Never Was

Disclaimer: A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I had to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."
-Edgar Allan Poe

"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."
-Joseph Addison

By: VampireQueenAkasha

"Your reasoning is highly illogical."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

Prologue

Cybertron

Gunshots had sounded off in all directions. Autobots scrambled all about, trying to pinpoint any form of Decepticon life amid the warp gates that stood tall over Autobot City. The Decepticons had begun to falter due to the immense strength of Omega Supreme; a mech who stood taller than any living Transformer. A mech who's power surpassed any Decepticon and Autobot alike.

Along a single warp gate, Hot Shot raced by, sending blasts of flame from his converted welding torches into a massive, towering Decepticon only known as Blackout. The flames struck the Decepticon into his torso, sending him groaning and collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash. Hot Shot grinned and held up one fist.

"Yeah!" he shouted, "You're done, Decepti-creep!"

Blackout suddenly sat up and glowered down at him. "Wanna bet?" he rumbled, in a somewhat slow tone of voice.

Before Hot Shot could perceive what was to come, Blackout moved so quick, for one so large; and he spun his rotors on his back, slicing Hot Shot's arm clean off. The Autobot howled in pain and shock, going down and clutching his sparking arm stump. He winced in pain and a dark shadow cast over him. Hot Shot gasped, glancing up as Blackout's enormous foot came down, inches from crushing him. Just as his doom seemed imminent, an inky blue smear streaked by and he was snatched up quickly.

Hot Shot gasped and glanced up, right at Blurr.

"Whoa! Quick as always!" Hot Shot gasped.

"She'shidingunderthebridge!" Blurr told him, words all run together in a jumbled mess. "Underthebridge!"

Hot Shot grunted as he was tossed into a small area shielded with rubble. Red Alert, a female medic of the Autobots bent over him. She had a small soldering tool in hand and several other devices. Red Alert removed a smaller patch from her pack at her side and quickly injected him with something.

"It's a clean cut. I'm going to give you a quick High Grade Injection. You'll be fine." she told him.

Hot Shot stared at her in disbelief. "Fine? I'm missing my fragging arm here!" he cried, desperately. The High Grade Red Alert had injected him with slowly took its hold and he grinned at her now in a bit of a stupor. "Wow...Hey, you're so pretty..."

She smiled at him before focusing attention onto the battlefield. "The left streets are completely cut off," she told him, "Have you gotten word to Ultra Magnus of the status yet?"

Hot Shot winced and rose to his feet. "No. I was too busy getting my arm cut off!"

Red Alert sighed and glanced at him. "I need to get to the warp gates." she told him, "Can you offer a distraction of any kind?"

Hot Shot powered up his good arm and smiled, the flames of his torch casting a glow on his face. "You can count on it!"

Red Alert, Hot Shot, and Blurr took off in opposite directions. A smaller mech who could only be known as Brawn grunted angrily and heaved a massive chunk of discarded metal directly for a Seeker high above.

Starscream.

"Ugh! Where is that fool Megatron?" Starscream growled, in his annoyingly screechy voice, barely managing to dodge the metal. He took off toward the warp gates. "Why is it that he always manages to bug my circuits so badly?"

Hot Shot staggered toward the rows upon rows of over-sized warp gates. He winced and looked around, torch at the ready.

"Alright, Decepticons, I know you're here!" he called, "Come out and take your beatings!"

A dark shadow loomed over him and Hot Shot looked back with a gasp, firing his torch directly into a larger, slender shape. The mech moved quick and finally caught a good glimpse of what it was he had shot at.

Shockwave.

The tall, light blue mech gazed down at Hot Shot with that single, menacing camera optic, slitted and narrowed. His large clawed hands flexed. The hell-fire surrounding them cast light that glinted over his expressionless black face.

"So, Autobot, do you plan on fighting me with that pitiful arm of yours?" Shockwave sneered, in his slightly accented voice.

Hot Shot scowled at him. "You're not getting near these warp gates, Decepti-creep!" he spat. "You'll have to get by me!"

"Oh?" Shockwave said, "My only opponent is nothing more than a tiny little Autobot, wounded and without much weaponry on his servos but a single blowtorch?" He took a step forward, clutching something in his claws. "Not much of a challenge."

Hot Shot gritted his teeth as Shockwave advanced. Whatever that device was, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut about it. He raised the torch and blasted Shockwave with a searing blast of flame that practically enveloped the mech. Hot Shot gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, a metallic hand shot out from the fire and seized him by the throat. Hot Shot cried out and was tossed directly into the war gate controls. Sparks flew through the air and the warp gate roared to life, a thin ribbon of particles and electrons forming a large "gate" that led to nowhere. Shockwave's menacing red eye leered down at Hot Shot and he raised the weapon right against the Autobot's cheek.

"Consider this your dishonorable discharge..." Shockwave hissed.

Just as he prepared to deliver the finishing shot, Red Alert came flying straight at him. For a brief moment, Shockwave glanced back, surprised.

"What?" he gasped.

Red Alert plowed into the Decepticon; her speed and momentum carrying the three of them through the portal, which winked out behind them-an instant before Blurr hurled himself across the gate in a poor attempt to follow. His speed sent him careening out of control and crashing into a statue. He was practically plastered to it, groaning in pain.

"OhthatwasalotofpainI'minpain..." Blurr moaned, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

The sounds of battle still raged all around him. And so it continued, both factions completely unaware of the loss of their soldiers.

O

Note-I know Red Alert only had one real hand in Animated...but I'm sorta fixated on this idea that she had to of lost that hand somehow.