ONE: FAR FROM HOME
Axiom Nexus, now
Prowl wondered if he was dreaming.
It was not a thought that crossed his mind often. After all, machines didn’t really “dream”; not the way organics did at least. Sure, his processor would cycle through select memories, some going as far back to his day of activation, but they were all accurate, down to the very last detail. They almost never got details wrong or presented him with hypothetical scenarios, let alone those as ludicrous as seeing the dead come back to life.
As if he were one to talk. But it was one thing for a relatively young Cybertronian such as himself to be restored into a new body, as Tarantulas had done to him. For someone as ancient as Alpha Trion… it was practically out of the question. His processor would be so antique it would have been near impossible to get it functioning in a newly constructed body. And that didn’t even account for his spark or transformation cog.
As Prowl ran through a number of plausible explanations for the Cybertronian sage’s apparent survival, Alpha Trion looked down at him and offered him a kindly smile. “I can tell that something is troubling you.”
“How are you alive?” Prowl finally asked. “If I recall correctly, you were killed by the Decepticon Justice Division nearly three years ago.”
“Was I?” Alpha Trion sighed. “An unfortunate fate for my counterpart then.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am not the Alpha Trion of your home reality. Nor are you the Prowl of mine. This place—Axiom Nexus—is a hub for all those that have been separated from their respective universes.”
Prowl frowned. He had theorized that possibility but did not want it to be true, deep down. He remembered that one of the bots that had greeted him earlier had said something about his universe having been erased… but that had to have been a lie. Wasn’t it?
“A friend of mine had mentioned something about encountering Autobots from other universes,” he said, recalling Gears’ account of his adventures in something called Mojoworld. “I think this place is different from the one he had described.”
“The currents of the multiverse often converge in more than one spot,” Alpha Trion said. “Axiom Nexus is but one of them.”
Prowl shook his head. This kind of thing was more Perceptor’s forte rather than his. “Okay, so now I know where I am. How do I get back home?”
“You cannot.”
Prowl looked up at Alpha Trion. “What do you mean I cannot?”
“Because the TransTech—those that govern Axiom Nexus—would have you believe that your universe has been destroyed.” Alpha Trion shook his head, a hint of disgust on his face. “But they are lying to you.”
“I figured that. But why would they lie about that? What purpose do they have in keeping me here?”
Alpha Trion hesitated, glancing around the small room they were holed up in. He then leaned in closer to Prowl and spoke in a low whisper. “Here and now is not the best place to discuss this. Your pursuers are still out there, looking for you. We will need to find another hiding place.”
“I hope you have one in mind….”
Alpha Trion smiled. “As a matter of fact, I do. Just stay close to me; we will find safety in no time.”
* * *
“I fear that we might have lost him.”
Cheetor stared incredulously at his lieutenant Stungun through the holographic map of Axiom Nexus. “You’re kidding me,” he muttered. “He couldn’t have gotten away from us that easily.”
“He might’ve had help,” Stungun suggested, shutting off the hologram. “It sounds like he ran off into the Offworlder Zones, where there’ll be at least a dozen ‘bots that look just like him. It’ll be easy for him to blend in.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Cheetor sighed as he pinched his helmet crest in frustration. “We need to find him, and fast. The last thing I want to do is to bring this up to the Senate. I just know Starscream would give me an earful….”
“Shall I mobilize our units in the Offworlder Zones?”
“Yes, do that. Alert all nine sectors. If the FPL can nab him, then it’ll make things a lot easier for us. Make sure you give them a full description of what he looks like: black, gold, motorcycle alternate mode….”
“Is he a Prowl from a Malgus stream?” Stungun asked.
“We didn’t hold him long enough to pinpoint an exact stream designation,” said Silverbolt. “Rhinox speculates that he is from a Primax stream, or at least Primax adjacent. He didn’t seem Malgus-born to me….”
“Regardless, we can’t take any chances,” said Cheetor. “Have FPL keep an eye out for anyone that matches the description. We can always sort them out later.”
“Will do,” said Stungun.
While Stungun headed off to carry out his orders, Silverbolt stepped up closer to Cheetor, speaking in a low voice. “He’s going to find out eventually, you know.”
“I don’t plan on bringing this up to the Prime,” Cheetor whispered back.
“I’m not talking about the Prime. You know how nosy he is. As soon as he sees that we’ve raised the level of security in all nine offworlder zones, he’s going to notice and start asking questions.”
“Then I hope you’ll be there with me to give him answers, Silverbolt. That’s why we need to find this lowtech as soon as possible, or else it’s all gonna go pistons up….”
* * *
Prowl had been following Alpha Trion for nearly an hour. Due to the packed crowds of Axiom Nexus, it was nearly impossible to traverse in alternate mode without bumping into anyone or getting separated. As such, the two of them walked on foot, wrapping themselves up in cloaks in order to conceal their appearances.
As they walked through the crowds, Prowl spotted all sorts of ‘Bots and ‘Cons that he recognized, along with those he did not. He had even come across more than one bot who resembled how he had looked before Tarantulas had revived him. It was a lot for him to take him and it caused his logic processors to overheat. He tried not to dwell on any of it, instead focusing on Alpha Trion as he followed him through the bustling streets.
Eventually, they reached an alleyway which led to a small alcove blocked by a door. Standing guard was a bot who had the unmistakable appearance of Soundwave. Prowl instinctively tensed up but refrained from making a move as Alpha Trion approached him.
“Password,” the Soundwave lookalike intoned.
“Slaughter,” Alpha Trion whispered back.
Soundwave stepped aside as the door behind him opened. As he followed Alpha Trion in, Prowl glanced at the Decepticon but Soundwave made no indication that he recognized him, disguise or not.
Inside was a room that was only slightly bigger than the one Prowl had first met Trion in but just as dingy and dimly lit. Occupying the room were at least a dozen bots, all with an equal amount of variety as the streets outside. One of them was a red bot whom Prowl recognized as Cliffjumper, and he was the first one to step out from the rest and approach Trion.
“I see you’ve brought a newcomer,” Cliffjumper remarked, eying Prowl warily.
“Indeed,” Alpha Trion said, pulling back his hood. “His name is Prowl. I ran into him when he escaped from processing.”
“A Prowl who gets into trouble with the law, eh?” Cliffjumper snorted. “That’s a new one. Do you know what universal stream you’re from?”
“I have no idea what that is,” Prowl replied.
“Join the club. I’ve already forgotten my designation.” Cliffjumper extended a hand to him. “Well, if you’re anything like the Prowl of my reality, then you should be trustworthy enough. You know a Cliffjumper from where you are?”
“I do actually,” Prowl said as he shook the proffered hand. “You’re just as high-strung as he is.”
Cliffjumper smirked. “Then I’m sure we’ll be on the same page.”
One of the other bots, a bulky mech colored in various shades of greens and yellows, leaned forward where he was sitting. “Do you know how you got here?”
Prowl sighed. “It’s a long story. In my… universe, there’s this thing called the Timemaze, invented by an old rival of mine. It started acting haywire and turned itself on. Some… dragon-looking bot stepped through the portal and captured a friend of mine. I tried to go after them, only to end up here. I don’t know anything else beyond that.”
“Sounds par for the course,” Cliffjumper muttered. “About six years ago—or maybe it’s been fourteen? I’ve lost track. Anyway, me and Beachcomber had been abducted by Unicron. I take it you’ve heard of him.” When Prowl grimaced, he waved a hand. “I figured. Anyway, we were about to be executed by these two ‘Cons, Starscream and Sideways, when this portal just materializes out of nowhere. I saw an opportunity to get out of there and seized it and I went through. Poor Beachcomber couldn’t catch up with me and I had to leave him behind. I ended up here and got processed, and I’ve been stuck here ever since.”
“Did they tell you that your home was erased?” Prowl asked.
Cliffjumper nodded, as did several of the other bots. “That’s what we’ve all been told. I even believed it for a while, until Alpha Trion here told me the truth.”
Prowl held his chin in his hand as he began to pace around the room, deep in thought. “So, just who are these TransTechs, and what is their business?”
“They call themselves the Transcendent Technomorphs,” said a white and pink femme who reminded Prowl of Arcee. “From what I’ve gathered, their universe has never known a Great War. That’s why you’ll see Autobots and Decepticons working together in harmony. Their Optimus Prime runs the High Senate while Megatron commands the military. Together, they founded Axiom Nexus after discovering the existence of other universes, and it has served as a ‘multiversal hub’ for eons.”
“Why do they refuse to send bots back?” Prowl asked. “Why lie to them about their home having been erased.”
“Our guess is because they know that there is war in our home realities,” said Cliffjumper. “They don’t want to send us back to a wartorn Cybertron, so they keep us here so we can enjoy an ‘everlasting peace.’” He punctuated the last two words with air quotes.
“The things is,” said the bulky green bot, “they treat us like low-lives here. They even call us ‘lowtechs.’ And it’s not like we get a say in their government or anything.”
“It might’ve been a sound idea at first,” said a green and gray Seeker-type bot. “But Axiom Nexus has gotten so overpopulated in recent years that it’s a miracle war hasn’t already broken out between us offworlders. It’s already a pain in the aft to share a room with Autobots. But a whole city?”
“The feeling is mutual, Thrust,” Cliffjumper snapped.
“Shove it, Autobrat.”
“So the TransTech keeps us here out of a guilty conscience?” Prowl shook his head. “I feel that there is more to it than that.”
“Whatever the case, it doesn’t make our need to get back home any less urgent,” said Cliffjumper. “The question is just how we’re gonna do it.”
“Fortunately,” Alpha Trion interjected, “I already have a plan ready to be set into motion. I was happening to make the final preparations when I ran into Prowl here.”
“And what is your plan?” asked Prowl.
“Axiom Nexus, as with many realities, is home to a certain individual by the name of Shockwave. As with many of his counterparts, he has access to numerous pieces of advanced technology, including those related to dimensional travel. After a series of scouting missions, I have managed to locate his lab. All we need to do is to get in and gain access to his technology.”
Prowl gave him a skeptic look. “You make it sound easy.”
“Oh, it won’t be. But the complications will be mitigated by the agent that I’ve already put into place to distract Shockwave.”
“Sounds good,” said Cliffjumper. “So when do we move?”
“I would say the sooner, the better. The TransTech have doubtlessly raised security in order to search for our new friend here. The quicker we move, the easier it’ll be to get in before Shockwave’s lab is affected by the heightened security.”
“In that case, there’s no point in waiting around,” said Prowl. “Let’s go.”
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