Chapter 8: "The Start of Something New"

"I never thought I'd function to see this day," said Optimus as the great shell cracked apart to reveal its contents; a honeycombed sphere two or three times taller than a Transformer and as wide and round as a hot air balloon, with fragments of red, blue and yellow floating in its nucleus. Seven of the honeycomb's chambers were missing, taken from seemingly random areas. The six items – the two gauntlets, the belt, the ring, the Matrix and the Key – lay in a neat pile on the floor. Optimus lifted the Matrix first and held it out towards the heart of Cybertron. A warm, gold light spread from the centre of the little device, engulfing it and condensing it into the shape of one of the missing chambers. The Matrix floated away and slotted itself neatly into one of the seven holes, taking on the gentler tone of the ball itself. One-by-one, Sam and Optimus handed back the six corporeal things, until one hole remained. When nothing seemed to happen, they became worried.

"How am I supposed to put the All Spark in?" Sam gulped. "It's still in my head." Optimus had no answer for him. He dimmed his optics to think about this, though this was rendered unnecessary seconds later. Sam heard the voice ringing in his head. The six good Ancient Primes, stood around the two chosen ones, and Sam could see the avatars ahead of him. The Greek scholar and the Egyptian priestess were smiling in welcome and each holding out a hand to greet him.

"I know…" he said quietly, and walked forward. The two avatars took him by the hand, and all three of them were pulled up into the glistening orb above them. Within the heavenly inner space of Vector Sigma, Sam felt at peace. Seven dots of light opened on his body, going from the crown of his head to just below his waist. From these chakras poured forth the sealed might and wisdom of the All Spark. Millennia passed through his mind, from the birth of the world when the galaxy was very, very young, through times of learning, harmony and chaos, births and deaths, the light of countless eons, and then…it was gone, the knowledge returned to its rightful place. When Sam's eyes opened, he was perched on the shoulder of Optimus Prime (he would come to know later he had fallen out, barely conscious and the Autobot ruler had put him there himself) and they watched together as the last hole healed itself and the golden field of flying Cybertronian characters appeared, moving so fast around their core that it was like a whirlwind of light.

"Do you believe it is done, Sam?" asked Optimus.

"I do, Big Bot," replied Sam. "I do."

"You have done well, Optimus Prime," said a voice, as the six Primes appeared before them. Optimus took a step back in surprise, but quickly regained his composure. After a moment, he knelt down in respect to his ancestors.

"We have watched you for a long time," said winged Nova Prime.

"You and this boy have stood against terrible and vast evil," said ghostly Gladius Prime, "and conquered it with courage and tenacity."

"We are proud to call you one of us," said beautiful Magnus Prime, "you have proven the potential of your races."

"But so long as good exists," warned knightly Vector Prime, "then there must always be evil to maintain the balance, or the equation will fall apart."

"So watch your backs," smirked sardonic Sentinel Prime, "especially you, meat-bag." Magnus shot a glare at her brother.

"Continue to lead your people to magnificence," said angelic Prima, "so the Transformers and the humans will live on forever. We will meet again, Optimus Prime and Sam Witwicky of Earth…but until that day…"

The six of them saluted together and an echoing chorus broke out, "'Till all are one!" With that, they vanished into their creator's body. Optimus stood and saluted them in return, repeating that oh-so-sacred mantra, "'Till all are one." Unbeknownst to them, Hot Rod had been roused from his unconscious state in time to see everything, phantoms included. It was a memory he would always cherish in his core. Vector Sigma pulsated, and then released a cleansing wave that spread in every direction. Cybertron was revitalised and its face changed forever.

XXX

The Autobots and humans gathered outside Bludgeon's ruined ship and the grounded Endeavour gazed across the landscape in wonderment. The diseased desert that was Cybertron crumbled and evaporated like water under a hot sun, revealing new life underneath. Fields of smooth, cool metal and rows of pipeline trees now shared the land with lush green grass and beds of flowers and plants. The condemned, naturally occurring buildings reassembled themselves. The sky turned like mixed paint from a polluted yellow-green to a more welcoming, if still alien soft purple. Barriers grew up to separate the seas and rivers of mercury from new sources of water. Lennox started coughing as the cure even touched him and his human friends, literally sucking tobacco tar out of his lungs, along with all those other nasty little things his species had become accustomed to in Earth's atmosphere.

"It…" Ironhide actually felt tears come to his optics as he watched his home returning to life, "…it's beautiful." The bound Starscream and Strika were also moved to humbleness before such a grand spectacle of evolution. After all, this was their home too. Inside the Endeavour, the communications array (which had not been damaged in the previous fight) lit up and an Autobot hailing frequency came through. Wheeljack switched his vocaliser to his native dialect and opened a channel.

"This is auxiliary medical officer Wheeljack of the Endeavour," he said, "identify yourselves please."

"This is Red Alert, commanding officer of the Brightstar," was the response. "We received a communication from Optimus Prime regarding habitation on planet Earth, but we were denied access. My surveillance operative detected Prime's recent energy signature en route back to Cybertron and followed. Requesting situation update."

"You're welcome to join the party, Captain Red Alert," said Wheeljack with growing excitement. "Cybertron ain't what she used to be. I'm sending you our exact coordinates now." He began typing on the keys as Corona rolled into the room.

"What's going on, Wheeljack?" she asked.

"We've got guests," the inventor beamed. He hit the button to send their location to their fellow Autobots. Some time passed, and the entire team were reunited as another cigar-shaped vessel descended to the ground just a short distance away from them. Raoul looked in the direction of where Iacon stood once more.

"You were right, man," he said to Tracks, "those towers are really somethin' else."

"That they are, my friend," the dark blue Autobot nodded, "that they are." With Optimus in the lead, the group (sans Jolt, who stayed behind to monitor his still prone mentor's body in the med-bay) made their way over to the Brightstar as the door slid open and a ramp extended. A white robot accented with black and red emerged with three others behind him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prime," said the white robot.

"The pleasure is all mine, captain," replied Optimus.

"I am Red Alert," said the white robot, "these are my crew. My first lieutenant, Inferno…"

"G'day, all," said a tall, red one with a horned head in a cheerful Australian accent.

"…My ship's gunner, Gears…"

"Yeah, how ya all doin'?" said a little blue robot who seemed more engaged in staring with unsure disapproval at the funny new environment. It really did not sit well with him at all.

"…And our surveillance engineer, Huffer…"

"Hey, uh, you got vermin round here. You could, uh, do somethin' 'bout that," muttered a lavender robot with bits of orange armour and an incredibly deep and slow voice, "but, uh, no, it's nice to be back home, really, and it's nice to meet you too, Optimus Prime." Simmons' eyebrow twitched at the insult and he went for the handgun inside his jacket but Lennox stopped him with a hand on the shoulder and a shake of his head.

"Is it just you four?" asked Kup.

"There were seven of us," replied Red Alert, "but sadly three of my crew were a little too eager and went to Earth before we could contact the planet's authorities. We're not quite sure what happened to them."

"I'm sure they're fine," Inferno shrugged. "All three of 'em are nutty little critters, but tough-as-nails all the same."

XXX

What was to be done with Starscream? The nursery found inside the Decepticon ship could not be ignored, nor could they simply eliminate innocents who were yet to be born. Broadcast stroked the surface of one of the pods gently and the creature inside reacted, pressing its hand to meet hers through the rubbery film that separated them. Optimus, Hot Rod, Sam, Mikaela and Red Alert's crew were gathered in the room together. Starscream was on his knees, wrists tied behind his back.

"Prime, I beseech you," said the Decepticon, "if not for my sake, but for theirs, allow me to continue raising them."

"As Decepticons?" Hot Rod snorted. "As if."

"Hold your tongue, Hot Rod," said Optimus before looking down at the prisoner. "We do not persecute the blameless. It is not our way."

"What point would there be in raising them as Decepticons?" asked Starscream. "It's a lost cause. Lockdown and Megatron are both dead." Optimus felt his vents stiffen. He knew Megatron had escaped him with his life, but something kept him from voicing this. Conscience? Pity for Starscream? Perhaps a wish not to voice so lest their prisoner's appeal be denied. "I want peace on this planet as much as you all do, therefore I will raise them as neutrals."

"That is a noble decision, Starscream," Optimus nodded, "and I would be happy to designate you an official nursery guardian…under Autobot supervision." Starscream did not protest.

"Yeah but who'd have enough screws loose to babysit this nut-job?" Gears scoffed.

"Thanks for volunteering," replied Red Alert, shoving the smaller robot forward before he could protest. "And Huffer would be more than happy to join him."

"Now hold up-" Huffer started, but he stifled himself when he saw Red Alert pointing a pistol at him. "Uh, I, um, I mean, sure, sure…" He tilted his head slightly and glared first at his commanding officer and then at Starscream. The Decepticon forced a grin and shrugged his shoulders.

"Then it is settled," said Optimus Prime.

XXX

The first few days of the new Transformer-human co-existence were awkward, but the crew from Earth soon got used to things. A week after the Great Rebirth, Sam and Mikaela sat together on a beach, looking out at the sun rising above the crest of the Bobudian Ocean. As Sam was about to place his arm around her shoulders, a tiny voice yelled, "Leave me alone ya big brat!" The two turned round to see the diminutive Wheelie running along the sand as a skinny, peach-and-coral pink fem-bot chased after him. When the tiny robot tripped over, Broadcast pulled her foot back and dealt him an almighty kick up the backside, propelling him far and long across the coast.

"AAAUGH!"

"Broadcast!" Sam called over. "Quit picking on Wheelie, he can't help being a little chrome creepazoid!" Mikaela smirked and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Uh, sorry, Dad," Broadcast murmured, clasping her hands behind her back and rubbing the tip of her foot in the sand innocently. She did not really mean it, and her tones made that obvious, but to be quite honest Sam found the cartoon assault hilarious. When he smiled at his 'daughter,' she raced towards him to tackle-hug him, but froze up when the Autobot brand on her chest started to flash.

"Incoming signal," she said. Her face-plate slid open to reveal a radio speaker and a familiar, old voice with a distinguished Texan accent spoke, "I hope this signal reaches you, this is Secretary Keller calling any Autobots…"

"Turn the volume up, honey," said Mikaela. Broadcast nodded and Keller's voice came through louder, "…mysterious alien vessels of non-Transformer origin have been spotted in Earth's aerospace. We're not sure what they want, whether they're hostile or friendly, or even if they can understand us, but…I humbly beg Optimus Prime to forgive us for exiling him and his kind…please come back, even if it's just to say 'no,' please…come back…"

XXX

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Cast introduced in this chapter;

Michael Gross..........RED ALERT

Tristan Rogers.........INFERNO

Ray Romano.............GEARS

Brad Garrett...........HUFFER

Thanks for reading everybody! Keep your eyes open for more projects from the two of us, including the (very) tentatively titled Aspects of Evil 2!