Book V
     "Dark Times, Part II"

     Chapter XXIII
     "New Alliances"


     Optimus Prime drove down the
road as fast as he could.  He was
scanning for somewhere to rest.  He
needed some time for his auto repair
systems to repair his injury. 
Finally he found a cave off the road,
and headed there.
     Optimus arrived at the cave, and
transformed.  He staggered, and fell
to one knee.  His shoulder wound was
bad, but he would be okay after a
while if he could just rest.
     Optimus staggered into the cave. 
He went inside a ways, hoping that
there might be something in the rocks
that would mask him from the
Xformers' sensors.  Optimus fell
against the wall of the cave and slid
to the ground.  After a moment,
Optimus lost consciousness, falling
into stasis mode as his auto repair
system tried to repair his injuries.


     A pile of orange rocks walked
through the mountains, every so
often, taking his frustrations out on
a boulder or tree.  "Why me.  Why am
I always the one getting zapped off
to who knows where.  I'll bet it was
that no good Doctor Doom.  Damn it,
I'm the ever-lovin blue eyed Thing, I
shouldn't be treated this way.  I'm
the idol of millions.  It just ain't
fair!"
     "As you may remember", began
Uatu, "Megatron used the Thing to
create one of his Xformers.  When he
tried to send the Thing back, his
equipment malfunctioned.  Instead of
sending him back, it dropped him in
the vicinity of Autobot City.  He has
been wandering around for over a week
trying to find out where he is.  He
has always had this habit of talking
to himself."
     The Thing kept walking, he
hadn't seen another person since that
weird looking giant robot zapped him,
and then he found himself in the
middle of a mountain range.  The
Thing hadn't seen anything like that
robot, and he was beginning to wonder
if he was still in his own universe. 
He'd been to so many different
alternate universes, he was beginning
to think he could feel the
difference.  As he walked along, he
saw a cave, and decided to get out of
the sun.
     The Thing entered the cave, and
walked in a ways.  He stopped
suddenly.  He saw a giant robot
sitting against the side of the cave. 
He didn't seem to be functioning.
     "Great, another damn robot. 
Just what I need", said the Thing. 
He looked at the robot, he appeared
to have damage to his shoulder.
     All of a sudden, the robot
seemed to wake up.
     Optimus Prime came back on line. 
The Thing's proximity had brought him
out of stasis.
     Optimus pulled himself up, and
tried to call his weapon from
subspace, but his shoulder injury was
still causing him problems, and he
couldn't get it.
     Optimus looked at the orange
pile of rocks standing before him. 
He was taller than a human, but still
much smaller than Optimus.  His first
reaction to call his weapon
dissipated when he realized this was
not the Decepticon Xformer who had
attacked earlier.
     "Who are you", said Optimus
Prime.
     "I'm little red riding hood",
said the Thing.  "Don't tell me
you've never heard of the ever lovin
blue eyed Thing."
     "No, as a matter of fact, I
haven't.  I've never even seen
anything like you before."
     "Well, that seals it.  I must be
in some alternate dimension or
something.  Everyone has either heard
of the Thing where I come from, or at
least of someone kinda like me."
     "Well, as the humans say, you're
not in Kansas anymore.  My name is
Optimus Prime, I am leader of the
Autobots."
     "I've never heard of any
Autobots, and I've never seen
anything like you before.  Well, not
exactly like you anyway."
     Optimus knew that wherever the
Thing was, and however he got there,
his resemblance to the Xformer Thing
was no coincidence, and Megatron must
be behind it.
     Optimus reached up to check his
shoulder.  The Thing was a bit
startled by his sudden movement, and
took a defensive position.
     "Easy Thing, I'm not your
enemy."
     "Sorry", said the Thing.  "The
last giant robot I saw zapped me with
some kind of energy beam."  The Thing
did not know why, but he wasn't
really suspicious of what Optimus
Prime was saying.  The Thing had met
many beings, both alien, and human,
and after all these years, he felt he
was a pretty good judge of character. 
"You look pretty banged up there, you
alright."
     "I'll live.  This other robot,
can you describe him", asked Optimus
Prime.
     "He was a big green guy with a
cannon on his shoulder.  You know
him."
     "You might say that.  I don't
know what's going on, but if you did
come from an alternate universe,
Megatron was behind it."
     Optimus and the Thing talked a
while.  It became obvious to both of
them, that the Thing was not in his
own universe.
     "Do you have any idea what
Megatron wanted with you", asked
Optimus.
     "Not a clue.  Before he knocked
me out, I saw he had some friends of
mine."
     "Let me guess, Storm, Cyclops,
Wolverine, and Spider", said Optimus.
     "Well, it's Spider Man, but you
got the others.  How the hell do you
know that", asked the Thing.
     Optimus Prime was about to tell
the Thing about the mysterious
Xformers, when he heard an explosion.
     "What the hell was that", asked
the Thing, startled.  The Thing
turned around and headed out of the
cave.
     "No Thing, wait", said Optimus,
but the Thing was already almost at
the entrance.  Optimus called his
weapon again, and this time, it
appeared in his hand.
     The Thing arrived at the cave
entrance.  He stepped outside and saw
five familiar looking robots hovering
in the air, including one that looked
kind of like him.  The others looked
like Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, and
Spider Man.  "Hey, what the heck is
going on here", said The Thing.
     All of a sudden, he was grabbed
from behind and pulled back into the
cave, just in time to see the ground
where he was standing explode.
     "Thanks Optimus", said the
Thing.  "Friends of yours?", asked
Thing.
     "Not exactly."
     A voice called from outside. 
"Optimus Prime, if you surrender now,
we'll take you to Megatron unharmed." 
Optimus recognized the voice, it was
the Xformer Cyclops.
     "Well, what's your answer
Optimus Prime", came the voice of
Storm.
     "Thing, get back into the cave.
They'll cut you to ribbons", said
Optimus.
     "Optimus is unaware", began
Uatu, "that the thing has
extraordinary abilities."
     "No way.  You just saved my
tail."
     "Just stay in here.  They just
want me, and I'm in no condition to
fight them.  I'm going to surrender."
     Before the Thing could argue,
they heard explosions outside.
     "What the heck", said the Thing.
     "Sounds like some friends of
mine have arrived", said Optimus.
     After a couple of moments, the
explosions stopped, and Optimus heard
Cyclops ordering the Xformers to
retreat.
     Optimus walked out of the cave,
the Thing right beside him.  Optimus
was not expecting what he saw.
     "Well, Optimus Prime.  I do hope
we arrived in time."
     "These your friends", asked the
Thing.
     "Not exactly", said Optimus. 
"What do you want Skyquake", said
Optimus Prime.
     "I have a proposal..."


     On Cybertron, Rodimus walked
down the hall that had been converted
into a makeshift hospital.
     Earth's entire population had
been evacuated.  The ships used in
the evacuation were specially
designed, and had now docked in orbit
around Cybertron.  Ten ships together
formed giant space stations.  All
those needing hospitalization had
been brought to Cybertron.  Rodimus
was on his way to see Spike, Carly,
and Daniel.
     Rodimus approached Daniel's
room.  He knocked on the door.
     The door opened, and he saw
Spike and Carly sitting by Daniel's
bedside.  Daniel was still
unconscious.
     "Spike, Carly, how's Daniel",
asked Rodimus.
     "The Doctors think we will be
fine, but he will need artificial
legs and arms", said Spike.
     The pain of those words shot
through Rodimus.  Daniel was his best
friend, and he was powerless to do
anything for him.  "If there is
anything I can do...", said Rodimus.
     "Thank you", said Carly.
     "Rodimus, Optimus asked me to
give you this", said Spike, taking a
datachip from his pocket, and handing
it to Rodimus.
     Rodimus stayed another moment,
and then left.  He went back to his
quarters, and put the datachip into
his terminal.  He entered his access
code, and Optimus's picture came up
on the screen.
     "Hello Rodimus.  By now, you
must know that I am staying on Earth. 
I, and any of the others who choose
to stay will attempt to make an
assault on Earth possible.  Until my
return, you are in command of all
Autobot forces, not on Earth.  Ultra
Magnus will help you formulate a
battle plan, and we will try to give
you an opening."  Optimus paused.
     "Rodimus, I know you don't feel
you are ready for this
responsibility.  If I had any doubt
that you could handle it, I would put
Ultra Magnus in command.  I know the
situation looks bleak, but don't give
up hope.  In the event that I should
be killed, the Matrix will find it's
way to you."
     The screen went blank, and
Rodimus sat in his quarters for a
long while.  There was a long road
ahead, and it was up to him to make
sure that road led to the freedom of
Earth.


     After escaping from Storm,
Skyfire flew to South America, to the
jungle cave that was to be their
rendezvous point.
     "He had to have made it", said
Bumblebee.
     "We all hope he made it", said
Springer.  "Right now, we can't worry
about Optimus.  "We have to come up
with a plan to fulfil our mission,
and make it possible for us to take
back Earth."
     "I guess you're right", said
Bumblebee.
     At that moment, they could hear
the sound of a jet engine outside.
     "I'll check it out", said
Bumblebee.
     Bumblebee walked to the edge of
the cave, and looked out.  Walking
toward him was Optimus Prime.
     Bumblebee ran out of the cave,
but stopped dead in his tracks when
he saw Skyquake right behind Optimus.
     "Optimus, look out", called
Bumblebee, as he pointed his weapon
at Skyquake.
     "Hold your fire", said Optimus. 
"Bumblebee, please don't shoot our
new allies."


     "Well, things have taken an
interesting turn", said Uatu.  "The
Autobots, along with their new
Decepticon allies are on Earth, part
of what they hope will be a two
pronged attack.  But will it work? 
With the amount of energy at
Megatron's command, will they be able
to do anything on Earth to give
Cybertron an opportunity?  Only time
will tell."