Written by DBX
Walking backwards is too difficult, I learned that as we left Cybertropolis. I couldn't walk backwards, I had to turn my back on Cybertropolis to see where I was going. Megatron, Destron and even Optimus Primal had to do the same thing in their own ways. They turned their back to the past, where they were coming from so they could look ahead at where they were going. I was turning my back, but I kept telling myself I would go back. Those three had looked ahead to the future and refused to look back, all they saw was their own goals, and they all ignored Cybertron, they only cared about their vision. Primal may have been an exception, he only wanted what was best for Cybertron, unfortunately he was blinded by the Oracle. Had the same thing happened to Destron? I didn't know if he had bad intentions, or if he was just blind. If we could, I would like to end this without conflict. I didn't want any lives to be sacrificed. There was always a nagging question though, how many lives had already been lost? I was about to get my answer and it would make me regret ever having asked the question.I was chosen to be a Prime. I had not yet received life, but I was given charge over leading my team, and eventually an entire race. The previous Primes had been something before they were given the Matrix of Leadership. I on the other hand had never seen Cybertron before. It was an honor and a privilege to be chosen as leader, but with that came responsibility. I had a mission, and I wasn't going to let my ancestors down.
Cybertropolis was now farther from other cities on Cybertron. The Great Reformatting had left miles of forests and jungles, destroying some cities in the process. It pained me to think so much of Cybertron's history had been lost to create a world like this. It felt so wrong, as if it didn't belong. I have memories of Cybertron inside of me, all of them are from the Matrix. If it weren't for the Matrix of Leadership and its connection to the Matrix itself, I would be lost on this world because I'm so new to it. After hours of navigating the tunnels, we finally reached the plains. Night was falling so our escape would be easier. My team and I walked across the bizarre landscape. It was difficult to tell where the metal ended and where the plants began. Cybertron had changed, and not for the better. It was no longer a machine, yet it wasn't a living organism either. It's difficult to describe it in words, it was unlike anything ever seen before. We reached the forest, it was uninhabited so there was no fear of being seen. At the center was a lake that fed the streams running into Cybertropolis, just like the one that was in the tunnel we had passed through. The water gave the organic side of the city its nourishment. Without that, the city would die. It would be easy to cut off the water source and watch Cybertropolis wither away, but it would destroy the entire city, and that's not what we were trying to do. We couldn't sacrifice anything to accomplish our goals. If we did, we would be no better than Megatron. When we were certain we weren't being followed, we all stopped to set up camp and get our bearings.
"Rhinox, you're the expert on all of this, what exactly is a Trans-Tech?" Nightwolf asked.
"A Trans-Tech is a purely technological Transformer. In appearance, they're similar to what we used to call 'Transmetals' during the Beast Wars. The major difference is that there is no organic element present, not even if the Transformer possesses a beast mode. That prevents us from being reformatted. In fact, our bodies repel organic elements like beast modes or the organic compound. The beast mode you have is only a simulation of a beast. It has no organic element" Rhinox said.
"What about Dinobot X?" Ballistic asked, "Is he a Trans-Tech or not?"
"Although he wasn't converted by the Matrix, he is a type of Trans-Tech. It's a mystery to me, but he doesn't have an organic element within him. I couldn't convert him into a Trans-Tech if I tried." Rhinox said. Dinobot X didn't say anything, he only stood there leaning against a tree, lost in thought. I understand what it must be like for him, no memories of a past life. I have no memories of my own, only what I receive from the Matrix. But he's different, he had memories and he lost those, maybe we can help him reclaim what he lost. Nightwolf was pacing back and forth, I could tell he hated waiting like this.
"Nightwolf, I want you to scout the area." I said, "If you find anything suspicious, report back immediately. Just don't wander out too far."
"Thanks, if I had to wait here any longer I was going to rust." he said. He transformed to beast mode and ran off into the woods.
Conversation between the four of us was light, we didn't have much in common. Rhinox sat there with his eyes closed, he was communicating with the Matrix, seeking answers. I envied his connection to the Matrix. I may have the Matrix of Leadership but I can only access files on Cybertron's history, I can't hold a conversation with it. The five of us had our own different skills that contributed to the team, those talents may one day get us out of tight situations. Rhinox eventually opened his eyes and addressed us,
"The Matrix will eventually send me a message that will detail a mission. Until then, it's suggested that we stay in hiding." he said.
"Good, we stand out too much in the city, and they are constantly searching for us." Dinobot X said.
"Destron's primary agenda is our destruction." Ballistic said.
"Yo Prime!" Nightwolf yelled from nearby. He came running into the camp at top speed, skidding to a halt and running into a tree in his panic,
"You said he used to be a thief?" Dinobot X asked Ballistic,
"I didn't say he was a good thief, the guards were just really bad." Ballistic said.
"I heard that." Nightwolf said standing up,
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I found something! You have to see it." Nightwolf said.
"Dinobot X, Ballistic, stay here and guard the camp. Rhinox, come with us." I said.
Nightwolf led us to a clearing half a mile away. We saw several small stones scattered here and there covered with techno-organic grass and ivy.
"What is this place?" I asked. Nightwolf walked up to one of the stones and brushed back the plants growing around it. On the stone were a name and a date. They were tombstones,
"Graveyards...just like on Earth." I said.
"Look at the date." Rhinox said, "This is recent."
"I know, some of these graves are still fresh. But what are these numbers down at the bottom?" Nightwolf asked. Rhinox and I examined the tombstones, each of them were numbered in order. C-77, C-78, C-79. Some of the tombstones had no names, just the numbers, other graves had no tombstones at all. I didn't understand what all of this meant, then Rhinox figured it out,
"Experiment numbers..." he said.
"Experiments? What kind of experiments?" Nightwolf asked.
"The kind that are killing people." Rhinox said.
"Were they fugitives like us?" I asked.
"I don't know. I don't understand it, if these sparks were extinguished, they would have joined the Matrix. Why wont the Matrix tell me what this is?"
"Maybe we have to find out for ourselves."
"How many are there? 20? 25?" Nightwolf said.
"Too many." I said.
"Prime...there's something you should know about them." Rhinox said. He had one hand on the ground of a freshly dug grave, "I sense pain. When these people died, they died violent deaths."
We made our way back to the camp in silence, not speaking until we told Dinobot X and Ballistic what we had found. We talked a little bit about the possibility of going back to Cybertropolis to investigate the deaths. After a few hours, we went to sleep mode to give our power cells a rest. I don't know how much time passed, but I was woken by Dinobot X tapping me on the shoulder. I was about to ask him why but he motioned for me to stay quiet. Then he started to walk off in the direction of the graveyard. Unsure of what was going on, I followed him. We stopped short of the clearing and he motioned for me to get down. We took cover behind some foliage and watched as lights in the distance slowly moved closer to the graveyard. I used my optic sensors to zoom in on them, switching to night vision mode. I saw four Maximals, all part of the Guard. They were carrying a large metal box, about six feet in length. They remained quiet carrying it to an empty spot on the end of one of the rows. Then one of them spoke,
"C-109." he said,
"What's the name?" another asked.
"Does it matter? It's not like they all need to get acquainted or anything." the first said. The other two began digging a grave at the end of the row, and another was cutting the number into a tombstone.
"They're really starting to pile up out here aren't they?"
"They died for a cause, they deserve to be buried with honor."
"Oh yeah? Then why do we have to ship them out in the middle of the night when no one can see us?"
"Just shut up and keep working."
DBX was about to walk into the clearing to stop them but I held him back and shook my head. There was nothing we could do about it. The person in that coffin was already dead and we weren't going to get any answers out of the Guard. I didn't want to risk giving away our position either. The four Guard members carried themselves with disrespect while they went about their work. Eventually they left the graveyard and walked back toward the city.
"They acted like this was just a common thing." I said in disgust.
"Maybe it is." Dinobot X said.
"Then we have to put a stop to it."
The next morning we told the others what we saw the night before. No one was willing to guess what might be killing so many Cybertronians.
"We've been on the defensive for too long. If we wait any longer more people are going to die." I said.
"There's an entire city trying to kill us! We don't even know where to begin with this mission!" Nightwolf said.
"Then that's what we have to find out."
"The Matrix wants us to wait until we've received a mission." Rhinox said.
"I can't wait any longer. If the Matrix wants to wait, then I'll go on without it. I can't let any more innocent people die, no matter what side they're on. There has to be something we can do." I said, "From this point forward, our mission is to stop Destron. We can't allow him to continue destroying this planet and the people that call it home."
"Well, I agree with you Prime, but we're just a bunch of rebels."
"No, not rebels. We aren't rebels, we aren't criminals, or any other label the Maximals might give us." I said.
"Then what are we?" Ballistic asked.
"Autobots." I replied.
"Autobots, I like it." Nightwolf said, "Has a certain 'back to the roots' feeling to it. Well...not <I>real</I> roots, that's the other side."
"Where do we start?" Dinobot X asked. Then Rhinox's eyes glowed briefly and he became alert,
"What is it Rhinox?" I asked.
"The Matrix, it has a mission for us."
Two billion. Two billion Cybertronians and I keep going back to those two or three dozen in that cemetery. If I look behind, I might not be able to see what lies in front of me, and I wont be able to save the other twenty million. But if I only look ahead, will those poor sparks be forgotten? No, I wont let them be forgotten. And when this is over I'll make sure they are remembered as more than just a number. No more would be sacrificed, but those who were already gone shouldn't be forgotten, and they wont be. It's important to keep my eyes focused on what's ahead, but I can't let myself lose site of where I've been. I guess it's just the way I'm built.
