Chapter 2:

Lost in the Darkness

I didn’t understand what had happened, but I knew that there was nothing I could do while I was strapped so helplessly to a table that had me completely immobilised to the point where I couldn’t move at all. It drove me crazy to be restrained, but there was so much that had happened before I even knew anything had slammed me firmly in the face.

Why am I strapped to a table, you ask? Let me tell you something here. First off, I am not crazy, and I did not get myself stuck in this mess in the first place. And secondly, I would mostly blame Jetfire for leaving me all alone in his room when he had to fight off the Decepticons, who had invaded our base for no apparent reason. I didn’t understand it either, but I soon realised their true intentions when Megatron had made a grab for me and warped away right in front of Optimus’ optics.

Call me crazy if you want, but that’s not what my friends would mostly think of anyway.

Now, let me cut straight to chase. Unfortunately for me, long before all of this had started, Optimus and I had been searching for a Mini-Con when Starscream and Wheeljack had showed up. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew that whatever they had planned for us, it had not been very good at all.

To make matters worse, I had been right. And, when I’m right, it never ends in a very good way.

Starscream had tried to fire a blast from a mysterious device at Optimus Prime while Wheeljack was keeping me occupied. Somehow, I had managed to break free from Wheeljack when he had gotten distracted by Starscream’s mocking. I had run over to Optimus to push him out of the way of the blast and I got hit in the process.

Now that is where things really got creepy. To me that is anyway.

After explosion and an overload from the machine, which had been the one to hit me, I had found myself unconscious and I had woken up hours later in the arms of my leader and staring at my own reflection in his armour, and I had screamed to the point of when Optimus wanted to rip my vocal processor out, only because I woke him up.

Why was I screaming? It’s not every day that you find out that you have been turned into a sparkling. Or in human terms, a baby.

Then everything fell completely out of place. Optimus had volunteered to care for me until Red Alert had found a solution to turn me back, while the rest of the gang acted as uncles, cousins, and grandfathers. I hadn’t been sure what to call Optimus up until I realised the time he had been taking to care for me. He had become a father, and we both became aware of the relationship that was growing between us. Yes, I cherished it greatly, and I always will. It had made me feel loved and understood and even Optimus seemed to mentally agree with me, even though I couldn’t talk quite right. I could only think like my normal self, and that was good enough for me.

Now, as to how I ended up strapped to this table, with Megatron standing over me, Demolisher holding Starscream back to prevent him from interfering, and my surrogate father, Optimus Prime, lying battered and broken on the floor with his back facing the wall just to support himself. I’ll just say that Jetfire should not have left his post during the attack.

Ok, where was I? Oh right! Now I remember. I was just telling you what’s going on right now. I’ve given the details, even though Optimus has told you guys what was happening. Anyway, let’s get down to business.

Megatron had his clawed hand on the switch that would bring salvation to me and my friends. I knew he had wanted to turn me into a loyal Decepticon warrior, but I never thought he would go through all of this trouble just to do this horrible thing to me. While he is considered to be insane, I just never believed that he would be this cruel, cold, and merciless just to do this to me and my friends.

I could feel my body rattling in fear as I stared wide-eyed at the Decepticon Tyrant. The terror was slowly wrapping around my mind like icy, cold fingers brushing against my armour. The unbelievable horror that was unfolding before us was slowly starting to get out of control.

I could barely hear my own wails of distress and fear. This was all too much for my sparkling body, and the stress was building up so much that I thought I was going to thrown up on Megatron. I couldn’t stand this anymore! I just couldn’t at all! It was all too much for me to handle, but I kept myself from doing anything gross.

I wasn’t sure if Megatron could hear me, but the sympathetic and reassuring look from Optimus told me that he could hear me, and that he too was stressed out. I knew he wanted to reach out to me. To cradle me in his arms and rock me to sleep while my head would be lying against his chest and listen to his gentle Sparkbeat, which would always send me off to sleep in a matter of seconds.

I too wanted that more than anything in the world. What would I give for a miracle anyway?

With Megatron still loathing at Optimus, his words piercing through the dim darkness of the badly damaged room that barely had any smells in it at all, driving me crazy as why the Decepticons would set up such a miserable place up here on the moon.

But none of that mattered at the moment. All that I was focusing on was the pleas of Optimus as he tried to talk Megatron into letting me go, but all he got was evil laughter that caused me to tremble even more. Why did he have to do that? Not only was it annoying, but it was frightening, and I supposed he always did that to strike fear into the hearts of those that were face to face with him.

Nevertheless, this was definitely a sign that none of the things were going to go well in the end. I was full with fear and huge amounts of horror that kept on pouring into my mind like water filling up a bucket. I wanted to scream, and I wanted to cry my oxygen tanks out, but no one was paying attention to them. No one could hear me except for Optimus Prime, himself.

Then... it happened.

Megatron flipped the switch as he babbled on about something that barely made any sense to me. Massive waves of electricity danced violently from the machine and my panic skyrocketed right before I even knew what was happening. The desperate cries, the wails, and the whirling sounds of the machine were getting louder and louder causing near deafness as my whole world went white.

I didn’t know where I was, but as soon as I turned my optics back online, I realised that I was in a dark room. It was so pitch black that I could barely see my nose, which was normally right between my optics.

It was impossible to tell where I was, but I knew one thing for certain. I was not in the room where I had been strapped to that cold, metallic table and I had been surrounded by those fighting over me.

However, there was one thing that was different about me.

I glanced down at my hands and I felt my Spark leap into my throat. I had my normal hands again! In my shock, I turned my body round and round just to see if it was true. It was indeed, because I could now stand on my own two feet without falling flat on my face. This was a miracle to me!

Had I really been turned back into my normal adult form? Or was it all a dream?

It’s not a dream, Hot Shot.

I blinked my optics in surprise.

Where did that voice come from? It didn’t sound mech or femme, but it still rang with both genders in it. It was hard to tell, but I didn’t care. All that mattered to me was that I was back to my old self again. It made me feel all bubbly inside, as well as excited.

Do not be so quick so deny me, Hot Shot.

I jumped, startled. Okay, that was something I really wasn’t expecting. How did that voice know my name? And where was it coming from? I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner of the voice, but all that greeted me was more total darkness. I didn’t understand this at all. Where was it?

I am nowhere, and I am everywhere around you, the voice whispered, its echoes filling my head.

“I don’t understand!” I cried. “Where are you? And what do you mean by such nonsense?”

I received no response from the voice’s owner. Instead, all I got was whispers. They were burying into the back of my mind. Some were femme, while others were mech. I knew they were speaking another language because I couldn’t understand what they were saying to me. It didn’t make any sense at all! What were they saying? What were they trying to tell me?

Can you hear it, Hot Shot? the voice asked. I could feel something drawing nearer to me. A small gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew against my body, causing me to shiver, even though my frame was built to withstand the cold.

I took a step back in confusion. Somehow, the voice seemed to sense my fear. “What do you mean?” I demanded fiercely. I felt my hands tighten up to form into fists. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, as though they no longer belonged to me. “What do you want with me? Tell me!”

Now, now, the voice continued in a low voice that sent me into silence. We cannot have you making demands so quickly. If you really want to know who ‘we’ are, then I’ll speak for you.

“Who’s ‘we’?”

I heard a chuckle. It sent a chill down my back. I could hear and feel my armour rattling against my whole body. The confusion was taking over my mind, swelling bigger and bigger. Even the fear was not too far behind. It was worse than the fear that had been planted into my mind when Megatron had threatened to flip the switch while Optimus had begged him to stop. Damnit! What was going on!?

We are referring to you, the voice finally replied simply. We are you. You and I are one in the same.

Shock slapped me dead in the face long before the oxygen could reach my tanks. Us? The same? As if! How could this strange voice be me? It didn’t sound like me at all. No way! Absolutely no way!

I shook my head, denying the voice. “How can that be true?” I asked coldly. “How can that even be possible? What makes you think that I am you, and you are me? I do not sound like you.”

That may be true, Hot Shot, the voice said softly. It sounded closer now, like as if I’m facing the owner right now. But I still couldn’t see anything. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but the proof seemed to be right there. But you’ll soon come to realise that we really are the same.

“Then show me where you are, you coward!” I spat. “If you really are me, then you should know that I would never hide from my enemies!”

You are right. But in truth, I have no form. Call me your consciousness if you’d like.

My consciousness? So this voice was really my conscious? If it was, then that would mean? By Primus! Tell me I am not where I think I am.

I felt the shock sink into my head again. My Spark seemed to make another leap into my throat before I could breathe again. If I really was in my mind, then there was no doubt about it that the Decepticon programming was lurking around inside my head, trying to break through the firewalls that were not fully developed, due to being in sparkling form.

To make things simple, I heard from Red Alert that sparkling minds are easy to manipulate. Why is that so? Because it’s simple really, the firewall to keep out viruses and other dangers is very weak compared to an adult mech’s or femme’s. So this means that I was very vulnerable to getting an override of my Autobot programming and lose a sight of everything that I still believed in. Including thinking that my comrades would be enemies, and my enemies would be thought of as my friends.

Ah, I see you’ve realised the truth. Well, part of the truth anyway.

I chewed my bottom lip in frustration. This voice, my so-called conscious, was driving me crazy! What would it do? Tell me to just jump off a cliff? Pft! Get a life... It’s not like I would listen to it. I never obeyed my conscious anyway. I always listened to what my Spark would tell me. My head would always tell me to never disobey a leader, especially Optimus himself.

You would do well to listen to me, Hot Shot.

I shook my head again. “Why should I?” I questioned as a growl escaped my teeth. “What makes you think that I would trust you? Something tells me that you are not my conscious. Normally my head always tells me to go against what my Spark would tell me. For all I know, you could be that Decepticon programming that is trying to hit my sparkling firewall.”

The voice went silent. I was puzzled as to why this was such, but I said nothing about it. As long as it had become quiet, I was fine with that. I needed to be left alone to my thoughts, wondering how I had got here in the first place. However, I could work out that the extreme burst of energy had sent me into unconsciousness. Maybe that was why I was here. To perhaps fight off the Decepticon programming that was attacking my Autobot will.

Actually, to be precise, we are here to tell you why you are here. It is not to fight off the Decepticon programming that is threatening your personality and will.

I snorted in disgust. I absolutely refused to believe such a statement. It was a lie! I had a feeling the voice was lying through its teeth. Why would it appear right now and say such things about why I am here. That was not what I was expecting.

I thought you would think something like that, Hot Shot, it said softly. But I thought I detected another add to the tone. Did it just have an addition of coldness to it? So I think I’ll prove my point as to why we brought you hear in the first place. I’ve waited for far too long for this!

I tried to turn and run when I soon realised the truth behind that dangerous tone when it had spoken its latest sentence. But, instead, I was blocked off by an invisible wall and I fell to the ground, landing on my aft. I rubbed my face painfully from where I had smacked into the wall. I had not expected that to happen, not at all.

I glanced upwards, hoping to see the wall, but all I saw was the darkness that continued engulf me at an alarming rate. Was it just me? Or was the darkness starting to... get darker?

Suddenly, without warning, black velvet vines appeared and wrapped around my forearms, holding me tightly. I struggled to remove it, but it had already wrapped too tight to even allow me to have any movement.

I let off a deep growl and tried again, but another pair of those black vines revealed themselves from the shadows and grabbed my calves like snakes constricting their prey to suffocate them. I was trapped like a rat, and there was nothing I could do except fight a worthless struggle that was pointless to even go up against.

Now settle down, Hot Shot. I am not going to do anything to you except make you listen carefully.

I ceased my struggling, but I still emitted a low growl that seemed to echo throughout the black void that surrounded me without a purpose in the world except to fill me with negative emotions that I did not want to have inside my head. I’m sure Optimus would agree with me on that fact.

“What do you want from me?” I asked coldly. I could’ve sworn that my body was shivering again, but I paid no heed to it. What was the point in showing that I was afraid when it could easily read my mind like an open book?

It’s not what I want, Hot Shot. It’s what you want.

“What I want?” I repeated. What did this voice mean by that?

Yes, replied the voice soothingly. The tone seemed to have a depth of gentleness and venom mixed together, as though the owner of the voice was getting impatient and encouraging at the same time. I would like to show you of what your friends really think of you now.

I lifted an optic ridge in puzzlement. What was it saying? What was it trying to tell me? I was very puzzled by what it said about it showing me what my friends really thought of me. What was it trying to pull on me anyway?

Do you want me to show you?

I growled again, knowing that if I denied, I would only get to see it anyway. I didn’t care what it sent me. I knew that my friends would never leave me behind. I was an Autobot. I may have accidentally left Wheeljack behind a long time ago, but I would never believe that my friends would do the same to me.

“Go on!” I hissed. “Show me what you’ve got!”

Very well.

The whole place went into dead silence, but I didn’t care at all. All I wanted to do was escape from this hellhole and reunite with my friends and surrogate father so that we could get away from the Decepticons’ base and continue with our war with each other, as well as find those Mini-Cons, which we had sworn to protect with our lives.

I felt a huge gust of wind blow from out of nowhere and I was forced to squint my optics to where they appeared to be almost like tight slits. Debris slashed into my face on my right cheek where the scar from my battle with Starscream, when I still had the Star Saber, still burned. It stung like hell and I tried to not let the pain-filled tears wash over my optics, but it was far too uncontrollable.

The whole room lit up like a Christmas tree as images flashed before my optics. Lights danced with different colours, ranging from red to blue, and from green to white. The images were out of focus and blurry, making little sense until the room came to an abrupt halt. I soon realised why.

Standing there in the middle of the corridors that were that of the Decepticons’ base were three figures. They were not out of focus, but they were still blurry. The only colours I could make out of them were red, white, blue, and black. However, the shapes were very familiar to me somehow.

I could see that one of the figures had a broad chest and large shoulders. He appeared to be a mech with golden optics, a red torso, a blue head, hips, forearms and calves, and silver thighs, hands, upper arms, face plate, and vents in the middle of his chest.

The mech standing next to him on the right had wide wings, a golden face plate, a red finned head, and a silver body that housed an odd looking cockpit in the middle of his chest as well. He even had golden optics like the one standing next to him. He was the tallest out of the three, and he appeared to be bulky as well, but less bulky than his companion.

The third mech, who stood in front of the two taller mechs, was skinny and had thin wings that bent upwards behind his shoulders. He was red and silver with ember optics, and he had a black head as well as black hands.

Eventually, the mechs became as clear as crystal, and I soon came to realise that I was looking at Optimus Prime, Jetfire, and Starscream.

I felt my Spark skip a beat in shock and despair as I heard the same voices from before getting louder and louder, telling me what they were saying. But I ignored them as I kept my sapphire optics fixed on the image that was unfolding before me.

“What was the point in coming to rescue that pathetic runt anyway?” Starscream asked darkly as Optimus snorted his reply, as though he was agreeing with the seeker mech. “He’s not even worth your time.”

Jetfire nodded. “I agree with Starscream, Optimus,” he said coldly. “We should leave him.”

Optimus seemed silent for a moment. His optics appeared to be distant before he glanced over at Jetfire. Would he agree with the two on what they were saying? Would he too turn away from me and see me as nothing but a waste of time? Had his father-figure been all a lie to me and nothing but an act?

“Hot Shot is none of my concern now,” he said softly, his head turning away from theirs and my view.

I felt my jaw drop in shock. Did he just say what I think he just said?

Jetfire turned to Starscream and they nodded towards each other. Their optics flaring with negative emotions that I thought I was imagining. They watched as Optimus turned his back on them, his head was hanging low, and his hands clenching into fists.

“Should we leave him behind like he did to Wheeljack?” Starscream asked, tilting his head to one side as he shifted his weight a little.

Optimus nodded only once. “I never cared about him,” he said. “He was nothing but a burden to me. Always getting into trouble and bringing destruction to us wherever he went.”

Jetfire’s face plate seemed to form a smirk and he nodded briefly. “No slagging kidding!” he agreed. “You couldn’t even sink anything into that thick mainframe of his. It was always full of youthful overconfidence. He shouldn’t have even joined us in the first place! He was better off joining those Decepticreeps.”

The words sunk into my Spark deeper than a dagger could possibly stab. I lowered my head as my shoulders shook terribly, causing them to rattle louder than I could hear the whispering echoes, which surrounded me like a swarm of gnats. It had hurt me to hear those words and the despair, grief, and belief were starting to sink in.

Optimus and Starscream nodded. Optimus then turned to walk away with the two seekers following right behind him.

The images faded away and the room once again returned to total darkness.

I was alone with those voices that continued to whisper. They were growing louder than ever and I tried to cover my audio receptors to block them out, but my hands were restricted from movement. I now had to put up with the annoying sounds as they continued to whisper things in my head that I tried to refuse to believe. But I was losing a never-ending battle of mental thoughts getting thrown back and forth.

Now you see? the voice asked, drawing even closer. Its cold fingers seemed to be enveloping my mind, burying them deeper and deeper until I broke. I screamed so loudly that my cries seemed to bounce off the invisible walls that surrounded me. Do you believe me now?

I shook my head once again. I will not believe those images I saw! “Please stop it,” I begged in a low tone. “Please stop telling me lies about my friends. They would never abandon me like that. I know they will come for me...”

Do you want me to take away all the pain, Hot Shot?

I looked up, puzzled.

I will say it again. Do you want me to take away all the pain they had said about you?

I cocked an optic ridge. The sinking feeling in my Spark began to grow as those negative words from my friends started to seep into my head. I tried to shake the thoughts off, but my vision was far too clouded with darkness that was washing over like water. I still couldn’t get the words out of my head. Would the voice really take away all the pain I was feeling right now?

Invisible fingers took a hold of my chin, forcing me to look at an emptiness that had engulfed me entirely. I couldn’t see anymore, not even my own nose. It filled me dread and unhappiness.

The chilling cold, which had touched me right from the start, had grown worse. I would’ve frozen to the spot if my armour hadn’t protected me from it, but I knew that my armour couldn’t save me from the mental cold.

If my friends really have left me behind like I had left Wheeljack, then perhaps... Would it be best that way for me that way? Would I lose my sanity and my memories of who I truly was? Would I be changed? I couldn’t be sure until I found out.

“Can you really take it all away?” I asked, my bright blue optics glowing with a tint of red in them.

The voice seemed to nod. Yes, it answered simply.

The cold fingers had removed themselves from my chin and I lowered it back down again. That was all I needed as a direct answer. What else was there for me when my friends had left me alone to be in the hands of the Decepticons? Obviously there was nothing anymore. All that mattered to me was to beat the living slag out of those meddling Autobots.

I lifted my head again and screamed loudly as I surrendered to the darkness, turning the black world into a devastating white.

When the light had cleared up, I felt my body changing shape and grow from sparkling form to adult. My gold and red frame changed from to ebony black and silver. My body grew a little bulkier, and my optics switched from baby blue to blood red.

I didn’t notice any of these changes as I leaped into the air, just as the machine exploded, and I landed into a crouching position. My head lowered to the ground, my sight setting onto it as I barely made any eye contact with those that surrounded me. The only thing that kept my new form hidden was the smoke that escaped from the explosion.

“Hot Shot?” I heard a voice whisper. But that voice was no longer familiar to me. No more would I see those lowlife Autobots as friends. They had become my enemies, and my enemies must be destroyed.

I lifted my head as my blood red optics looked into the golden ones of the leader, who I had called my ‘surrogate father’. Nothing mattered to me anymore. Not him, or even my friends either.

“No,” I said menacingly, my tone filled with coldness and hatred, “I am not Hot Shot anymore. I have become Dark Shot.”

Replacing the Autobot symbol that had been on my shoulder was the Decepticon symbol, which glowed in the faint fire that burned behind me, lightening up my frame.

Spiritimus Prime: Sorry that it looked crap, but I just wanted you guys to get inside Hot Shot's head to see what was happening before the whole thing really starts to heat up. I can promise you that it will get much better as the story progresses. I hope you enjoyed this, and please stay tuned!