24
[From TransWarp: Csirac]

Csirac and Silverbolt were busily connecting the Protopods to the amplifier when the door of the chamber burst open and several Predacons poured in.

"Maximal! Come here!" yelled one of them.

Csirac was weary as he approached. "What's going on?" Two Predacons dumped a smoking wreck onto the floor before him.

"There's a war on! Help him!" the Predacon yelled again.

Csirac examined the body but looked at the Predacons and shook his head. "The damage is too extensive. There's nothing I can do."

"You better think of something!" came the reply, accompanied with a blaster being pointed at Csirac's chest. Silverbolt limped closer but was greeted with blasters too.

Csirac tried to explain. "His body can't support his Spark. It's beginning to re-join the Matrix."

"Then move it!" yelled the Predacon, not taking no as an answer.

"Where?" asked Csirac.

"Those!" suggested one of the other Predacons, pointing to the Protomatter pods against the wall.

"No", said Csirac quickly.

"Do it! Or I'll rip your Spark out and put his in!" threatened the Predacon, continuing to yell.

"Skeeto, they 're for Razorclaw, I heard him say it himself", said another Predacon.

“All of them, Masher?” Skeeto demanded of the troop.

“Something about four pods to make a bigger body. The first one was too small”, replied Masher.

"First one?” queried Skeeto. “Use that then! Where is it?" he asked, not yelling for the moment.

"It’s in storage. I'll get it!" said Masher. He grabbed a cohort and ran from the room to retrieve it.

"Hurry!" Skeeto yelled after them.

"That won't work", said Csirac. "It needs three Sparks to function, so unless you're volunteering to get in with him..?"

Skeeto cocked his gun. "I'm not gonna tell you again, Maximal!"

"It won't-" Csirac began, but a blast narrowly missed his feet. "...Ok", said Csirac, who knew the next shot wouldn't miss.

The Predacons returned carrying the monstrous form and lay it beside the lifeless form of Magmatron. "Careful now, Maximal", sneered Skeeto in Csirac's ear as he made to open the chest cavity.

With all the delicacy he could, not helped by his shaking hands, Csirac transferred the Spark from the tattered body to the new Protomatter form. He closed the lasercore and stepped back.

Suddenly the form began to convulse wildly. Limbs flew in every direction as the Spark tried to integrate into a form that would probably tear it in three.

"What's happening? What's happening?!" demanded Skeeto.

"I don't know!" Csirac replied, he'd never seen anything like this before.

A terrifying, tormented scream emanated from the body's mouth. Then silence.

"Magmatron? Magmatron?!" Skeeto lent over the deathly still body but received no reply.

"I'm sorry", said Csirac.

"Sorry? Not as sorry as you will be." Skeeto was enraged at having just witnessed his commander die in front of him. He encroached suddenly on Csirac.

Silverbolt, still bearing the scars of his last fight, jumped in to protect the Maximal. "He did all he could!"

Skeeto smashed him aside. "Shut it!" he roared. He was not in a good frame of mind.

"Skeeto, I'm picking up heavy chatter", reported one of the Predacons.

Skeeto, still staring at Csirac, took a moment before answering. "Let's hear it."

The Predacon on the comms turned it up. A voice broke through the static. "...sshhhzzlaw is missing. His squad is non-responsive..."

A different voice came through. "Scouts are reporting the Maximals have launched ships into orbit..."

Another new voice broke in. "Where's Magmatron. I ain't taking order from that bast-..."

The communication was cut as a clear signal broke through.

"This is General Rampant. Razorclaw is dead..."

"What?!" gasped one of the Preds.

"Shut up!" yelled Skeeto.

"I am assuming command. Predacon forces are to regroup at the incoming coordinates before we restart the push. I repeat, Razorclaw is dead. I have taken command of the Predacon forces..."

"Shut it off", barked Skeeto over the top of the transmission.

"We gotta get back out there", said a Predacon.

"Shut up!" was the reply from Skeeto, his processors racing.

"Magmatron is dead, Skeeto", another continued.

The events were unfolding too quickly for Skeeto to keep track of. "I said Shut up! Shut AAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!"

*Booom!*

In his frustration, Skeeto took aim at the fourth Protomatter pod and blew it to pieces.

"Noooo!" screamed Csirac.

Skeeto turned back to Csirac. "This is your fault! You killed him!"

"Get away from him!" yelled Silverbolt who was having trouble getting back up.

"You killed him, but he ain't gonna die alone down here!"

*Booom*

Csirac crumbled to the floor, half his torso missing.

"Get out of here! Go!" he yelled to the Predacons, before turning back to the carnage. "Enjoy watching another pal die, Bolt!" he yelled, before running from the room.

"You fracking piece of slag!" Silverbolt called after him. "Csirac!" Silverbolt crawled to him and turned him over.

"A ship... They've launched a ship" Csirac muttered, cradling his wound.

"Don't move. I'll get you patched up", said Silverbolt, looking around for anything that could help.

"Don't... worry", said Csirac, with a grimace. “It's alright, but I think it's time we got you into your new body."

----------

25
[From TransWarp: Primal]

The MAD Wing burst through the thin atmosphere of Cybertron and found a safe orbit. The ride up had been turbulent to say the least.

“I was crazy to put my hand up for this”, said Rhinox, his large form snug in the Maximal fighter cockpit.

“The word you’re looking for is MAD!”, said Primal.

“You made your case quite clearly”, said a voice over the comm.

“Some would say he argued his way into the cockpit”, said another, ribbing the newest member of their Wing.

“Cut the chatter”, said Spiral, with authority. “Looks like we’ve got the jump on them, let’s make the most of it. Wide perimeter on the Xelor. Rhinox, we are a GO!”

“Roger”, said Rhinox. “Powering up the TransWarp engine.”

“MAD Wing, optics sharp. If this works the ship could pop out anywhere”, said Spiral. “Prepare for defensive evac or fast recovery of the Ball.”

“Primal to Rhinox. How’s it coming?”

“Lights are green. TransWarp cell to 78% power.”

“This is it ‘bots”, said Spiral, addressing the Wing. “You all know what happened last time, and you’re all here voluntarily. You’re the bravest pilots I’ve ever had the privilege to fly with. Let’s see this through to its end.”

“MAD Wing!” came the call from the pilots over the comm.

“Cell to 100%. Engaging TransWarp Drive in 3… 2… 1… Now!” A rippled window in Space opened up and engulfed the Xelor.

**2 minutes earlier**

“I was crazy to put my hand up for this”, said Rhinox, his large form snug in the Maximal fighter cockpit.

“The word you’re looking for is MAD!”, said Primal.

“You made your case quite clearly”, said a voice over the comm.

“Some would say he argued his way into the cockpit”, said another, ribbing the newest member of their Wing.

“Cut the chatter”, said Spiral, with authority. “Looks like we’ve got the jump on them, let’s make-“ *Woom Woom* The rest of Spiral’s words were cut off by an alarm. “Detecting an anomaly, Sector 159!”

“Energy signature matches the Xelor!” came a voice over the comm.

“This is Rhinox, reporting successful test! But systems are beginning to short out. The Cell must have overload…” Rhinox was suddenly plunged into darkness. The whole ship had lost power. “Oh no…”

“Blue Feathers, stay with the Xelor until entry, then regroup”, commanded Spiral. “All remaining Feathers, recapture the Ball!”

Ships broke off and headed for Sector 159 at full steam.

“Spiral to Autobot Command. Reporting a successful TransWarp Test. Awaiting further orders?”

“This is Command. Maintain safe orbit and stay out of troub… Scratch that. Receiving reports that Cinder has diverted a squad of fighters to intercept. They’re in bound, and fast. Protect that ship with your Sparks!”

“Roger, Command. You heard the ‘bot downstairs: Nothing gets through us!”

Rhinox sat in the Xelor, now with only the four Blue Feathers for company, but his optics were glued to the dial, watching the power climb upwards, until it reached the top. “Cell to 100%. Engaging TransWarp Drive in 3… 2… 1… Now!” A rippled window in Space opened up and engulfed the Xelor, again.

“This is Blue Feathers, he’s away!”

“Roger that. Regroup and prepare to engage incoming Predacon ships!”

----------

26
[From TransWarp: Csirac]

Silverbolt stepped from the Pod and found himself staring at himself, or at least, it used to be. His larger form, battered and scarred from countless battles, which had seen him safely to this point, now lay lifeless on the floor of the chamber. He looked at his new form – smaller, with an altogether different colour scheme – he wouldn’t recognise himself in a mirror. But there was no time to waste. His friend was wounded, and he couldn’t see him.

“Csirac”, he called out to the now seemingly larger room, as he clambered over his old body to find him.

Csirac was under the amplifier, powering it up.

“Hey!” said Silverbolt, rushing over.

“How does it feel?” asked Csirac. “Throws you off for a while but you get used to it.”

Silverbolt ignored Csirac’s attempt to divert the conversation. “You can’t go anywhere like that!”

“We don’t have time for this, Silverbolt”, said Csirac, attempting to lower the hatch over himself, but Silverbolt stopped it.

“Two Pods. Two bodies. One for you. One for Venus. Whatever the plan was with the other pod, forget it”, said Silverbolt.

“No”, said Csirac defiantly. “Primus has made it pretty clear that this is it for me. Warriors win wars, and right now, we’re two short.”

“What about Venus?” demanded Silverbolt, as Csirac struggled to close the hatch.

“Venus is gone!” shouted Csirac, looking into Silverbolt’s optics, utter resolve on his face. “And so am I. But I can still help end this stupid war if you’ll let me.”

“And I’m supposed to just sit here and watch you die?!” Silverbolt demanded again.

“You’ll be busy enough”, said Csirac. “Something tells me this process won’t go unnoticed, so I need you to protect this chamber, or more specifically, protect me. Any disturbance will result in the loss of my Spark before it returns. Can you do that for me?” asked Csirac, who received no reply. “Consider it a chance to test out the new body”, he pressed, appealing to the warrior inside Silverbolt.

“Csirac, this is suicide”, said Silverbolt.

“The plan was always flawed. I can still get part of it to work though, and Time is no longer our luxury. Please, Silverbolt”, Csirac pleaded.

Silverbolt released his grip of the amplifier. “Do what you’ve got to do”, he said, sadly.

“I’ll be back soon”, said Csirac, engaging the amplifier. Silverbolt turned to face the doorway, drawing a large sword as he did. He leant on it, ready to tackle whatever and whoever tried to get into the chamber.