eugenesis-text

‘What about the new smelting pool in Polyhex That doesn’t bode well for the future, does it’
‘The Quintessons built it. We could use it to melt down our weapons.’
Ratchet lay down and tucked his hands behind his head. ‘It’s a pipe dream, Mirage. It’s not going to
happen. What does the Primal Pentateuch say We were created as a last line of defence…’
‘I’m tired of defending,’ said Hound. ‘And I’m tired of attacking. Look at that sky.’ The first breath of
daylight was smudging the horizon. ‘Look at us sitting here, talking. When was the last time we talked’
Mirage stared into the incinerator’s whitened core. ‘It’s been too long.’
‘I just wish that Prowl was here,’ said Wheeljack. ‘And Optimus, for that matter.’
Ratchet nodded. ‘I can’t believe he’s come and gone. It feels as if he died yesterday.’
‘You should’ve seen some of the young ‘uns,’ chuckled Hound. ‘They didn’t know what to make of
him – they’d only seen him in holo-decks and on the Wall of Fame. This massive Autobot talking about
the “sanctity of freedom” and the planet’s “life-lineage”. Wow.’
‘I wonder what Optimus made of us.’ Mirage closed his eyes and imagined the scene. ‘I was waiting
for Jazz or Bumblebee to walk in wearing their Pretender suit. So much happened during the Ark years. At
least we have some stability now.’
‘Perhaps something is going to change,’ decided Wheeljack. ‘But not for the better.’ The others
looked at him. ‘I’m serious. Don’t you ever get the feeling that we’ve had our time, our turn in the
spotlight I don’t just mean us Autobots. Decepticons, too. We’ve trampled over this planet for millions of
years, and yet suddenly – from nowhere – the Quintessons wrest it from our control. I was thinking about
the population slump, and about predestination. How long before we lose out to the next phase’
Mirage balanced on his elbows. ‘What do you mean’
‘Evolutionary development. How long before our successors arrive on the scene Maybe we’re just
one stage in Primus’ grand plan.’
Hound laughed. ‘You’ll be praying to the Covenant next.’
‘Okay then, let’s go with Mirage’s pipe dream. We make peace with the Decepticons, we solve our
energy problems, we rebuild the planet and we fine-tune the biomorphic process. I know you’re an
antimorpher, Ratchet, but listen: we’d have enough energon to justify split-cell reproduction and initiate
the re-pop procedures Rodimus proposed.’
‘And you think,’ said Ratchet, ‘that over time we’d end up with a new race of Cybertronians with
unique characteristics.’
‘Maybe it won’t take that long. We’ve evolved in fits and starts – Headmasters, Powermasters, the
Nucleon fiasco, the rediscovery of liquid morphing. And all that’s in the last thirty years. Who’s to say the
next jump won’t phase us out completely’
‘You’re saying that’s a bad thing’
‘No, Hound, I’m just saying… actually yes, I do think it’s a bad thing. It’s not fair, for a start. We had
the tail end of the Golden Age and four million years of war.’
‘No, Wheels, we got a sabbatical for four million years.’
‘My point is that there’s never been a let-up. We deserve some peace.’
‘Is there such a thing,’ Mirage wondered aloud, ‘as a war that never ends’
‘Maybe it will end, but maybe it won’t be us fighting it. Maybe it’ll be a different set of Autobots and
Decepticons. Maybe they’ll call themselves something else, and fight for different reasons, and, in four
million years, have conversations like this one.’ Wheeljack looked around for support. ‘Well, I think it’s
going to happen. It has to. We can’t stem the flow of the war, and we can’t stem the flow of our race. A
new breed. You’ll see.’
‘And on that note,’ smiled Ratchet, climbing to his feet, ‘it’s time I got back to the medi-vault and
started packing.’ He checked his chronometer. ‘I enjoyed that, guys. Must do it again sometime.’
‘Yeah,’ said Hound, brushing grit from his hands. ‘Let’s make a date right now. Same time, same
place, in four million years’
Wheeljack waved his arms to silence the laughter. ‘Listen! Can you hear that’
‘Yeah. Aircraft noise.’ Hound concentrated. ‘Hydrogen recyc jets – it’s a space shuttle. Astrotrain’
‘Astrotrain it is,’ confirmed Wheeljack, pointing to a dark slab approaching from the north. He
reached for a weapon that he’d left in the lab. ‘What do we do’
‘We wait,’ said Mirage. ‘We don’t jump to conclusions. This could just be a friendly visit.’
The others looked at him as if the Dark Matrix had just tapped him on the shoulder.