It’s a Wonderful Spark SilverBlade Author’s note: This story begins during the Beast Wars setting: ancient earth. “Goodnight Big Bot.” Cheetor says as he strolls down the hallway of the Axalon with the other Maximals, heading for their living quarters. Optimus Primal picks up a datapad that was left on the center circular table and he walks down the hallway to his own room. Once there, he sat on the recharging bed, turns on the datapad and reads from the screen. “Who would put a lasso around earth’s moon? Not to mention how that would affect Earth’s tide..” Primal muttered to himself as he read that famous classical earth story. Primal taps the screen on the datapad to close the book he was reading, and tapped on another icon. Images of his Maximal comrades appear and he begins to flip through the images, stopping at Tigertron and Air Razor. “These bots would still be alive..” Primal thinks to himself “..if I was a better leader…or…if I wasn’t alive…they might be. We might still be on Cybertron, in our proper time, if I was not around.” He begins to think deeply on his circumstances and what has happened ever since they arrived on this planet. He opens the roof hatch and flies out of the Axalon as the hatch closes once he leaves. He positions himself high above the water and looks down right at it. “Computer” he says, and the computer beeps to indicate that it’s ready for Primal’s command. “Tell me the date, leave out the year.” “Sending request to Axalon” The computer states. “December 24th” “hmm” He thinks to himself. “Christmas Eve.” He looks at the sky, and then begins to speak again “Computer, disable water filter systems.” “Warning” the computer blurted. “Disabling water filter systems can lead to fatal exposure to water.” “Disable it anyways.” The computer beeps a few times. “Water filter systems disabled.” “Primus..” He whispers to himself. “I have lost faith in myself. These bots deserve better. They would be better off without me.” He pauses for a moment as he contemplates his next actions. Suddenly, a white object drops in front of him and hits the water with a huge splash. Primal looks down to the water and sees something flailing in the water and calling out “Help!” “Computer, enable water filter systems” Primal says as he dives towards the water and enters the water with a splash. Primal then flies from the water, lifting the white figure with one hand as he navigates his way to the shoreline, where he sets the white figure down on his feet. Primal lands on the shore facing away from the figure. “Thanks for saving me, Optimus Primal.” The figure says. “I didn’t think there was anyone on this planet besides us and the…wait..how do you know my name?” Primal turns around to face the figure. “Wheeljack?!” He steps back. “B..but you were killed in Autobot City…and..you’re not..” Wheeljack interrupts Primal “Since Cybertronians have scaled down their size, The All Spark followed suit, particularly for visions, dreams, and intercession.” Primal looks towards Wheeljack, and nods for a moment. He then notices something missing from him. “You’re wings, they’re missing.” “The All Spark has promised to grant me my wings back if I help with your life and turn it around. You were about to commit suicide.” Wheeljack responds. “I have failed my troops, Wheeljack. We’re lost in an unknown time, on an unknown planet. I have no idea how to get back home. I lost 3 good warriors: Tigertron, Air Razor, and Dinobot. I do not think I can do this. Wheeljack.” He pauses for a moment. “The Maximals would be better off without me.” Wheeljack stands beside Primal. “Suicide is not permitted. You wouldn’t enter the All Spark, but you would enter the Pit.” Primal’s facial expression changes dramatically. “Wait a minute. Cybertronians are perfectly capable in the water, and by historical files, you have no problem in the water. Why did you pretend to be drowning?” “You see, Primal.” Wheeljack begins. “I knew that you would dive in after me to save me. So, by doing that, I have in fact, saved your life. “But..why? Primal asks, confused. “Don’t you see, the Maximals deserve a better a leader and I do not deserve the name ‘Optimus’ and I know that the Maximals would have a better life if I wasn’t on line.” Wheeljack sighed heavily. He taps his wrist to bring up a small screen displaying Alpha Trion, who nods at Primal’s request. “Would you really like to know how Cybertron would be like if you were never brought online?” “I would like to know, but I bet they would be better off.” Primal responds. “You have your wish. You were never activated.” Wheeljack commands. The environment around them begins to change. The Axalon slowly disappears and any little minor change that happened because of the Maximal and Predacon on the planet, reverses. “What’s going on?” Primal asks. “Since you were never activated, the Axalon never chased the Darksyde. In fact, it was never even built as you were the main proponent of the vessel.” The environment around the pair stops changing, and they are now standing in a street on Cybertron. But things seem very very different. Predacon troops patrol the streets and stop every Maximal they see. “What happened?” Primal asks. “Megatron did something on that planet to change the present day. Something that changed the course of history.” “Tell me what that was.” Primal says as he observes the Predacon activity. No response. “Wheeljack?” Primal looks around, almost in panic. “You wanted to know what Cybertron would be like without you.” Wheeljack’s voice is heard echoing. “What’s that over there?” Primal can hear as he turns to the voice to see a group of 3 Predacons. “Looks like it has parts of a beast form. Lets go!” The Pred troops run towards Primal. He takes off down the street quickly. One of the Pred troops raises his arm and taps a button on his wrist “We have a runner. Description: blue face, red eyes, apparent beast mode components, color brown.” The Pred troops begin to fire plasma bursts, which stream by Primal. “If that’s how you want it.” Primal mutters as his arm cannons fold out from his arm and he fires at the troops chasing him. He spots a tall light and begins to fire at the base, causing it to fall over and onto the troops. As the chasing troops manage to crawl out from under the heavy light post, they notice that Primal is now gone. Primal enters a hole-in-the-wall bar type place, as his optics adjusts to the dim light. He quickly sits on one of the bar stools and the bartender approaches him. “What’s your poison?” the bot asks. Primal jumps slightly, being startled. He looks at the holo-menu. “Spiced uranium.” Primal says. He waits for his drink as he looks over to a group at a table. “Place your bets everyone, place your bets. You could make your lady very happy tomorrow morning.” A very peculiar voice said from the group, from a bot that Primal couldn’t see “I must have been hit in the head.” Primal mumbles a bit. “Bartender, what’s the date?” “December 24th, 2432, Earth-year.” The bartender replies. “Christmas Eve.” Primal whispers to himself, as he watches over the gambling group. He notices the card dealer wearing a dark hark tall cylindrical hat “Aww, too bad” Primal hears from that voice again. “One bot out, 4 bots left. How about it boys? More credits on the table.” Primal looks at the ground, trying to figure out whose voice this is, he recognizes it, but can’t place it. The gambling bots play a few more rounds of a game of cards, with the dealer’s pile of winnings getting bigger and bigger. “Come on boys, you aren’t even offering me a challenge. You just gave up your weeks of pay. But you still have enough left to try to win it back.” The card dealer hisses a bit. The dealer shuffles again, and passes out the cards. But one of the bots spots the way that the dealer was passing out the cards. “Hold it. “ he says as he reaches for the dealer’s cards that are face-down on the table and turns them over to reveal a very good hand for the game, minus 2 cards. “You little Rat, you’re stacking your own hand!” He accuses and reaches for his weapon, but the dealer was too quick, and his own blaster was already right under the neck of the accuser. “You came into challenge me because you heard I was impossible to beat. You lost.” “But, you cheated.” The dealer pulls the accuser closer and whispers to him “Why do you think no one has beaten me?” The other players reach for their own weapons to try to get revenge, but their blasters are not on their hips. “aww, sorry, did you gamble your own gun during the game?” The dealer asks mockingly as he points to the guns attached to his legs. The dealer then asks the bot that he is pointing the gun to. “You have two choices. Cut your losses and leave.” “What’s the second choice?” “You don’t want to know the second choice.” The dealer states very coldly. The player puts his hand up in surrender, and the other players leave with him. Primal watches the bots leave the building. He turns around to face the dealer. “It can’t be.” Primal whispers, as he approaches the dealer. “Rat Trap? What are you doing?” he asks. Rat Trap looks up at Primal. “I’m doing what I best.” He pauses. “How do you know my name? Who sent you?” “Rat Trap, It’s me, Optimus Primal.” “I’ve never heard of you. You look similar to the ancient Autobot leader, but I have not heard of you personally.” Rat Trap responds as he cleans up the cards. “What’s gotten into you? We served on the Axalon together.” Primal says. “You must have had a really strong drink, banana-boy. There was no ‘Axalon’.” Rat Trap responds with an annoyed hint in his voice. “We have to get out of here Rat Trap.” Primal says as he grabs Rat Trap’s arm, but he quickly pulls his gun and points it at Primal’s neck. “Who sent you? Megatron?” “No, Megatron didn’t send me, no one sent me. Put the gun down.” Primal tried to order Rat Trap. “Then leave, before I change my mind.” Rat Trap attaches the gun to his hip and goes back to packing his belongings. Primal went to the door of the bar, and Rat Trap called across the room “Avoid the Predacon troops unless you have something to bribe them with.” “Thanks for the advice.” Primal responded as he left the bar. Primal observes the bots on the street for a few seconds before Wheeljack speaks. “The one you know as ‘Rat Trap’ turned to a life of gambling and needing to bribe his way out of the Predacon legal system. He should have been recon/demolitions expert. Instead, he cheats money out of unsuspecting bots.” Primal jumps a bit, startled. “That wasn’t the Rat Trap I know.” “He’s not the only one that has been altered.” “What do you mean?” Primal asks. “No time, look out!” Wheeljack points to the sky as a Predacon mini-jet dives down towards Primal and fires. Primal quickly jumps out of the way. “Wheeljack?” He looks around in a panic, not seeing him. “Some help he is” he mutters as he runs down the street, away from the Predaon jet. Still, the Predacon jet keeps on him, as 2 more join in the chase. Primal activates his jetpack and takes off into the sky. Primal then notices a black/yellow jet form fly right at him. He covers his face with his arms but hears the Predacons behind him fly off, stopping their pursuit. He looks to the yellow and black jet, to hear a female voice “Follow me.” The jet flies off and he follows it. They eventually fly into a holographic image, depicting a section of a tall building. Primal lands on his feet. “I don’t know who you are, but how did you do that? They took off as soon as you appeared. The jet then transforms. “Those Predacons know they are no match for my speed or my firepower. So they ran.” Primal turns to face the bot. “Airrazor? Where’s your feathers, your beast mode?” “Beast mode?” She looks puzzled. “Only Megatron and his military leave this planet. No one outside of them have been to an organic planet.” “You’re forgetting the Autobots and Decepticons.” Primal interrupted. “When the Autobots and Deceptions woke on earth, the Autobots found Optimus Prime dead. The Decepticons proved too much for the Autobots, so the ‘Cons conquered Cybertron and the Maximals have been second-class citizens since.” Airrazor responded. “If that is true, what happened to the Matrix?” Primal asked. “The Predacons have it stored, in the Citidel.” An older-sounding male voice spoke. Airrazor turned to the voice with a smile. She goes up to the bot and kisses him. “Tigertron?” Primal asks softly. Tigertron stood beside Airrazor, holding her. “How do you know our names, stranger? And who are you?” “That..is a long story. But my name is Optimus Primal” Primal observes his surroundings. He notices that this place looks utterly destroyed. Cracks in the floor, dead Maximal bodies, blaster marks on the wall. “Optimus Primal?” Airrazor repeats softly. “You sure look like him. Did they rebuild you?” “No, no.” Primals said. “I am not Optimus Prime rebuilt as a Maximal. I was just named after him.” Tigertron runs over to a computer. “I must tell our comrades that we may have a leader to unify everyone.” “No!” Primal commanded. “In fact. I shouldn’t even exist at the moment.” “What are you saying?” Airrazor asks softly. “It’s a long explanation, but don’t tell anyone I am here. I already ran into some Predacons and I’m sure they are looking for me.” Primal said. “Maximals!” a voice from the computer is heard. “That’s Cheetor!” Primal states. “I’m nearing your position, but the Predacons have located you. You must get out!” Cheetor says. Primal runs to the window to see a yellow/black vehicle form, being chased down by Predacon troops as the fire repeatedly. Cheetor receives a few hits from the weapons but continues to go full speed towards the building. One lucky shot hits the wheel, causing Cheetor to go out of control, crash and rolling a few times before slamming against the building. A few Predacons surround Cheetor’s battered form. He transforms – though slowly, to his bot mode. “You are under arrest for collaborating with Maximals and for charges of conspiracy against Lord Megatron.” One Predacon says with authority. “Kiss my tailpipe.” Cheetor hissed at the Predacon. “As you wish” the Predacon states coldly as he turns to walk away. The rest of the Predacons open fire on Cheetor, giving him no chance to escape. “CHEETOR!” Primal yells as he prepares to dive out the window, but Airrazer stops him. “You can’t do anything for him now.” She says softly. “We have to move before they get here” Tigertron says to the group. Airrazor transforms into her jet mode, and Tigertron sat on the jet. Primal activates his jets and the group leaves the building. From the sky, a bot with a white/black face watches them. “There they are, after them.” Predacon fliers fly around the white/black bot and chase the Maximal group. Primal looks behind himself “More Predacon fliers!” he calls out to the others as they then begin to weave in and out of structures. “Do not lose them.” A voice is heard on the Predacon’s communicator as the continuously pursue the Maximals. The Maximals weave and turn, eventually heading straight one of the deep/large pits of Cybertron, but the Predacons keep pursuing them. “I hope you know where you’re going, Airrazor” Primal states. “Trust me, I know exactly what I’m doing.” She responds. Primal looked back to see the black and white bot chasing them. “Why is he still chasing us?” “He’s one of the aerial generals.” Tigertron responds to Primal. The Maximal group sees glowing lights in their path, and realize that there are more Predacon fliers, but coming from the front. They turn back onto to face the original Predacons that were pursuing them. The white/black faced bot with an impressive wingspan floats down to the Maximal group, in front of Primal. Primal looked at him straight in the eye. “SilverBolt..what are you doing?” he asked before getting hit in the jaw. “That’s ‘General’ to you. You are outnumbered and cornered. You will surrender yourselves to us and be taken to extraction.” SilverBolt commanded. The Maximals look at each other, and the Preds around them. They know they have no escape. They surrender as the Predacons grab the Maximals and fly off towards the Citadel. With SilverBolt leading, the group walk down a very black hallway. They stop at a window, looking in. The group sees a very large; green, hulking bot attaching cables to the head of a Maximal, as indicated by the insignia, who is restrained to an upright table with energon restraints. “Tell us what you know.” The green bot says to the Maximal. “You’ll have to take it from me, ‘con”. The Maximal says in defiance. “We can do this the hard way, or the easy way. Make it easy on yourself.” The green bot pleads. “I have nothing to say. Do as you will.” The maximal resigns himself to his fate. The green bot types in a code into the computer. The Maximal opens his mouth to scream loudly as his eyes and mouth emit long streams of light. Primal watches the green bot intently. The green bot then turns to the window. “Rhinox! This isn’t you! What are you doing?!” Primal pleaded towards Rhinox before SilverBolt slugged Primal again in the jaw. “You are not to speak unless spoken to.” Commanded SilverBolt. “Take these Maximals to the prisons. I’ll inform Megatron.” The Predacons roughly shove the Maximals into their own cells. “Primus..what have I done?” Primal whispered to himself. A few hours pass, and a Predacon walks up to Tigertron’s prison cell. “Tell us where the remaining Maximal resistance cells are located.” “I’m not giving you anything, Predascap.” He responded with a hiss. The Predacons open the door to the cell and grab Tigertron, who tries to resist. “Don’t give them anything!” Airrazor pleaded with Tigertron. “If they find out, Maximals will cease to exist!” The Predacons eventually take control of Tigertron and drag him down the hall. One of the guards types commands into the nearby console. An energon shield forms between the cells to prevent to prisoners from communicating. Primal gets down on his knees and looks up to the ceiling “PRIMUS….I want to live! Let me live! This is not better! This is much worse than what I wanted! No one is better off with me not existing! Please Primus! Let me live!!” Wheeljack appears beside Primal “Now you get it. Now you know how Cybertron would exist if you were never created. Now you see the horrors of what Megatron will do. Your wish will be granted.” The environment begins to break apart and change, being replaced by a waterfall, a shoreline, and the Axalon near the waterfall. “Now that you realize how important you are to Cybertron, my mission is completed. And since you know just how important you are, survive..and get your troops home. By any means necessary.” With that, Wheeljack vanishes. Primal flies back up to the Axalon. Once he enters it, he finds the crew looking over the circular table with a holographic image of the scenery around the Axalon. “Are there Predacons in the area?” Primal said, startling the other Maximals. “Optimus.” Rhinox said. “The computer alerted us that you vanished and we’ve been searching for you. What happened to you?” Primal smiled a little, remembering his little trip “I got a second chance and a new perspective on life.” He moves to the holographic table in the middle and brings up an image of a Christmas tree, fully decorated. “Humans would decorate a tree during the earthly month of December in honor of an ancient event.” Primal started, before the unexpected ringing of one of the holographic bells interrupted him. “According to the databanks, humans believed that every time a bell rang, an angel would receive his wings.” Cheetor said calmly. Primal smiled, knowing the significance of this. He looks up to the sky through the roof hatch and winks, knowing that Wheeljack got his wings now. END
"It's a wonderful Life", has alway been one of my favorite stories for Christmas. You've adapted it quite well. It's funny, we really never know just how we influence our fellow man, but influence them we do. Hopefully always for the better.
