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Shattered Memories
by Tom Drake (dbdrake@uswest.net)

Silverbolt lay stretched out in his quarters aboard the Axalon, fast asleep.  The calmness of the base and quiet of his own quarters allowed for him to lose consciousness quickly.
  But once his optics had closed, what took place in his dreams were far and away from calm.
    His mind was filled full of broken images, of what he assumed was himself, though he looked horrendously different, and several others who looked like him. 
He was flying, that much was clear.
  But his form did not resemble one of fur, feathers, and metal talons, instead it was one of slick machine parts on some far away, civilized world.
  He was shouted orders, and there were missiles and bullets flying everywhere.
  There were loud shrieks and screams of horror, sounds of dying sparks and exploding machinery.  He did not recognize the planet, but something about it was oddly familiar--

    Silverbolt's eyes darted open.
  He found he was breathing heavily, and he was very hot.
  He was panting.
  He blinked his eyes for a few moments, taking in the room, and reassuring himself that it was only a dream.
    But it was the same dream that he had been having for the past two weeks, every night.
  Each time he closed his eyes, his mind filled with the same images and the same voices.
    He got to his feet and, in beast mode, trotted to the door to his quarters.
  It slid open and he made his way into the main corridor.
  The door closed behind him as he made his way down the partially-lit hallway down the Axalon command center.
  It was very quiet at the base, and Silverbolt found that he was already getting tired again.
    But he couldn't go back to sleep.
  He couldn't bear to endure another night full of those images and sounds.
  He entered the command center and glanced around.
  Prowl was slouched over in a chair, whether he was awake or not, Silverbolt could not tell.
  Rattrap, hunched over in robot mode, was punching a few keys on the main control panel.

    "Oh, hey, bird-dog," Rattrap acknowledged him with a wave of his hand.

    "Good evening, Rattrap," Silverbolt replied.  "You have night duty?"

    "Yeah," the other moaned.  "It sucks."

    Silverbolt chuckled.  "Well, don't be discouraged.  I'm sure you'll get your chance some day, my friend."

    "Heh," Rattrap cracked.  "Not likely.  I signed on as an explorer, for cryin' out loud.  Now I'm watchin' screens and listenin' to nothin'.  Supposedly, Optimus says its important.  But, I'm just not sure 'bout that."

    Silverbolt glanced at Prowl.  "Is he awake?"

    "Not anymore," Rattrap answered.  "What are you doin' up?"

    "Me?  Oh, I can't sleep," Silverbolt said, hoping that his tone and attempt at surprisal would hide the true meaning.
  But Rattrap's face was a closed datatrack.
  He couldn't figure out whether Rattrap was on to him or not.
    If he did, he didn't make anything of it.

  "Well, if you came up here fer entertainment, then you came to da' wrong place, know what I'm sayin'--"

    Warning, the ship's computer announced.  Transwarp signature detected.

    "What in 'da name of swiss cheese?" Rattrap remarked.

  He hurried over to a display unit, punched a few commands, then watch the data pour down the screen.
  The monitor showed a ship, triangular in shape but with rounded corners, that was several meters long, and approaching the planet very fast. 

"Computer, identify."

    Identification cannot be established.  The craft does not exist in the datatracks.

    "Oh, fer shovelin' coal--!"  He slammed his fist on the main panel.
  "Are there any life forms on board?"

    Two energy signatures detected.  Both are Autobot.

    Rattrap raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at Silverbolt, who did the same.

  "Looks like you'll chance tonight," the Fuzor said with a smile.

    Megatron watched the display with intense attention.
  This was very interesting indeed, yeess.
  An Autobot ship that was the size of a common Cybertronian shuttle that was coming here.
  Coincidence?
  That was as likely as his surrendering to Optimus.
    He scratched his chin with a finger.
  Inferno, Quickstrike, and Deeptooth stood huddled around him.
  They all watched the display that showed the ship, indicated by a blinking red light, moving through the three-dimensional space.
  Megatron looked at the others.

  "Well, Predacons, an opportunity is before us."

    "Whatta ya mean?" Quickstrike inquired.

    "Just think," Megatron continued.  "We take over the Autobots inside and learn why they came here.  Whatever information they may have, I'm sure it's worth something.  They came from Cybertron, which means somebody out there knows something."

    Quickstrike scratched the dome plating of his head with his Cobra hand.  "Uh, boss, I don't get it."

    "Fool," Inferno said, shaking a fist at the Fuzor.  "The Royalty knows all.  It is pointless to question her wisdom."

    "Thank you, Inferno, but it's 'his', not 'her'."

    Inferno bowed.  "I apologize, my queen."

    Megatron shook his head.

  "Loyal but stupid.  Very, very stupid," he mumbled.

    "So," Deeptooth spoke up, "what are we to do?"

    "Go after it, of course.  Inferno, you will be in command.  I want you three to surround and take over the ship.  I want those Autobots here, disarmed, and helpless, now!"

    "Ahahahaah!"  Inferno shouted, raising his flamethrower in the air.  "They will buurrnn!"

    "No!" Megatron yelled, holding up his hand.  "They are not to be destroyed.  I want to question them, personally."

    Optimus and Silverbolt flew side by side through the clouds, bound for the fallen ship.
  The Axalon's sensors had reported that the Autobot ship had crashed a few cycles ago, and that it was a good two hundred kilometers east of the base.
  That meant forests.
  Lots of forests.
    Rattrap had reported the information to Optimus, who promptly ordered Silverbolt go with him and that Airazor meet them there.
  He told Rattrap to take Dinobot with him, and leave Rhinox in command back at the base with the others.
    Below the two of them were the tops of evergreens as far as the eye could see.
  The rounded tops formed a heavy canopy for the moist earth below.
  A few jagged rock ledges protruded from the forests below, and there were some scattered impressions and rock-laden gorges.
  They continued past these, however, and began to descend into an area full of tall redwood trees.

    The two broke the canopy and landed on the moist earth that was littered with millions of dried pine needles and pine cones. 
They both looked around.

    "I don't see anything," Silverbolt observed.

    Optimus consulted his scanners.
  He punched a few keys, then scanned the read-out.

  "According to my scanners, the crashed ship is just over a kilometer that way," he pointed straight.

  "Let's go."

  They took to the air again, this time not having to go as far.
  They stayed below the top of the tree line, zigzaging between trunks and fallen timbers before they finally reached a long trail of impressed mud and rocks that was left behind in the wake of the crashed ship.
  Just beyond the hole sat the craft itself.
  It was of a golden-orange color, but steam rose from several pockets and breaches and nothing emerged from the ship, no door, no scanner, nothing.

    "I don't like the looks of this," Optimus commented.

  They two landed, and Optimus made his way to what he guessed was the main hatch.
  He pressed his hand against it.
  Nothing happened.
  He looked over the exterior of the ship.
  He shook his head, not knowing what to make of it.

    Airazor broke through the tops of the trees and descended in beast mode.
  As she came lower, she transformed into robot mode and landed.

  "What is it?" she asked.

    "It's an Autobot ship," Optimus told her.  "But I can't find a way inside, and nothing's happened with it since we arrived."

    "Perhaps it needs the right form of motivation, Optimus Primal."

    The three Maximals turned and looked into the sky.
  Inferno was there, engines roaring, wielding a flamethrower in each hand, with Quickstrike riding his back.
  Deeptooth was with them, using his back-mounted jet pack to lower himself to the ground, where he promptly turned his gun on the Maximals and fired.
  The blasts missed, but it was enough to knock Optimus from his feet.
  He reared up, then brought his shoulder cannons on-line and started firing, the blue energy bolts missing Deeptooth far and away.
    Quickstrike dismounted Inferno and huddled behind a fallen tree trunk.
  He fired a volley of green plasma bolts in the Maximals' direction, all of which ignited on the ground and blew sod and pine needles into the air.
  Silverbolt fired a steady stream of wing missiles Inferno's direction.
  The first few missed, but the fourth one hit the ant square in the chest.
  Inferno tumbled back in the air, but didn't recover fast enough to avoid the next two missiles, the second of which hit his motor system.
  He dropped to the ground with a splat.

    Then something began happening with the ship.
  A pair of autoblasters emerged from the doors and fired a set of green laser shots way of Quickstrike.
  They all hit the tree trunk he was hiding behind, and when the smoke from the blasts cleared, Quickstrike stood alone, without any cover.
  He shook for a moment, then turned and took off at a dead run.
  Deeptooth looked back and realized that he could not win.
  He pointed himself away and activated his boosters, and he took off into the sky.
  Inferno recovered in the distance and shook his fist at the Maximals.

  "For the Royalty!" he yelled, then turned and ran.
    The Maximals looked back at the Autobot ship.
  The autoblasters went off-line and retracted along a mechanical arm back into a compartment in the hull.
  Then with a shrill whine, the hatch opened.
  It lowered very slowly, and settled into place with a soft click.
    Optimus, Airazor, and Silverbolt watched in wonderment as two figures emerged, both Cybertronian.
  They were tall robots, mostly gleaming with polished silver skin.
    Optimus extended his arm in greeting. 

"Greetings.  I am Optimus Primal, and welcome to this planet."

    The first robot looked at Optimus and nodded.

  "Primal, I'm glad I found you.  My name is Skydive," he said, then gestured to his companion.  "This is Fireflight.  We were both Aerialbots in the Great War but became security soldiers on Cybertron in the aftermath."  He nodded at the others.

  "We have something of great importance to discuss."

    "Time for that later," Optimus said, then he looked at the other Maximals and spread his arm wide, gesturing for the former Aerialbots to acknowledge them. 

"These two of my fine Maximal warriors, Airazor and Silverbolt."

    "Silverbolt?" Fireflight said, looking at Skydive curriously.

    The Fuzor narrowed his eyes at the two of them.  "What?" he said.

    Something in his voice and tone triggered something in the other two.

  "It is him," Skydive whispered with a nod.    

"What?" Silverbolt repeated.

    "Air Commander Silverbolt, leader of the Aerialbots in the Great War," Fireflight answered.

    "Me?"

    "Yes.  Don't you remember?"

    Silverbolt looked at both of them with intensity.
  Then his eyes widened and his ears perked.

  "You two were in my dreams!  Both of you!"

    "What dreams?" Optimus said.

    Silverbolt turned to his commander.  "I should have told you, Optimus, but I've been having dreams recently.  Every night I see the same broken images of what I believe to be myself leading a group of strange-looking machines into battle, ending with screams of horror and dying sparks."

  He looked back at Skydive and Fireflight. 

"These two were in it..."

    The two Cybertronians exchanged glances, then turned to Optimus.

  "Is there something wrong with his datatracks?" Skydive inquired.

    "Actually, there is.  He was in one of our stasis pods we were carrying that we were forced to eject.  When it crashed, the pod's computer was damaged.  His datatracks were permanently scarred.  He has only broken images of his past.  Why?"

    Fireflight pointed a finger at Silverbolt.  "He was our commander."

    "Really?" Optimus said, looking at the Fuzor inquisitively.

    Suddenly, an erratic pattern of energon waves began swimming over Skydive and Fireflight, emitting a harsh scraping sound.
  Their components began to lock and stiffen. 

"What...is...going...on...?" Skydive managed to ask.

    "There's a lot of energon on this planet," Optimus explained.  "You'll have to get a beast form to keep you protected from the interference."

    "Let's do it then," Silverbolt said.

    The computer replication sequence was finished, and the gathered Maximals, waiting on the bridge of the Axalon, watched in awe and the CR tank as it's access hatch slowly opened, steam spewing from it's bowels.
  The creature that emerged first was a cardinal, with slick red feathers and smooth contours.
  He was a bit taller than Airazor in beast mode.
  He looked around the bridge at the eager faces.

  "Wow," Skydive said.     "Neat little trick, huh?" Rattrap cracked.

    Skydive looked at Optimus.  "So staying in this form will keep me protected from the energon radiation?"

    "Yes," the Maximal commander replied.  "But you probably won't have to worry about it most of the time.  Most of the energon in this sector of the planet was destroyed."

    "How?"

    Optimus sighed.  "It's a long story."

    "We'll lookin' forward to hearing it sometime," came Fireflight's voice.
  The Maximals looked back into the CR chamber, where another bird, an oriole, the same size as Skydive.

  "But we'll have to do it after I get used to this," he said, admiring his wings.

    Days passed, and the Aerialbots were becoming more adept with their new forms and the world around them.
  They had both observed the similarities that this planet shared with Earth. 
When Optimus had told them that it actually was, in fact, Earth, they were in disbelief.
  But they understood once Rhinox had explained to them how the transwarp cell could travel through both time and space.
  Still, they were skeptical.
    And Silverbolt, despite all the information that the Aerialbots had given them about their past together, failed to remember.
He could not understand the stories that they told him.
    But Skydive had made sure to tell Optimus why they had come to Earth in the first place.
  Cybertronian officials had not heard from the Axalon for several years, and were concerned about the statis of the ship's "mission."
  Skydive had not known what exactly the Tripredacus Council meant by that, but Optimus was reluctant to explain it to him.
  But Skydive had made certain to inform his new commander that there may be more trouble ahead.
  He told him about an attack on their vessel just before they slid into transwarp space, and that it had been a Decepticon attack ship.
  Skydive expressed his concern that the Decepticons knew of the planet and the Axalon's wherabouts, but Optimus told him that it was unlikely.
  It was largely impossible for a craft to track another after a transwarp jump.
  Skydive wasn't convinced, but Optimus had assured him.

    "You incompetent fools," Megatron said, shaking his head.  "I give you the simple task of demobilizing an Autobot craft and bringing me it's occupants.  But instead of getting prisoners, I get excuses!"  He slammed his fist on the arm of his hover chair.  "Why?!"

    "Welluh, I guess them Maxies were--"

    "Did I ask you a question?!" Megatron roared.

    "Royalty," Inferno interjected, "I believe the Fuzor only intended to--"

    "Silence, you queer ant!"

    "Yes, my queen," he said, offering a bow.

    Megatron growled.  "Get out of my sight!" he rumbled.  "I don't want to see you or hear you for the next--"

    Warning, the Darkseid's computer voice said, unknown craft approaching.

    "Wait one second!" Megatron yelled, throwing up a finger.  "You may yet be of some use to me.  Computer, can you establish an identification?"

    Craft name unknown.  Signature suggests Decepticon origin, but identification cannot be confirmed.  Craft does not exist in current datatracks.

    "Blast!"  He played his fingers across his chin and contemplated.  "Well," he declared finally, "at least it appears to be Decepticon." 

He turned to the three Predacons assembled before him.  "You three will go immediately, and I will come myself, to make sure it is done right this time!"