eugenesis-text

‘Yes! I don’t trust Soundwave. I feel that we’re being used.’
‘If I were a harsher robot I’d say you were just upset to see your base overrun.’
‘Well perhaps I am. I’ll miss this place. What’s the point of a secret Autobot outpost that’s no longer
secret’
‘You talk as if things will go back to normal. Can you really see the Quintesson occupation coming
to an end’
‘You don’t think it will’
‘Not the way we want it to. I can see them whittling us down gradually, grinding away until we’re
down to a hundred, then 50, then ten…’
‘This isn’t the kind of conversation I need right now.’ He looked around. ‘Where’s Optimus’
‘Still in the hangar, taking questions. They treat him like some sort of god. Did you see the way the
crowd parted when he came in Even the Decepticons…’
At that moment, the robot in question spoke through the corridor speakers: ‘All Transformers to attend
a compulsory check-up in the medi-bay and then convene in the war chamber. Decepticons unfamiliar with the base
layout can approach the “Micro-Masters”, who will be happy to give directions.’
Siren shook his head. ‘This is getting too surreal.’
‘Nightbeat’ In a doorway across the corridor, above two-dozen bobbing heads, Perceptor balanced
on his toes to catch the investigator’s attention. He beckoned with an anxious hand, reluctant to say
anything in case he was overheard.
‘I’ve been waiting for this,’ said Nightbeat, following Perceptor inside the sci-lab and locking the
door behind him.
‘Take a seat,’ said Perceptor.
‘Why are you calling me aside like this It seems like only last week that you and Prowl were making
me feel uncomfortable in the Archives Centre.’
‘A lot’s changed since then. Congratulations, by the way, on a successful mission.’
‘Successful I lost Grapple, Hoist and Sunstreaker.’
‘I am sorry to hear that.’ Perceptor sat down and folded his arms. ‘But what was the wormhole like’
‘Pretty unspectacular. It reminded me of a standard warp gate.’
‘What did it look like’
‘It was surrounded by some sort of flux-field and blurred around the edges. Stop frowning at me,
Perceptor, it’s unnerving. What’s the matter’
‘It sounds as if it’s nearing the end of its gestation. Soon it will seal itself up or explode. Either way,
the effects could be cataclysmic.’
Nightbeat shrugged. He’d heard enough end-of-the-world scenarios in his time; they didn’t shock
him anymore.
‘We need someone to guard the wormhole, Nightbeat. Can you imagine the havoc the Quintessons
would cause if they had access to a time machine’
‘Unlike us Transformers, who merely generated a space/time rift and nearly destroyed all creation.’
‘I’m serious. The Quintessons would act recklessly, irresponsibly.’
‘Like plundering history for messianic ex-leaders.’
‘Nightbeat!’
‘Okay, okay, you’re right. I’ll take Prime back to 1984 and collapse the link.’
‘Prime’s not going anywhere. The Alliance would fall apart without him. We’re seriously
outnumbered by the Decepticons, but Optimus somehow redresses the balance. He’s like a figurehead: he
symbolises everything that—’
‘He’s not some shiny mascot you can wave at the enemy!’
‘My point is that Prime and Prime alone can lead us against the Quintessons. Do you think I could
Or Siren Galvatron’s demented. Ultra Magnus is drifting through space.’
‘Optimus could get killed out here. What if we launch an assault on their Fortress You think he’s
going to sit indoors while we risk our necks No, he’ll be on the front line, dodging gunfire like the rest of
us. What if he dies, Perceptor’
‘He won’t: his survival is pre-ordained. He has to get back to 1984 so as to partake in the mass
regeneration. Without that event we wouldn’t be sitting here having this discussion. We’ve been through
all this before.’