Lonely Among Us

While Tamme adjusts to life with the Maximals she learns its not always easy fitting in. Rampage continues on his journey through his past memories and finds something new to distract him from his past pains. Second in the series ‘Reflections’.

Ashes fluttered to the ground. Billowing clouds of white smoke rose above him as he lay motionless on the battle stricken ground. He laid in shock. Not in any physical pain. The wounds to his side were healing. The metal armor wrapped into itself, closing the gaping hole. Only dried mech fluid was left, the only remaining evidence displaying the heroic charge of his previous prey.

Rampage’s optics fluttered on. He looked up into the billowing tower of smoke before him. The blaze had dissipated and now all that was left was the ashy remains of the stasis pod and his comrade’s fried body. Images filled his mind as he gazed at the smoldering remains. It was all too familiar. The white smoke continued to rise as his mind began to plunge deep within itself. It had been some time since these particular memories had surfaced. They had always been there, but now, they were in his conscious mind. He couldn’t escape them. They grew over his mental block and for the first time in a long time, he weakened.

White. It was blank. Void of anything-- nothingness. It surrounded him. The four walls about him rested, closing in on him. A translucent-blue field hung at the entrance of his small void. Nothingness was his world. He was nothing, but an experiment. A mistake. He was their amusement. For hours on end, they would suck the life from him for their amusement. They all deserved to receive justice. It just wasn’t right. They wouldn’t listen. They couldn’t understand. All of them were blind to his spark’s life. All of them but one.

Protoform X sat hunched over on a small white bed. It was hard and rigid and provided no comfort of softness. Between his knees his arms hung, bound together by a grey metal restraint. He was confined. He didn’t do anything. He was just there. He did nothing to be here. He felt empty and alone. There was but one who was there for him.

The hallway outside the small cell echoed with the sound of a door opening and closing shut. The large bot remained still and silent. The sound had echoed through the white hall many times before. Foot steps rung through his ears. The steps were light and quick. Hope grew within him. He recognized the soft steps. He looked to the cell’s door. The foot steps came closer and closer. Soon the field shut down and in came someone. It was the one. She was the one. She protected him. She was kind to him. She was the only thing he lived for.

The slender figure of the female bot knelt down, looking X in the face. She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. “How’s my favorite patient today?” Shrugging, he looked towards her, sheepishly. “I’m tired.” The cheerful vigor faded from the female’s face as she removed her hand from the large bots shoulder. She stood to her feet and looked out into the white hall in which she traveled before.

X nodded and sighed. “I can’t sleep anymore.” The female looked back at him and let out a breath of sadness. “I know. Just hang tight. Hopefully this will all be over soon enough.” The dark bot returned his saddening gaze to the white ground of his cell’s floor.

He was at peace. The energon flowed from the power pack into his circuitry, filling his body with life. He still felt the effects of Rampage’s missile fire on his systems. The CR chamber can only repair so much. He was left with minimum energy reserves to go on. It felt good to fill up a little. Moments passed as his mind danced from subject to subject. Often times he thought of Cybertron. How could he fit in there? It was his home, but nonetheless it seemed alien to him, just an idea. The others were almost obsessed with the notion of returning home. Not him. He was different and although those among the crew of the Axalon accepted him, it was foolish to believe that all that populated the great planet would.

Suddenly, over the comm.-line, Rattrap spoke. “Hey, buddy. Ehh your friend is awake. Join us in da command centa.”

Silverbolt quickly removed the feeding wires from his arm and switched off the power pack which rested next to his bed. A mirror hung on the wall to his left and he peer into it. He dusted his armor off, letting free a white shine into the mirror. After being pleased with his appearance he departed.

Everyone was there. So many new faces. It was a bit overwhelming. So far, her short life had been a whirlwind, there was no time to breathe. No time to learn who she was or what she was. She needed time to digest everything. Yet, she tried to get a hold of herself. These people were her family now. She needed to get to know them.

Optimus gently placed his hand on the new Maximal’s shoulder and looked her in the face. “So, what do you think of all this Tamme?” Tamme stood silent. The slender female’s gray and cream colored body trembled slightly under the stress. All the new, nameless faces concentrated on her, waiting for a response. It made her feel uneasy. She didn’t care for groups. All this attention, it was too much, but she had to cope. She had to.

Optimus nodded and removed his hand, “Believe me, we understand. It isn’t easy being thrown right in the middle of a war, but you’ll do fine. You have every single one of us to count on.”

Tamme smiled sweetly. She didn’t know what to say. She felt warm and cared for. It was a wonderful feeling. She needed it. She hated the feeling of loneliness. It was her world up until this moment.

As the group remained around the new Maximal, Silverbolt strolled in. Everyone looked in his direction. Rattrap nodded, “‘morning ‘bolt.” Silverbolt nodded in response, “Same to you Rattrap.” His attention, as he entered, immediately shifted to Tamme. He joined the group around her and smiled.

She was silent. She just couldn’t speak. She felt paralyzed. She didn’t know what to say. She tried to speak; the only result was the simple word, “Yes.” Silverbolt raised a brow. Optimus looked at Tamme and then back at Silverbolt. “A… a… Yes, well we told Tamme that if you hadn’t taken that first hit, she would have been too far gone for any repairs.” Rhinox moved forward, joining Optimus and Silverbolt in front of Tamme, “Luckily Rampage’s second fire consisted of only one missile instead of the previous two that hit you.”

Silverbolt nodded, “Yes, we were very fortunate. It was very close for all of us. Fortunately Rampage became distracted long enough for me to hit him a few times.”

Optimus nodded, “Yes.” He shifted his attention on Tamme’s black and cream face and smiled. “Well, I suppose we should give you a tour of the base.” He looked over his shoulder to Rhinox, “And I’ll have Rhinox secure you your own quarters.” Tamme nodded, smiling shyly. Optimus turned around, “Silverbolt, would you do the honors?” The fuzor nodded happily, “Of course Optimus!” He looked passed his commander, meeting the sky blue eyes of Tamme. He smiled and motioned for her to follow him. “This way milady.” Tamme stepped forward and stood by the fuzor’s side. He looked down at her smiling. She looked away quickly. He softly put his hand on her back and gently pushed her forward into the corridor leading off the command center. She felt completely in his control. She felt safe. She hated big groups, but one on one, that was different.

Megatron lounged in his hot tube. The bubbling energy danced over his metallic exterior. He rarely used the CR tank; he preferred to be always on the alert. No time to shut down, he would say. He stared forward at the view screen before him. Tarantulas was speaking to him on it. He despised the arachnid. The spider was the only one of his crew that had the nerve to betray him. Tarantulas was too unpredictable. An unknown element in his plans could mean the end of his reign on this ancient world. Yet, the spider was brilliant and often times useful to have around; like now for example. Megatron smirked as the spider rambled on.

“Yes, yes yes, very good then. Once I have got the maximal coding, then I shall give the project over to you for the,” suddenly a devious smile stretched across his face, “a, final touches.”

“I expect this operation and the defeat of the Maximals to come to a close within the coming week. Do not fail me.”

The screen went black and the Predacon emblem appeared in the center. Megatron reached for his small yellow rubber ducky which floated in the bubbling energy next to his side. He held it in his hand and smiled. “Soon enough, my dear duck, we shall be seeing the last of those maximal imbeciles, yes.”

Suddenly a clang echoed behind him. He remained still, focusing on the sound. The clanking of multiple footsteps crept into his sanctuary. He recognized the footsteps and smiled. Without moving he greeted his unwelcome guest. “Why is that my loyal servant Rampage I hear?” Suddenly the footsteps stopped and Megatron continued. “Why I do believe it is.” The tyrant turned around and looked into the dark room. There he was. Rampage stood before him in beast mood.

“Well, my most gracious master , the fuzor and the rat got to the pod before us.”

“This could drastically endanger my plans my dear crab. I will not tolerate this failure, no!”

Megatron stood up from his bubbling bath and stepped from it. He made his way to his command chair and sat down. Activating a few buttons with his hand, Megatron unsealed a compartment in his arm rest. He reached in and found Rampage’s spark. The chair spun around, facing the metallic crab directly. Megatron smirked. “You may be the stronger my dear crab, but do not EVER forget who controls your very existence! You will not fail me any longer, no. For I am a calculated tyrant. This must go according to my plans if I or I mean, if our kind are to be rulers and no longer slaves of the maximal elders.” Without letting a second go by, he grips the spark. Rampage cringes in pain as Megatron continues, “I will not tolerate this uselessness you have become once again Rampage. You will learn to fear and obey me, yes.” The pain eased as Megatron returned the spark to its compartment. Rampage, weak from the attack, fell to the ground. Megatron looked at him with a disgusted face.

“And this is my quarters. If you ever need something, I am at your disposal, milady, and now you know where to find me.”

Silverbolt and Tamme stood outside the fuzor’s quarters peering in. The fuzor hits a panel which resides next to the doorway and the door slides shut. “And now, Tamme, we shall see the outside of the ship.” As they walk down the corridor, Tamme smiles, quiet and reserved, just along for the ride. There was something about him. His presence was calming to her. She felt the world of war and death slipping away from her, leaving her with a peaceful feeling. He was charming and polite and treated her as if she were royalty.

As they made their way outside the ship, a far reaching sunset engulfed the sky above. Pink and orange tinted clouds danced before the two as they came outside. Silverbolt stopped walking and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath of air and then smiled.

Tamme looked at the painting-like sunset before her and took in a breath. Without saying a word she nodded and looked up at the fuzor.

“We’re from a planet called Cybertron. I have never been there, but the others describe it as a fast-paced world full of Maximals and Predacons who live in… well peace.”

“They... the others… they all yearn to be on that world back in that fast-paced life so badly.”

“Of course I am curious about my origins, my home. Yet, it really isn’t my home. This is where I was first brought online. This planet and its history is what makes me, me.”

Suddenly it seemed as if time had halted. The two Earth-born Maximals paused in the sunset sharing a moment of silence together. Their faces shone with happiness as the moments slipped by. The quiet sanctuary of silence soon became disturbed though. Silverbolt’s comm.-link activated and Optimus’ voice poured into the silent moment they shared.

He stood to his feet as he awaited his commander’s reply. Tamme stood in somewhat of a daze as Optimus and Silverbolt spoke.

“Its that time again Silverbolt. Rhinox is waiting for you in the cargo hold.”

Silverbolt nodded and regained a professional stance, “Understand Optimus, I will be there momentarily.”

“I must leave you now. I shall return and finish showing you some of my favorite sights on this world later.”

As Silverbolt re-entered the Axalon, Tamme walked further out onto the earth. Her audio processors picked up the rumbling sound of the rushing water from the nearby water fall. She looked up into the sky above her and let the colors seep into her optics, filling her with amazement. She had never experienced such things. They were so vivid and exciting. The sunset’s colors wrapped themselves around her, causing her creamy torso, arms, and legs to be accented by a hue of orange and pink. She turned to beast mode and walk over to a nearby tree. She looked up at the towering organic object. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but her instincts drove her to climb up it. Her claws gripped into the bark and she felt the texture exciting her sensory input nodes. She made it up to a large branch and sat upon it. The view was even better from this height! She could see the orange mass dipping into the horizon during its descent. A soft breeze rushed by causing her fur to stand on end. She felt alive for the first time. This was where she belonged. She was just beginning to learn who she was and she began to find herself here, in nature.

It was that time again. He dreaded it everyday. The hours would barely crawl by as he sat alone, left to his own miseries in his cell. Then, each night, they would come. They used him. It was some kind of sick game, he thought. They would push him past pain and fatigue, just to see how much he could withstand. It was cruel. His mind was being destroyed by the constant stress. All he thought about was some kind of salvation from this hell. The only thing that offered him any sense of hope was her. She attended to his needs after they broke him down. She watched over him and provided comfort. She was his angel of mercy.

The shimmering blue field which rested at the entrance of his cell faded away and they stepped in. Two tall men came in, always silent, always emotionless. They grabbed him by the arms and drew him to his feet. He didn’t resist any longer. They always prevailed. He slowly was swept out of his void into the white hallway which they entered. X looked up as they walked slowly to the end of the hallway. There he was. He was the one responsible for all of this. He stood there watching him. X looked to the left of him and there she stood. She looked at X, sharing with him a look of sympathy. His heart broke and he cried out for help.

She stepped forward, wanting to help, but was held back by him. His name was Depthcharge. He was in charge of the security at the colony they occupied. X directed all of his anguish to the man. He was the one who locked him up and restricted him to the confines of the small white cell. He was the emotionless demon who let this to continue on. He was the one who stopped anyone from showing sympathy. He was a torturer and X was his prey.

X came to a door at the end of the hallway. Depthcharge hit a panel to the right of the door and it quickly slid open. X looked back at her and closed his eyes. He couldn’t do this again. It was too painful, physically and mentally. No one could do this over and over without loosing something. He felt his very being slipping away. His heart was hardening and depression was his world. They were destroying him and he felt numb. The door closed behind him and it began.

Meanwhile, Depthcharge and the one who cared for him, spoke. She pleaded with the security officer. “How many more times will he have to be put through this?”

“I don’t know. It may take months or even years to discover why his spark is indestructible.”

She turned to the empty cell and made a fist of anger, “At what price are we to gain this knowledge of immortality?” The femme turned, staring him down. “Why is it that he has no more rights then a maintenance drone? Why!”

Depthcharge stepped to the door and peered through the glass, looking upon his tortured prisoner. “This is out of my control, Taela.”

The female turned him to face her, “You can put an end to this now, before it’s too late!”

Depthcharge turned back to the door, “I’m following my orders.”

Suddenly his optics flickered on and he quickly sat up. It was morning. Rampage looked to his wrist and saw the power tubules strung from his arm to an energon feeding pack. He unhooked the wires and let them dangle by his bed. His mind was cluttered by the stirred memories of his past. He didn’t want to relive this all over again by dream or in any fashion. It was difficult to suppress these memories. He couldn’t any longer.

Rampage walked to the door and exited his room. He needed to get out. This place, the Predacon vessel, his small confining quarters, and Megatron were all too familiar. They all seemed to echo his past. It was too painful to be here. He needed to find some place where he could escape these memories and so he went outside.

It was morning. The start of a new day loomed over the earth. Dew laced the forest ground as the sun began its slow ascent into the blue sky. Tamme was curled up at the foot of a towering tree. Her beast form blended in nicely with the surroundings as she slept peacefully. Sunlight poured into the forest, casting shadows of the forest canopy onto the floor. The sunlight entered into her world as her optics slightly opened. She yawned and stretched her fore-limbs forward. The raccoon sat up and looked around, somewhat unsure of her surroundings. Yet, within moments her memory circuitry filled in her memory gap and she recalled the previous night. Tamme had spent the entire night wandering around; just taking in the beauty. She was tempted to remain here, hidden in her hiding place; a place of no danger or war. She was happy here, yet she still felt a sense of loyalty to the others. They were her family now. Her memory files were severely damaged in the crash, but she felt a part of them. Tamme stood up on all four legs and began her journey back to the Axalon. She was miles away, but felt the need to return to see the others; to see Silverbolt.

He was at a loss. It seemed as if yet another plan was foiled before its birth. He wanted so badly this endeavor to succeed. It had all the workings of an infallible plan. He growled. It was a realized fact that nothing was infallible for his worthless crew. They all were devoid of any intellect. Nonetheless, they were the only ones that were willing to aid him in his lust for power and freedom. So, he was forced to deal with their incompetence.

Megatron sat in his chair and contemplated how to revise his plans to accommodate the incompetence of his crew. He grew increasingly tired of this situation. He yearned for this to be the last moment in which he had to calculate the Maximal’s demise. One way or another he was going to make this work, but he had to remain calm and calculated. He turned to his holo-bubble and pushed a button. “Computer display jamming network grid.” A grid map shimmered into view on his holo-bubble as scattered red dots began appearing all over it. Megatron nodded with a soft growl. “Yes, yes. It is time to press on further with this particular endeavor.” He hit the comm.-link and cleared his throat.

Silverbolt strolled from his quarters as the sunlight began to fill his room. It was morning. His head felt a bit foggy due to his late return the previous night. He had been out in Predacon territory for reasons only three Maximals knew of. It was a classified mission, one he performed with great pride. His journeys from the Axalon to the intended coordinates were most enjoyable, almost therapeutic. By day, Silverbolt dealt with many things: the Predacons and their evil diversions, his duties as an Axalon crewmember, and his inner fears and insecurities. Yet, when he arose above the earth and the clouds, he was left to himself. He left all his troubles back down on the ground below and just allowed the air currents to pull him along. It was his hideaway. It was for no one, but him. His time there had become sacred to him and he longed for it each day. This is the reason he volunteered for this mission. Of course he would always do his duty, but he would take a few cycles and let it all fall down to the ground.

As the fuzor’s mind began to let the previous night go, he came upon the cargo bay of the Axalon. Inside, Rhinox waited for him. The large engineer stood packing a crate with some equipment as Silverbolt strolled in. He came up to Rhinox and nodded.

“Hmph… well I’ve uploaded the networking interlink controls into the MASD’s main hub. Once ya set it up and activate its energon cell it should begin automatically establishing the network.” The engineer closed up the crate and sealed it carefully. “After that it’s just a matter of us using the Axalon’s computers to interface with its main hub.”

Suddenly, the cargo bay’s outer hatch creaked. The lights in the bay dimmed as alarms sounded.

Rhinox and Silverbolt exchanged a glance as if their fears of an emergency had just evaporated. The cargo hatch slowly creaked upwards, sliding into an open compartment where it would rest until the doors were commanded to shut. As the hatch drew further and further within the empty space above it, sunlight began seeping into the bay. The rays of sunlight shone brightly and revealed tiny dust particles dancing amidst the air. The smell of fresh air quickly engulfed the room and Silverbolt smiled, pleased of the smell. Finally, the hatch halted and in came Optimus in flight mode. The blue metallic bot quickly transformed mid-air into robot form and moved towards his audience.

Rhinox nodded and simply let a “yup” slip forth. The engineer turned around and began fiddling with some piece of equipment.

“Good. I’m happy to report that I just spotted most of the Preds heading to sector 504 with a bunch of equipment.”

Silverbolt nodded in agreement, “Yes, they have built several each day at regular intervals. It is ironic that Megatron’s devious workings would provide us with such luck.”

Optimus shrugged, “Ironic or not, we have a window of roughly four mega cycles until they return. Take advantage of it Silverbolt.”

He picked up the crate, flinching under its weight, and made his way towards the doorway. “I will be glad to be done with carrying these burdensome crates around.”

Optimus nodded and smirked, “We appreciate all your help Silverbolt. And don’t worry this’ll all be over soon.”

He couldn’t escape it. It followed him every where. He tried so very hard to push it from his mind, to try and find some peace. Yet, the only route to salvation was to focus on something, anything. It was his unfortunate habit to direct his pain and anguish onto others, focusing on their pains instead of his own. It was the only way he knew how to deal. He received no compassion from others; no one eased his pain for him… voluntarily.

Rampage, in beast form, crawled for hours. He was searching for something to do, a Maximal to focus his pain on. It was the only thing he knew how to do now. He blamed the way he was on them. He couldn’t help it any longer. It was their fought that he was this way.

Suddenly he heard something; something unnatural. He scampered towards the direction of the sound. A maximal, he thought excitedly. He saw a slim figure crouched down near a tree a few meters away. He didn’t recognize the bot. Then he remembered. It was her; the new maximal female. There was something about her that was familiar. He was curious about her, yet he had no time for curiosity. He was hurting, suffering in his own memories and had to get relief one way or another. Rampage crept slowly forward, as to not arouse the unsuspecting maximal of his attack. Then he watched her stand up. Her hands were cupped and she was holding something. He couldn’t tell what it was. He continued to move closer, trying to discover what it was. After a moment it came into focus and it became clear she held a small bird in her palms. She was caring for it; returning it to its nest on a branch above her. The bird tried to take to its wings, but failed and fell to the ground. Tamme gently placed the bird in its nest and patted it on the head.

Rampage stopped. Something within him flinched as more memories surged into his mind’s eye.

The door opened at the end of the long white hallway. It was finally over again. X felt the life oozing out of his damaged circuitry. The end of his torments came again, but the unwelcome truth bit him in the face because he knew this would occur all over again the next night. The two maximal guards dragged him back into his cell and dropped him on the floor. He was severely damaged and could not even move. They disabled the stasis lock function and so he was left to suffer. Randomly a few sparks would flutter from his exposed circuitry as he flinched in pain. Why? What purpose was there in inflicting this much pain onto him each night? He never knew why he was here. They wanted something from him, he knew that. He felt as if he would do anything to stop this from happening again. Yet, they never asked him any questions. There were no interrogations, only pain. What did they want?

Suddenly he heard a soft voice above him. He struggled to activate his optic sensors and soon enough a blurred image of Taela formed before him. She stood over him with a med-kit and a smile. X let out a sigh of relief. Finally some compassion, he thought. Taela knelt down besides X and reached to his arm and attached two energon feeder wires. She knew his condition and knew he needed energy badly. “Hello my brave patient. How are you tonight?” She tried to put on a cheery face, if only to make him feel better. Then, looking to the right of the cell, a small computer panel sat. She reached towards it, pulled out another set of wires and attached them to X’s chest. X reached out his arm to her, but it soon fell to the ground, unable to hold itself up any longer. Taela looked to the arm and saw it was severely mutilated. She looked to the ground seeing a puddle of mech fluid forming below X’s body. Another current of sparks flowed from his gut and X gasped in agony. Taela looked at him, her optics blurred with tears. “Hmm... it… it looks like ya got a little scrape here. L…let me patch that up here for ya.” Taela rubbed her hand over his forehead as her other hand reached into her med-kit and pulled out a small five inch long device.

Taela stopped and closed her eyes. She stood up and faced the bot behind her, it was Depthcharge. She hid the repair device behind her back as she stepped forward.

“Why can’t I try and ease some of the pain he is in? This isn’t right and you know it!”

“Repairing him will only give us faulty data and then we’ll have to put him through this even more. Do you want that Taela?”

Depthcharge stepped forward and handed her the device gently. He looked down at her and rested his hand on her small shoulder.

“Taela, Commander Bashir has ordered me to ensure that this project is a success. Please, don’t make this job any harder for me than it already is.”

Taela turned to face him, “Depthcharge why can’t we just put him in a CR chamber for repairs. Why make him suffer through all this pain?”

“We’re trying to discover how he is able to regenerate his own systems. We hope to someday duplicate this phenomenon for all Cybertronians! So he must repair himself!”

“That’s just the nonsense Commander Bashir has brainwashed into everyone on the project! Yeah, sure this might help all of Cybertron, but what we are doing is wrong! The price is too great!”

Depthcharge again, in an attempt to sooth her anger, placed his hand on her shoulder.

“We’re following orders. We’re doing our duty to Bashir and all of Cybertron.”

Taela pulled away from him and looked towards X’s ravaged body on the ground. She closed her eyes and formed a fist of frustration.

“Your duty is only to make sure the energon feeder is properly attached and that he is being monitored by the computer while he repairs himself.”

“I have to go,” stated the nurse bot as she coldly rushed past Depthcharge.

“I’m bringing this past your authority, past Commander Bashir; I’m going directly to the Maximal Elders.”

Her eyes were lit with a fiery determination as she raced to the end of the hallway and to the exit. Depthcharge stopped her and held her in place.

Rampage shook his head and looked at the femme as she returned to beast mode. She was so gentle and caring. He realized why she was familiar to him. She reminded him of her, Taela. Taela was the only one there for him when he needed something. She cared for him. He missed being cared for. He missed not being feared. He was on his own and was continually tormented by his power hungry master. He needed Taela. He needed to be cared for. He needed understanding. He needed the new maximal. Rampage, in a desperate need of someone to care for him, felt attracted to Tamme. Tamme was now associated with Taela and Taela was associated with all things good and caring. He needed her and so he followed her; staying far enough behind to not be noticed, but now he had something new to focus on, something to restore hope in his life.

Megatron slammed his fist into his arm rest. Frustration had overtaken him. Things were not looking good for his plans, and his partner, Tarantulas, was doing no good in reminding him of the fact.

“I am aware of that you maddening arachnid! Do not remind me of what we need to complete this endeavor!”

Tarantulas shrugged, “As you wish, but do not blame the failure of this project on me! You and your inept minions are the real wrenches in this engine! Tarantulas out.”

Megatron fell back into his chair. He was fatigued. He knew of no simple way, save the capture and dissection of a Maximal’s core processor, to provide maximal coding. The frustrated tyrant closed his optics and relaxed.

The computer quickly replied with a chirp and in moments the dark extent of the Predacon ship was filled with the soft vibrations of classical music. He had recovered a selection of cultural files from the golden disc he had stolen from the Maximals. It contained an assortment of Earth’s classical music. Hmph, the foolish humans. In a futile attempt at seeking out that which they can not defend against or understand, they launched a probe into space, with a disc in the hopes to introduce themselves to other races. Yet, he did find their music to be quite relaxing.

“Tracking device 7C4 has entered Maximal territory. Tracking…” Megatron suddenly awoke. He sat upright and activated his holo-bubble. “Hmmm… I see my disobedient subordinate has strolled upon Maximal grounds. It is true the crab is uncontrollable, yet often times that quality in him coincidentally is an asset I can take advantage of. Yes.” Megatron bent forward and pressed a few buttons into his arm rest consol. “Computer establish visual interface. I want to see what my dear crab sees.”

It was mid-morning now and the sun continued its ascent into the sky. The Axalon shimmered in the sun’s golden rays as long lingering shadows danced upon the ground beneath the vessel. Tamme, in robot form, came upon the Axalon and headed for the turbo-lift, but she was unexpectedly met with Silverbolt coming down the lift. The fuzor’s face bore a look of pain. He held a large crate in his arms and looked as if he were about to drop it. Straining through the pain, Silverbolt nodded to Tamme, “Tamme… how… how are you?”

Finally succumbing to the weight of the crate, Silverbolt lowered it to the ground. The tired maximal stood straight up and rubbed his forehead.

Tamme smiled. The way he talked made her giggle. She came closer to him and smiled.

Silverbolt sighed and looked away from her momentarily and then back towards her.

“I apologize milady, but that information is of the highest importance. I can not tell you.”

Silverbolt put his hand on her shoulder and, with the other hand, lifted her face up to face his own.

“Do not frown Tamme. You shall find out what this is all about soon enough. For now, Optimus wants to keep things hushed for security reasons.”

In the background, hidden behind a few bushes, Rampage sits watching the two as they speak with each other. Usually, when coming upon the Maximal fuzor, his violent circuitry would charge up, but now his mind and being was focused on something else completely. It was Tamme. He watched her as she stood, becoming a silhouette in the rising sun light. She was beautiful. She was an angel. He had not seen anything that wonderful since Taela. It’s not just the looks that went into his sense of beauty. Rampage had the ability to read people. He had the ability to tap into their minds and just see what kind of person they really were. He only saw gentleness and kindness in Tamme. Yet, as he looked on, he questioned whether it would be smart to make any sort of move. An encounter with the fuzor in front of Tamme would destroy any chance of her seeing him as anything but the monster he is usually viewed as.

Something was bothering him. He didn’t know what; he just felt something was out of place. Rhinox stood in the cargo bay standing next to a table, fiddling with some little device. He was deep in thought, almost in a trance it seemed like. He was worried that something would go wrong on this mission. They were so close to completing the sensor network. He just hoped the MASD’s, Micro-tunneling Automatic Senor Device, would function correctly. If they did, this would be the turning point in the beast wars. He wanted to return home. He never really let it show, but he was just as obsessed with returning home as everyone else. He left many things undone on Cybertron. He’d just been offered a position at C-TEC, Cybertronian Technologies Engineering Corporation, and positions in that corporation were scarce. He’d been applying for almost two years before getting the offer. He was supposed to resign from the Axalon after its mission and take his position at C-TEC. Yet, he wouldn’t have had the experiences he’s had. He wouldn’t be the same bot if it weren’t for the Axalon crew and this war.

Suddenly, Rhinox dropped the little device he’d been tinkering with and it fell to the ground. He bent down to grab it, but noticed something was lying next to it. It was an energon power cell! He quickly grabbed the cell and stood up.

Rhinox cleared his throat and spoke, “Looks like Silverbolt left the MASD’s power cell behind. Y’better get him back here or it’s no good without it.”

The engineer sighed and sat down at the table and reviewed the cell, just to make sure that this mission wouldn’t go wrong by a faulty power supply.

Silverbolt let Tamme go and moved back towards the crate. He stood before it, frowning. “Hmm… I suppose I better be off with this load.” The fuzor bent down and grabbed the crate. Slowly, he straightened up, slightly leaning his weight backwards.

Tamme smiled halfway. She felt somewhat alone. Silverbolt was the only one of the Axalon crew she had made any connection with. Once he’s gone, she’s left to herself again. She watched as Silverbolt began moving forward, his wings beginning to flap. Yet, just as the fuzor left the ground behind, Optimus’s voice rang through his comm.-link. Silverbolt rolled his eyes after being ordered back to the cargo hold. He slowly came to the ground next to Tamme and again released the burdensome weight of the crate. He sighed with fatigue, “Would you mind keeping an eye on this? I don’t really enjoy the thought of bringing this load back into the base.”

There it was. It sat on the ground before her, calling to her. She was curious as to what was so heavy in the crate. And because she’d never dealt with the sensation of curiosity, she let her emotion circuitry pull her along for the ride. Before she knew it, Tamme was kneeling down at the crate. She reached for the lid and lifted it up. Inside sat a small satellite and some other hardware. She reached in and brought the satellite dish out.

Hmm… I wander what this is for.

Megatron, previously looking casually at the screen, now was entranced by the visual perception of his troublesome crab. A hint of excitement and deviousness sparkled in the optics of the mighty tyrant.

“Objects processed and identified as micro-tunneling sensor dish, long-range network array, and audio/visual recorders.”

Rampage still hid behind the dark cover of some bushes, admiring the maximal female from afar. He feared being exposed to her as a monster. He needed to be seen as he is. He needed it. It was now or never. He felt the urge to push forward and so he did. The bushes rustled as he crept slowly forward. Tamme knelt over the crate, preoccupied with her curiosity to notice, but all the same, he crept ever so slowly. He did not want to appear menacing and due to his large nature, he could easily frighten her. He did not want to. No; not at all. To do so would be to condemn himself to an immortal life alone.

Suddenly the lift from the Axalon began its slow descent ground ward. Rampage frozen and quickly slipped back into the sanctuary of shadows. Tamme, caught off guard, hurriedly placed the hardware back into the crate. Yet, it was too late. Silverbolt stood towering before her, frowning.

“I understand milady. Curiosity is a powerful force. Yet, you have proven yourself untrustworthy at the moment.”

The fuzor knelt down and packed the rest of the hardware and prepared the crate for travel once again.

Tamme felt her spark racing. It sunk deep within her torso and she felt ill. She hated this feeling. It was repulsing. Silverbolt was her only friend among the others. She didn’t want to alienate him. She had to do something.

Tamme stood there, not knowing what to say to make this right. The fuzor stared at her blankly before resting his hand on her shoulder.

“Well, you see we are attempting to form a sort of spying network up around the Predacon base. These scanner dishes according to Rhinox use scanners to tap into the Predacon vessel and perform multiple functions; from taking pictures, to tapping into the Predacon computer.”

“Th…this would be an incredibly helpful advantage; one that co…could bring this war to an end very soon!”

Silverbolt stood, his knees bent and his arms slightly shaking under the weight.

“Th…that is the reason w… we are keeping this a se…secret milady: to ensure its success!”

Silverbolt smirked. He knew she really didn’t know the enemy. She only had one encounter with them and her memory from that brief battle was damaged when she was hit. She only retained a vague impression of her feelings and images of Silverbolt leaping in the path of some missiles. Yet, he knew she would learn soon enough. The Predacons definitely educated him when he first was activated and they soon will with her.

“Well, Tamme I must be off or I will not be ab…able to complete this mission!”

She was relieved Silverbolt had forgiven her. If she lost him, she did not know what she would have done. She felt so isolated from the others. They all had their own interpersonal relationships. They’ve survived together throughout a war and definite bonds had formed. She felt like she was left outside those bonds. She was innocent from the many things they’d experienced and she had no point of commonality to form any bond. Yet, she knew she had to. If something were to happening to Silverbolt and she were to be forced to continue on with only the others as her only companions, well, then she’d better begin forming some kind of connection. She had to.

“Unknowingly, that maximal buffoon has given his enemy the inner workings of their infallible plan!”

The tyrant smacked his hands together and held them in a combined fist, “I must ambush that fool, only after he has established his little spy network. This will provide me with a very profitable circumstances. Yes.”

The command center in the Axalon was silent. All was calm, but the silence was soon interrupted. Tamme entered the room via the elevator. She looked around the dimly lit room. Rattrap sat at his monitor alone. He seemed to be entranced by something on the screen. Tamme moved forward cautiously. Since she had to make friends with her new family, she figured now was the perfect time. She sat down next to Rattrap and leaned forward, looking at the screen before the rat. She smiled shyly and tapped the rat’s shoulder.

Rattrap chuckled. The screen before him displayed a pile of Megatron bits. The rat smiled with pride.

Tamme smiled and nodded. She had no interest in video games, but still wanted to try and talk.

Tamme nodded, “Oh, I see. Glad you were watching those screens so ardently!”

Tamme chuckled to herself as Rattrap blankly stared forward. She saw the look on his face and figured there was no point in trying to talk anymore. She’d done enough. She got acquainted with the fellow and now was going to leave him be. Tamme pushed herself up with her arms on the console before her. Suddenly, Rattrap’s screen went blank. The rat shot up out of the chair quickly.

Tamme guiltily smirked, “Oops. I think I might have hit a button when I was getting up.”

Tamme, unsure of what to say left the room quickly. She felt horrible, not for ruining his silly game, but for alienating a fellow maximal. She thought she made some progress with getting to know the guy and then she ruins his game! She couldn’t believe her luck. First Silverbolt and then Rattrap. Who was next? Who was she gonna push away from liking her? She had to leave before anymore damage was done. It was all she knew to do. She had to leave and hope that Rattrap would get over this. She let herself be guided by her feelings. She felt alone and stressed and just needed to get out. She needed to feel comfortable so she went outside.