This is my first fanfic in years. Let me know what you think. --------------------- “Protectobot 1, this is Cybertron Dispatch Center Zeta. We have a confirmed Decepticon incursion with injuries. Respond!” “Acknowledged”, said Hot Spot, aka Protectobot 1 and leader of Cybertron’s elite rescue squad known as the Protectobots. “Telemetry received and plotting course. ETA is 12 Cyber minutes.” My name is Hot Spot, and I am not what you would call a top notch leader or a bot person. Cyber-Years ago, when my protoform stage was complete, I was granted the alt mode of a fire suppression vehicle but I never felt like I truly belonged among others of my caste or others in general. The only times I would feel at peace where in my quarters at the end of my shift. I can’t honestly say why I developed these thoughts of isolationism but despite my feelings, I performed to the best of my abilities and volunteered where ever I could from local back metal places all the way to my promotion into the Protectobots. During this time my feelings of isolation were only strengthened when I realized that making friends among the other Protectobots and other Autobots in general, would not be in the best interest of my duties. From the day I emerged from the well of Allsparks, I knew myself, and everyone would be destined to return to that very well. Especially, during the peak of the Civil War, you never knew when Primus would call your spark back. Normally, I don’t put to much stock into Cyber-Religion, but when you are on the front lines keeping others safe, it’s about the only thing that keeps you sane and while performing your duty. I was eventually promoted to Lieutenant and given command of Protectobot Squad “D”. My squad included the pacifist medbot First Aid; Cybertronian ApoxyShoe Streetwise; probationary Air Ranger Blades; and the ever incorrigible Groove. These were good bots and my squad performed with distinction despite some rough patches thanks to Blades. Going against my thoughts on the matter, I would try my best to keep us acting as a unit, even going together to Macadem’s Old Oil House during off-duty hours. When I became Lieutenant, we were told not to get too close to our squads, but after mission after mission…I actually started feeling comfortable around my squad mates. Eventually, Protectobot Squad “D” appeared on the radar of Autobot General Optimus Prime. Prime actually visited our Squad base and let us know that we were one of two squads he chose to represent the Protectobots during his mission on the Ark. Squad “A”, made up of Ratchet, Prowl, Inferno, and Red Alert was a no-braincaser. But for Squad “D”…OUR squad to be chosen as the second group, my thoughts of isolationism where temporarily forgotten. I started to think of our Squad “D” less of a group of colleagues and more as friends and I would stick my neck out for them to make sure nothing would split us up. As it turns out, fate decided to ensure we would never be separated. Before our scheduled departure on the Ark, we were dispatched to a rescue out toward the sea of rust. When we arrived we were ambushed by a group of Vehicons and were ultimately captured. This was a bad turn of events but I had no doubt we would overcome…until I saw…HIM. It suddenly dawned on me that this was no ordinary group of Vehicons, these were the Scavengers. What they scavenged for…were “volunteers” to be experimented on by their leader…Shockwave. My old thoughts of isolationism returned in force as I looked on my squad mates and realized we were doomed. The constant process in my mind…there was nothing I could do to save my squad mates. The next time period is a jumbled mess of memories. Shockwave is a cold and calculating Decepticon who never believed in monologue. But there is a little hint of pride as he wanted to ensure his victims knew the honor, or horror, that was about to be bestowed upon them. He informed us that we would be his second trail of Gestault-Fusion. For those who don’t know, his first trail resulted in Devestator and even though Devestator was a killing machine, in Shockwave’s optic, it was a failed experiment. He ensured that his next trail would not fail. That was the last thing I remembered before going into what I couldn’t tell was stasis lock or death. I remember Rung, the Autobot neural specialist always wondered, do Cybertronians dream. I don’t know about dream but we could sure have nightmares. There were feelings of being violated. Not only physically, but also spiritually down to my very spark. We…I…found myself not only remembering my past but also experiencing the lives of what I assume where my squad mates as if being broadcast on my own personal theater. We then remember seeing a strange and different place. Not Cybertron. It had primitive buildings and lifeforms we could only classify as organic. We…I…remember looking on. The scene and the screams. Only the screams were not of the organics, but of my squad mates. The screams were unbearable…and there was nothing I…we…could do as we destroyed everything in our way. Then I remember seeing a strange red conveyance with silver auxiliary unit trailing behind. We…I…then remember…the conveyance changing shape into one we…I…thought we recognized as Optimus Prime. That was the last thing we know until the blackness returns. I…I awoke in a more familiar surrounding, with familiar faces looking over me. It was Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and the mechanical legend Wheeljack. I SEE them talking but I cannot hear. I still hear the screams and thoughts of my squad mates and it’s like I can see through their optics at another FOUR different views of the three Autobots standing above me. Eventually, I’m able to understand what they are telling me…that Shockwave’s experiment to turn us into one of his gestalts had succeeded. Ratchet states that he was able to separate us back into our individual selves but our sparks will always be interconnected. You would think this would strengthen bonds to know that we are now a part of each other, but it only horrified me. To know I will never be truly alone again terrified me. I tried to get through each Cyber-Day as best as I could, but I could always hear them. I would never have privacy or solitude. I would always hear them and they me. Despite my feelings, Optimus insisted that we nurture our new found ability to unite. He even gave our combined form a name…DEFENSOR! Cyber years went by. Autobots came and Autobots died. Leaders rose…and fell. Eventually, we were able to perfect our combination and individually our squad got back on our feet and our now SIX member squad went back to doing what we did best. Protecting. I say six because we finally learned through intense training how to unite not only in the gestalt way but also our minds and sparks into one and when 5 individuals could not get the job done, working together as Defensor could! Despite our training though we could only stay united as Defensor for a short period of time. It was exhausting trying to stay focused when combined and any prolonged time as Defensor and we would return back to chaos. Despite everything that happened, you would think this would drive a bot mad, but I believe this actually cemented us not only as a squad, not only as friends, but as a family. Under the leadership of new Autobot leader, Star Saber, we were dispatched to a planet called Nebulos. We helped the locals and protected as best as we could. Eventually we had to unite to form Defensor when the Decepticons latest Gestault Piranha-Con attacked. It was at this moment, that Shockwave made his return. He blasted us with a ray that we can only describe as something similar to Wheeljack’s old immobilizer. The effect proved temporary and we were able to save Nebulos. But temporary was anything but. The immobilizer was not meant to freeze us but freeze our G-Cogs to the point where try as we might, we could not revert back to our 5 individual selves. In Shockwave’s point of view it was his revenge for being his second failed gestalt experiment. We returned to Earth hoping that Wheeljack, Minerva, and Perceptor could find a cure before we…I…would succumb to the chaos. Upon our return, we found the medbay in use for Autobot City Commander Ginrai who was terminally wounded in battle and all three of the top Autobot specialists were occupied. As we waited for help the nightmares returned. Shockwave was ultimately cornered and as one last attempt of defiance, detonated himself to take his secrets and a cure to the well of Allsparks. Despite this, old records from Shockwave’s lab were recovered and the Specialists we able to separate us and we thought we could return to our normal duties or so we thought. Being combined into Defensor for so long had an unintended side effect… In our combined form, our gestault program takes over so Defensor can act as a single being even though he is made up of five different sparks. The program was created by Shockwave and altered by Ratchet. Many Gestaults came after but our program remained the most stable out of all of them even more stable than Computron. I explain this, because after we were separated back after the immobilizer 2.0 incident there would be times that one or more of us would black out with no reason or memory of what happened. Almost like someone was taking over… The top minds were puzzled, even Perceptor had no response. Whether by accident or by design of Primus himself, the Defensor program was taking over. No it was more than that. Defensor had actually imprinted itself on portions of our sparks. It was hypothesized that if we were to unite as Defensor ever again, it was possible that our individuality would be lost in favor of Defensor’s new Spark matrix. It was decreed by current Leader of the Autobots Dai Atlas to never unit as Defensor again. You would think that saving our individual sparks would be welcome but we Protectobots saw it another way. Defensor had become a part of our family. Without him around…we felt incomplete. Even though we had not formed Defensor for a few Cyber-Years now, the Defensor program itself started exerting more control and at times would take over completely. Eventually, Defensor would completely overwhelm our sparks and not only kill us but Defensor himself would also be lost. Dai Atlas and the rest of the Autobot Medical Board knew something had to be done. It was decided to initiate Project designated “PCC”. It would be drastic but it would save not only us but Defensor as well. This would have been unheard of during the time of Optimus Prime, but it was now possible for a spark to be dissected and transplanted. The other Protectobots were against it because they remember what it was like for Shockwave to violate us and experiment on us in the beginning. But as Protectobot leader, I made the call to save not only them but Defensor as well. Our G-Cogs would be forever disabled and portions of us would be gone for good. My friends suddenly did not seem like friends anymore after I took the decision out of their hands. The procedure took many Cyber-Weeks. Eventually the Defensor portions of our sparks were separated. But as advanced as science was, they could not combine the portions into a single spark, at least directly. This is where the ultimate goal of project PCC came into play. Since I formed the core of Defensor, my portion was put into an empty protoform. Each of my squad mates had a lesser portion so their portions were each implanted into a drone. The Main Protoform could control the drones and combine his body and spark into one being. That was all we knew. As soon as our part was complete, we were dismissed and ultimately our squad was disbanded. After that day, I never saw any of them again. Our group was broken, and there was no way to fix it. Over time, I found out what happened to most of them. First Aid eventually left the public eye completely to focus on being a doctor from his own private practice. Streetwise is now head of Cybertron/Earth Defense Command. To my horror, I found Blades lost his ability to fly and eventually over energized and…Groove was never seen or heard from again. Our family…squad…my friends…. I however, did what my caste has always been known for…. “Dispatch Zeta, I have reached the location and fire is larger than reported and there are survivors. Requesting backup, Zeta!” “Not to worry Hot Spot, help is here!” As I look at the horizon, I see five Protectobot vehicles approaching. A blue jet and red helicopter sore overhead, and an armored rescue transport, and military fire tank arrive next to an Earth style rescue vehicle. I then think I’m seeing ghosts of the past as the five then merge into one. “Protectobot leader, Hot Spot! This is Defensor, reporting for duty!”
Beautiful work. I always did love combiners, especially Defensor, and this peice really makes him seem like more than just the sum of the Protectobots' parts and more along the lines of his own individual. For someone who hasn't written one of these in a while, you did a fantastic job.
