Chapter 12: Metal is the New Fur

The entity moved undetected through Knothole village. It was through no part of its own that it was not noticed by anyone or anything. Indeed, given the choice, it would have screamed to draw attention to itself, created all the commotion it could have. The entity wanted to be noticed. But try as it might, no one could even sense its presence.

Desperate for someone to realize its existence, the creature made its way towards the large-scale hut that was home to Twinbrush. It passed through the door easily, become as incorporeal as a ghost. Truthfully, the entity thought, it was little more than that. But life still flowed through it, and it was determined not to give it up without a fight.

Twinbrush lay sleeping on her stasis pod bed. The lid had been removed, and soft cushions had been placed into the depression where her protoform had been in stasis lock. Stripped of all systems, it was nothing more or less than a place to rest, an item of furniture crafted from the one link between Twinbrush and her lost past on Cybertron.

As the entity floated over her, a wave of sorrow and longing moved through it. The creature could sense the grief she still harbored, the sadness that still permeated her every waking moment. And more, it knew the cause.

Slowly, carefully, it drifted down towards her. Unsure of what it was doing, not at all certain what would happen, it extended a tendril of the energy that made up its current form. Carefully, it sent the tendril into Twinbrush's unconscious torso, where rested her Spark.

Twinbrush awoke, startled by the vividness of the dream she had just had. She had been sleeping in a mercifully black emptiness, free of any of the memories that pained her, thoughts of her lost love, Knucklehead. Then, quite suddenly, music had penetrated her void: the familiar notes of a flute.

Sadly, Twinbrush reached into a compartment on the side of her bed. Feeling around, she felt her fingers wrap around the only contents. Reverently, she removed the simple wooden flute, the only and prized possession of her late love. She smiled sadly as she examined it, remembering the day she had first heard him play. Then the smile faded, replaced by a look of intense sadness as she recalled the fate of her beloved. Closing her eyes, she lay back down, crying softly and cradling the flute, rocking slowly on the bed.

The entity could not get out of the room fast enough. Anger coursed through it as it cursed itself, enraged at having caused the gentle female pain. Finally, though, the rage expended itself, and the creature focused back on its goal. Encouraged by its contact with Twinbrush, it decided to try another target. Moving as fast as it could, it sought the Maximal known as Dinobot.

Dinobot sat on a fallen log not too far from Knothole's defensive wall. He was in a lotus position, eyes closed as he meditated. The warrior had done this many times over the millennia, seeking peace from the turmoil that was the existence of his kind. However, this time he felt no tranquility. The complete discipline of one's mind could not halt the ache of one's heart. And no amount of mind over matter could make Dinobot forget the loss of Knucklehead, his respected leader.

Though the two had only known each other a short time before the Maximal leader's untimely death, they had come to respect each other as equals, even friends. Though far younger, Knucklehead was almost as wise as Dinobot, and the few discussions they'd had were entertaining and intelligent. Now, memories of those brief times only served to increase the sorrow the hunter felt in the absence of the Echidna Transformer.

Once again unnoticed, the entity moved closer to Dinobot. Sensing the clarity of his mind, it knew it had made a good choice. With all the power it could spare, it reached out to the raptor, calling on it to hear.

"Dinobot..."

The former Predacon's red eyes shot open at the sound of the voice. Leaping to his feet, his eyes darted around, seeking what he believed to be an enemy. However, his claws fell to his side in shock at the sight that greeted him.

A glowing green mass of energy stood a few meters away from him. It pulsed with power beyond what he possessed, but did not seem threatening. And its ghostly form was that of Knucklehead.

"Knucklehead?" Dinobot breathed, not comprehending what he was seeing.

Overjoyed that he could be seen and heard, Knucklehead spoke. "Listen to me, Dinobot. It's me, alive, not a ghost or anything like that. Somehow my Spark survived the explosion, but my body's been vaporized. I can feel power of some sort keeping me tied here, but it won't last much longer."

"What do you mean?"

The look on Knucklehead's face was one of pleading and fear. "I'm joining the Matrix, Dinobot. If you don't help me, I'll die."

Dinobot was silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "Are you so sure that would be a bad thing? Would it be so terrible to be free from the pain of war? Don't you wish for the paradise of the Matrix?"

Knucklehead's answer carried a tone of begging. "Of course, but not now! I've got so much of my life ahead of me. I haven't had the chance to experience life on Cybertron, haven't gotten to know any of my kind besides you and Twinbrush. I haven't found my home, Dinobot."

He paused, and then his head lowered. When he spoke, his voice was filled with grief. "And I can't leave Twinbrush. Not now. Not yet. Not when we've got so much more of our lives to spend together."

Dinobot didn't reply for a long moment. Finally, he looked at his disembodied friend and smiled. "Spoken like a true Maximal. Come with me, and I will try to help you."

Knucklehead's smile was filled with gratitude, but then he paused. "But how will the others see me? I don't have the energy to maintain this form."

"Can you take on a simpler guise? One that doesn't consume so much power?"

Knucklehead thought for a moment, then smiled. "That I can do." With that, the green mass of energy condensed. Finally, nothing was left of the image of Knucklehead. In its place floated a Cybertronian Spark, tinged green.

Dinobot transformed to Beast Mode and took off at a run. The Spark followed him, easily matching his speed. As he entered Knothole, Dinobot spotted Speedbat. "Speedbat!"

The female Maximal whirled around. "Dinobot? What is it..." She trailed off, her eyes fixed on the green Spark.

Dinobot's demand brought her back to reality. "Get the others! Have them meet at Rotor's lab! Hurry!"

With that, Dinobot took off for the lab, the Spark trailing him.

Minutes later, all the Maximals, Chaotix, and Freedom Fighters were gathered in Rotor's lab. It was a bit cramped, seeing as how it was currently housing two stasis pods. One was the transmitter that the Maximals hoped would draw a ship from Cybertron. The other was the blank protoform that had been discovered prior to Speedbat joining the Maximals.

All of the Maximals and Mobians were perplexed by the summons. They were even more amazed by the sight of the glowing green Spark. Finally, when they were all in the room, the conversation began.

"Dinobot...what is that thing?" Sally asked, indicating the Spark.

"That, my friends, is none other than the Spark of one we thought gone forever. That is what remains of Knucklehead!"

Everyone was speechless for a moment, trying to absorb the declaration. Then Twinbrush stepped forward, her face hard. "This had better not be some kind of joke, Dinobot."

"I would not joke about this. If you don't believe me, touch it."

Curious now, Twinbrush tentatively reached out her hand to touch the glowing orb. As they made contact, she became rigid as she heard the sound of Knucklehead's flute once more in her mind. Only this time, it was a brand new song, one she had never heard before. Instantly she knew that it was not a hallucination, not a warped recollection.

Tears of disbelief came to her eyes as she looked at the Spark. "Knucklehead..." she whispered.

Instantly, the others reacted. "How is this possible?" Julie-Su asked.

Pulling out a scanner, Tails waved it over the Spark. As he examined the analysis, his eyes widened. "According to my readings, the Chaos energy that powered Knucklehead has now been absorbed into his Spark, as has a portion of the energy from that bomb. As a result, his Spark can exist without a body."

Rotor, also examining the readings, paled. "But the energy won't maintain it forever. Unless we get it into a sustaining body soon, the Spark will fade."

Speedbat butted in. "Where are we going to find a body for him?"

All of them went quiet, wondering about the question. Suddenly, Mighty snapped his fingers, coming up with an idea. "The blank! Dinobot told us stories about how Optimus Primal was brought back by downloading his Spark into a blank protoform. We can do the same with Knucklehead and this pod!"

Everyone seemed excited, until Bunnie interrupted. "It won't work, y'all. Unless we have some kind of connection between the Spark and the blank, we can't make them stick together."

At this point, Charmy piped up. "But how do we establish a connection?"

"If we could transfer Knucklehead to a vessel of some kind, could we work out the download?" Espio inquired.

Dinobot thought, then shrugged. "It should, but where would we find a vessel..."

"Me."

Everyone turned to look at Twinbrush. "What did you say, madam?" Antoine asked.

Taking a deep breath, Twinbrush replied. "Me. We get Knucklehead to put himself into my body long enough to do the download."

Rotor shook his head, uncertain. "Are you sure that'd work?"

Speedbat shrugged. "It's the only chance we've got."

Dinobot talked with Rotor briefly, then the two nodded. "But while the Spark's in your body, Twinbrush, you'll have to go into stasis lock. Your body's not designed to hold two Sparks at once, and in the past such an occurrence has resulted in... mutations. Such a powerful Spark as Knucklehead's could cause dangerous changes in your body."

Twinbrush nodded. Satisfied, Tails and Rotor got to work. They wheeled in a long table for Twinbrush to lie on while offline, then had her transform into Robot Mode. After a few minutes, they had her hooked up to the blank protoform. She lay down, and gave Knucklehead's Spark a thumbs up. With that, the green orb shot into her chest. Before she could react, preprogrammed commands sent her into stasis lock, and she fell unconscious.

Wiping the sweat from their brows, the two tech experts went to work.

Twinbrush found herself floating in a void, like that in which she dreamed. However, instead of an empty black, this one shimmered with every color in the spectrum. She looked around, marveling at the beauty of the place.

"Twinbrush?"

She turned slowly to face the source of the voice. There, looking as solid and alive as he had when she had last seen him, was Knucklehead. An overjoyed smile stretched across his face, and she felt her own lips curve upward in response.

"Knucklehead!" She cried, flying to him. She fell into his arms, letting herself be drawn into a tight hug. Then, without any restraint whatsoever, the two locked their lips together in a passionate kiss. As they did, energy swirled around them, their respective auras mingling in the love they felt at the sight of the other.

"Everything looks stable. The transmission pathway should be ready in a few minutes," Tails said triumphantly.

Before the others could applaud the two geniuses, the sound of laser fire drew their attention. Running outside, they looked up in shock. A massive Dark Legion aircraft, looking like a flying saucer, hovered above Knothole. On the ground, villagers ran in terror as Dark Legion troops and Mechanauts rampaged through the city. And at the head of the troops, a smile of battle lust on his face, stood Deathstreak, his golden and red fur easily distinguishing him from his cohorts.

Dinobot and Speedbat drew back slightly. Last time they had battled Deathstreak, he had manipulated his newfound powers of Chaos to easily defeat them and Twinbrush. Now only Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails had the power to oppose him.

With an expression of grim determination on his face, Knuckles stepped forward. However, after a moment, his eyes widened in astonishment. "I can't access my powers!"

Deathstreak laughed cruelly. "Of course you can't! What did you think the tacky spaceship is for? Aboard that vessel is the Dark Legion's Chaos inhibitor. All biological Chaos energy is rendered useless by its emissions. To put it bluntly, you're powerless."

Sonic lunged at the Predacon. "We're never powerless!"

Looking bored, Deathstreak sent Sonic flying with a kick. The others then found themselves set upon by the Dark Legionnaires. Turning, Tails called to Rotor. "Rotor! Make sure that process works out! If it doesn't, we're toast!"

Nodding, the Walrus ran back into the lab.

Floating in the void, Knucklehead and Twinbrush were more content than they had ever been. So joyful at seeing each other again, they put everything aside, simply happy in physical-so to speak-contact between their mental images. However, a feeling of urgency entered Knucklehead's mind, and he reluctantly pulled away from his love.

"Twinbrush, I would love it if we could stay like this longer, but I sense that our friends need our help. I promise you, even though I'm leaving your body, I will always be with you."

With that, he vanished. Twinbrush, saddened by the prospect of battle but cheered by Knucklehead's words, willed herself back online. Returning to consciousness, she sat up on the table just in time for the lid of the stasis pod to crash open. Together with Rotor, Twinbrush looked speechless at the form that emerged.

The battle was not going well for the Freedom Fighters and their allies. Stripped of his powers, Knuckles was left unable to contend with Xenin, who happily pounded on the defenseless Guardian. The others were all driven back by Mechanauts and Legionnaires, and the Maximals were fighting for their lives against Deathstreak.

Smiling in savage glee, Deathstreak sent his opponents flying into a wall. Stepping up to them, he readied a blast of energy. "Say goodbye, Maximals!"

Suddenly, a wave of green energy swept through the battleground. Dark Legionnaires and Mechanauts were thrown backward, and Deathstreak was knocked away from the stunned Transformers. Incensed, he turned toward the source of the wave, only for his eyes to widen in shock.

Knucklehead stood taller than he had before, now equal in height to Dinobot. His body was completely composed of metal, creating a resemblance to Metal Knuckles with the absence of shoe-like feet and colorless hands. In addition, his coloring was green, making him look like a super sized version of Chaos Knuckles Roboticized. Moreover, he glowed with an aura of power, both Chaos and some other, unidentifiable energy.

As he surveyed the scene, the newly Transmetalized Knucklehead focused his eyes on Deathstreak. "This is just Prime!"

Recovering, Deathstreak fired a blast at his nemesis. The Transmetal threw up a shield to deflect it, then fired back. Deathstreak matched his energy beam with one of his own. Everyone watched as the two struggled, beams of green and gold light surging back and forth in accordance with their masters' wills.

Xenin, seeing that Knucklehead's focus was on Deathstreak, called out an order. "Fire! Fire on the Maximal!"

The whole Legion battalion complied, red laser fire streaking from their weapons to strike Knucklehead. Caught off guard, his beam dissipated, allowing Deathstreak's to strike the still stunned Maximal. The explosion threw up a smokescreen, and Deathstreak howled in pleasure.

Suddenly, the noise of jet engines interrupted his cheer. Shocked, he watched as the smoke faded, replaced by Knucklehead in a new form. Gifted with the abilities of a Transmetal, the Maximal leader now resembled a fighter plane created by reconfiguring his Beast Mode. As Deathstreak watched in shock, the plane flew upwards. Knucklehead's arms, now slung under his wings as missiles launchers, let loose with a barrage of firepower that struck the Legion vessel, damaging the Chaos Inhibitor. Now freed of restriction, Knuckles' powers surged in eagerness.

Realizing that he was outnumbered and outmatched, Deathstreak turned and ran after the retreating Legion.

"Knucklehead, Maximize!"

As the jet fighter landed, it reconfigured into Knucklehead's improved Robot Mode. It was nearly identical to his old one, except that it was all metal and the face was red rather than green. His blue eyes remained, but his missile launcher spurs now had the dual feature. They could either fire as missiles or extend into long blades for close range combat.

The Maximals and Mobians crowded around him, admiring his new form. Knucklehead smiled and greeted them, embracing friends who had thought him gone. Finally, he came back to Twinbrush. Without hesitation, he drew her into a kiss.

Everyone covered their eyes as a bright flash of light sparked out. When it faded, they began to laugh at the sight of Twinbrush. Back in Beast Mode, she had a slight aura of energy around her body. All her fur was standing up straight, and she looked as if she'd been shocked.

Knucklehead, switching back to Beast Mode, smiled at her sheepishly. "Transmetal Power...it's going to take some getting used to."

Twinbrush smiled, pulling him close. "New body, new power, but still the same old Knucklehead that I love," she said, drawing him into another kiss.

To be continued...