Shadowfire

Chapter 50

And we stepped into the whirling vortex.

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Our arrival on Earth was unimpressive at best, mundane at worst. We simply walking out of the space bridge connection and onto solid ground. I was stunned for a moment, glad of the training of my knights that had them spreading out to scan for threats because I was too enraptured with this planet. The feel of the air here, the heightened gravity, the flora, it was all familiar to me. It felt like coming home.

Drift led the way, having already come here in preparation for my visit. I followed him over a hill to a small encampment, a couple of humans living out here in the wilderness, away from their own kind. Were they hiding from something?

A man came striding out to meet us. Drift stepped forward to intercept him.

"There was a mech left behind, a Decepticon, said he'd watch over things on this planet?" At the man's confirmation Drift continued "well where is he?"
"He's with my daughter"
"A human girl is more important than greeting the leader of his species?" Hound demanded, outraged. I placed a restraining servo on his shoulder.
"I see not everyone knows where their loyalties lie" Drift huffed. The man bristled at that but controlled himself, stepping back to allow us to go on.

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"Prime. Overdrive and I have located the refugees" I turned, spotting Flashpoint waiting a respectable distance from me "dozens of Cybertronians are camped out around the place where the pillars crashed to earth, they've been waiting for your return, or the activation of the space bridge to get them home"

I followed the Knight to the place he indicated, walking amongst the Cybertronians left stranded on this foreign planet, left out from the cultural revival their species was enjoying. I would be taking them back with me. I should have come to Earth sooner, should've thought that maybe the planet hadn't been emptied entirely of my people.

I talked with them, walked among them, seeing that they bore me no ill will for my oversight.

Their normality was refreshing, and I wondered how long it would take for them to be caught up in the quasi-religious frenzy once they were on Cybertron. It seemed to be catching.

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Drift stood by my side, just to the left of my shoulder. His presence reassured me, reminded me of his brother in arms back on Cybertron, and I relaxed as I came to face the human envoy.

When the truck arrived the human hurried to meet them, clapping the men on the shoulder and leading them towards where I stood, towering over them. I studied the one in the lead, something in my memory banks kicking over but not catching on anything.

The man's hair was greying about the temples, and his face lined. There was a haunted look to his eyes. Another male stood beside him, his hair was shorn short and the solid grey colour stood out in stark contrast to his dark skin. They stood with the bearing of long time soldiers, despite their age; I recognised the uniforms they were wearing, though of a far more giving cut than they had ever needed in their younger days.
"You brought government men here?" I snarled, turning on the human male.
"Wha- they're- you- what?" The man stuttered, mouth slightly ajar as he stared at me.

We were interrupted by the arrival of yet another human, also wearing the regulation suit. He looked to be a bit older than the male who had met me first on this planet, but though his face was lined he was infinitely younger than the other two. He gaped when he caught sight of me.

"Shado-" he began. I cut him off, annoyed.
"I don't have time for this" I huffed "If everyone could just stop saying that name! I am-"
"The New Prime" the latest human arrival breathed "you're the New Prime"
"Yes" I agreed, not bothering to wonder how the human had known that.
"This has to be a joke right? This is some sort of dumb prank?" The eldest of the humans asked, whirling to glare at me "how could you do this?" he growled "how dare you do this to your father? Don't you know he's been-"
"That's enough" the other man spoke for the first time, voice tight and grief stricken "you" he turned to me "why have you returned to Earth?"
"I have never been on this planet before" I protested, the tension around his eyes, impossibly, increased.
"Why has your kind" he emphasised pointedly "returned?"
"It's temporary I assure you, we- I wanted to assess the threat level still posed by this planet, and collect the rest of our people gathered here"
"You wanted to know if Optimus were here" he accused, I didn't deny it.
"The Old Prime is officially a fugitive, an exile from his own planet- it would be unwise to offer him sanctuary" the tense scene was broken by the sudden explosion of laughter from one of the men.
"You don't know much about the situation on Earth do you? No, we won't be offering Optimus, or anyone sanctuary"
"Open persecution more like" the eldest soldier muttered under his breath.
"Then how are these Cybertronians living in relative safety?" Drift asked, wary now. His hesitation mirrored my own, everything about this screamed trap.
"That's Lennox's doing" the youngest of the men explained "Government caught us and had us ready to be shipped out to deathrow when Lennox started 'confessing'. That was right about the time they were forming the Transformers Reactionary Force, Morshower had been reinstated- they'd pulled their heads at least that far out of their asses" he snickered "anyway the General had some sway and pulled some strings to get us all assigned. We keep any Cybertronians we find off their radar and send 'em 'ere" I hadn't recognised the man before me as the NEST ex-Major, it seemed impossible that the human had aged so quickly, it had barely been a decade. Hadn't it?

Now that I looked for it I could see the resemblance to the image of the man the Matrix showed, but it was woefully outdated, and knew that the key would lift an image from my more recent memories to fill the gap.

"I apologise, I believe I owe you my thanks"

There was a weight in his eyes that the Matrix assured me was impossible in a any of a species so young. The man looked as if he had watched his world crumble and burn, only to lose it all over again, whatever semblance of normalcy he had managed to claw out of the ruins shattering before his very eyes. I could relate.
"You-" it was clear he didn't know what to say, that he was only very barely holding himself together. I wondered why. "Take what you need from this planet and then be on your way. Send whatever representatives you need in the future but you are not welcome here"

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"I told you not to come! She's not-"
"What you told me was that my best friend is here. It's been over a decade! If you think I'm not going to come then you're crazy!"
"Sam-"
"Shut up Jason! I have a right to-"
"She's not Shad anymore! Becoming a Prime, it did something to her, probably made worse by the state her brain was in, she's totally fried upstairs. The rest of the 'Cons told Rapidflare- it's why he took off, couldn't stand to see what's left of her. No Sam let me speak. She didn't recognise Megatron, Starscream or Optimus. She didn't recognise Lennox! Just go home, go back to Mikaela and Viv. It'll be easier for us if we can just get them all off planet and then stew in our grief"
A long sigh, then one of the humans began crying.
"I stuffed it all up, I did. I shouldn't have turned on her, it wasn't her fault, I should've accepted her, she's gone now, well and truly"
"Come on Sam, deep breathes buddy, it'll be alright"
"I- I miss her. I shouldn't've done what I did, she- she should've been here, on earth, with us. Should've been there to see Viv take her first steps, say her first words, should've been driving her around, teaching her how to do well in school, fight bullies, everything. Sh-she's nearly 10- and it's my fault, all of it".