Transformers - Robots in Disguise

204 - The Gift

by Mike Watson

"We hit something!" Wedge yelled.  He quickly transformed and felt what his shovel had hit.  Solid rock.  He looked at Grimlock, still in vehicle mode.

"Rock," Grimlock said.

"Can you dig through it?" Wedge asked.

"Nope," was the only response he got.

Wedge sighed and walked towards the entrance of the tunnel.  "Optimus, we hit a rather large rock," Wedge said.  "We can't dig through it."

Optimus nodded.  Something like this was bound to happen.  The digging had gone smoothly up until this point.  He clicked his communicator.  "Prime to Prowl," he said.

"Prowl," came the reply over the link.

"We'll need your demolitions expertise," Optimus said.  "The builders hit a hard place, you're gonna have to blast it."

"I'll be there in a few," Prowl said.  "I'm patrolling the city, so it'll take some time to get out I think."

"Get here as soon as you can then," Optimus said.  "Optimus out."  Optimus looked down at Wedge, who had been watching him intently.  "Can we talk again?" he asked.

"Certainly," Wedge said.  "What's on your mind?"

Optimus looked at Wedge for a second, unsure of himself.  The small Autobot's smile seemed to make him feel more confident.  "Well, a little while back I was nearly put out of commission by Scourge," Optimus said.  "He blasted me in the back of my head and I went into emergency stasis."

"Yes," Wedge said, nodding.

"I had these visions," Optimus said.  "About the past of Cybertron.  Well, future Cybertron in the context of this time, but past Cybertron for us."

"What were they about?" Wedge asked, quite interested.

"It was about the second Megatron," Optimus said.  "How he took over Cybertron after the Beast Wars."

"But no one knows how he did it," Wedge said, slightly stunned.

"I know that," Optimus said.  "But I saw him.  He was in front of the Tripedacus Council."

"The old Predacon council?" Wedge asked.

"Yes," Optimus continued.  "He played them a small video file of the first Megatron, and said it was time to take back Cybertron from the Maximals.  But they refused," Optimus looked down at the ground.  "He killed them."

"Anything else?" Wedge asked.

"Another one I had," Optimus said.  "I sort of met Optimus Primal and Megatron."

Wedge looked at the ground and rubbed his chin, thinking.  "What do you think that it means?" he finally asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Optimus said.  "You seem to be," he paused, searching for the right word.  "Gifted," he said.

"Well, that's nice of you to say," Wedge said.  "But I can't explain it really."

"Isn't there something you can do?" Optimus asked, almost helplessly.  He had been thinking about those visions since he had them.  Wondering what they meant, and why he had them in the first place.

Wedge looked at Optimus for a second.  Finally he spoke.  "Maybe there's something I can do," he said quietly.  "Kneel down."  Optimus did so and Wedge placed his hands on Optimus' head.  "This won't hurt," Wedge said.  "But I need you not to move until I tell you to."

"Okay," Optimus said, a bit puzzled.

Wedge closed his eyes and concentrated.  After a few seconds he was no longer on Earth.  There was complete blackness all around him.  He looked around.  Optimus was sitting, his back to Wedge, a few feet away.  Wedge walked over to the Autobot.

"Optimus?" he asked, putting his hand on the Autobot leader's shoulder.  Optimus did not respond.  "Optimus?" Wedge repeated himself.

Suddenly Optimus stood up, causing Wedge to fall backwards.  His face was not that of Optimus Prime.  It was the second Megatron.

"Searching for the truth, are we?" he said, aiming his gun at Wedge.

Wedge tried to crawl away, but he went nowhere.

"Do not come back here," Megatron said.  He pulled the trigger, and Wedge was back on Earth.

He fell backwards, screaming.

"What happened?!" Optimus asked, kneeling next to the Autobot.  "What?"

Wedge tried to catch his breath.  Never before had he been so scared.  "It was Megatron," he finally said.

"Megatron?" Optimus asked, even more puzzled.

"The second Megatron," Wedge replied.  "He was in you mind."

Optimus stood up, unable to believe what he'd just heard.  "In my," he stopped.  "Mind?"

"That's what I saw," Wedge said.

"But," Optimus searched for the right words.  "How?"

"It's possible when the Matrix created you, it used existing parts from the core of Cybertron," Wedge said.  "I can't imagine why it would do such a thing, but the Matrix of Creation works in strange ways."

"But how come I never knew before?" Optimus asked, dumbfounded.

"I guess Scourge's blast," Wedge paused.  "Awoke them?"

"Great," Optimus said.  Optimus then looked at Wedge, puzzled again.  "How did you do that anyway?" he asked.

"I'm gifted, remember?" Wedge replied.

He and Optimus walked back towards the new base.  Unseen above them Sky Byte hovered, watching the whole thing.

					* * * * * *
					
"Are you certain?" Megatron asked.

"Yes, sir, very," Sky Byte said.  He had just told Megatron about Wedge and what he had seen.

Megatron looked out the window of the control room.  This was a most interesting development.

"Sky Byte, I want you, Scourge and some of the combaticons to get me two Autobots," Megatron said.  "Wedge, and another.  An easy one to capture."

"Who, sir?" Sky Byte asked.

"I don't care!" Megatron growled.  "Just get another one besides the small one.  Can you handle that?"

"I can sir!" Sky Byte said, a small hint of fear in his voice.

"Excellent," Megatron said.  "You may go."

Sky Byte walked out of the control room.  Capture two Autobots.  He said it like it would be an easy task.  And what sort of plan was this anyway?  This was nearly as hair-brained as something the first Megatron would have concocted.  Still, he was their leader, so it was in his, as well as all the Predacons and Decepticons, interests to obey.

"Sky Byte to Scourge," Sky Byte said, clicking his communicator.  "Report to deck seventeen A, we have a mission.  Out."

					* * * * * *
					
"This is the most absurd mission!" Armorhide protested.  "Capture an Autobot and make him work for us!"

"Quiet, you idiot," Scourge said.  "You'll get us caught!"  Scourge was no fan of this plan either, but he was more looking forward to slagging some Autobots rather than the actual mission.

Scourge and Sky Byte, along with Armorhide and Mega-Octane, were all outside the under-construction Autobot base.  They needed Wedge and another, but so far no one had surfaced besides Wedge, who it seemed was digging the tunnel on his own.  Apparently the other Autobots were elsewhere this late at night.

"There aren't any others around," Sky Byte said.  "Do we just grab him?"

"You're second in command," Scourge said, almost bored.  "Command!"

"Fine!" Sky Byte hissed.  "Myself and Armorhide will grab him.  We'll have to look elsewhere for another Autobot."

"Great," Scourge said, looking at Armorhide, who didn't look like he wanted to work with Sky Byte.

"Attack!" Sky Byte said, jumping out from behind their cover.  He and Armorhide ran over the Wedge, who was in vehicle mode.  Wedge quickly spun around when he heard the battle cry, but it was too late.  The two assailants had picked him up and secured him with some cable.  He was unable to transform.

"We got him!" Armorhide yelled, looking at Scourge and Mega-Octane with joy on his face.  Scourge gave him a sarcastic thumbs up, then looked at Mega-Octane and shook his head.  Mega-Octane chuckled.

Just then Armorhide was bashed in the back of his legs.  He fell to the ground, dropping his half of Wedge, causing Sky Byte to fall as well.

"That wasn't very nice," Grimlock said, picking a few bits of Armorhide's leg out of his shovel.  The Autobot, who towered over Sky Byte, quickly grabbed the Predacon by the fin on his head and tossed him into the mountain, knocking him cold.  Grimlock then knelt next to the overturned Wedge to help him out.  However, before he was able to loosen the cable the barrel of Mega-Octane's gun was pointed at his face.

"Step away from the Autobot," Mega-Octane said.  Grimlock obeyed, putting his hands above his head.

"Well, glad to see the Predacon did his job," Scourge said, looking at Sky Byte's limp body.

"Now what?" Mega-Octane asked.

"Where are the rest of the Autobots?" Scourge asked Grimlock.  Grimlock said nothing, a look of hatred on his face.

"Fine," Scourge said, turning his back to Grimlock.  "I'll do it the fun way."  He quickly activated his sword, spun around and drove it into the side of Grimlock, who let out a yell of pain, and fell to the ground.  Scourge violently ripped the sword out of Grimlock, which caused even more pain on the part of the Autobot.  "Now?" Scourge asked, looking down at Grimlock, who was clutching his side.

"Smelt you," Grimlock said, though it was clear he was unable to back up his words.

"Fine then," Scourge said.  "If you aren't going to help, then you're useless."  He raised his sword, aiming at Grimlock's head.  He was about to strike when a yell came from behind him.  He and Mega-Octane turned their heads in time to see Wedge, fully transformed with his chest plate open.

"NOOOOO!!" Wedge yelled.  The his chest cavity started to glow, and a huge blast of white light shot out from it.  The blast hit Scourge, knocking him backwards a great deal, and putting him into stasis.  Mega-Octane looked at Wedge, a helpless look on his face.  "You will leave!" Wedge yelled.  Mega-Octane nodded and quickly transformed and drove off in the direction of the Vertigo.

Wedge watched him go for a second, then he quickly rushed over to Grimlock, who was still in the same spot, clutching his wounded side.

"Grimlock!" Wedge yelled.  He moved Grimlock's hands from the giant gash Scourge had made.

"Doesn't...hurt," Grimlock struggled to speak.  "Much."

"Why aren't you in stasis?" Wedge said, trying to comfort his friend.  "We need to get you to a chamber."

"Spark was...hit," Grimlock said.  "Stasis disabled."  Suddenly he went into a spasm, knocking Wedge over.

Wedge lowered his head.  Scourge's sword had punctured his spark.  There was nothing that could be done.

"Sorry...I failed," Grimlock said.

"Failed?" Wedge asked, holding the giant steam shovel's hand.

"I tried...to save you," Grimlock sputtered.  "But I...failed."

"You did what you could," Wedge said, almost at the point of tears, if Transformers were capable of such an action.  "And you did save me.  I'm okay, right?  Besides, you're not done yet."  Wedge said.

As gently as he could, Wedge pulled opened up Grimlock's wound so he could see inside it.  His spark had indeed been hit by the sword.  It was slowly fading and every so often a few small sparks would fall from it.

Wedge reached inside and put his hand on the damaged spark.  He closed his eyes again, and concentrated as much as he could.  His whole body, along with the spark, began to glow a dim blue.  After a few seconds, he removed his hand from Grimlock's side and fell to the ground, exhausted.

"Spark extinguish aborted," Grimlock's computer chirped.  Grimlock suddenly sat up.  His side was still gashed open, but he was able to function.  Next to him Wedge lay motionless, in stasis lock.  Grimlock looked at the three non-functioning attackers, then slowly picked up Wedge and headed towards the equipment location.

A mega-cycle or so later, Sky Byte awoke.  He and Armorhide, with some degree of trouble, dragged Scourge back to the Vertigo.  The entire chest plate of the Decepticon had been ripped off somehow.

					* * * * * *
					
"Wow, so how'd you get away?" Sideburn asked.

"Well," Grimlock said.  "Luck, I guess."

"Amazing," Prowl said.  Behind him the CR chamber hissed and opened.  Wedge stepped out.  "Back among the living, I see," Prowl said.

"Yeah," Wedge said.  He looked curiously at Grimlock, who was surrounded by the rest of the Autobots.

"Grimmy was just telling us about how you two kicked some butt," Heavy Load said.

"How we-" Wedge stopped, looking at Grimlock.

"Yeah," Grimlock said.  "We were outnumbered four to one, but we were able to overpower them, remember?"

"Yeah," Wedge said, slightly dumbfounded.  "We did it."

"Okay, well story time is over," Optimus said.  "Everyone, back to work, we need to have that base ready as quickly as possible!"  He looked at Grimlock and Wedge.  "Of course you two are more than welcome to take the day off.  You had a rough night."

"I'll be right there," Wedge said, smiling.

Optimus nodded, and followed the rest of the Autobots.

Wedge looked at Grimlock, who still had the gash in his side.  "Why didn't you tell them what really happened?" he asked.

"I figured you might want to tell them yourself," Grimlock said.  "Whatever you can do, it seems like a big deal, and I can understand why you might not want everyone to know."

"Thank you," Wedge said.

"No problem," Grimlock said.  "I owed you anyway."  Grimlock walked inside the CR chamber, closing the door behind him.

Wedge looked at the chamber for a second, then walked back towards the new base.

THE END