Proxy Note(s): Proudly introducing Nicki's third story in what I call her Seer Arc, "Buried Secrets"! It is my top favorite among Beast Wars fiction (and probably even Transformers fiction). Now, start reading so you will see why!

Disclaimers: Transformers is owned by Hasbro and its various licensees. Story plot and any characters contained herein which are not part of Transformers: Beast Wars are the intellectual property of Nicki Ellsesser, whom I am fairly certain did not earn anything other than emotional fulfillment. This story is presented as closely to the author's original as possible while conforming to FFN's formatting restrictions. Changes (spelling, grammar, formatting correction) were explicitly permitted by the author.

Claimer: I mostly wrote the summary. Suggestions for its improvement are welcome. Original summary - "Another strange alien artifact is unearthed, and with it an ancient secret that may end up costing the other Beast Warriors their lives, and Cheetor his sanity. Third in a series."

Beast Wars and all related belong to Hasbro. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

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Buried Secrets (PG)

by Nicki Ellsesser

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Part I

It hung against the velvet blackness of space, a glowing orb of blues, greens, and whites. A nameless planet; insignificant compared to the countless other heavenly bodies that inhabit the barely controlled chaos that is the Universe. Still, if the coldly burning light of the stars that stood watch over the planet could have found voice, they could have told of the importance of this single ball of rock and water. They could have spun a tale of pain and terror; of bloodshed and loss. But most of all, they could have told of a terrible secret. A secret jealously guarded by the beings that claimed the planet as theirs.

The planet had suffered much within the last few months, perhaps more than it had ever suffered in its life. The swath of destruction cut by the vengeance of its faceless owners still burned raw across the landscape. Searing lava had pierced its rocky prison and altered many places beyond recognition; stately forests lay in ruins; the earth itself had shifted and cracked, resettling into new shapes.

And amidst the shifting, something long buried in the bowels of the earthen crust swam to the surface. Something never again meant to see the light of day burst forth.

The planet trembled in terror.

ﺦ

It had known fear in Its life. It had nearly gone mad with fear when the creatures known as Predacons had attacked It, draining Its life away. It had cowered in abject horror when the beings that controlled Its home had returned and expressed their displeasure with the Maximals and Predacons through a rain of fiery death from the heavens. Even now, It ached with the pain of Its home and the loss of so many of Its children. And now, once again the bitter burning of fear surged through It as something intruded on Its senses; something It had hoped had been lost forever in the unforgiving embrace of the countless centuries.

It knew what the strange new power It felt meant. It knew without a shadow of a doubt that a vicious cycle of destruction It had thought long ago put to rest was about to begin anew. It knew It was powerless to prevent the catastrophe that was looming on the horizon.

The time of Its usefulness in such matters had passed. There were only a few beings that could hope to save them all from the threat. It knew what It had to do. Yet, It hesitated. It also knew what this could mean for one It had come to regard as one of Its own children. One whom It had silently watched over ever since It had said what should have been Its final goodbye. If Its suspicions were correct, and It knew they were, the danger posed to Its children was unimaginable. And the possible danger posed to the one It knew It had to call was equally so.

Gods above, I have no choice.

Slowly, gently, the being that called Itself the Guardian reached out and sought a particular Presence – the unmistakable Presence of an untrained Seer. Inwardly It shuddered as It touched on the aura surrounding the Seer. The Sight had truly gifted this one! With the right guidance... but now was not the time for such musings. It didn't know how much time It had and they needed to be prepared for the worst. It paused a moment and silently begged forgiveness for what It was about to involve him and his comrades in.

Cheetor, It called.

ﺦ

If its creators could have seen it now, they would have wept over its sad condition. The once-gleaming metals were dull and crusted over with filth and grime. The symbols that adorned the surface of it were all but gone, worn away by time. A once proud and fierce weapon lay broken and dilapidated. But it still worked. Oh yes, it still functioned as well as it had the day it was constructed, a lasting tribute to the engineers who had poured their talents into it. Had anyone been near enough to it, they would have felt the power that radiated off the scarred surface, they would have felt the chill that permeated the air near it. They would have felt the stillness of the surroundings, as though the planet itself were holding its breath; waiting for the inevitable as an age-old conflict began anew.

ﺦ

Fire and darkness, as far as the eye could see. The air was rent with the cries of the wounded and lusty battle calls. Acrid smoke glowing an eerie red from the flames hung in the sky. They marched on, grimly determined to crush their enemies. Fire and shadows. Fire against the dark. Fire and more fire. Fire…

"No!" Cheetor snapped back to reality scant seconds before slamming into a spire of rock and banked sharply to the left. "Wha—? What happened?" Shaken to the core, he dived towards the ground and landed on an outcropping of rock in the canyon he was patrolling. Where had that come from? He'd just finished his circuit and was preparing to return to the Axalon, when… Fire. Everywhere the red glow of fire. And the shadows, there was something terrible in the shadows. Something he had to see…

Cheetor shook his head violently as he realized he was about to lose track of his surroundings again. Deep within him, the first tendrils of fear unfurled. What was happening? Sighing, he glanced up at the sky, still heavily obscured by the thick storm clouds that hung over much of the blistered landscape and thought about the one person who could perhaps answer the question. More and more often of late, he had wondered about the fate of the rest of the planet; or more specifically, the being that seemed to reside within the planet.

In the months since he had encountered the Guardian, he had occasionally felt the soft brush of Its presence. Just checking up on him, he supposed, since It never spoke. Even those infrequent contacts had ceased, however, when the aliens' satellite had fired upon the planet. He wished there was some way he could know if It were all right. He wished he could speak with It. Perhaps It would have been able to explain the strange vision.

As if in answer to his unspoken thoughts, Cheetor suddenly became aware that he was no longer alone on the outcropping. It was nothing more than the feeling of another presence, a gentle and warm touch in the back of his mind. Others might have been frightened by the unexpected invasion, but Cheetor welcomed it with a surge of happiness. So the Guardian still lived, and if It had been injured, It was at least sufficiently recovered to seek him out. He reveled in the feeling for a moment, the fierce protectiveness and unconditional love for Its children that the Guardian radiated, fully expecting it to fade after a few seconds, as all the other links had.

Cheetor. The soft word drifted across his thoughts and he started in surprise.

It's you! How did you know I wanted to talk to you? I've been worried, he sent back, eager for a chance to speak with his strange friend again.

It felt an unexpected rush of warmth at the concern and relief in the Seer's 'voice'. He really had been worried about It. Another flash of guilt surged through It; It had no right to involve them in this. Abruptly, It picked up on a poorly hidden image in the Seer's mind — the fire, the shadows. It was all It could do to keep from crying out in horror. Everything was beginning again, and the Seer was already picking up on it. Inwardly, It steeled Its resolve. There was no other choice.

I am glad you and your comrades escaped unharmed. That is a new look for you, is it not? The last was added in a gently teasing tone.

Oh, yeah, I guess it is. It's way cool, too! It "smiled" wistfully at the unbridled enthusiasm. It had so few moments with any of Its children, much less one that could actually converse with It.

Cheetor, there is something you must know of. There is danger here young Seer, danger to us all. Cheetor's heart sank at the tone of the Guardian's voice. Fire and shadows, something in the shadows... He banished the thought resolutely, now was not the time.

What's going on? he asked quietly, silently praying that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

There is an ancient power gathering its strength, young Seer. What was swallowed by the earth now is risen again. Darkness is falling over us, Cheetor. You and your kind must prepare for what is ahead.

Prepare for what? Without warning, a wave of desperation washed over him; desperation more acute even than when he had first sensed the Guardian as It was being attacked by the Predacons.

There is little time, young Seer. Already they gather. Warn your friends! And then, as quickly as It had come, It was silent again. Cheetor called out to it in vain for several minutes, until it became obvious that the Guardian wasn't going to answer.

"Geez, you could've at least given me a hint," he muttered as he once again took to the air. As often as he did it, he could never stop himself from marveling at the sensation of flight. To watch the ground below him as the cool wind rushed over his body was pure joy. Now he understood what Optimus and Airazor had felt every time they had taken to the air. He reluctantly pulled his attention from the marvelous freedom of flight and back to the situation at hand. Given the results he had gotten the last time he had tried to convince the others of the importance of one of the Guardian's messages, it was unlikely Optimus would listen to him based on just the vague facts he had been given.

"Prepare for what?" he asked aloud. His only answer was the soft whine of the wind as he cut through the air.

Fire and shadows, something in the shadows. Cheetor slammed the disturbing image to the back of his mind, refusing to let it consume him again. He had bigger things to worry about.

Fire and shadows, endless fire and shadows.

-

Had It done the right thing? Sending them into the coming battle with so little information…

No choice, I have no choice, It repeated to Itself endlessly, and felt Its belief in the words slip steadily away with each repetition. There were things the Seer and his friends could never find out, would never find out if It had any say in the matter. It feared for the Seer and his comrades, though. It cared for the Seer as deeply as It cared for any of Its children and though It was somewhat indifferent to the rest of his team, It certainly bore them no ill will. In their own way, they fought to protect Its children as well. It didn't want them to be hurt.

What must be, will be. But gods above, protect them. Protect them all.

ﺦ

Ancient power cells stuttered back to life, filling the still night air with a low hum. Relays and circuits struggled through the grit that encased them and once again began steadily working at their purpose. A sinister ruby light glowed in the center of the device, growing brighter by the second. The light flared white hot for an instant before it shot forth into the night, giving the sky a brilliant red sheen. The light dimmed a moment later, and settled back into the frame of the device, glowing, pulsing with power.

A moment later, something came through.

Whomever had first said that knowledge is power had long been forgotten. But the sentiment, the truth of that saying had become almost universal, with a version of the proverb found in almost every culture and civilization in existence. Knowledge was power; information was the ultimate advantage; data was invaluable.

The last vestiges of the eerie red glow faded from the filthy components of the newly unearthed machine and for the first time in centuries, a piece of a past long forgotten roamed freely over the scarred surface of the planet. Its spider–like legs gleamed a dull silver as it skittered over the dirt and a single sensor glowed continuously as it received, stored, and transmitted data. Knowledge was power; and at that moment someone, somewhere was amassing a great deal of it.

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Gods above, no! They couldn't have acted so quickly. I need more time! Deep in Its heart, however, the Guardian acknowledged that Its time had run out. It watched the sensor crawl over Its home, poking and prodding and collecting sample after sample. All of the information the sensor gathered would soon be used against those It cared for most-- Its children. It had already lost so many, It couldn't bear to lose more. But there was nothing It could do but pray that the Seer and his teammates were strong enough to face the coming danger.

And try to ignore the tiny voice in Its heart that whispered, Coward.

ﺦ

As he cut through the rapidly cooling night air, several scenarios were played out and subsequently rejected in Cheetor's mind. He couldn't exactly stroll into the Axalon and casually announce the information, scanty as it was, the Guardian had given him. For days after his first encounter with It, Rattrap had asked him about his 'imaginary friend' every time they had passed each other and he doubted his friends would be any more receptive this time around. Cheetor growled in frustration as the Axalon loomed on the horizon and he was forced to toss out the last of the plans he had formed. He landed with only a little clumsiness, he was pleased to note, but his shoulders slumped again as soon as the lift lowered. There were only two ways he could make Optimus aware of this threat the Guardian had seemed so worried about: tell him all about the Guardian, which he was not at all willing to do; or make up another bold-faced lie to explain how he had once again come by such knowledge.

"What a choice," he muttered as the lift began to ascend into the Axalon. His distaste at the thought of lying to Optimus was almost palpable. The art of telling falsehoods had never come easily to him, it simply went against his nature. It appeared, however, that it was the only option he had, besides letting them all sit around waiting for the danger to strike, which wasn't really an option at all. And there would be danger, which he knew with uncanny certainty. Funny, that had been happening more and more often of late.

Cheetor mentally shrugged and rehearsed what he could say as he transformed to robot mode and slowly walked down the gleaming corridor of the Axalon to the helm. When he reached it, however, the problem seemed to have been taken out of his hands. Optimus, Rhinox, and Rattrap were all crowded around Rattrap's sensor screen, staring intently at the scrolling data.

A sudden feeling of unease descended on Cheetor as he came up behind them, but he pushed it aside. "What's up, Big Bot?" he asked with forced lightness.

Optimus turned slightly and nodded to him before turning back to the screen. "Cheetor, good, we were just about to radio for you. Rhinox is picking up some unusual energy signatures in grid Nine. I want you and Rattrap to head over there and check it out."

Cheetor's eyes flicked to the screen and the multitude of readings it displayed. While computers were more Rhinox's territory and the display made little actual sense to him, it certainly didn't take a genius to note the sudden spike of unidentified energy output.

Abruptly, the display changed to a three dimensional map of the area, with the affected region highlighted in red. That area, there was something familiar. Fire and shadows, something in the shadows. Stay away, stay away!

"Hey kiddo!" It sounded as though it was not the first time Rattrap had called him. The disturbing image of flames and darkness retreated once again and left Cheetor staring at an obviously irritated Rattrap.

"Huh?"

Rattrap sighed, reached up and rapped lightly on Cheetor's forehead. "Anybody home? I said, let's get goin'. Rover's gonna meet us there."

Cheetor nodded absentmindedly and turned to follow Rattrap. As he passed Optimus, however, the taller bot laid a hand on his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

Slag. So he wasn't as good at covering things up as he had hoped. Wrong? Let's see, our lives are in danger, only I don't know why. If I try to tell any of you about it, you'll think I'm nuts. The only one who does know what's going on won't even give me a clue. And oh yeah, I'm totally zoning out every ten cycles on pictures of bonfires. "Nope, I'm fine, Big Bot."

Optimus' eyes narrowed in concern, but he waved Rattrap and Cheetor off. The two bots quickly vanished down the lift and a moment later the faint sounds of Rattrap peeling out and Cheetor firing up his jets reached Optimus and Rhinox. "What was that about?" Rhinox asked quietly without looking up from his screen.

Optimus glanced over at his friend and shook his head slightly. Even when he seemed totally absorbed in his work, the large Maximal was acutely aware of what was going on around him. "Hopefully, nothing." Optimus didn't elaborate further and Rhinox didn't ask. He'd learned a long time ago that waiting until people were ready to talk usually got better results. Still, he hadn't missed the oddly blank look on Cheetor's normally expressive face as he had studied the computer's data, nor the worried glances Optimus had shot the younger Maximal as he and Rattrap had left. Never a dull moment in the Axalon.

ﺦ

The sensor transmitted the last of its data and shut down, its job finished. Once again, the eerie red light filled the sky, blotting out the hazy silver glow of the moon. Instead of moving towards the device, however, the sensor emitted a high-pitched whine and suddenly exploded in a shower of sparks. The sensor had completed its task; all that remained was to make use of the data it had collected.