The Primary Encounter

~< Part Three >~

Five days later, Awn’néad was in her room, lying down on her bed. There was a battle going on, and she had to stay at the base all because her sprained ankle still hurt, and wasn’t strong enough for her to put much weight on it. Her home-made crutches were lying down on the floor, next to her bed. She was listening to an Earthling band called Evanescence. Altaire had given her the CD three days ago. She was thinking about what had happened right after the Quantum Surge . . .

Awn’néad had stopped crying, she looked at the other Cybertronians who were standing or kneeling around her and Altaire, who had pulled Awn’néad onto her lap earlier.

When she had looked at Rattrap and Cheetor, she could have screamed with surprise, but she was too grieved to react in any other way than stare silently at them for a few moments.

Once everyone who needed to use the CR chamber used it, Dinobot went over to see how Awn’néad was doing. She had, after all, known Optimus almost all of her life, and it was only fair to say that she should be the most grieved out all of them. When he reached her, he saw that she was letting Airazor put a splint on her sprained ankle. Airazor had looked up, seen Dinobot, and finished putting the spilt on quickly, then backed off, sensing that the two needed to talk privately.

However, they didn’t talk. Instead, when Awn’néad saw Dinobot kneel down in front of her, she just looked into his eyes, and then without thinking, embraced him. Luckily, all the other Maximals had left the control center to give the three beings privacy, since Altaire had stayed. Airazor and Tigatron left to sleep out under the stars together, and comfort each other about what had just transpired a mere two hours ago.

Dinobot had only seen Awn’néad this way a few times. At all other times, she was always the strong one, who never cried, even when she was seriously injured. She had only cried in front of Primal, and now . . . Primal was gone.

Dinobot embraced Awn’néad back, knowing exactly how she felt. He had felt the same way when he had just left both Altaire and Cybertron behind, although he had covered it up, kept it bottled up inside him, and channeled that sorrow and self-hatred into his fighting. As he held Awn’néad to him, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked at it out of the corner of his eye. It was Altaire’s.

Altaire kneeled down next to the two figures, and put an arm around each of them. The three had stayed that way for what seemed to be days, but was really about an hour. They were each thinking their own thoughts, reliving their own memories, and in those memories, Optimus was always strong and living, always smiling, always one who you could rely on in times of trouble.

The only thing that had stopped their remembrances was when Awn’néad had fallen asleep. Dinobot picked her up, and Altaire picked up her sword and two bags, and followed silently behind Dinobot. When they arrived at Awn’néad’s room, Dinobot crossed it, gently lay Awn’néad in her bed, which was a thickly padded mattress on top of a cot. He pulled a blanket out of the closet, and lay it over Awn’néad. Altaire put Awn’néad’s sword on a shelf, then waited right outside of the doorway for Dinobot.

When Dinobot came out and closed Awn’néad’s door, he looked helplessly at Altaire. As if in answer, she took his hand, and looked into his crimson optics. Together, hand in hand, they went to the ladder that would bring them out on top of the Axalon. Letting go of each other to climb, they stepped out onto the upper hull, looking to the left to see that Rhinox was sitting at the rear of the ship in beast mode. They walked to the front, right over the control center, sat down and watched the stars.

Altaire started humming “Live,” by Celine Dion, softly to herself. She didn’t know that the words were traveling to the rear of the ship, where Rhinox was listening silently in his beast mode, and trying futilely to keep the tears from falling. He had once loosely known Optimus’ parents, and had pretty much raised Optimus himself, when the young Maximal’s parents were killed. They had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, while the then-named Stormblend was in the right place, with the right people to help the young bot.

A million stars light this beautiful night

This is not a night to die

Let me sing and dance beneath the sky

I have such a love to give

To give! I want a chance to live . . .

Live for the one I love

Love as no one has loved

Give, asking nothing in return

Free, free to find my way

Free to have my say,

Free to see the day

Be like I used to be

Like a wild bird free

With all of life in me . . .

Live, for the one I love,

Love as no one has loved

Give, asking nothing in return

Even though this world tears us apart

We’re still together in my heart

I want the world to hear my cry

And even if I have to die

Love will not die

Love will change the world!

Live, for the one I love

Love as no one has loved

Give, asking nothing in return

I’ll love, until love wears me away

I’ll die and I know my love will stay, and I know

I know my love will stay . . .

Live

Preformed by: Celine Dion

A loud crash shook Awn’néad to the present. She didn’t even think about her crutches, as she sped out of her room and down the halls to the control center.

When she reached the room, she saw that the CR chamber was operating, but all of the Maximals were present. Rhinox was finally out of the machine that he had been in for the past day-and-a-half, “Chasin’ da meteors,” as Rattrap put it.

“What in the Pit was that?” Awn’néad asked. “And who’s in the CR chamber?”

“Dose pesky Preds ’re attacking da base, an’ dere’s anoduh Pred in da chambuh,” Rattrap answered.

“Aw, cr-” Awn’néad started, but another shockwave rocked the base, and she lost her balance, and fell. “I’m gonna kick whoever-just-shot-that’s butt so hard, there is no way that they’ll be getting up for a good millennium!” she complained, as Tigatron helped her up.

“Yeah, as if you’d be able tuh kick Megsie’s butt in your condition! Tigatron, sit ’er down somewhere dat she ain’t gonna get hurt!”

Awn’néad didn’t reply, because she was trying to keep her balance as more shockwaves rocked the Axalon. Altaire went up next to Dinobot, and he put his hand around her’s loosely. It might be the last time that they would be together. Then, they heard an explosion, and the area where the lift once was now became a pit. A strange new Predacon’s head popped up. “Hey, Boss Bot! I got them tin-horned Maximals up here an’ trapped like critters in a box canyon!”

“Ahh, very good, Quickstrike, yess. And now, you are all prisoners of the Predacons! Inferno, get the rhinoceros, and tie him up!” Megatron said as he came up the lift, and gave similar orders to his other “brainless” Predacon followers.

He didn’t say anything to anyone about Awn’néad, but said to her mockingly, “And now, I leave you, all alone, to mourn over the loss of your once comrades, yess. Oh, and I do hope that you’re not too angry about Primal. Because you should know that it was I who took control of that ship, and steered it straight into that alien device, yess. Good-bye now, and, um, oh yes.” He smirked. “Sweet dreams.”

And as he said that, he knocked Awn’néad dizzy, with a single slap across her face.

Sometime after he left, after her world stopped spinning, Awn’néad opened her eyes, and numbly saw that the CR chamber was open. The Predacon that was inside was right next to her, and was lifting her up into a sitting position.

“My young lady, are you all right?” he asked, sounding like a knight straight from the Middle Ages.

“I . . . I think so. Who are you?” Awn’néad replied.

“My name is Silverbolt. And you?”

“Awn’néad. I’m okay now. Thank you.”

“Did you see him?” Silverbolt asked somewhat shyly, yet in an excited manner.

“Huh?”

As if on a cue, an explosion shook the Axalon, and Awn’néad was sent sprawling. “I’m fine!” she yelled. “Go and find whoever you were just talking about! He may be able to help us!”

“But-”

“JUST GO!”

Silverbolt nodded, and flew down the corridors to the rear of the ship silently.

As soon as Awn’néad saw that he was really leaving, she reached down to her left ankle, and saw that the splint was digging into her shin, and suddenly realized that was the only reason why she couldn’t walk. The splint was digging into both her ankle and shin. She drew her sword out of the sheath that she carried on her back. Luckily Megs seemed to be a bit blind today; he didn’t notice it. She poked the tip into the seam, splitting it open with a loud cracking noise.

Awn’néad stood up, and tested her ankle. She was rewarded, when she found out that she could put all her weight on it. And without further thought, she walked over to the hole where the other lift usually was, and looked down. Inferno was standing guard there, making sure that she wasn’t going to try to escape. The flame-haired teenager backed away from the pit to press a button, causing a wall to slide down before her. There used to be a small armory there, but some of the smaller guns were left. Awn’néad grabbed three. She put one in each pocket, and held the largest in her hand. The silver sword was in the sheath on her back, ready to be drawn at the slightest need. She then went over to the hole, lay down, and aimed carefully at Inferno’s head. If she hit him in the right place, he’d be knocked out on the spot, and then she wouldn’t have to waste precious energy trying to kill him.

She fired, and Inferno fell like a brick, and barely without a sound, either.

Awn’néad one, Predacons zippo. Okay, now to get down. Nevermind that issue, I already have a cushion, Awn’néad thought to herself, as she jumped down the lift hole, and landed on Inferno, who let out a mere groan when she landed on him. As soon as she got off of Inferno, she looked around her, and immediately crouched behind Inferno, for one reason only: The Predacons were barely over the natural bridge, and a dark form, presumably a Maximal, was left behind. Awn’néad waited until the Predacons were on the savannah, then inched closer to him, and saw that it was Dinobot.

She scrambled the rest of the way, and searched him for vital signs. She gave up, and looked at the Maximal who was one of the only Guardians whom she felt perfectly safe and at ease with. His once-crimson eyes were black, and his once-proud scowl was replaced with a surprised, almost peaceful look.

Against her will, Awn’néad started to cry again, and as she lay her head on Dinobot’s chest, his optics came to life. Awn’néad didn’t see that . . . her own eyes were blurred with tears.

Dinobot was surprised that the Predacons had only knocked him out. For a while, he had thought that they had killed him, because he had seen a blinding bright light, then a darkness so black, that if he had a hand, he couldn’t have been able to see it if he touched his palm to his nose.

However, the biggest surprise came to him, right before he had opened his eyes, and felt something on his chest. Then his hearing came back to him, and he heard a quiet crying. Once he opened his eyes, he saw who was crying over him. Awn’néad.

He lifted his hand slowly, and stroked her head with it. She whirled around, and grabbed it, ready to break all its fingers if necessary. Once she saw that it was Dinobot’s, she turned slowly to look at his face. Dinobot sat painfully up, and smiled.

“You scrapheap!”she yelled, and tackled him, laughing, knocking him back on his back, then flipped him over, and pulled his arm up behind his back.

“Happy to see me then?” Dinobot said, sensing that she was, in fact, ecstatic to see him alive. Awn’néad laughed again, and let him up. When he was standing, she saw the burn on the side of his head.

“Don’t tell me,” Awn’néad replied, indicating the burn. “They didn’t knock you out hard enough?”

Dinobot felt the dent in his head, chuckled, and said, “I guess not.”

Awn’néad suddenly turned serious, and told him about what Megatron had said to her earlier, then her short conversation with the one called Silverbolt. Dinobot nodded all throughout her narration, and then dropped to beast mode.

“Get on,” he said, but before she did, she handed him the gun she had dropped by where Dinobot had been lying.

“You’ll use this more that I will. I have two extras, so don’t worry,” Awn’néad said, then climbed onto Dinobot’s back, and pulled out her sword, ready to use it on any Predacons that she thought was an immediate threat. Dinobot started running, and they were soon amongst the Predacons, making sure that Megatron wouldn’t forget his mistake . . .

Rattrap was plodding on, not caring about anything, or even what was going to happen to him. He glanced over to Altaire. She was sobbing quietly, although it was virtually impossible for her to shed tears in her robot mode. Right after Dinobot had been killed, she had cursed the Predacons endlessly, but still sobbing. Now, she was silent, but if Megatron, who had done the dirty job, came even ten feet near her, she started raging again. Rattrap looked away from her, and thought about that look that Optimus had silently given Dinobot, right before he left. If Rattrap knew his leader, that look meant that Dinobot was to protect Awn’néad, but now . . . that wasn’t possible. That meant the responsibility was either up to Rhinox, or to him. That wasn’t a comforting thought.

Suddenly, Rattrap heard two different war-cries, one of which he had heard before, the other unfamiliar. He wasn’t about to forget either one any time soon. Just to make sure though, Rattrap looked behind him, and let out a happy cheer, “Heh-HEH! Awn’néad! Choppuhface! You’re alive?!”

At those words, all the other Maximals turned around, or at least tried to. They were all happy to see the two warriors, but what really surprised them, was that Awn’néad was riding Dinobot, that he accepted that, and finally, the fact that she wasn’t even holding onto him with her hands. Instead, they were holding into her silver sword, which she whirled once over her head, then put it into an attacking position by her side, and yelled so fiercely, if Rattrap was a Predacon, he’d try to dive for cover if there was any nearby.

As the duo neared the bots, Scorpinok started shaking violently, then screamed, remembering the last time he had seen Awn’nead, and ran off deeper onto the forest. Awn’néad ignored him, and leaped off of Dinobot, just before he transformed. She landed on her feet, and ran the remaining few feet with Dinobot to face Megatron. Just before she reached Megatron, she tossed a gun to Altaire, and one to Rattrap.

While Dinobot was shooting carefully at Megatron with his optic lasers, Awn’néad was slashing at the tyrannical Predacon leader, then did an almost impossible flip over Megatron’s head, using his punch at her as momentum and his shoulder as a spring-board, then held her sword at his throat, and said, “You must have a death wish on your mind today, Megsie. First, you capture all of my friends and comrades, then, you tell me that you were the one who was responsible for the malfunction in my StarCruiser, which murdered the only one of two people who I could have considered my father, Optimus Primal.”

Altaire, her face a mask of fury, finished fighting with Tarantulus, and put her sword up to Megatron’s neck, and said, “Order your mindless, incompetent, poor excuses for warriors to cease fighting.”

But before Megatron could give the order, the Predacons were all shot at, and most went into Stasis lock. In fact, Blackarachnia and Megatron were the only ones who weren’t scrapped. All of the Maximals looked around for the source of the fire, and Awn’néad was the first one to spot him.

“By the Matrix, Primus, and all that is good. Is . . . Is that you Opti?”

Transforming and landing in one smooth movement, the leader aimed his weaponry at Megatron. “Maximals! Fall back!”

Awn’néad turned back to Megatron, and said, “We’ll continue this later, Megs. Heed my warning: Never try to eliminate any of my friends, or I’ll rip out your Spark, and extinguish it with my bare hands.”

She didn’t let Megatron answer, but instead, knocked him out again, and sheathed her sword. Dinobot came up next to her, and was just about to say something, when there was two slight ‘thumps’ behind him. He turned around, and saw that he was face-to-face with a Maximal that he knew that he’d never see again. Optimus Primal. Silverbolt was standing shyly a little apart from him.

“Opti!” Awn’néad yelled, and ran into his arms. A moment later, she emerged, and said, “I never thought that I’d ever see you again.”

“You should know better than that,” the Transmetal gorilla said fondly, smiling at the young human. The Maximals gathered around their beloved leader, but didn’t say a word. Just seeing him was enough. Suddenly, Optimus caught sight of Rattrap and Cheetor, and his eyes went wide.

“Glad ta have ’ya back, Fearless Leaduh. Just a question: How da Pit do ’ya keep da Preds from scrappin’ ya butt when you’re tryin’ ta establish a truce?”Rattrap asked, amused.

Optimus laughed, and said, “The truth?”

“Da truth.”

“Experience with ornery Predacons back from when I was munch younger.” He glanced at Dinobot, who was smirking quietly, remembering the days of his Guardianship over Awn’néad.

“Dat’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Man. And here I was, wonderin’ what trick ’ya were usin’ when it was really experience. I mean-”

“Oh, will you shut up, Rattrap?” Awn’néad said, groaning, unable to tolerate his babbling any longer.

“Okay, fine! ’Ya mangy-”

“Rattrap?” Awn’néad asked sweetly.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want your core ripped out? ’Cause that’s what I’m going to do if you don’t shut up now.”

Rattrap didn’t answer, but instead leaped behind Cheetor, and then peeked over his shoulder timidly. The Maximals laughed, and started walking to the base. Dinobot put his hand on Optimus’ shoulder. Primal turned to face him, and Dinobot smiled. Awn’néad and Altaire saw the whole sequence, and glanced at each other. To the other Maximals, Dinobot’s past was a mystery. But to Optimus Primal, Rhinox, Awn’néad, and Dinobot’s secret beloved, Altaire, his past was crystal clear . . .

Later on that night, the Maximals gathered up on the roof of the Axalon, and watched the sun set behind the distant mountains. Optimus and Awn’néad sat together, a fatherly arm around her shoulders, her telling him what had happened in the time that he was gone.

Tigatron and Airazor were hand in hand, sitting to Awn’néad’s left, a little apart from the others. Cheetor was sitting on Optimus’ right, and Rhinox was beside him. Rattrap had been tormenting Tigatron and Airazor about their relationship, so Rhinox had literally dragged him over to sit next to him. Silverbolt had originally positioned himself the farthest away from Optimus, but he had been called to come closer, and congratulated in his first battle on the Maximal’s side, and for the Maximal cause.

Dinobot and Altaire were sitting next to each other, immediately on Awn’néad’s left. None of the other Maximals could see, not even Awn’néad, wether or not they were holding hands.

Rattrap suddenly felt the urge to tease Dinobot about it, but then, he realized that both Dinobot and Altaire were dire-warriors, and would redecorate the Axalon with his pieces if he even mentioned one word about their relationship. He especially wouldn’t want to see his own personal thoughts drained out of his core, and passed around like a note during a social studies class. So, he decided against it, and kept quiet, and sat still next to Rhinox. Besides, his friend of many years would pound him into dust if he even moved an inch away from his spot, no thanks to his tormenting of another couple.

Dinobot brushed Altaire’s fingers accidently, when he was explaining a relic that he had found when he was out on patrol earlier on in the week. After he finished, the discussion moved to other topics, and Dinobot had, as casually and stealthily as he could, rested his hand on Altaire’s. He watched her out of the corner of his optic, to see her reaction. She casually glanced down, then back up, and smiled slightly. Dinobot curled his fingers around hers and she held his hand back.

The stars seemed to shine brighter that night, although no one knows why. Maybe it was because the Maximal leader had returned. Or maybe because Awn’néad and her Guardians were reunited. Or maybe love had been finally introduced into prehistoric Earth, and the three pairs of Cybertronians who had introduced it into the Beast Wars needed to be rewarded.

Or maybe it was a combination of those three reasons and more that we have no knowing about.

Ah, well. There are some things that no Cybertronian or human was ever to know. Not even the author herself . . .