ELEVEN: HOMECOMING
Earth
“All right. All hooked up and ready to go.” Brainstorm turned to Expanse, who had cables connecting his chestplate to the Timemaze. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Right. Here goes nothing.” Brainstorm pulled a switch and within moments the Timemaze’s monitors flickered back to life. The Autobot scientist raised his arms up in absolute glee. “Huzzah! It worked!”
“It doesn’t hurt, does it?” Optimus Prime asked Expanse.
Expanse shook his head. “Nope. I feel fine, actually.”
“Excellent.” Optimus turned to Perceptor. “Can you pinpoint Prowl and Sari’s location?”
Perceptor leaned forward to study the monitors. “Actually, Prime, it appears that something is already trying to come through the portal. I can’t quite figure out what exactly.”
“Huh-boy.” Ironhide raised his blaster. “Be ready for anything! If it’s anything like last time, then—”
The Timemaze’s portal materialized, and before any of the Autobots could react a large crimson form was tossed into the room. Optimus and Ironhide immediately pointed their weapons at it, only to realize that the red winged mech was confined by stasis cuffs and did not appear to be functioning. At that moment, another figure stepped through portal, and Optimus immediately recognized his black and gold form.
“Prowl!” Optimus lowered his weapon. “Thank the Matrix. Is Sari with you?”
“Right here.” Sari appeared from behind Prowl’s shoulder. “We also brought a bunch of others. Might want to make room….”
Before anyone else knew it, the room was being filled with all sorts of mechs—many of them were Autobots and Maximals, among whom Optimus spotted the Dinobots and Wheelie. Also with them were five others bots—three Autobots and two Decepticons—whom he did not recognize. Finally, the last to come through the portal was a large orange and blue figure, who was taller than Optimus, as well as the massive form of Sky Lynx, who was barely able to fit himself through the portal and into the room.
“Oh, for spark’s sake!” Ironhide exclaimed. “Couldn’t you have at least mass-shifted him?”
“A smaller form would be unable to contain the glory of Sky Lynx!” the massive Autobot retorted.
“Even so, it is getting a bit crowded.” Optimus glanced at Prowl. “I take it you have quite the story to tell.”
“Oh,” Prowl said, “you have no idea.”
Some time later - Swerve’s 2.0
“So, who else is missing from the Sigma Project?”
“A lot,” Gigawatt sighed, looking down at his can of engex. “Blue Booster, Wingtail, Party Wallop… Mandrake I’m pretty sure is stuck in another galaxy.”
“Sounds like a lot of work that still needs to be done.” Knightride leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. “Have you brought it up to Prime?”
“Yes, but both he and Prowl are worried about the Timemaze seeing further use. They’re afraid of a repeat of recent events. I think they’ve already started work on dismantling it and the one in the Functionist Universe.”
“Do you know what’s happening over in the other universe?” asked Maverick. “Like, what’s happening to the rest of the Functionists?”
“They’ve all been arrested from what I’ve heard. The AVL is probably gonna be discussing a new coalition or government to replace the Council.” Gigawatt shrugged. “Anything’s better than what they’ve had, anyway.”
“Hopefully they’re not going to miss their Matrix too much,” Ectotron remarked.
Seated at the table with the rest of the displaced bots were Paddock and Wrangler, who had been with the Dinobots and the Maximals back in the Savage Land. As he listened to Gigawatt and the others’ tale, Paddock kept glancing furtively at the seventh member of their group, who had remained silent so far.
“Don’t you have a transwarp drive?” the green Autobot agent asked.
Expanse lifted his head. “Yes, but… I’m not really keen on using it anymore.”
“I get that. I’ve heard about the… trouble it’s caused. But maybe it can still be put to good use.”
Expanse frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ectotron seemed to light up at this. “Ah! I think I’m catching on. If used in conjunction with Gigawatt’s transwarp drive, we can not only teleport ourselves to different locations, but different timelines as well. That way, we can go the realities and galaxies in which the others have disappeared to!”
“Uh, sure.” Paddock nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I was going to say.”
“It still might be something that would need Prime’s approval….” Knightride shrugged. “But it’s better than using the Timemaze. At least I know I can trust you guys.”
“Aw!” Maverick elbowed the black-and-blue bot. “Listen to the old softie, everyone! You’re gonna melt our spark casings with words like that.”
Knightride grunted. “Don’t push your luck, kid.”
Gigawatt looked up at Expanse. “Does that sound like a good idea to you?”
Expanse seemed to think it over before slowly nodding. “Yes, actually. As much as I’ve come to resent this… thing….” He gestured at the transwarp drive in his chest. “I think that might be the best way to use it. To rescue people. To do good.”
Gigawatt smiled. “I agree. Besides, I feel that it would be… awkward for us to stick around here. Many of us don’t recognize this reality as our own, or even the time period. Maybe what we need is a dimension-spanning adventure.”
Maverick snapped his fingers and pointed them at Gigawatt. “Now that sounds like an enticing sales pitch! I just have one question: What are we gonna call ourselves?”
Knightride frowned. “Do we need to call ourselves anything?”
“Sure we do! Every good subgroup needs a cool name! I was thinking maybe Sigmabots?”
“No.”
“Timebots?”
“No.”
“Dimensionbots!”
Knightride buried his face in his hands. “Primus give me strength….”
* * *
“I still think we could’ve stayed behind.”
Small Foot frowned at Road Ranger. “Why do you say that?”
Road Ranger glanced vaguely in the direction of Perceptor’s lab, where the Timemaze was in the process of being dismantled. “Because maybe Gorlam Prime still exists in that universe! You know, our home?”
“If Gorlam Prime still exists there, then so do we,” Path Finder pointed out. “How do you think Road Ranger-2 would have felt about you trying to share a home with him?”
Road Ranger slumped down in his seat. “I dunno. I’m sure we would have gotten along….”
Path Finder sighed. “Well, in any case, it’s too late to go back now. Besides, Bad Boy and Treds have already gone back to the Decepticons.”
“You couldn’t get Treds to stay with us?” Small Foot asked.
“No. He seems to still believe in their cause, in spite of everything. I couldn’t care less about Bad Boy, but….” Path Finder sighed again. “I guess our dream of finding a new Gobotron is still nothing more than that: a dream.”
From one of the nearby tables, the Autobot known as Maverick walked over to them and came to stand behind Small Foot and Path Finder. “Hey. You guys wanna go on an adventure?”
“Not interested,” Small Foot said, almost reflexively. “Like I told the bartender, I’m not looking for a relationship. I swear, just because we have the same body-type…”
“Whoa, hey.” Maverick raised his hands. “I wasn’t asking for any of that. I just wanted to know if you wanted to join the Unibots!”
“That one’s even worse!” Knightride cried from their table.
Path Finder glanced over at the other table before shaking her head. “Um, no thanks. I think you guys have enough members as it is.”
“Good point.” Maverick shrugged as he walked away. “Well, let me know if you guys ever change your mind.”
As the gray Autobot returned to his table, Road Ranger turned back to his fellow Go-Bots. “So… what are we going to do? Just go back to Cybertron?”
Small Foot opened her mouth to respond only to immediately clamp up as the white-and-red bartender made his way over to their table. Road Ranger picked up on this and started to rise from his seat.
“Look, buddy, she already said—”
“No, no, no!” Swerve waved his hands. “It was a misunderstanding! I wasn’t trying to hit on her!”
“What were you trying to do then?” Path Finder asked skeptically.
Swerve placed something down on the table—a datapad, which Road Ranger picked up. “I was just asking if she had seen this. I had heard about what you guys are gone through, and I just thought that maybe this was something you’d be interested in.”
Small Foot tilted her head. “What is it?”
Road Ranger showed the datapad to her and Path Finder. They stared at it for a moment, and all three exchanged silent glances. Then, Small Foot turned back to Swerve with a bright grin.
“Where do we sign up?”
Cybertron
“So… this is quite the development, isn’t it?”
The Maximal formerly known as Primal Major nodded solemnly. He stood in a room with fellow Primes Optimus and Rodimus, the latter whom carried the Matrix of this universe. “I understand that it might… complicate things for you.”
Rodimus Prime paced around the room, his arms behind his back. “Before we get to that,” he said, “you said that Leo Prime—I mean, Lio Convoy—is still missing?”
“Yes. No one was able to find him when the Predacons’ fortress collapsed. For all we know, he could be dead.”
Rodimus rubbed his chin. “He certainly has a habit of vanishing and reappearing at the most inopportune times….”
“Indeed. Unfortunately, we have no means of getting back to the Savage Land, especially with the Timemaze dismantled.”
“And the Predacons are MIA as well?” When Primal nodded, Rodimus stopped pacing and sighed. “Well, in that case, there is not much we can do other than hope that they don’t turn up and cause us more trouble.”
Optimus turned to Primal. “Do the denizens of the Functionist Universe approve of you taking their Matrix?”
“I spoke with Reverse Convoy, the temporary leader of the new government, and he agreed that it would be for the best that I keep it. The Functionists had already repurposed the image of the Matrix for their sadistic ways, so it is no longer the positive symbol that it is in our universe.”
“Makes sense,” said Rodimus. “So what are you going to call yourself? Primal Prime?”
Primal winced. “I, uh, haven’t really thought about that. To be honest, I’m not really comfortable with the thought of being a Prime….”
“Then you’re already a better candidate than most.” Rodimus glanced from him to Optimus before smiling. “In any case, I suppose now is a good time to share with you two something I’ve been thinking about ever since you got here.”
Optimus tilted his head, raising an optic ridge. “And that would be?”
Rodimus placed a hand on his shoulder. “The Convoy Corps need their commander again. Which means someone else is going to need to command Autobot City.”
“I thought Elita was City Commander?”
“I’m reassigning her to command a different operation.” Rodimus gestured to Primal. “In her place, I would like to nominate Primal Major. Or… Optimus Primal.”
“’Optimus’ Primal?”
“Yup! It’s a new rank I’m introducing. Higher than Major but below Prime—more or less equal to Convoy. As the current Prime, I’m pretty sure I have the authority to do that.”
“I don’t have an issue with that, but… won’t that be confusing?”
Rodimus winked at him. “I don’t know what you mean, Star Convoy.”
Optimus sighed. “So that’s what it feels like….”
Primal smirked. “To be bossed around?”
“No. To learn a lesson from a Prime.” Optimus looked back at Rodimus. “So, what is this new operation that Elita will be commanding, if I may ask?”
“It’s an initiative for the Council of Worlds, to restore the damage that the Grand Architect did to the colony worlds, such as Velocitron and Animatron. And to help out any other worlds along the way, whether they be affiliated with Cybertron or not.”
“Ah. A new Age of Exploration, I take it?”
“More like an Age of Resotration.” Rodimus smiled. “At least, that’s what it says on the fliers.”
“You sent out fliers?”
“Well, yeah. How else are we gonna drum up recruitment? Besides, Swerve and Ten really wanted to design them.”
Optimus shook his head. “I suppose some things never change….”
Autobot City, Earth
It was good to be home.
Sari sat slumped in a couch as she watched Bumblebee and Bulkhead play some video game—she was pretty sure it was Ninja Gladiator, recognizing it from the few times she had attended Raf’s game nights. She couldn’t make sense of what was happening on the screen, but she didn’t care. She was just glad to be surrounded by something familiar.
From what she had heard, both Beast Megatron and Tarantulas had been transferred to a maximum security facility somewhere far away—where she hoped they would stay for a very long time. They had already caused enough headache for her and everyone else, and the universe (if not the multiverse) would be much better off without them interfering.
At the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but think about what Megatron had said to her back at his fortress—about how she had only ended up in a divergent timeline and that the original one was still suffering from the wrath of Unicron. She quickly pushed it out of her mind; if that had been the case, then surely the Timemaze would have sent her there or shown it to her. Perhaps Megatron had simply been wrong about his conclusions and the Warren had indeed allowed her to alter history, if just by a little.
For the sake of her own sanity, that was the explanation she would go with. She did not dare bring it up to Perceptor or Brainstorm, for fear that they would end up confirming what Megatron had told her. Sometimes, ignorance truly was bliss.
Bulkhead through his game controller to the ground. “Aw, come on! You cheated!”
“No, Big Boss is just a better fighter than Felina,” Bumblebee said. “Deal with it.”
Sari couldn’t help but smile. “Boy, I hope you don’t let Jack hear you say that. He is obsessed with Felina. I’m pretty sure he has a crush on her.”
Bumblebee gave her a confused look. “Huh? But she’s just a bunch of pixels. She isn’t real.”
“Oh, you precious child.” Sari grinned to herself as she brought out her phone. “Wait until you see the DeviantArt results.”
Bulkhead slowly turned his head. “Why did you make that sound like a threat? Sari? Why… why are you smiling like that?”
Sari let out a cackle as she showed the two Autobots her phone, reveling in their horrified expressions.
Yes, it was good to be home.
Elsewhere
“Alpha Trion?” Topspin looked around nervously. “Where… where are we?”
“We’re home, my dear Topspin.” Alpha Trion set foot onto the metallic surface of Cybertron. “We are a long ways from Axiom Nexus now.”
He raised an arm and accessed his comlink. “Rodimus? This is Alpha Trion. I have returned.”
“About time. We was worried we’d have ta start without ya. We’ve got da Terminus Blade.”
“Excellent. And I have brought the quarry.” Alpha Trion grinned down at his confused companion. “Soon, the five shall be one again… and the universe shall tremble before the might of the Primes once more!”
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