneficial to work together. It helps that we’ve both had connections to Scorponok and his Machination project.”
“Uh-huh,” Sari said dryly. “So what is it you’re up to this time? Last time I saw you, you and your buddies were falling through a vortex.”
“As were you,” Tarantulas pointed out. “And yet, here you are, safe and sound. Now, how could that be possible?”
“Something tells me you already know the answer….”
Tarantulas clicked his mandibles together. “The Warren. Something that has confounded the greatest minds of Cybertron for eons, yet somehow you have managed to use it in a way that no one else has been able to despite countless attempts.”
“Hey, don’t look to me as any kind of expert,” Sari said. “I can barely explain what happened, let alone how or why.”
“Clearly there is something special about you,” Tarantulas went on, not really listening to her. “Something that has piqued their interest.”
“Whose interest?”
“The Omega Guardians. Those who were made to protect the very fabric of reality. I can only imagine how much your little act of historical revisionism has angered them, on top of everything else that has transpired within the past year.”
Stepping away from Sari’s cell, Tarantulas crawled over to one of the many pieces of machinery that was installed within Old Snake’s lair, a metal archway connected to a set of monitors. Transforming to his robot mode, Tarantulas accessed the device’s main console and the monitors lit up, each one showing something different. On some of them, Sari made out what looked like Optimus Prime and his Autobots; however, their appearances varied between each screen, some more radically than others. Some of the screens showed things that were beyond imagination, impossible to discern a comprehensible description with mere words.
“This,” Tarantulas said as he turned back around, “is the Timemaze. The culmination of so many years of work, and my key to unraveling the designs of the Omega Guardians and thwarting them once and for all. I’ve already had a successful test run by using it remotely on a hapless Autobot.”
Sari’s eyes went wide as realization dawned on her. “Wait. You’re the one responsible for Gears disappearing?”
“Is that his name?” Tarantulas said dismissively. “Well, you’re welcome to join him, so long as it accomplishes what I desire.”
With that, he pulled a switch and a portal materialized within the archway. Tarantulas then marched backed over to Sari’s cell and opened it, reaching in to grab her before she could escape.
“Of course,” he continued, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll find him so easily… let alone make it home. Such is the downside of interdimensional travel.”
Sari could only scream in protest as Tarantulas threw her into the portal within the Timemaze and the world spun away from her.
Cybertron, long ago
Years passed. Centuries, even. Around him, the world changed, and yet he was none the wiser for it.
He was aware that there were other students like himself; bots who had powers like him. But he was never permitted to see them, or vice versa. Shockwave would never explain to him why, nor would he explain why the world was always changing.
Expanse wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about it. Scared? He didn’t feel scared. Angry? He didn’t feel angry. Yet for some reason he felt that he should be feeling those emotions, but his systems were refusing to process them. Almost as if they were being blocked out.
One day, Shockwave did something unexpected: he allowed Expanse to meet one of his former students. His name was Soundwave (any relation, Expanse wondered?) and he could read minds, just like Expanse. It comforted him to know that he was not alone; he already knew that there were others with powers like his, but it was even better that there was someone who knew how powers like his own worked.
Soundwave was silent as he stepped into the room and stood in front of Expanse. Several minutes passed without neither bot speaking a word. Expanse could read Soundwave’s mind and could tell what the other bot was thinking and thoughts Soundwave was trying to send his way. Yet for some reason he was not responsive to any of Expanse’s own messages, and after a long session, Soundwave turned to look at Shockwave.
“I cannot read him,” the blue-plated mech said in a monotonic, heavily modulated voice.
“Is he blocking you out?” Shockwave asked.
“No. There is a barrier, but it is not one he has put up. I believe he has been shadowplayed.”
Shockwave frowned. “Theseus didn’t mention that bit,” he murmured. “Perhaps it was to keep his mind safe should the Functionists ever get their hands on him. Of course, if the Institute somehow got a hold of him….”
“I believe they already have.” Soundwave raised a hand to his visor, which changed color as it cast an ultraviolet light on Expanse. He could not tell what it was they were seeing on him, but from Shockwave’s expression he could tell that it was nothing good.
“I don’t understand why Theseus would have hidden this from me,” the councilor murmured.
“Perhaps he did not,” Soundwave replied. “Perhaps he was just as unaware as you are. Or perhaps….”
Shockwave looked at him. “Perhaps what?”
“Perhaps he was shadowplayed after Theseus placed him under your care.”
“Impossible! He has been here the whole time! There’s no way they could have….”
Shockwave trailed off and Expanse was tempted to read his mind to perceive his thoughts, but resisted; they had long established a boundary of privacy that Expanse refused to cross, even in times of duress such as now. He was about to voice his concern aloud when Shockwave spoke again, his attention still on Soundwave.
“We will need to relocate him. Somewhere the Institute, the Functionists, not even the Council will find him.”
“What would you suggest, Councilor?” Soundwave asked.
Shockwave placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him out of the room, shutting Expanse in isolation once more.
More time passed. Cybertron was no longer his home. He was now living in Hell.
The people Shockwave had now entrusted his safety with were called the Decepticons. Expanse did not understand the meaning of the name, and no one was particularly willing to educate him.
One Decepticon was especially interested in him. He was a large black-and-purple mech named Zardak, and he requested to the one known as Trannis that Expanse be placed directly under his supervision. No reason was given, to either Trannis or Expanse, and Expanse now found himself constantly surrounded by bots that studied him just like Shockwave and those before him had. Before long, they started operating on him just as they had before, giving him weapons and tools that he didn’t know how to use or what purpose they served. They would ignore his questions and instead talk amongst themselves as if he wasn’t even there.
Eventually the day came when he finally realized what they were doing to him; when they gave him energy claws that extended from his servos, devastating eye beams that emitted from his optical sensors, and tools that allowed him to use his psychic abilities to disable enemies.
They were turning him into a weapon.
Was this what Shockwave had intended for him? Had this been the plan all along? He ultimately got his answer when Zardak reported the results of his operations to Shockwave, whose appearance had changed drastically since the last time Expanse had seen him.
“The modifications have been successfully implemented,” Zardak said as he presented the upgraded Expanse to Shockwave. “We believe he is ready for a test run.”
“Is that your personal assessment or one supported by Magnificus?” Shockwave asked, his tone far more dry and monotonous than how Expanse remembered it. “In any case, he is not ready for a transwarp jump until we have tested his abilities in combat. Only then will he be ready for an actual test run.”
Zardak scowled but did not object. Before Expanse knew it, he had been put on a team with other Decepticons—or “Maladroids” as they were apparently known as—and given the task of raiding an Autobot outpost. From what Expanse had been able to gather, the Autobots were the enemies of the Decepticons, which apparently was what he was now. Why they were enemies, no one cared to tell him. As soon as they had been given their mission, Expanse and his teammates were loaded onto a ship and sent on their way.
The name of the planet was unimportant, as were the identities of the Autobots he had been assigned to kill. All Expanse knew was that he did not want to kill. But he had been given no choice in the matter.
As soon as they had dropped down, his teammates were quick to jump into action: Deadlock started unloading his guns, Slicer marched forward in his exo-suit, and the others gleefully indulged themselves in carnage. Expanse was thus left on his own, forced to watch the chaos unfold.
As he contemplated on whether or not to act, to allow himself to give into his powers and become the weapon the Decepticons wanted him to be, he detected a small burst of energy and turned around to see a small figure appear from out of nowhere and land on the ground in front of him. While roughly the size of a Mini-Con, they did not appear to be mechanical and in fact appeared to be organic, albeit with traces of technological components. As the organic creature grunted and got to its feet, Expanse looked around to see if the other Decepticons had noticed. Once he saw that they were all distracted by their fight with the Autobots, Expanse spoke to the organic creature.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I’ll answer that later,” the organic replied. “First thing’s first, where am I and what year is it?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know this planet’s name,” Expanse said. “As for the year… according to the calculations of my internal chronometer, it should be Cycle 9792.”
“Great. Let me do the math in my head.” The organic was quiet for a moment as she closed her eyes before letting out a heavy sigh. “So I’ve been sent back twenty-five years into the past. Wonderful. I haven’t even been born yet. Built. Whatever.”
Expanse tilted his head. “Wait… you’re from the future?”
“Yes. And unless you help me get back… there’s not going to be a future for me to get back to.”
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