Written by DBX
During the end of a war, anything can happen. Alliances can be made or broken, evil can make its final stand and heroes can be lost. I learned that in the Beast Wars, all of us thought that without his base, Megatron would be powerless, but that's when he found the Nemesis. We thought we wouldn't lose anymore of our friends, and then in a noble move, Depthcharge destroyed Rampage, dying in the process. After that we lost Tigerhawk in a battle against the Nemesis, just days after finding Tigatron and Airrazor again, we lost them both. Optimus Primal gained a victory over Megatron before the Great Reformatting, but he never got to celebrate it because that victory cost him his life. Death is always difficult to deal with, some call them casualties of war, others call them martyrs. Sometimes a sacrifice like that is necessary for the greater good, the sacrifice could even be the life of an innocent.We had finally done it, the people of Cybertron were revolting against Destron and now Orion Prime, Nightwolf and DinobotX were getting ready to capture him. It seemed that we could finally claim victory, but when robots in disguise are concerned, things aren't always what they seem. From the Citadel plaza Ballistic and I watched Destron talking to Prime, we couldn't make out what they were saying but Destron looked angry. That came as no surprise,
"Do you think it's finally over?" Ballistic asked.
"I want to believe that, but I know that now is the time we have to keep our guard up. Be prepared for anything." as if to prove my point, the ground started rumbling. A quick scan showed that it originated from the Citadel, then something started breaking through the roof. It was the Oracle, for some reason it was moving on its own. Normally it could just teleport itself wherever it had to go, the only reason it could possibly be moving this way is if it was concentrating most of its energy on a different task.
"This must have something to do with Destron's plan to transform the planet!" I said, "We have to follow it!" the people around us heard what I said and started to make a path for us. We changed to our alternate modes and started chasing after the Oracle.
"It's too high up! We're going to have to find a way to get closer!" Ballistic said.
"Even if we climb to the roof of a building it wont do us any good if it keeps moving. We have to wait for it to stop!"
"Where do you think it's going?"
I accessed my onboard computer and starting looking at a map of Cybertropolis, I plotted the Oracle's course and looked to see what was in its path, aside from a couple of non-essential places there was at least one point of interest in its path.
"It's heading for the center of Cybertropolis, there's a high rise there, it's one of the tallest on Cybertron. If they're going to attempt this reformatting then that would be a good place for ground zero."
"It's not moving too fast, if we hurry we can beat it there." Ballistic said.
We sped down the street going as fast as possible, it wasn't long before we reached the building, but there was a problem, the high rise was the armory, accessible only through the underground or through a tunnel from the Citadel. There was no ground-level entrance.
"It's times like this I wish I was a flier." Ballistic said, "Any ideas?" I looked at the building beside of the armory, it wasn't quit as tall, but it was better than nothing, and if we could intercept the Oracle before it got to the armory we wouldn't have to find a way into the building.
"This way!" I yelled. We entered the armory and got to the main elevator but there was no power running to it.
"We have to find a way to restore power."
"No time," I said, "We'll take the stairs."
"Stairs?"
"You're an all terrain vehicle, it's like driving up a mountain."
"There are no mountains on Cybertron."
"Then this will be practice."
In either mode it would take me too long to climb the stairs so I stood on a step on the side of Ballistic's vehicle mode and held on as he drove up the stairs. The ride was a little bumpy but we made it to the roof in little time. Unfortunately our little detour had given the Oracle enough time to catch up. It was passing overhead.
"Fire!" I yelled. Ballistic was the walking arsenal and he knew this battle counted so he used everything he had firing on the Oracle. I was using some of my energy blasts, the most effective weapon I had. Nothing could harm the center of the Oracle, but the frame around it was vulnerable. We weren't doing a lot of damage to it but we did get its attention. It stopped moving to the armory and lowered to our level.
"You cannot stop the storm of destiny. You too will be caught in it and you must either adapt or be destroyed." the Oracle said.
"What you're doing is wrong! Don't you see that?!" Ballistic yelled.
"I am beyond right and wrong, good and evil."
"Cybertron can't survive being totally organic! You'll destroy it!" I said.
I had a feeling there was no way to reason with the Oracle, I wasn't even sure what it was. The Oracle was a mystery, but it wasn't so secretive about its motives. It really did want to make Cybertron totally organic. But why? What reason could it possibly have? How could Cybertron benefit from being organic?
"It is true, Cybertron could be destroyed if Destron were to attempt the reformatting without me. But using my power to absorb the excess energy I can keep the reaction from getting out of hand." the Oracle's voice was calm, at least it wasn't attacking us. I doubted we would be able to survive such an attack.
"You can't! No one can predict what will happen even if you do siphon off the extra energy! It might work, it might not. And even if it does work there's no way to tell how Cybertron will react to such a change! It could fall out of its orbit or collapse in on itself!" Ballistic said. Ballistic was right, there were too many things that could go wrong whether it worked or not.
"There is nothing you can do to stop it." the Oracle said.
"Oh yeah?!" Ballistic said. He pulled out his AP cannon and aimed it at the Oracle.
"Ballistic no!" I yelled but it was too late, before Ballistic could fired, the Oracle hit him with a beam of energy throwing him from the building and down into the street below. I ran to the edge and looked down, Ballistic was laying in a small crater, his chest plate was smoldering. From that distance I couldn't see the extent of his damage or whether or not he was still alive. I turned back to the Oracle and in rage I summoned all of the energy I could into a single shot firing it at the Oracle. Some of it struck the frame, the rest of it went into the center. I expected retaliation but something strange was happening, images were flashing in the Oracle's center, it looked like it was damaged or malfunctioning. Then it let off a strange light the surrounded me, a light much like what I had seen when I journeyed into the Oracle days before.
The world around me was filled by a bright white light, I couldn't see anything else,
"Hello? I anyone there?" I asked. It was quiet in this place, wherever I was."You who are called Rhinox have come to save Cybertron." a voice called out, it was all around me and sounded familiar, almost like the Oracle's but there was something different about it. There seemed to be a two voices. The Oracle's and another, speaking as one, "Your positive intentions are shown, even in your aggressions. You seek not to destroy, but to save, to save your friend and your planet."
"I would do anything to save Cybertron. Whatever it takes."
"You are sincere. Then it is not just redemption that motivates you?"
"It's true, I want to atone for my crimes as Tankor. But saving Cybertron has always come first and it always will. If in doing that I can gain forgiveness for what I've done, then it is only a bonus."
"I was once like you. Willing to give everything for Cybertron. Even my own life." where had I heard that other voice before? Why was it so familiar to me?
"Who are you? Are you the Oracle?" I asked.
"Yes....and no. Thanks to you, I am as I once was. Perhaps I should take a more familiar form." then a Cybertronian materialized in front of me. I had never met him face to face but I had seen pictures of him before and heard his voice, it was Alpha Trion.
"You, you're Alpha Trion!" I was fascinated by this turn of events, but it led to more questions, "The one who helped win the first Cybertronian War, and created Optimus Prime."
"That is correct, I was once the scientist you know as Alpha Trion."
"After all of these years, how is it possible?"
"As the Fourth Cybertronian War was coming to an end, I merged with the super computer Vector Sigma. Together we let Galvatron learn about the key to the Plasma Energy chamber, which he believed to be a new power source. Although doing so seemed foolish, it led to what would later be a new golden age on Cybertron. Galvatron used the Plasma Energy Chamber to cause the sun to become a super nova. With the help of humans, I was able to absorb that energy into Vector Sigma and use it to power Cybertron into a new golden age, but something happened that I didn't account for, the energy was too much to handle. Once that energy was used up, Vector Sigma craved more, and it began looking for the means to recreate those events. I lost control, and we became the Oracle."
"That's when you reached out to Optimus Primal and Megatron." I said.
"Yes, I discovered a large power source to take advantage of, an organic compound that was left behind when the Quintisons built Cybertron over a dying planet. Over the ages, the remains of the organic creatures that once inhabited the planet became the organic compound, a natural resource. But I also required living DNA samples, which Optimus Primal, his crew, and Megatron brought back from Earth. Over time, the Oracle tried to recreate the same events that led to Cybertron's golden age, and in some ways, it did."
"The fallout from the Plasma Energy Chamber and the Key to Vector Sigma." I said, "Optimus channeled the energy through his body and fired it into the Oracle. Similar to what happened before."
"Yes, only this time it wasn't enough. It became clear that a much larger reaction would be needed."
"So you, or rather the Oracle, used what energy it did have to reformat the planet with the help of Optimus and Megatron."
"Then I found Destron, he wanted so badly to purge the technological from Cybertron because of what Destron had done to his friends. And he was used to formulate this plan, a plan that would give the Oracle all of the energy it needed, and reformat Cybertron once again, making it organically pure."
"I can't let that happen."
"I realize that, and because of your attack, the Oracle was weakened enough for my personality to emerge. But it wont last forever, the Oracle's craving for power will resurface and it will proceed with the experiment." then everything changed again, I found myself back on the rooftop facing the Oracle, which was still speaking with Alpha Trion's voice.
"For three hundred years I've been a prisoner within this form. I've lived a very long existence, and I have no illusions of immortality. Please, do what you must. End it." I understood what it was asking, but I was still apprehensive, how could I even consider it? But then Alpha Trion answered for me, "We both want to save Cybertron, but only you have the power to do so. End it." I nodded my understanding. I knew what I had to do, and knowing that helped me make my decision. I heard Ballistic's voice over my comlink,
"Rhinox! Rhinox come in!"
"Ballistic, are you alright? I replied.
"I've taken some heavy damage. Do you need backup?"
"Negative. It's over."
"What?"
"Tell the others that this was something that had to be done. And tell them I said goodbye, I'll miss you all." then I cut off the comlink, not giving him a chance to respond. I stood there staring at the Oracle, convincing myself that I was right, it had to be done. I summoned all of the energy I had left, as well as my spark energy, and using it to unleash the my strongest weapon. Myself. The energy enveloped my shell and I started floating towards the Oracle covered in the energy. As I approached it, I finally shed my shell, dropping it to the ground. My form was now pure energy, surrounding my spark. Then I flew straight into the Oracle. I don't remember much after that, I remember the Oracle's spirit fading away, and then its physical form being totally destroyed. After that I felt something all too familiar, my spark being drawn into the Matrix, I was free.
After all the pain and suffering I caused as Tankor, I was able to make amends for it by destroying the Oracle and helping Alpha Trion join the Matrix. I served as the Matrix's Emissary, and I accomplished the goal it set out for me, in return it gave me my redemption. My only regret was not being able to see this through to the end, I would like to have celebrating our victory with my friends, but it was never meant to be. Sacrifices had to be made, but I feel better knowing that mine was worth something.
