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The Planet of Youth

Part Two

By: Sapphire

“A brother?”  Tarantulas exclaimed, his optics lit with surprise.

Diamond looked away.

“Yes.  He – Magnanimous - has powers too, although I don’t think he has the same as Kismet.  Tarantulas, no one knows about this, not even my father.  I’ve kept it a secret…and I only found my brother recently.  I also have one sister left, Chimera, but I know not where she is.  I’m…frightened, that if I reveal him to you, that everything about us will be exposed,” she said, her optics dim.

Tarantulas knelt beside her.  She was still sitting, looking at the floor.

“The way I see it, Diamond, is that you were born with these gifts for a reason, and your time has come to use them for the right thing.  Your brother may or may not be able to help us, but for the future of your race, and I’ll admit, mine as well, we have to at least try.  Another thing, I don’t think the whole planet has to know your secret.  Leave that to the few Generals who will control the situation, should your brother be able to help. If you are close to him, I say tell your father.  I’m sorry to say but these will most probably be the last days you have left with each other; I wouldn’t keep any secrets.  So I ask you, bring Magnanimous to me, say to him what you want before hand, and I’ll discuss with him what he can do for us.”

Diamond looked at Tarantulas.  He seemed to be making a lot of sense.  He didn’t sound at all like the insane scientist he was made out to be.  Then again, he was also desperate to save his own hide.  He wasn’t going to remain behind; he was going to be on a ship somewhere when the Maximals and Predacons destroyed each other.  She saw through that, but he had a point.  Magnanimous may be the only one capable of retrieving those plans and if they were the only hope for the survival of the children of the Maximals, then so be it.  She was reluctant, as she knew he may be destroyed in the process, but it was a risk Magnanimous had a choice to take.  She sighed.

“All right.  I’ll go fetch him.  But give me a cycle.  I need to explain to him the situation, in my own words.  And I need to speak with him about a few things as well,” she said solemnly.

Tarantulas helped her to her feet.

“Of course.  Take your time.”

She left the room silently, her spirit low and a lump sitting in her throat.  She walked softly down the corridor to her cabin, and pushed open the door.  There he was, still waiting for her patiently.  He looked up at her with a charming smile.

“Hello Diamond.  Where did you go?”

She could have broken into sobs right there, but she withheld her emotions.

“Magnanimous, I need to talk to you about something very serious.  Something that few bots know about, but which you may have to be a part of,” she said.

His smile faded.

“Sure.  Go ahead.  I’m listening.”

She sat down next to him on the bed.

“Mag, I know that I only found you recently.  And I already love you.  It’s like a bond I’ve had for all these years and not been aware of, and technically it is.  That is why this is difficult to say….  Mag, Cybertron is done for.  Don’t call me a pessimist, I never said it myself or believed it.  I always thought there was hope, but when I heard the death statistics. I…” she stuttered, and put her head in her hands.

“Shhh,” he whispered.  He touched her hand lightly.  There was a heavy silence before she spoke again.

“I found out from a Major.  I forced him to tell me what was going on, and he told me about an operation called-”

“Phoenix.  The Planet of Youth,” he finished.

She looked at him incredulously 

“How…you couldn’t have…”

He sighed.

“I can read the past.  I knew what you were going to say by just touching your hand.  I felt your emotion; I felt your fears, your questions.  I heard everything you did.  It’s one of my so called gifts.”

She shook her head softly.

“So, you know about the operation, Vector Sigma, Tarantulas, Kismet’s role in the Tripedicus plans and why we need-”

“Me,” he said softly.

“Yes, because no other bot that they know of has the power to get a copy of the plans for the future Vector Sigma, to be built on the Planet of our children.  Because they’re out of ideas, hope and Tarantulas would battle and most probably fail trying to get past security to retrieve them himself.  And you are wondering if I have the same powers as Kismet, whether I can make myself invisible, air, seep into the buildings, get the plans and leave without a trace,” he explained, looking her intensely in the eyes.

She looked at him, her optics wide with fear and misery, and her mouth slightly open as if she was desperate to say something she had no words for.

Instead she nodded softly.

“Tarantulas needs to know,” she whispered.

He sighed and stood up.

“I’ll admit: I haven’t played much with my powers.  I guess, that if I insert the amulet Chimera gave me, they’ll be enhanced.  Yet, I don’t know what kind.  Tell you what, I’ll get my amulet and I’ll try, I’ll try for you Diamond, to make magic,” he said, his eyes lit with a sparkle of hope.

He walked over to her desk and opened a drawer.  He picked up a little box and walked out into the center of the room.  Diamond watched him closely.  She knew what it felt like to have one of those in you, and the transformation was a strange but not wholly unpleasant one.

He gave her a quick glance.

“Here goes.”

He took the purple stone out of his box and held it in his palm.

“Now according to Chimera,” he began, “The amulet should – Slag!”

The amulet sank without a mark into his palm, like it had done in Diamond, and it glowed so brightly, she could see it through his metal and watch it travel towards his spark.  He stood there, his eyes wide with shock, and watched.  It settled in his chest and sudden, purple beams of energy screamed through his body, jolting him.  He began to glow until he was too bright to behold, and she dived behind the bed with a terrified sob and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later, she heard him scream and she shook her head in horror.  Then, all of a sudden, the room was dark; his scream faded like an echo of a dream, and all she could hear was a pulsating, low noise.  She opened her eyes, and found herself to be facing the wall.  Purple-blue light lines, like the reflection of moving water, rippled across the wall.  It was like being beside a swimming pool at night, with the internal light switched on.

Except the light was of a strange colour.

Slowly she turned around, and peeped her head over the top of the bed.

She saw him.  He was standing still, his optics dim.  His whole body was glowing, radiating and the light seemed to pulsate.  His physical form had not changed; more accurately, it had been enhanced.  Blue waves of energy traveled through him slowly and by his right side, a kind of weapon floated.

“Magnanimous!” she called, worried and afraid.

He was silent a moment, and then his eyes lit up, a magnificent bright turquoise

He looked at her peacefully and she realized he was not standing, but hovering.

“Well,” he said softly, “I feel better.”

She smiled.

“You look fantastic.  Energy…it’s just radiating from you!”

He looked up.

“I seem to have blown the lights.  Let me…”

He reached up for the shattered light bulb above him, and touched it.  It immediately lit up, although its light was brighter than ever.

“Oh yeah,” he said, pleased, and stretched his arm and touched the wall.  It lit up around his hand in a brilliant blue light, which spread like spilled water all around the room, until all the walls were lit with color. 

She gasped with a smile.

“Oh Primus, that’s beautiful,” she whispered.

He floated downwards so his feet touched the ground and he held his hand on his chest and the glow around him seemed to be sucked within himself and once again, he appeared normal.  He walked over to her shakily.

“Wow,” he chuckled, “Didn’t quite expect that!”

She stood up.  She moved towards him and cautiously hugged him.

She felt her body warm up – there was so much energy inside of him that it seemed to pass onto her.

She pulled away and looked up into his eyes.

“It’s amazing, but my question is, what else can you do?” she asked him, as worry reflected through her eyes.

He scratched his chin.

“Well, let’s see.  I can fly!” he cried, and lifted off the ground and floated, his arms behind his head in a relaxed position.

She understood that he also knew what powers he contained, as did she, he just needed to bring them out and test them.

“I can light up the walls and pass on energy, and if I channel enough, it can be quite deadly.  I can read the past…I can absorb heat and energy.  Yet, those aren’t very useful powers when trying to steal plans from one of the most protected buildings on Cybertron,” he noted.

She bit her lip.

“When Kismet used her powers, I noticed she tended to press her hand over where I suspect her amulet was, as if absorbing the power.  Try that.”

He frowned.

“Okay,” he said and put his hand over his spark.  It glowed purple again.

“Now think, concentrate hard on what you want to do,” Diamond guided.

He closed his eyes and his face tightened in concentration.

After a long pause, the energy started rippling through him again and he began to pant.  He was trying all right and it wasn’t coming naturally.

Suddenly, she heard three beeps come from his system and he disappeared.

She gasped and covered her mouth.

“You did it!” she cried, although she wasn’t too sure she was pleased about it.

A blanket of silence fell on the room and she waited expectantly.

After an unnatural pause, she spoke.

“Magnanimous…Mag?” she stuttered.

Nothing.

“Magnanimous?!”

Three beeps and bang!  There he was again, but he was keeled over, his entire body trembling with shock waves.  He was panting and his optics were fading from red back to turquoise.  After a moment in which he seemed to catch his breath, he looked up with pain written all over him.

“That,” he started, “was not pleasant.”

She looked at him with consternation.

“You looked like you really had to try.  I guess it isn’t a natural, intended power for you.  You had to force it out of you,” she commented.

“What did it feel like?”

He shook himself and rubbed his arms.  The energy waves began to fade.

“I can’t explain it.  It was, and I remember this as I was a human once-”

Her mouth dropped.

“You were?  Why didn’t you tell me?”

He blinked and stared at her.

“I…I didn’t know until I had the amulet.  I read my own past.  I’ve been in so many life forms before this, and a human I was – twice.”

She smiled.

“So was I.”

He nodded.

“Then try to remember this, as it is the only way I can describe the feeling.  Being invisible was almost like holding your breath under water, and the longer I held it, the more desperate I became.  Like I was suffocating.   The energy I used to make myself invisible was so huge, that I felt like I was depriving myself, slowly asphyxiating myself.  You’re right, it didn’t feel natural.”

She shook her head in dismay.

“You were only invisible for five cycles tops.  How would you survive about half a mega cycle under forced invisibility to get the plans?  You would never make it,” she remarked sadly.

He looked away thoughtfully.

“Not if I’m quicker than that.  Diamond, do you know how top swimmers train themselves?  They practice holding their breath, each time managing a little longer under water until their lungs grow accustomed to it.  They adapt and they can soon swim long lengths without needing to breath.  Well, if I practice enough, apply the same principle, I think I can train my body to handle the pressure,” he explained.

She paused for thought.

She could see the sense in his answer, but it still worried her.  She knew that they could not put this operation on hold for long and he’d most likely have a very short space of time to ‘train’ himself.  And what if he still didn’t make it?  Would he die?

“I understand your reasoning, Magnanimous, but we haven’t much time.  I need your decision now.  I really don’t want to push you.  Slag, I don’t want you to do this at all!  I regret now having lost my powers.  I would have rather done it myself.”

Magnanimous had regained his strength and he walked over to Diamond and held her hand.

“Listen, my little sister, I’ve already made my choice.  I’m going to do it, and don’t you worry.  I will get those plans, I promise.”

She closed her eyes, her emotions whirring inside of her.

“But at what cost?” she whispered, her voice breaking.

He held her close.

“I promise.”

She cuddled him for a long time, savoring the moment.  She’d just found him, but she already felt like she had known him a million years.  And somewhere in their distant past, they had known each other; they belonged to fate itself.  They were linked: they were one.  Losing him truly would be like losing a part of herself as well.  She didn’t want to let him go.

Eventually she pulled slowly out of the hug.

She looked him in the eyes with a weak smile.

“I trust you,” she whispered.

“Now, where is Tarantulas?” he asked suddenly, his face determined.

The ship shuddered to a halt and he could hear the noise of the engine beginning to die down.  He could hear people talking and he knew they had landed.

When he thought the coast was clear and everyone was off the ship, Blinx decided it was time to leave the small compartment.  Thankfully, the guard was still out cold and had not awoken during the flight.

He nudged Tourmaline softly.

“Tourmaline,” he hissed.

“Huh?  Wha…?” she yawned.

“We’re here,” he whispered.

“Oh,” she mumbled and reached for the handle.  Light poured into the compartment and dazzled them as she opened the door.  The room ahead was empty.  The technicians were gone.

She stepped outside, feeling weaker than ever.  Even the sleep she had hadn’t helped.  She stumbled and would have fallen had Blinx not been alert and steadied her.

“Whoa,” he said and picked her up.

“You are weak.  Well, we’re here.  Let’s try to get off this ship without being noticed.”

She nodded.  Slowly she began to walk and the two of them approached the exit door.  Blinx opened it a crack and looked out to see a busy airfield.  It was late afternoon and no one seemed to be guarding the ship.  All were busy scuttling around the airfield of Hashlyn, busy on something or other.

“Wow.  This is the liveliest Maximals town I’ve come across since the explosions.  They’re planning something here,” he noted aloud.

“Yes,” Tourmaline whispered.  She was aware of what they were planning all too well.

“The coast looks clear, let’s get off this ship quickly and quietly,” he said and opened the door.  They descended down the ramp and walked casually away from the ship until they were at the entrance to the main city.

When they got there, he looked in through the open gates and realized that there was something being constructed in the distance.  He could not make out what it was, but transformers surrounded it.  The city was alive with movement.

“Huh.  This city has fully functional shields, an air force and plenty of bots.  Something’s cooking here and it’s only a matter of time before the Predacons notice and bomb the slag out of us,” he sighed.

He looked at her.

“Well, I got you this far.  You can do what it is you came here for.  As for myself, I’m going to take a look around.  I think the officers here are too busy to check for my identification.”

Tourmaline looked up at him with weak optics.

“Yes, thank you.  I am grateful for your kindness.”

He nodded.

“Are you sure you can get to your destination?  You look so weak.”

She smiled.

“I can see the medic camp from here.  It’s not far.  Right now, that is where I desire to be.  I’ll make it that far.  But thank you for your concern.”

He gave her a nod and a brief smile before transforming to beast mode and flying into the city, surveying all that was before him.

She sighed and started walking tentatively towards the medic camp.  Her head was throbbing and her legs felt as if they were about to give way.  But she persisted with the thought that soon it would all be over.  She wanted this baby spark out of her body, whether it have a protoform to enter or not.

Dinobot looked down at the bowl of energon soup and a side cup of oil.  Rations. The food before him was hardly appetizing, and this was the best available, seeing as he was an officer.  Yet he knew that they were in wartime and energon was scarce, especially as the Maximals weren’t risking their previously frequent secret trips to the Planet of Youth, as it was now called, to retrieve energon.  He sighed and walked away from the eating stall and seated himself on a plane wing that had not been cleared away.  It made a pretty comfortable bench.  He absorbed the nutrients through his energon tubes and gazed at the scene around him. 

He wondered where the officer had taken Diamond.  Was she learning more about the operation at this very moment?  Was she being scolded for obtaining the information in the first place?  He had no clue and he decided it wasn’t worth worrying about.  She was more than capable of handling situations by herself now.  He then started thinking about Cybertron and its bleak future.  According to Diamond, the planet was near dead. Its core was burning out.  The removal of Vector Sigma from both factions meant the end of the transformer race.  The Predacons could have made back up plans, but he knew that it would take a long time to rebuild it and once the original had been removed, there would be mass pandemonium amongst the Predacons.  He knew that the Tripedicus would take full advantage of this and would catch them unaware and in distress.  The Tripedicus, he was sure of, would not allow the Predacons to rebuild Vector Sigma and slowly the transformer race would begin to die out.  With no means of mass-producing the intricate Transformer bodies and no way of accessing the Matrix to grant life to these bodies, the race was doomed.  The Maximals here on Cybertron would suffer the same fate, but with the secret knowledge that their own race was saved and starting fresh on a distant planet, far away from the death and destruction that was to become their last years.

Dinobot was staring out into space while thinking this, and thus he did not realize the small bot come up beside of him.

“Eh, what’re you overheating your tiny processor over, Scales?”

Dinobot shook himself out of his daze and turned his nose up at Rattrap, who was standing below and looking up at him.

“What do you want, vermin?” he growled.

Rattrap hopped effortlessly the six feet up onto the plane wing.  Dinobot noted with a hint of respect that Rattrap had not forgotten what he learned on Earth and although he hated to admit it, the rat was very agile and a darn good fighter.

Rattrap seated himself next to Dinobot and looked out.

“Not much ta see, is dere.  Just a bunch of scruffy transformers eatin' their energon ‘soup’, as they like ta call this mush,” he snickered, looking at Dinobot’s bowl of food.

“Could hardly stomach it.”

Dinobot rolled his eyes.

“This is a war, rodent.  You should be grateful that you get any rations at all!  Besides, you of all creatures shouldn’t be fussy!”

Rattrap threw his hands up.

“Oh please!  Dat’s easy for you ta say MR. Officer!  You eat all da good stuff.  Frankly, I prefer eating month old cheese outta my sub space pocket.”

Dinobot shivered in disgust.

“Charming.  Well, I suspect you didn’t climb up here for the view, so what is it that you want to annoy my ears with?” he asked.

Rattrap paused a moment, his mind blank.

To be honest with himself, he actually came up here to enjoy Dinobot’s company.  He was lonely, he couldn’t find Tourmaline anywhere and he kind of missed the odd verbal clashes they used to have back on earth. 

He had to think of an excuse better than that though.

“Eh, I came up here ta ask you what’s goin’ on.  I mean, you officers know what’s cooking whereas we soldiers are just slaves to yer command. I don’t like bein’ under anyone’s control.  I wanna know what we’re doin’ here and how come we ain’t been attacked yet,” he demanded.

Dinobot let out a very believable weary sigh.

“What makes you think you’re special enough to know more than the soldier next to you?” he questioned gruffly.

“And what makes you so special dat you get betta rations dan me!  A stupid insigna?” Rattrap retaliated.

Dinobot turned his head sharply and let out a low growl.

“That badge stands for years of hard work, tedious training an military honor!”

“Like I haven’t contributed my fair share!  I’ve been in just as many wars as you have, Lizard breath.  An’ fought dem just as hard.”

Dinobot opened his mouth to combat that statement, but decided it wasn’t worth the energy.

“Oh, very well.  I will tell you a little of what I know.”

Rattrap clapped his hands together with satisfaction.

“Good. Knew I could count on you, ‘old chum’ heh heh.”

Dinobot took the tray of food from his lap and put it beside him.  He’d finished or rather, he’d had enough of the cheap energon leftovers that he could eat.

“We’re remaining stationary until further orders come in from Hashlyn High Command.  The senior officers there are apparently planning some sort of defense or attack.  Most likely the first as currently we’re in no condition for an assault on any Predacon target.  That, vermin, is all I am revealing.”

Rattrap absorbed this and scratched his head.

“Oh.  So, you don’t know how long we gotta stay here?” he asked.

Dinobot shook his head and put back his energon tubes.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he growled and hopped off the wing.  He took his tray and walked off towards the stall to return it.

Rattrap watched him go with a sigh.

“Yeah.  I bet he doesn’t know much himself of what’s goin' ta happen,” he said quietly.  He hopped off the plane wing and brushed himself off.  The dust never seemed to stop clinging to him.

“No one seems to.”

Diamond hadn’t the strength to go in with Magnanimous when she led him to Tarantulas.  She let him go inside and she returned to her cabin.  Tarantulas would be asking Magnanimous questions on his abilities and she knew that when he discovered Magnanimous could make himself invisible and most likely he would not be picked up on any scanners.  Tarantulas would not care is Magnanimous dies retrieving those codes, as long as he gets them.  Right now, he would probably be explaining what he wants him to do, why and when.  When….  Tarantulas would have to consult the Maximal, Tripedicus and EA Generals on that.

She sighed and flopped onto her bed.  Nothing good in her life ever seemed to last!

She lay, looking up at the roof, which was still glowing ever so slightly.

She heard the door open and turned her head quickly, thinking it was Magnanimous.

She was wrong.

Cheetor stood there, wearing his cute lopsided grin, gazing at her.  She smiled back.

“Hello,” she said.

“It’s been a while.”

Cheetor closed the door behind him and walked over to her.

“Yes, it has,” he chuckled and sat down on the end of the bed.

She sat up and hugged him and they held each other in silence. Her emotions were going crazy and she felt a mixture of joy and agony at seeing him.  She had missed him; she loved him, but she would not have him to herself for very long.  She knew at the back of her mind that her days were numbered, and she was one of only a few that had to suffer this thought.  This fact.

She started crying quietly.

“Hey, hey!” Cheetor exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?  You look so sad!  What happened, Dimes?” he asked, pulling her out of the embrace so he could see her.  His optics were lit with concern.

She looked into his eyes and felt as if her spark had shattered into a thousand pieces.

“I…oh Cheets.  I’m sorry.  It’s just…I’ve missed you, and there is so much going on in my life!”

Cheetor looked confused, more so when the door opened and a handsome young male bot walked into the room.

“Hey Dimes, it’s not so bad-whoa!  Am…I interrupting?” Magnanimous said, wide-eyed and surprised.

Diamond put her hand over her mouth and bit her lip.

“Ma…mag!  This is Cheetor.  My boyfriend.  Cheets, this is Magnanimous.  My brother.”

The two males stared at each other incredulously.

“I’m…sorry,” Magnanimous began, “I had no idea that she had a boyfriend.”

“Nor did I know she had a brother,” Cheetor responded.

“Diamond?” he pressed.

Diamond stood up and got a hold of herself.

“All right you two.  I am fed up with holding everything back.  Keeping secrets and suffering it all alone.  I’m going to explain to the both of you what is going on here.”

Magnanimous walked cautiously over to her.

“Please do.”

Diamond looked at Cheetor.

“Cheetor…there’s something you ought to know about Magnanimous and I.”

She then went on to tell him everything.  Not even her father knew.  Only Tarantulas, Chimera and Magnanimous had before now, but she didn’t care.  She only had a few days left of her life and as Tarantulas said, she didn’t want to keep any secrets from her loved ones.  She told him of her dreams, her human sensations, Kismet, Fate, the fight and the amulets and how she had discovered Magnanimous.  Cheetor, surprisingly, seemed very accepting and at peace with the idea.  He listened and nodded softly as she told her story.  She then turned to Magnanimous and told him all that she knew and thought about Cheetor, what she felt for him, resulting in the cat-bot blushing and looking down at his feet every now and then.  Magnanimous, being a bit chattier laughed and chuckled at Cheetor’s embarrassment and teased him. 

She then went on to explain to Cheetor the secret mission in Hashlyn – Operation Phoenix and it was then that Magnanimous explained his role in the operation, to the interest of both Cheetor and Diamond.

“So, Tarantulas wants me to get a copy of the plans of Vector Sigma.  Now, as Diamond explained, I have the power to do it, but I don’t know what effect it will have on me.  I’ll probably be able to pull it off, but I don’t know if I’ll make it without serious damage to my systems,” he explained to Cheetor.

Cheetor has been silent the whole conversation, every now and then shaking his head in disbelief.  Diamond had been busy is his absence.

Diamond spoke up.

“Did Tarantulas give you any information on when and how you’re going to pull this off?” she asked.

Magnanimous looked up thoughtfully.

“He gave me a vague idea, but he said not to regard it as the final plan as he has to discuss it in a meeting with the Generals.  Tripedicus, EA and Maximal.  Apparently, he is arranging a meeting today.  There’s a big hurry and they want this thing sorted out as soon as possible,” Magnanimous informed.

Cheetor finally spoke.

“So, you’re the future for all the Maximal children to be.  And the rest of us are going to stay down here and get finished off by the Predacons?  That’s the best they could come up with?” he said, a touch indignantly. Diamond knew why.

Magnanimous, thankfully, did not take it as an insult and could understand Cheetor’s anxiety.

“Yes, Cheetor.  It is the only thing they could come up with.  Have you any idea how many Maximals have died?  Our population has been more than halved.  We stand no chance, even with full aid from the Tripedicus, to defeat such a vast number of Predacons.  The best hope we have is giving our children a better future on a planet far away from this ball of death and doom.  I am the plan, and trust me, I only found out myself a megacycle ago.  And yes, I may not be able to pull it off.  Here’s hoping.”

Cheetor shook his head, his optics dull.

“We’re going to die along with the rest of them, Diamond.  After all this fighting, this pushing for peace, and this is what it comes to,” he said, his voice low and depressed.

Diamond stroked his arm.

“At least we tasted life.  There are thousands of even younger transformers who have been born into this war and the first thing they learned to use was a gun.  They’re going to die without even the notion of peace or love.  I consider us lucky in comparison,” she told him softly.

Magnanimous nodded.

“She’s right.  We cannot do much to change this.  Cybertron is too far-gone.  But we can make the best of what little time we have left with each other…which is another thing,” he said, looking away, his face full of worry.

“What is it?” Diamond asked earnestly.

Magnanimous looked at her.

“I left a friend behind when Chimera brought me here.  I’m wondering how he is and whether I can contact him.”

“Where was he last?” Diamond questioned.

“Aswade,” he said simply, and then shook his head.

“No.  I cannot leave this place now.  I won’t risk it.  I just pray to Primus he’s all right.  I left without telling him, but then again I didn’t have much of a choice.”

He looked at Diamond and Cheetor and could see they needed some time alone.

“Diamond, with your permission, may I go and alert Dinobot?  I know he was eager to find out what was going on.  Unless you want to tell him yourself?” he said hesitantly.

Diamond shook her head.

“Tell him I’ll come and talk to him in a few cycles.”

She looked up at Cheetor.

“Right now I need some time alone…with my friend.”

Hashlyn:

She walked into the Medic camp slowly and found herself to be surrounded by females.  She had entered the waiting room, it seemed and there were rows of chairs filled with female transformers.

‘They’re probably all donating a spark.  Primus, I hope I’m not too late,’ she thought.

She walked up to a counter where a busy nurse was typing furiously on a computer.  She looked up at Tourmaline.

“Can I help you?” she asked brusquely.

“I’ve…I’ve come to donate to the operation,” Tourmaline said, looking around nervously.  Some of the females were staring at her, and their faces were far from friendly.

“Ok. Name?”

“Tourmaline.”

“Station?”

Tourmaline froze.  What station?

“I-I’m not from here. I’m from Vixadonia.  I’ve just arrived,” she explained softly.   Her head was killing her and she was beginning to tremble.

The nurse raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Vixadonia?  That’s a long way from here.  Which officer granted you permission?” she asked.

“Lieutenant…” Tourmaline stuttered.  She wasn’t sure whether she should give names.  She didn’t want to get Diamond into trouble.

“I just know her as Lieutenant,” she said finally.

The nurse shook her head.

“Listen.  We treat foreign females differently.  Most of these femmes are from here or near by.  They’ve been picked out carefully from the officers here.  Femmes like you who have come so far have usually been picked for a reason.  Mostly it’s fresh blood, if you know what I mean.  Some variety.  So all you have to do sweetie is provide a name, I’ll check your lieutenant exists and her permission status and then you can go right through and have it done.  You can skip the queue,” the nurse explained.

Tourmaline felt waves of nausea flowing through her and she knew that she would never last in a queue this long.  

She gave in and prayed that it would not jeopardize Diamond.

“Lieutenant Diamond,” she said finally.

The nurse typed up the name on her computer and after a moment’s pause, she looked up at Tourmaline.

“You may go through.  It’s the door on your right.”

Tourmaline couldn’t believe her ears.  Diamond must have been listed recently with the permission to choose a femme for the operation – either that or she was allowed to donate herself, in which case she automatically can chose someone.  She is a female lieutenant.

“Thanks Dimes,” she whispered and headed towards the door.  She tried to avoid the angered and contemptuous looks she got from the surrounding females.

She opened the door and slipped inside the room.

There in front of her, in this large room, were about ten operating tables, nine of them with females lying upon them and doctors around each of them.  They were all having spark extractions.  She shivered and her eyes darted about nervously.  One of the doctors spotted her and approached her.

“Ah, here’s another lucky female,” he said with a smile.

He walked up to her.

“Come with me my girl.  There’s a free table at the back and I’ll be doing the extraction,” he said, taking her arm and leading her towards the table.  He hadn’t even asked her name.  Then again, he must have taken out thousands of sparks in his lifetime.

“This is my first,” she said nervously, glancing at one of the female she passed.  Her optics were dim and the doctor working on her was painstakingly inching out a spark from the side of her forehead.

He led Tourmaline up to a table.

“Now lie down here and don’t move,” he ordered.  She got up onto the plain metal bed and lay down, her own spark shuddering with fear and confusion.  She didn’t know what to expect.

“Will it hurt?” she asked, her voice near a whisper.  The doctor had come back from fetching a nasty, sharp looking tool.

“Oh no.  It’s apparently quite peaceful.  This tool I’m holding here let’s off a low noise we cannot hear, but it goes into your head and activates the release of a near invisible plate on the side of your forehead. The plate will come loose by itself, and then I’ll extract the baby spark and put it in a case.  It will then be put in a protoform.  The entire operation won’t take very long,” he said with a put on smile.

She suddenly hated doctors.

“Ok,” she whispered.

“Now lie still,” he said and placed the strange tool by the side of her head.  Almost immediately she felt her circuits in that region begin to warm up.  It was not painful, but it felt very strange.  She could feel a part of her coming away slowly.  She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on something.

She thought about Diamond, how if she had not told her she would have had to go on carrying this spark for weeks until her strength deteriorated so much she collapsed.  She thought about Joe and his big mouth.  She wondered if he’d told anyone besides Diamond.  She thought about Rattrap – and had the overwhelming desire to punch him.  ‘You got me into this mess!’ she thought angrily.  Then the thought crossed her mind that he had no idea and was probably wondering where the heck she was.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt cool air rushing into her burning forehead.

The small side plate must have fallen away and he was beginning to extract the spark.  She took deep breaths and felt, slowly, energy starting to course through her circuits.  Circuits that had been starved of it for so long. 

“Almost done,” the doctor said softly.

“Can you feel the energy coming back?  It’s amazing how much these little things use,” he commented.

She still felt weak, but it felt like she was being released from a sort of dark prison, and as she stepped out into the light, she was blinded and her eyes felt pain, but at the same time she felt energized at seeing the light after so long.

“There we go. All done,” the doctor said and he pushed back the plate with his fingers.  The plate seemed to glue itself back on and a few moments later, although she could not see it, it was barely visible.

She turned her head weakly to see the doctor holding a spark case, and inside it, glowing brightly, was a blue spark.  She felt a mixture of feelings at that moment, some of which she couldn’t describe.

“Well,” the doctor said, “this little spark is well nourished!  You must have been holding it for a long time,” he chuckled.

He put the spark case down and stuck a label on it.

“What’s your name, mom?” he asked with a grin.

Tourmaline shuddered.

Mom. 

She was a mother.

“Tourmaline,” she said and he scribbled the name down onto the label.

“Well, miss Tourmaline, your baby will be taken good care of.  Now, if you take that door to your top-left you will find a room full of beds.  You may take a rest there if you need it, otherwise you’re free to go.”

Tourmaline sat up and rubbed her head.

“That was…quick,” she remarked.

He nodded.

“Yes, we have to move quickly.  We’re short of time.  Now if you don’t mind hurrying a bit, as you would have seen we’ve still got an awful amount of females to get through,” he said hastily. 

She got off the bed and walked off towards the door.  Her legs were still shaky and she needed the rest, she knew that.  She felt a mixture of relief and sadness.  She was glad to be free, but wished things…situations could have been different.  She also knew that she was going to have to get back to Vixadonia somehow….

She shook her head.

There was no point.  It was too far and if she did return, she’d have to face up to a lot of questions and angry officers that she hadn’t the energy for anymore.  She decided she would spend her last few days here and although she would have liked to have eventually told him, she knew, at present, it would not be pleasing news to Rattrap’s ears.