Confessions and Bonds (Part 2)

Connect to the radio telescope's control unit and lock the coordinates to Cybertron.

Arcee asked, "Steel Fork, what are you doing?"

“Cybertron is too far away for my powers to detect, so I want to use auxiliary equipment to help me locate Cybertron before opening a space portal,” I explained. “Once I arrive on Cybertron, I can use the Spark Link to locate the Shockwave’s position and return to Earth.”

"Is this the first time you've done something like this?" Arcee raised an eyebrow. "Is the Firelink really real?"

"Of course it's true."

“I don’t recommend you do that,” Orion said.

"Why not?" I turned my head and saw that one or two people were denying me, which made me a little angry.

The data cable extending from my waist and connected to the main unit continuously transmitted electrical signals. The complex data streams converged and took shape, pointing to the same coordinates. My supernatural abilities rarely venture into unknown spaces; this was a completely unfamiliar exploration. The world perceived by my supernatural abilities had no spatial distances; it was folded, mixed, abstract, and impossible to describe simply in words. I tried to approach the space indicated by the coordinates, to dissect the layers of space.

The body's energy was being consumed violently, as if the energy was bursting out of the pipes and dissipating into the air, enveloping and displaying the landscape in the torn space that was completely different from Earth.

A spatial rift appeared abruptly, seemingly nonexistent in the universe, unaffected by the laws of physics. It pierced straight through the wall of the room where the mainframe was located. It had no volume, no obstruction, and no shielding; it was simply a seam connecting two spaces. Unique cosmic radiation from the other side of the metal planet shone through the rift, while due to the difference in atmospheric conditions between Earth and Cybertron, the higher-pressure air from Earth rushed through the rift into the other side, creating a huge airflow.

The wind blew up the paper documents left behind in the main control room that people hadn't had time to take with them. The airflow rubbed against the armor and passed through the gaps between the armor plates, making a whistling sound. I reached out my hand to Arcee, who had her optical glasses wide open, and Orion, who looked quite serious.

"I think I succeeded!" The wings involuntarily lifted, and my voice changed tone, whether from excessive joy or the disturbance of the airflow, I don't know.

"Come on, let's go!"

...

Orion, Arcee, and I successfully arrived at Cybertron. It was exactly the same as I remembered it; it was still a gray, dilapidated, and desolate place, with only a few creatures barely surviving.

I need to find a place that leads directly to the core of Cybertron.

Orion followed the guidance of the Leader Module in search of the Magic Orb, and I followed him and Arcee.

An ancient passage rose from underground. I walked to the bottom of the passage, where a tall door slowly opened. It was a very spacious area, with the passage extending straight out from the door, ending at a platform that occupied most of the space.

"It seems this place hasn't been completely eaten up by the Iron-Eating Bugs yet," Arcee said with a sigh of relief.

We walked through the passage, and Orion stood on the platform. Suddenly, with the sound of gears turning and parts colliding, a huge sphere of light rose from the center of the platform. The sphere was as long as three Optimus Primes in diameter.

“That’s the Magic Ball,” Orion said.

His breastplate opened, revealing the leadership module within. A beam of light shot from the magic orb, striking the leadership module directly. Orion remained motionless, busy downloading memory data.

And I stood at the edge of the passage, gazing at the abyss shrouded in thick dust and fog.

What's down there? I'm curious.

Will we reach the core if we go any further down? I wonder.

The voice of Unicron seemed to echo again within the brain module: "Complete your mission... Apostle..."

"Yes, Unicron," I said.

I still have a piece of Unicron's blood in the subspace; it's time to put it to use.

——

When the Autobots discovered that Orion and his crew had indeed gone to Cybertron and that their life signals had disappeared from Earth, they immediately contacted Shockwave to try to negotiate. At the same time, based on the location where Orion's signal had appeared and other predictions, they tracked down the Nemesis and launched a surprise attack on the Decepticons.

Shockwave's surroundings have never been so lively. There's a very high chance that the space portal of the steel fork will open next to him. She can use the fire seed link to locate this place and then come back.

So Megatron was beside him; he needed to see Optimus Prime return as soon as possible. Soundwave was nearby; at Ratchet's insistence, he needed to quickly establish a communication connection with Shockwave. Starscream, Black Widow, Strike, Knockout, and others were also there, eager to watch the spectacle.

The ambulance was nearby. Fork was mentally unstable; he was worried about her and needed to know the situation on Cybertron. The bulkhead was nearby; he had to protect the ambulance. Jack was nearby; he was there to keep his buddy company, watch the excitement, and scout the enemy camp. Smokescreen was nearby; he had a phase shifter with him so he could escape with everyone if danger arose. Bumblebee, however, stayed behind at the base.

——

"Gun! What are you doing!" Arcee was beside me, grabbing my hand and stopping me from transforming.

“I need to… complete my mission. Can you let go, Arcee?”

Wake up!

“I’m perfectly sober.” I pried her hands away. “Once I’ve completed my mission, we can live happily together on Earth, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

“What are you talking about!” Arcee’s thin eyebrows furrowed together. “We are Cybertronians, and one day we will go back to live on Cybertron.”

The dilapidated ruins, the depleted energy, the gray sky—memories from when I first logged in flooded my mind again. I asked, "There's nothing here, so why did I come back to live here?"

"As long as the war ends and Optimus Prime retrieves the AllSpark, everything here will be alright."

What are you talking about? What is the AllSpark? The end of the war? Did Cybertron become like this because of the war? What was it before the war? I recall images of the Golden Age from the documents—

Are those things really that important?

I had never seen Arcee like this before. Her eyes widened through her optics, her pupils trembled slightly, and she stared at me in shock. Suddenly, she loosened her grip and stopped trying to hold me.

As I prepared to transform, a hand grabbed me again.

After a brief silence, the owner of the hand—Arcy—said, "Steel Fork, you are not an apostle."

"I--"

A burst of static from the audio receiver interrupted the conversation, followed by a clear voice, "Calling, calling, can you hear me?"

I replied to the channel on the internal line: "Received. What's up?"

The siren of an ambulance immediately came through: "How's the situation there?"

Arcee grabbed my hand and replied, "We found the Magic Sphere, Optimus Prime is downloading data, and Grimlock... she's been influenced by Unicron."

"I can no longer contact Unicron." I pulled hard on Arcee's hand, preventing me from transforming and flying down.

But as soon as he pulled her away, another red arm guard reached out. The soft optical mirror grew even deeper. Orion, having regained his memories and transformed into Optimus Prime, said, "Grimlock, you are not Unicron's apostle."

But we share the same memories and the same body, so why do you say I am not myself?

"I am the apostle!" I shouted. "I am the apostle!"

The voice of Shockwave asked, "So, Apostle, how do you intend to destroy Cybertron?"

I didn't want to answer him. But Optimus Prime's voice rang out: "On the Nemesis, you secretly took a piece of the Dark Super-Energy, didn't you?"

Caught red-handed, I snorted and, after a moment, said as if to cover up my mistake, "I didn't take anything."

The shockwave's voice came again from the other end of the channel: "Steel Fork, may I call you that? For my sake, stop what you're doing."

That sounded quite impolite; he often used that tone back at the base.

"No!" I said. "Who do you think you are?"

"I am your spark companion."

How many times has he said something similar? I'm so tired of hearing it.

I replied, "No! You are not, and you never will be again."

He stopped talking.

I shook off Optimus Prime and Arcee, leaping off the platform. Just as I was about to transform, my leg armor was grabbed tightly again. The sudden change in inertia left me no time to transform, forcing me to remain in human form, one leg held upside down by the edge of the passageway.

Arcee seemed to want to step forward again, but her movement froze for a moment halfway.

"Let go." Looking up at Optimus Prime's faceplate and red arm armor, I was furious and stomped on his hand armor that was holding me with my other leg. He grabbed my other leg as well.

The machine swayed slightly from my movements, and I felt myself suspended in mid-air, like a pitiful little bat without freedom. Why is everyone so annoying!

“I hate you!” I shouted.

"Then I'm sorry." After a brief moment of surprise, he smiled at me, but the smile was so forced, and his blue glasses were full of sadness.

Standing a body length away, I tried to look up at him. His visor met my gaze, and he said, "You should have been born in a prosperous era, and your worries each cycle should have been about academic assignments and oil baths, not constantly worrying about energy or... accepting the mission of Unicron. I am truly sorry."

Why did you say that? I struggled violently.

“I will stop you,” he said, nearly letting go of his grip. “And if I fail and the core is corrupted, I will do everything in my power to restore Cybertron.”

I asked, "What's your name?"

Orion Parker

I got even angrier. He stopped the data download to stop me, and even thought he was Orion.

"Why are you apologizing! Why are you apologizing for something you didn't do—something you don't even remember! Besides, the one who should apologize the most isn't you, it's Megatron!" Memories flooded back, and I continued.

"That old iron barrel is insidious, violent, selfish, hypocritical, and disgusting. You've always wanted peace, but he's been the one instigating wars and refusing peace! He's a complete failure, a treacherous and hypocritical scoundrel who flatters the failed Cosmic Emperor, and has absolutely no redeeming qualities except for his physical body!"

Megatron's voice rang out: "I don't think I'm as bad as you say?"

"Shut up!" I replied in the internal communication channel.

"This is the first time I've ever seen anyone insult Megatron like that." Optimus Prime—who was still Orion at the moment—smiled up two pixels more, genuinely laughing, and said, "How about you come on up first?"

“I…” I hesitated. Above me was the core, and below me was Orion. What should I choose?

A dull thud of metal clashing suddenly came from the side; Arcee had fallen. I immediately flew back to the platform to check on her, and Orion quickly crouched down beside her.

She looked to be in pain, but she still tried to cling to my armor, muttering repeatedly, "Don't destroy Cybertron."

Orion suddenly clutched his breastplate, braced himself on the ground, and knelt weakly, his voice barely audible: "It's a Dark Hyper-Energy entity. Getting close to it weakens the Cybertronians. Arcee is too small; even a tiny amount of Dark Hyper-Energy is enough to bring her back to the AllSpark."

"But why am I alright?" I took out the purple crystal from the subspace and held it in my palm.

“Your body… has been modified… and now… has resistance.” Orion’s voice was even weaker, and Arcee’s optical glasses were almost extinguished.

Orion was almost too weak to support his mech and fell to the ground like Arcee. I immediately went over to support his shoulder armor.

Just as I was about to discard the dark super-energy entity, Orion weakly said, "Leave it to me. As the leader, I will destroy it."

“But you’re so weak…” I suddenly realized that the mission of the Apostles was to help Unicron destroy Primus, and at the same time, destroy them—the Cybertronians I love.

Should I continue to complete my mission?

The apostle said: Look at you, I am only a part of you.

I handed the Dark Super Energy Body over to Orion.

However, I noticed that the sparks in this space were burning actively, so why were the two of them so weak?

I rammed Orion hard, and he indeed stabilized his machine, and his movements were no longer weak.

"Are you all lying to me?!" I angrily raised the wings.

Arci, who had fallen to the ground, fully activated her optical glasses but did not stand up. She said, "This may be an exaggeration, but I'm not lying to you. I really have no strength left."

She seemed to be repeatedly confirming: "You're a steel fork now, right? You won't be thinking about destroying Cybertron again, will you?"

I pulled her up; it was time for us to get ready to go back to Earth.

I said:

“I am Steel Fork, we are comrades. And stop talking about apostles.”

I gave Arcee a sly smile.

"Even the Cosmic Emperor never bestowed the title of 'Apostle' upon me! Back then, I just liked to call myself 'Apostle,' or to be precise, I was called Steel Fork back then, but I don't remember it."

"Steel Fork, we were all so worried about you. Are you really alright? You didn't contaminate Cybertron, did you?"

"Uh-huh!"

"After all, that would make you sad!"