"GNOSIS"
   BY JACOB MILNESTEIN

   I have now personally witnessed three episodes of Beast Wars.
   Getting up at bloody six o'clock in the morning to watch hours of crap like Beetle Borg Mettalix only 
to watch a segmented and augmented episode of Beast Wars.
   The first two episodes did not impress me at all but by the time they screened The Web I finally got 
the picture.
   It was probably the brief moment we're we saw Starscream (or was it Thundercracker or Skywarp?), 
Decepticon symbol and all.
   Obviously there's no chance of me reconciling my trilogy with the Beast Wars animated series but it 
has been.enlightening.
   Oh well, enough of me whinging, as per normal you can contact me or tell me to hurry up and write 
the final instalment you can email either SHERTOGENBOSCH@hotmail.com or 
codeine_door@mailcity.com       
   All Transformers characters owned by HASBRO ENTERTAINMENT
   All other characters owned by VIETNAMESE WALLFLOWERS
   Text ¸ VIETNAMESE WALLFLOWERS 1998

   ".And there was a great and terrible war in Heaven. The dark god, Unicron - he 
who was cast out by our father Primus, did appear to the sun god, Tornatron and 
offer him all the treasures of the multiverse for the price of betraying Primus.
   Yet Tornatron was a wise god and unto Unicron he said;
   'What in all the multiverse could be worth friendship?'
    So Unicron did accept his defeat and did leave Heaven.

   But on the second day he returned and this time he took Tornatron out into the vast 
expanses of space and showed him all the glimmering of stars and said;
   'Is this not worth the price of a friendship?'
   But Tornatron did shake his head sadly and Unicron left once again.

   The third day that Unicron returned to Heaven he came bearing the souls of many 
mortals who had been slain in combat.
   Tornatron looked at the souls of the proud warriors and he was hungry.
   'Is this not worth the price of a friendship?' Unicron then asked.
   But Tornatron shook his head wearily for he had denounced this evil ways when he 
had joined Primus in Heaven.
   So Unicron left once again.

   The final day that Unicron returned to Heaven he held in his hands a crystal of 
much potency.
   'Behold the Matrix that I have stole from Primus who knows not where it is, even as 
we speak.'
   Tornatron's eyes glowed with greed and he took the Matrix in his hands.
   'This truly is worth the price of friendship, friend Unicron.' He exclaimed.
   But Primus did overhear the two conspirators talking and he did snatch the Matrix 
away from Tornatron's hungry jaws, casting them both down to the worlds below.
   
   Yet Tornatron and Unicron were not to be defeated.
   From the finest of warriors they did bribe with their dark gifts and, after a thousand 
years, the armies of darkness did storm the gates of Heaven.
   This was the day of the first deception and so those who fought against the valiant 
Primus in the war of Heaven soon became known as Decepticons and they were spat 
upon where ever they were seen. This is how the war in Heaven was begun."
                                                                                          - Ancient Cybertronian Myth

   
   Polar Claw and the searing energon bolt connected with his shoulder.
   He stumbled and fell, impacting with the smooth metallic surface that criss-crossed 
his home world.
   Optimus stooped down and helped him up.
   Polar Claw could see the circuits protruding from Prime's limbs yet still he kept on 
fighting.
   "Optimus." Polar Claw whispered, his voice as much full of warning as it was 
respect.
   Prime confirmed his awareness yet still he kept on fighting.    

   The world around her was a cramped and confined area. 
   Cerebros stood alone and grounded, the human atmosphere around twisted in 
unfamiliar patterns and she closed her eyes as if this would solve all her problems.
   It didn't, it just intensified them, the ball of fire in her mind's eye growing closer 
and her metallic skin burning out of existence.
   Essentially Cerebros was a finely tuned atheist but even she could feel how wrong 
things were.
   All in all, it felt like the end.
   Of everything.
   
   Skullcrusher's jaws bore down above him.
   "Rhinox," Galaxy Shuttle shouted above the roar of the battlefield. "Look out!"
   Rhinox smiled vaguely and in a single liquid motion turned, holding his blaster 
upwards and discharged energon beam after energon beam into the mouth of 
Skullcrusher's biomechanoid form.
   Skullcrusher swayed briefly, his eyes swimming with liquid and then his head 
exploded spraying both Rhinox and Galaxy Shuttle with both the blackest oil and the 
richest amphibian blood. 
   He turned to face his Autobot comrade, the deep red of his insignia tarnished by the 
fallen Decepticon's organic entrails.
   "I can take care of myself, Galaxy Shuttle." He replied in his deep rumbling voice.
   Galaxy Shuttle nodded in respect of the older Autobot and then his optics caught 
sight of the fusion missiles.
   There was no time to move, no time to do anything.
   A gust of warm air blew from behind them and Star Sabre transformed in mid air, 
the cannons of his futuristic jet mode firing shot after shot.
   The missiles exploded before him, forming a barrier of flames.
   Star Sabre sailed through unscathed.
   "Maybe you should take Galaxy Shuttle's advice." He called back, breaking through 
the Decepticon front lines.
   Rhinox snarled.
   "So eager are we to prove ourselves before Prime." He muttered. "He'll get himself 
killed."
   "That's what I've been saying all along." Kup said. "C'mon, it's time to break 
Mindwipe's troops."
   The three Autobots transformed into their alter modes and headed after Sabre's 
energon trail.
   
   Mindwipe looked up and saw Star Sabre's weapons vanquish Waspinator.
   The Daemoncon shrieked and exploded into a fan fair of black metallic confetti.
   "Autobot bastard!" Mindwipe shouted, his cannon blasting a hole through Star 
Sabre's right wing.
   The Autobot warrior was damaged but far from terminated.
   Mindwipe cursed his bad fortune. This would all have been different if he could 
assemble a group of real Decepticons instead of this army of inexperienced fools and 
resurrected idiots.
   The dark skies of Cybertron blossomed with energon trails and explosions and 
Mindwipe closed his optic lids, trying to remember what Cybertron had been like 
before.before both remaining Autobots and Decepticons had been branded terrorists 
and vigilantes. 
   After Unicron had decimated the planet a third faction had arose, a faction that was 
neither Autobot nor Decepticon.
   They called themselves Maximals and at every chance given the public was 
informed that the Maximals were Transformers for Transformers unlike the two 
ancient cults.
   Of course they had tried luring Prime from his role of Autobot leader but even 
Mindwipe could see that Prime was not a fool, he fought for what he believed in and 
Mindwipe respected that. So instead they had turned to a former Autobot known as 
Black Jack, a devious creature bearing a passing resemblance to Optimus and Ultra 
Magnus, and appointed him the successor of Xaaron.
   Mindwipe had no doubt that in time the Maximals would crush both the Autobots 
and the Decepticons but he hadn't time to worry about that now.
   He opened his optics; Star Sabre was transforming back into his robotic mode.
   He smiled coldly.
   "Ratbat, Misfire - merge with me!" Shouted Mindwipe.
   The monstrosity that was once Ratbat screeched loudly and flew towards him.
   Mindwipe lurched forwards and impaled himself on the creature, it's thick leather 
skin merging with the metal and flesh of his own chest.
   The sound of Misfire's fusion engines filled the air and the Targetmaster 
Decepticon collided with Mindwipe, their form melting into each other until one 
shape was indistinguishable from the next.     
   Star Sabre hesitated, his optics searching for any sign of the Decepticons.
   The calmness before the storm.
   Suddenly the crack of energon cannons and Star Sabre was knocked from his feet, 
his chest plate smouldering.
   A huge Decepticon towered above him, the red of its optics reflecting his look of 
terror.
   "Foolish Autobot," The Decepticon snarled. "You dare to challenge Darklore?"
   Star Sabre lacked the words to express his emotion.
   Without warning Darklore's chest erupted in fire and Optimus Prime transformed 
into his familiar robotic mode, chaos spewing forth from his weaponry.
   Darklore stumbled but held his ground.    
   "Prime." Darklore cursed.
   A cannon on his shoulder swivelled and fired, the ground behind Optimus 
exploding.
   "You'll have to do better than that, Darklore." He announced and swooped in for 
the kill.
   Darklore looked upwards, a moment of indecision in his eyes and then his right 
claw darted out and snatched Prime from the air.
   "Prime!" Star Sabre shouted, his voice strained and guns blazing.
   But it was still late, Darklore's claw tore through Prime's chest snatching the life 
away and crushing the noble Autobot leader into pieces.
   "Optimus!" Rodimus shouted, his now familiar Gryphon mode tearing across the 
Cybertronian battlefield.
   The future Prime leapt and ripped into Darklore's face, the metal shredding beneath 
his claws.
   Darklore howled and knocked Rodimus to the ground, his fusion engines flaring up 
as he rose to the air.
   "Decepticons," He shouted. "The battle here is won, there will be another time!"
   Transforming into a misshapen battle cruiser he fired one last blast and merged with 
the skyline.  
    Rodimus knelt before his fallen mentor, holding Optimus' head gently in his 
smooth, white hands.
   Optimus' eyes flickered, the energon source within him silently fading away.  
   Rodimus Prime turned from him, his head bowed.
   "Not again." He whispered, his voice quiet and withdrawn - almost as if he was 
removed from the scene before him.
   Optimus' broken fingered hand reached out towards Rodimus.
   The future Autobot leader arose from Prime's cold, Cybertronian grave and slowly 
began to walk away, leaving Polar Claw and Rhinox beside his broken form.
   
   Cerebros moved back, sliding into the familiar skin of her human sized pretender 
shell.
   The night that smothered her was as thick as moon dust and far off she could hear 
the howling of wolves.
   And slowly she turned away from the vacuous cliff face and began her walk back 
down to where Pointblank and Arcee waited patiently with the inert body of Fortress 
Maximus.  
   Suddenly from the heavens came a blinding flash of light, throwing Cerebros to the 
ground as if she were a toy.
   She tried to look up but the light encompassed everything, forcing her to turn away.
   "Tell your fellow Cybertronians that my arrival is imminent." The light whispered, 
the words echoing within her head. "Tell them that I will be delayed no longer."
   Cerebros tried to form words within her mouth but none were forthcoming, it 
seemed as if the 'light' had taken from her all answers that she might hope to have 
given.
   Then as startlingly as it had came it vanished, leaving a burning sensation on her 
retina.
   The roar of engines filled the otherwise calm air and Pointblank rose up from his 
vehicle mode.
   Bending down he scooped up Cerebros, who had reduced her size whilst within her 
Pretender shell for espionage reasons.
   "You okay?" The Targetmaster asked as she fell into his passenger seat as he 
transformed again.
   "Yeah," She replied. "Just a little shaken." Cerebros paused. "Where's 
Peacemaker?"

   At the moment Peacemaker resided behind a rotting wooden bench, his body 
intoxicated and on the verge of falling from his seat.
   A girl sat next to him, all smiles and pigtails, slowly nursing her vodka and orange.
   "Are you alright?" She asked, her voice both soothing and inquisitive at once.
   Peacemaker nodded, slowly and drunkenly.
   "Sure." He replied. "Couldn't feel better."
   The girl folded her arms.
   "Is that why you're nearly falling off the bench?" She asked, a wry smile breaking 
out across her gentle face.
   Peacemaker looked at her, a guilty expression encompassing his face.
   She laughed and squeezed his hand tightly.
   "It's okay," She whispered. "You looked in a pretty bad state before you started 
drinking."
   He closed his eyes, patterns dancing before him in the void.
   "I don't think my Nebulan metabolism was built for this."
   "I sometimes think that." She replied. "Without the Nebulan bit though."
   At this moment in time Peacemaker found her voice the most reassuring thing in the 
entire multiverse, it was like waking up and instantly knowing the most important 
thing in the entire multitude of worlds.
   The female reached forward with her senses, her head moving closer towards him 
and her mouth touching affectionately with his.
   
   Galaxy Shuttle and Star Sabre hauled the inanimate body of the deceased Autobot 
leader up onto the cold, metal operating table. 
   Prime's life signs were defunct, his once bright optics now devoid of all energon. 
   "There's nothing we can do is there?" Kup asked, standing to the left of Galaxy 
Shuttle.
   Blurr shuffled from side to side nervously.
   "There must be something." Star Sabre muttered.
   The clank of metal forced them to look up, the door slid open and the silhouette of 
Rodimus Prime filled the small space between the two walls.
   "There is a way." He stated, his eyes hard and determined.

   Reluctantly Cerebros transformed into Fortress Maximus' headpiece and the huge 
Autobot warrior shuddered into action, his optics were glazed over and confused.
   "What's the matter?" Arcee asked, his voice adopting a worried tone.
   Maximus turned to face them.
   "While Cerebros was away I monitored the outgoing signals from Cybertron," He 
paused. "Optimus is dead."

   Slowly Star Sabre removed the top of Optimus' skull and gently extracted his 
positronic brain.
   Energon crackled around it, a good sign.
   Alongside the past Prime resided the gleaming form of the other Prime and 
suspended high above them both rested a huge exoskeleton, Rodimus' Matrix already 
aligned within the confounds of his chest.
   "Are you positive this'll work?" Rhinox asked.
   Star Sabre looked at him.
   "Yes." He replied, yet his tone was unconvincing.
   
   Scourge delivered his cargo of deactivated Autobots to the main docking bay of the 
Maximal command centre.
   He transformed and looked around him, the glaring red Maximal insignia bearing 
down upon him.
   Black Jack was waiting for him, alongside Thundercracker and Skywarp.
   "You brought the Autobot I requested?" Black Jack asked, his voice cold and 
impersonal.  
   "Of course." Scourge replied, handing over the crumpled red and yellow aspect of a 
deactivated Cybertronian.
   Black Jack smiled deviously.
   "This should disturb our Autobot companions." He grinned.
   Scourge shifted his weight from what foot to the other.
   "You know that both the Autobots and Decepticons already have bio-genetic 
technology?" He asked.
   Black Jack nodded, serenely.
   "But they have nothing to match me." He replied, then turning, the Autobot in his 
hands, he left the bay.

   Hours passed.
   Rodimus Prime stood, looking outwards at the Cybertronian landscape.
   Star Sabre was still operating on the fallen Optimus Prime, it didn't matter if they 
succeeded or not, Rodimus knew that once again they had lost Optimus Prime.
   The new body would partially restore him but it would be an all-together different 
Lazarus that rose from the operating table.
   The Galvatron that had travelled from his dimension and into this was dead, the 
only remaining traveller from the future Decepticons was Scourge and after Unicron's 
assault on Cybertron, even he was presumed dead.
   He sighed deeply and touched the communications link that Rhinox had built into 
his chest.
   "Wreck-Gar, please respond." He said, his voice carrying across the oxygenless air.
   The brief sound of static.
   "Greetings, famous leader, duty calling at half price reduction?" Replied Wreck-
Gar's familiar voice.
   Rodimus smiled.
   "Assemble the Junkions, we're going home."
   "Affirmative, guv'nor but still one small matter in hand." The Junkion leader 
replied.
   "What would that be?" 
   "My, my, people come and go so quickly here." Wreck-Gar muttered in a Judy 
Garland voice. "Fellow Autobot contestants, still waiting for the curtain to go up." 
   Rodimus nodded as he tried to understand Wreck-Gar's unique use of grammar.
   "The others stay here." He replied. "Think of them as an early warning device."
   "Righteo, bossbot. Junkions, would you please come on down."
   The Comm link fizzled with static once again and then was silent.
   Prime transformed into his original vehicle mode and rode out into the ever-present 
Cybertronian night.

   Star Sabre looked across at Galaxy Shuttle, Rhinox and Kup.
   "It worked." He said quietly and the atmosphere in the room physically lightened.
   "Will he still be the same?" Galaxy Shuttle asked, nervously.
   "Doubtful." Star Sabre replied. "Both the Creation Matrix and Prime's own 
positronic brain will have a hard time adapting to the structure of the mech-frame's 
unique programming."
   "So he won't be Optimus anymore?" Kup said.
   Star Sabre shook his head in a silent reply.
   
   The dimension bridge yawned, opening out into a myriad of parallel worlds.   
   With Wreck-Gar and his Junkions behind, Prime drew in a deep breath and stepped 
towards the static warp shell that the bridge caused, fading out of one reality and into 
the next.
   He found himself on the familiar, titanium floor of Autobot City on Earth in his 
time, his dimension.
   Rodimus Prime had returned home.

   He opened his optics, vision blurring before him.
   Once he had a name.a different name and a past that stretched as far back as the 
days of Alpha Trion.
   But he was not that Autobot any longer, he rose from his deathbed and stood, 
unsteady upon the metallic floor. His face, a deathly white, turned to take in the 
room's other occupants.
   "Optimus?" The Autobot he remembered as Kup asked.
   He frowned, his mind accessing every possible avenue of reason.
   "No," The new Autobot replied. "Onyx. Onyx Prime."
   
   In the depths of space there was a light.
   Before it, several million light years away rested the minuscule planet of Cybertron.    
   Deep within the heart of the light a smile was forming.