Child
By: Sinead
Part Two
Dinobot had slipped out of the "Darkside," the base. He watched every shadow, as he made his way to the valley. Finally, but wether he remembered the directions he had looked at, or the voice within his head knew the location, he didn’t know. Rattrap greeted him coldly, and he looked away, careful to remain submissive. The voice had nothing wrong with that. It actually seemed to approve of it. The rat snorted. "One wrong move, an’ I’m gonna call da Boss Monkey ’ere. I ain’t takin’ no slag."
The clone nodded, still not looking at the Transmetal rodent. The rat sighed, and nodded towards the valley. "G-go on."
Dinobot looked up at the rat, and made eye-contact. Neither looked away. Rattrap’s optics were overcome with pure and unbridled grief, while the other’s was saddened, but willing to learn.
Rattrap shook his head, looking away finally. "You’re . . . you’re not really him. You’re still like a child, still tryin’ ta find out about dis world an’ yourself."
Dinobot looked to one side. "Yes. In a way. But there are . . . other things that are suggesting that I do this."
Rattrap looked up, but he sighed, and shook his head again. "I’ll ask later, when we ain’t battling."
As Dinobot passed him, he looked down. "I don’t believe that I’ll ever try to kill you."
Rattrap snorted, and grinned. "’Ya mean, ’ya won’t try ta kill me again."
Dinobot stopped, as the voice asked him to say something. He chuckled, and called over his shoulder, "I’ll see you on my way out, no doubt there, Cheese-Ball."
There was a sardonic bark of laughter. "You wish, Carrion-Breath."
Dinobot chuckled, and walked into the valley. The smell of earth, burnt wood, and new leaves met his snout, and he shut his optics off, taking in the smell by itself. With his optics still off, he navigated through the valley, finding a path that seemed instinctual, pausing here and there, scenting for something he couldn’t find.
*~*~*~*~*
Rattrap watched from above, as the pale, skeleton-like form of the clone made his way though the valley. Something stopped behind him, and yawned. "Yo, Rat-Breath. Wassup?"
"He ain’t lookin’ where he’s goin’. Shut off all visuals."
"Well . . . what do you expect him to do?"
"Look around, ta find what in da Pit ’e’s lookin’ for."
Cheetor fell silent, and watched the dark parody of the warrior in whom he had looked up at, as a friend and someone who you could rely on, to help you get to get out of trouble in battle. "I read that convo that passed between us and him. Man . . . do you know how many codes he pressed on that thing? The Lady-Spider barely was able to reopen it."
Rattrap was still silent, as Dinobot started to head towards the one place where . . . where Rattrap had vowed never to lay sight upon again. Finally, he looked away, sniffing and sitting, burying his head in his arms, as memories he had tried to bury resurfaced.
*~*~*~*~*
Dinobot felt he had finished the journey to wherever he had wanted to go. With a shudder, he activated his optics, and looked upon a small clearing. Signs of devastation met his gaze, as he looked around the clearing. Fire . . . the proto-humans’ blood . . . mechanical fluid, from . . . from over there . . .
He walked over to the small spot, and sniffed, smelling something . . . someone . . . but the scent was so close to his own, that he barely was able to detect it. He walked a pace away, backing up, until he saw two figures on the side of the valley. One was standing, watching him defiantly, the other sitting, his head buried beneath his arms. His sight blackened, and he fell to the ground, unaware of the sharp pain that sent him whirling into an unconscious state . . .
*~*~*~*~*
Cheetor yelped, and shook his "older brother." "Rattrap!"
The short bot looked up at him, avoiding looking into the valley. "What."
"Look!"
Rattrap, hearing the urgency in his voice, looked into the valley, and saw the clone crumpled on the valley floor. His vision zoomed in, and he saw that the bot was shuddering . . . or trembling. He ran to the extreme edge, and carefully plotted a way down. Cheetor simply ran off the edge, and with the use of his back-mounted rocket, he glided down, while Rattrap leapt from ledge to ledge, not caring that his feet slipped here or there.
Finally, he reached to raptor-bot, just as a Transmetal creature from the Cretaceous Period landed with an ominous "thud."
Cheetor whirled, to see Megatron standing there. He didn’t move, as he heard more jets. However, a second later, Optimus landed behind them. "We’re here in peace, Megatron."
"One of my warriors is surrounded by you and two of yours. Shouldn’t I have a reason to react in battle? Inferno! Rampage!"
When the two appeared, Cheetor looked to Rattrap, and the two backed off, to stand beside Optimus. Surprisingly, Rattrap was the one who spoke. "Listen, Megs: We ain’t ’ere ta battle. If anythin’, dis place has seen enough of battles an’ deaths."
Megatron scowled. "So you would say now. You Maximals are overly concerned with peace and comradery. Attack!"
*~*~*~*~*
In the darkness, the voice spoke. ~Awaken, clone.~
Dinobot’s optic activated in the darkness. "Who are you?"
~Yes, I have the time now. I am you, as you are me.~
"What? Wouldn’t that mean that . . ."
With a chuckle, the voice took shape eerily, into the warrior that the clone had been looking for. He spread his hands. "This may be the one time you shall see me."
The clone frowned further. "I don’t understand."
Dinobot, the Maximal, sighed, shutting his optics off. "You are empty. You feel the need to complete some part of you with something that you can’t reach."
The clone looked at his talons. "That is also why I am uncomfortable within this shell."
Dinobot walked over, and tapped the other’s chest. "I am you, in a sense. Just as you are me, we could not survive without each other. I was pulled away from the Matrix just as I was about to return to it, when you, I, we, were cloned."
The clone looked at his claws again. "What will happen to us?"
The Maximal punched his shoulder, and leered into his face. "The Maximals are about to battle with the Predacons. Rampage is about to destroy Rattrap."
The clone’s face hardened. "So . . . whichever choice I choose, could either let him live or die."
"Affirmative."
"Why me?"
Dinobot snorted. "That is a question that one should never ask oneself. Pity is not an emotion that is to be wasted on the battlefield. Return to the present, and make your choice."
"And what will become of you, Maximal?"
"Either you and I return to being one Spark, or we will stay separate."
"With me returning to being empty."
"And never hearing my thoughts again."
"Which have helped me through a hard decision."
The Maximal looked at his clone with a small smirk. "You’re getting the picture, although slowly."
"Should I be honored with that comment?"
With a sharp, barking laugh, the first Dinobot replied, "You’ll see. Return now!"
*~*~*~*~*
Rattrap screamed in pain, as Rampage’s hands crushed his abdomen. There was a roar of wrath, and something collided with the Predacon, knocking him aside. Rattrap looked up weakly, and saw the clone, only . . . wavering around him, in a hazy sense, was the Maximal Dinobot’s features, showing clearly in random areas, giving the impression of two beings, two entities, in one. Cheetor threw aside Inferno, and Optimus and Megatron stopped struggling, to look at Dinobot. They saw everything that Rattrap did.
Rampage was stunned. "Why the Pit did you do that for?!"
Dinobot snorted, a characteristic he had taken up lately. "Why not?"
"You know, Brother, you’re awfully annoying."
The bot grinned. "Good."
"Not even worth killing."
Cheetor felt his mech-pump stumble at those words. Rampage? Why would he vow not to kill one who shared his Spark?
Megatron walked over to Rattrap, and aimed his tail-gun at the small Maximal’s chest. Dinobot whirled, kicking the weapon away from Rattrap’s chest in a roundhouse blow, which left Megatron’s arm stinging. The Predacon leader watched in astonishment, as, after that, Dinobot knelt, supporting his weight upon his arms as well, head hanging, as he breathed deeply.
Pain was all Dinobot felt, as if his Spark was being ripped to shreds, although he had no doubt that it was. With a yell, he sprang up, his choice in his actions, as he landed a kick to Megatron’s chest, driving him farther away from Rattrap.
"Never . . . again!" he bellowed, his voice discarding the metallic grinding it had, when he had stepped out of the cloning device.
Rattrap remembered that voice all too well, and he allowed his gaze to wander up, to the giant of a Predacon. Rampage sighed. "So I’m not allowed to kill you today. Such a shame. You prove to scream quite easily."
With a grunt, the giant leaned against a tree, as something that resembled a Spark glided over to him. Rattrap looked slowly over to Dinobot, who was still battling Megatron. Rampage couldn’t believe what he was seeing either. "Brother no more, Dinobot." He reached toward the core of his Spark, and held it close to his chest, as he rejoined it with his own Spark. His face was pained, but he laughed evilly, as he stood on his own. Cheetor edged around him, to Rattrap, and stood over him. Rampage grinned. "Oh, you’ll never have to worry about me, Cheetor. Your friend has just ensured that I’ll never harm one of your Maximal comrades again. With the exception of Depth Charge, of course."
Optimus joined them, as the Transmetal crab walked over to Megatron and Dinobot. He shoved the smaller bot over, and chuckled. Inferno screamed in a high, little-girl scream, and booked it out of the place. He knew that this was a death trap. Not even his loyalty to Megatron would keep him in that valley one more nano-klick than necessary.
Rampage’s arm snapped out, and grabbed Megatron’s neck. Before he could do anything, Dinobot tapped his arm. With an irritated sigh, Rampage turned, still keeping his grip on his former captor’s neck firm. "Yes?"
Dinobot shook his head. "There’s too much death in this valley. Take it elsewhere."
Rampage growled. "Fine, then. But there’s only one favor left for you."
"Three chances, I see," Dinobot snickered. He glared up at the Transmetal, and his voice was a growl, the words barely decipherable. "Depth Charge will not be harmed."
"Screw you."
Dinobot leapt up, and held on to Rampage’s chest, his claws inches from his Spark’s casing, three levels of armor in. Of course, he had punctured two of those levels in the process of doing so. "He is not to be harmed. Do not make me separate your Spark once more. With my bare hands as well, which may well kill you."
Rampage looked into the warrior’s optic, and felt the ever-so-subtle tugs of something . . . something odd tug at his newly-repaired Spark . . . something that made him wary of his former brother. He looked to one side, then back at Dinobot. "I will not harm him, as long as he does not start screwing around."
Dinobot released the Predacon, who dragged Megatron away, who was screaming at Dinobot. That very being was walking over to Rattrap, who was leaking mech-fluid at an alarming rate. The Transmetal 2 bot kneeled, and went over the wounds quickly. With a sigh, he picked the small Maximal up. "Don’t you even think of dying, you insignificant cretin."
"Hush . . . up . . . slag-slurpin’ saurian."
Dinobot grinned. "Wouldn’t be anything else."
With a sigh, the warrior denied himself his vision, and carefully channeled the energy he used for healing himself into healing his battle-partner.
Optimus and Cheetor waited, worried, not knowing what was going on. The leader held the younger Maximal back, as he wanted to see what was going on.
Rattrap fell into a healing slumber, as Dinobot let his world return to focus. He looked up at Optimus and Cheetor, who were watching warily. Optimus shook his head. "Did we know that your healing ability could be used like that?"
Dinobot winced. "Neither did I, until now. He still needs a CR chamber, though."
Optimus sighed, and nodded. "I’ll bring him back. Cheetor, you bring . . ." He chuckled, and reached over to take the limp Maximal from Dinobot. "You bring our old friend back."
Once his arms were free, and Optimus was leaving, Cheetor held his hand out to Dinobot. "Welcome back, Scale-Belly."
Dinobot shook the outstretched hand, sighing. "It is good to be back."
"And don’t try any more stunts like that. You’re starting to get on my nerves."
*~*~*~*~*
Depth Charge watched Dinobot with every sense heightened, trying to fully process what he had just said. "You got him to say WHAT?!"
"He has promised to not engage in battle with you, as long as you do not start it."
"Son of a Scrag, you slagging idiot! Are you crazy?"
Dinobot grinned, enjoying this to its very extent. "As Optimus says, ‘Sometimes crazy works.’ And you forgot to mention that he will not try to place any of the Maximals offline."
Rhinox was chuckling quietly, listening to the two bicker. Blackarachnia walked in. "Woah! Pred on campus!"
Dinobot felt something stick into the back of his neck, and he went dead still. "Is this how you repay someone for saving your life?"
Blackarachnia stopped. "What?"
Optimus walked into the room, and saw the postures everyone was in. "Blackarachnia, if you would let Dinobot go . . .?"
"He’s a Pred!"
"Maximal," Rhinox, Optimus and Cheetor chorused. The teenager had walked in with Optimus.
Silverbolt also took the opportunity to walk in, blinked, and turned right around, and left the room, muttering something about "not enough sleep."
Dinobot chuckled evilly, and Blackarachnia lowered her gun, remembering that the clone didn’t chuckle. However, what he said next, caused her to raise it at him, and fire once, barely missing his head.
"And maybe you might know about his reasons for sleeplessness, spider?"
Depth Charge would have bit his lip, if he had the luxury of having a mouth. To improvise, he barely kept himself from releasing a rare chuckle. You see, he knew the truth about that subject, as his quarters were on one side of Blackarachnia’s, and Rhinox’s was on the other, separating hers from Silverbolt’s.
And at the current moment, the technician was turned away from the group, his shoulders shaking in barely suppressed laughter at the truth on Dinobot’s words.
The manta ray suddenly changed his opinion of the once-again Maximal, as he walked out of the base for his patrol. And he wouldn’t forget what he had done for him . . .