Last Days

Note: This fic explores what Tigatron and Airrazor could have been doing during their search for maximal stasis pods up until their death. Also it depicts their growing relationship and Tigatron’s conflicted feelings toward their relationship…

They’ve been out in the wild for days now. Searching for their lost Maximal comrades that have been cast onto the planet by the devious workings of the alien machine. It was their duty to revive their sleeping friends, but that duty was put in the back of their minds. The time spent has been spent together. Talking, sharing, and becoming more than just comrades, more than just friends. Their sparks pulsed with feelings for each other as they made their way.

The night was young as the tiger looked into the cool blue sky. The soft breeze of the mountain air softly struck his body. He embraced it as it passed by letting it fill his soul with the love and respect of this primitive world. It had such beauty, such balance, but that balance has been disrupted. Predicons and Maximals warring on and on creating destruction. He did not like it, but there was no choice. The Predicons had to be stopped, but would it be at the cost of this cool peaceful planet? And what else would he have to loose for this war to be ended.

A screech from above woke him from his daze. It was his lady friend, Airrazor. Her beauty and grace was reminiscent of this world’s. He cared for her. She was strong, but soft. Her slender body appeared from under her beast form as she landed on two legs.

“No, I have not found anymore of our sleeping comrades,” he reported, “Shall we press on malady?”

She nodded and thrusted upwards into the air, transforming back to her beast form.

She fluttered above him sending a soft gentle breeze across his furry back, “After you Tigatron.”

He nodded and slowly on all four legs made way down the rocky path of the mountain as she slowly glided on the air currents above.

Rattrap sat at his station. His feet propped up on the console as he leaned back in his chair. Rhinox hunched over an open conduit as he tried to bring the shield grid back online. The last battle with the Predicons was hard. They almost lost. But in the end it turned out right. Optimus returned, they gained a new Maximal, Silverbolt, and all was at peace for the time being. The silent command center was soon filled with the echoing sound of Tigatron’s voice, “Maximal base come in.”

Rhinox looked up and turned to Rattrap while the static echoed through his ears. Rattrap still snoozing as Tigatron repeated his greeting, “Maximal base this is Tigatron.”

With a few commands entered on his console a communications channel was opened, “Yeah what it is stripes?” said the rat. “Is everything alright why did you not respond?” inquired the caring voice of Tigatron. “Yup we’re fine, Rattrap just wasn’t paying attention to your hails.” Said Rhinox as he crouched back down to work. “Asleep on the job like always vermin. Although your body has improved your mind has not yet surpassed the level of a drone,” Dinobot’s tone eased, “I apologize for the rat’s incompetent behavior Tigatron,” snarled Dinobot as he crept in the room in beast form. Tigatron chuckled as Rattrap glared at Dinobot waving his fist at him,

“Oh yeah please oh please tell us of your world cruise while we sit hear with a busted ship.”

The comm. line was filled with the chuckles of both the scouts. Optimus walked in and stood at the middle circular console, “Don’t mind Rattrap he’s just bored. What’s your status?” said the maximal leader.

“We’ve searched grids Varon, Zeta, and Gamma 5 today. No stasis pods in sight I’m afraid.”

“Hmmm… Keep searching they have to be out there somewhere. Thanks for reporting in.”

“Yes we are pleased to be given such an important job as this,” said Tigatron.

Optimus closed the communications link and walked to Rhinox. He bent down over his engineer, “How goes the repairs old friend?”

Rhinox looked up with a stressed look covering his face, “It ain’t good. The shield grid is fried, but that can be fixed.”

“Well the command pathways that feed the commands from the sentinel system to the shield grid is disconnected. That means I gotta crawl through the small crawl spaces to reach the linkage network and fix ‘em with barely any room to move.”

Optimus turned around to the circular console and brought up a schematic overview of the Axalon’s inner layout. He hit a few commands and the view magnified on the linkage network repair crawl space. Optimus studied the image, “Well you’re right there’s barely enough room for a bot like you to fit,” he turned around to Rattrap with a big grin stretching across his new transmetal face, “but…”

He stood up and slowly walked passed Optimus, knocking him in the side as he passed.

“Ya know what chopperface I’m not even gonna come back wit a smart comment. Dat was terrible. Ain’t worth it.”

“What’s got his circuits in a bunch?” asked Rhinox as he sat at his station.

“I believe he is sulking because he has been thrown out of your personal quarter Optimus.”

Dinobot stared back at the fading Rattrap as he made his way down the long corridor and chuckled.

Tigatron slowly walked through the grasslands. The night was coming as he sniffed through the brush for the sent of a stasispod. He was sure he had detected the unnatural smell of Cybertronian technology, but because of the constant movement of the winds, the sent is garbled. He presses on, his nose low to the ground continuing to sniff.

The metallic sent of a stasis pod fills his body as he looks around for a view of the pod. It was close, but not close enough. He began running towards the smells, but as he runs he hears the voice of his comrade calling for him. He stops and his ears focus on the sound,

“Tigatron! You’ve gotta see this!” exclaimed his bird friend from a distance away.

He looked back to the direction of the smells, but ignored it as he headed back to Airrazor’s position.

Airrazor sat at the edge of a cliff in robot mode. Her legs hung over the edge as Tigatron slowly crept up in beast mode. He stopped behind her and transformed, startling her a bit.

Her hand lay on the ground next to her signaling him to sit. Tigatron smiled as he sat next to her, they gazed out into the beautiful sunset. It was a beautiful landscape of colors with strokes of clouds within. “What beauty,” gasped Tigatron. Airrazor nodded and leaned in. Her head rested on his shoulder as he looked out at the sunset.

Optimus sits in a scanning chamber. Wires and cables attached, he sits uncomfortably as Rhinox reads some sensor data on his leader’s new transmetal body.

“On a scale of one to ten, the needle isn’t even moving,” he gets up from his seat and stands infront of Optimus,

“Despite my tests, we still don’t know what limits these new transmetal states may have,” he throws a switch on one of the sensor banks, “But perhaps this new biogen scan will…”

Suddenly, the system overloads, throwing sparks everywhere. The sea of sparks throws Rhinox to the ground in pain. He sits back up and nurses his smoking hand, blowing on it.

Cheetor swings around in his chair and points at his screen, “Hate to interrupt your fun, big-bot, but I’m pickin’ up a weird signal. It’s a Pred code but it’s on a Maximal frequency.”

The young transformer turns back to his console, “Can’t get a fix. It keeps...moving.”

Optimus detaches himself from the wiring, and joins Cheetor, “Open a comm line. Tell them to identify the signal.”

“Yeah, skycat, I’m gettin’ my spankin’ new armor polished. Whaddaya want?”

“We’re pickin’ up a Pred signal on vector 8-4-7. Optimus says Track and Identify.”

The comm line cut off as Rhinox sat back at his station. Optimus turns around and brings up the holographic grid map on the center console,

Optimus stared at the holo image. The signal, being represented as a yellow triangle, scurried quickly across the screen,

“I don’t know Cheetor, but hopefully Rattrap and Silverbolt can find out,” he turns away from the screen and looks at Rhinox, still cuddling his fried hand, “You gonna be ok Rhinox?”

The large bot looks up a little embarrassed, “Ya I’ll be fine. I just gotta…”

“It goes well little cat. I’ve picked up the sent of an unnatural construction nearby. Hopefully a pod,” replied Tigatron.

Optimus walks up behind Cheetor, putting his hand on the young bot’s shoulder,

“Good to hear Tigatron. It’s been a few days since we’ve heard from ya we’ve started to get worried.”

Airrazor lowered her arm. The comm. link was closed. She looked Tigatron in the eyes smiling.

He smiled and let out a sigh. Grabbing her waist with his hands he pulled her closer.

They kiss softly. Tigatron moved off sharply. His face was serious and unemotional. He transformed.

Airrazor stood their somewhat overtaken by the kiss. She let out a breath she did not know she was holding and nodded, “Uh huh.”

Tigatron saw the questions in her eyes. He did not want to end it so abruptly, but it would seem that the things he carried for the most were always taken from him. Snowstalker. He cared for her. Even if she was not at his intellectual level she was his kind. He did not want to go through that again. Feel those feelings once more. If he didn’t get attached. He could not get hurt as badly.

Tigatron slowly walks. He was close. He could almost see the pod. Airrazor flew over head. If they were near the pod she’d be the first to know.

Airrazor squinted, her eyes scanning the terran ahead. Passing through trees and bushes she caught a glimpse of a piece of scrap metal.

“I’ve spotted something Tigatron! Just up ahead. I’m gonna check it out.”

Airrazor slowly descended when reaching the metal fragment. She bent over and picked it up. She held it up, scanning it. Tigatron ran up besides her, “What is it?”

She looked to him, “I’ve found burn marks on it, but they’re old. It could have been a piece of a stasis pod that just came loss during its reentry.”

Tigatron transformed and took the fragment. He sniffed it, “Yes it carries the scent of a stasis pod. We must search the area. It can not be far from here.”

They both walked through the forest. The night settling around them as they walked.

Airrazor walked cautiously. She didn’t care much for dark forests. She felt as if something or someone was watching them, but the presence of Tigatron comforted her. Tigatron saw her anxiously. He slowly put his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close as they pressed on.

She looked around, wanting to find it and get out of the forest as quickly as possible. Just then out of the corner of her eye she caught site of moon light reflecting off metal in the brush.

On arrival his head hung low. The pod laid fragmented. The hatch cracked. He knelt down and lifted it up. Within laid bits and pieces of a protoform. He closed his eyes, “No.”

Airrazor nodded, “Yup, but not in here lets get this thing outta this forest.”

Tigatron finally gave into her need to escape the forest and began dragging the broken pod away.

Silverbolt suddenly came to life. It was his turn at the monitors and he was becoming weary in the late hour.

Tigatron took in a breath of air then let out a sigh, “We’ve located a stasis pod-”

Silverbolt leaned back in his chair, “Oh. I’ll inform Optimus when he gets up. In the meantime you should collect the maximal programming chip.”

Airrazor stood up from the pod with a few items, “I’ve salvaged what little I could.”

Tigatron turned to beast mode, “Then let us find some place to rest for the night.”

Airrazor nodded.

Airrazor’s optics slowly come on. She sits up from the ground and looks around for Tigatron. Sun light ripples in the cave just enough for her to see. She gets up and exits the cave.

Tigatron stands in beast mood over looking a rocky plain below him. She came up behind him and robot form, “Morning sunshine,” a smirk grew on her face.

Tigatron looked back at her, “Ha ha. Good morning,” he looked back out to the plain, “I believe we should search this grid today.”

They both sat silent staring out to the land before them. The silence was uncomfortable. Airrazor wanted it to end.

Tigatron nodded with a smile, “And I care for you. Only my love for you has kept me from telling you this. It seems the closest things around me are usually lost to me. I do not want that to occur with you Airrazor. I’d rather remain comrades then loss you.”

She snuggled against his fur. It was cozy and made her feel warm. Tigatron purred softly as he rubbed against her, “I hope not.”

Tigatron walks slowly, sniffing the air, searching. Airrazor floats on air currents above. Both at peace with themselves and in love.

Airrazor shakes her head, “I dunno, but its coming from that canyon up there.”

They slowly make their way down into the canyon. Tigatron looks around enthusiastically sniffing the plant life around him.

“Plant life! Magnificent! I'd forgotten what beauty this planet once offered.”

She transformed and began scanning. Suddenly the plant begins to move. Its vines swirl around Airrazor. They catch Tigatron too. They both struggle to free themselves. Groaning and screaming, they reach for each other. Their hands clasp.

They both gasp for air as the plant’s hold grows tighter. Tigatron takes in a gulp of air. He watched as the life slowly drained from his love’s eyes. He wanted so badly to help her, but he too began to feel weak. He felt his life slipping away, but he could not give up!

End