eugenesis-text

They watched a Decepticon space shuttle fly overhead. Astrotrain softened his engines, slipped into
his train configuration, and chugged to a halt on the Canyon floor. Medical teams converged around the
disembarkation ramp as it slapped the ground.
‘Here we go,’ said Chromedome as Ratchet broke the ring of onlookers and cleared space.
Something thin was pulled from Astrotrain’s carriage. ‘Get ready for the hero’s welcome.’
Throwback put his hand to his mouth. ‘Something’s wrong. I think… I think that’s Nightbeat.’
The body being carried towards Delphi made Bluestreak look as new as the day he Matrixed.
Perceptor wandered through Delphi, letting his optics adjust to the indoor light. He nodded to
Sygnet, who was pressing an energon swab against the last of the Kledji escapees. The floor was sprinkled
with flakes of red paint that crunched like autumn leaves underfoot. He realised why so many of the
Decepticons outside looked as if they’d been splattered with blood.
He turned into a side corridor, where Red Alert and Hosehead were sitting opposite the medivault.
He sat down beside them and attuned himself to the pulse and heartbeat of distended time, that peculiar
synthesis of hope and grief that quietens every waiting room.
‘How is he’
‘We did our best,’ said Red Alert, staring at the vault door. ‘You didn’t see it – it was a wasteland. We
had to wait until the search teams arrived, and by then… I don’t know. I think he’s going to die,
Perceptor.’
‘Cloudraker and Fulcrum are seeing to him now,’ added Hosehead. ‘He’s been tranq’d and slabbed.
They’re looking for his sparkline.’
‘They can’t even find a sparkline’ Perceptor stared at the ceiling. ‘I never imagined that the
wormhole’s evopeak would manifest itself so violently. He should never have gone in.’
‘You make it sound like he had a choice,’ said Red Alert. ‘He had to go inside the temple; he had to
take Prime back. I just have his image of him,’ he sighed, trying to sculpt the memory with his hands. ‘He
was standing by himself, staring at the sky before the Quintessons attacked. He knew what would happen.
He knew.’
The vault door swung open and Cloudraker ran off down the corridor, smoke rising from his fingers.
Before the door closed, Perceptor glimpsed Nightbeat’s body writhing on a circuit slab. Fulcrum was
wielding jump leads, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.
Then Cloudraker came back down the corridor, Ratchet in tow.
‘Who’s with him’ the doctor demanded, knocking at the vault door.
‘Just Fulcrum,’ said Perceptor, standing up. ‘He’s having some kind of seizure.’
‘Dammit!’ Ratchet slipped inside and the door once again swung closed. All Perceptor could see this
time was Prowl, serene in his q-pod, completing his millionth spin.
Hosehead leant close to Red Alert. ‘What were his last words Optimus Prime’s, I mean.’
‘I have no idea. I didn’t see him arrive or leave. I was being beaten to death by some
Decepticon/Quintesson hybrid.’
‘“One day an Autobot shall rise from our ranks,”’ said Perceptor, “And light our darkest hour.” He
said that to me before he boarded Astrotrain.’ He gave a weak smile. ‘Yes, I thought it sounded familiar
too.’
‘It makes you think, though,’ said Hosehead. ‘What if Unicron’s assault in 2006 wasn’t our darkest
hour I mean, look what we just come through. What else lies ahead’
‘I think our darkest hour is the next one,’ said Red Alert. ‘It will always be the next one.’
‘We can’t afford to think like that,’ said Perceptor. ‘We still have the Alliance. Maybe this is the
beginning of the end. Maybe something good has…’ His words faded as he looked up. Soundwave had
appeared at the end of the corridor and was obviously waiting for a gap in the conversation.
‘Perceptor,’ he said, ‘I need to speak with you in private.’
Perceptor led him into a side room and quietly closed the door. ‘What is it’
‘We’re leaving.’
‘I see. Where will you go’
Soundwave paused only for a second, weighing up the situation. ‘The Quintesson fortress. It will
serve as a base of operations for the time being.’