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Transformers: Genesis: Part 16

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Transformers: Genesis



(Chapter 27)



Chapter 27: Protector




It was an old two seater.  Small.  Sky blue with a red top.  Brightly polished and meticulously detailed.

The cargo area wasn’t quite big enough to hold the cannon and Magnus was almost too large to sit inside it.  His horns were a real bother, had him bent over just to fit.

The repulser engine hummed like it meant business, even if it sounded anemic when compared to Shockwave’s pride and joy.

Magnus complemented Cashways on the cruiser, which probably brought a big smile.

“So where are we going?”

“There’s a large dome not far from either the Autobot tower or the Main Arsenal, it’s sort of a sculpture garden at this time.”

“I think I know the place.” Cashways said softly.

Wedged into the seat with his face down, he couldn’t see much out the window except for a sliver of sky.  The trip took longer than with Shockwave, maybe because his companion was a conservative driver?  Hard to tell given the ‘view.’

As they came to a stop and settled down he could see the Main Arsenal out of the corner of his optics.  Cashways opened the door and helped him swing his legs out before he carefully laid back and wiggled free.  Once out and standing on his own feet he could somehow still feel his joints and neck.

So, was this what From Me had gone through?

He stretched himself a bit before looking around.  There was a collection of cabs and light transports nearby – Omega Tau and the others must be here too.  Even better!  He waved Cashways to follow him into the dome.

They were just inside the door.  Arclight 12 spotted them first and got Alpha Trion’s attention.

“Lad?!” the old general asked, “Where have you been?  According to Shockwave you lost yourself in the crowd and then never showed up for the ride home.”

“I had some thinking to do.”

“Well, couldn’t you have done it here?” he’d finally crossed the floor and grabbed him by the shoulders, “There are some ladies especially worried about you!”

Magnus smiled.  He nodded towards Cashways and introduced him.

“Thanks for helping him home!” Alpha Trion pumped the Autobot’s hand, “He has this annoying habit of wandering off.”

“Alpha Trion, I was wondering, well, if I could make up that second cycle of class that I missed?  Since it couldn’t be helped and all that.”

The hand shake slowed dramatically: “It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I have this idea for a piece and I was thinking that maybe I should ask.  No harm in that?”

Some calls in support of his cause erupted from the veterans.

“Outmaneuvered again.” the general sighed, “Ok, how big a piece are we talking about here?”

Magnus held his hands apart, then widened them a bit.

“I think I’ve a plyblock that size.  Hope you work well under pressure.” he nodded towards the others, presumably his audience.

“Plyblock?”

“Magnus, duraluminum is expensive, not to mention difficult and time consuming to work with.  Remember, this was only one cycle you’re making up.  Don’t worry, if you want we can displace cast the plyblock later into almost any material.”

In short order he was standing before a cubic chunk of plyblock on the eastern side of the arena.  Tools in hand.  So sure that he’d actually had an idea just microcycles ago.

“It’s too thick.” he waffled as he hid his uncertainty.

“How much thinner?” Alpha Trion asked.

Magnus just sorta waved his hand back and forth over a part of the block.

“Oh!  You’re wanting to do a free standing relief panel!” the general realized and called over one of his assistants with some power tools to section off a slice.

Magnus looked up the term used: a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional scene.  Often carved through or else two sided when free standing.  Sure!  It was a place to start....  Right?  Before he knew it he was standing over the thinner block.  He still had no idea what he would carve but he had a commitment to keep.

A commitment....

He turned off his internal chronometer as well as anything else that wasn’t needed.

He started with a set of color markers on the backside of the block, away from his audience.  In red he sketched out a crude drawing of a game of hide and seek – the other Magnus counting.  Then in green he sketched out what could go on the opposite side, transposing himself with the willow tree.  Then he reworked the drawings so that it could be both carved through and two sided.  When he was ready, he grabbed up his chisel and began to hammer away at the back side, erasing both drawings as he carved.

Three figures.  In sharp focus to the left was a merry waif of a figure almost as insubstantial as From Me.  She was laughing beneath the branches of the willow, which Magnus would fill in later as part of the frame.  Just right of center was the trunk of the tree which partly obscured the other Magnus.

When it was maybe 1/3rd its final depth, he went to the other side of the block.

His audience had both dwindled and grown.  Cabbies had to work and apparently Alphas didn’t.  Cashways was still there and keeping close to Alpha Trion, even if he looked a little insecure.

Here he began with himself, or rather a figure to represent himself.  Seemed a bit daft to carve the 210 since it was just a loaner.  Then he decided to replace his face with the Combaticon badge.  This first etching had his arms and rifle taking much the same “pose” as the tree.  The partly obscured figure on the left was a Quintesson with only the one gentle face – not five.  Then, behind “his” other raised arm was a feminine form with an Autobot badge for a face.  She was calmly standing still, looking away from the rest of the scene, a rifle held loosely before her.

As he finished the initial etching on this side he heard Soundwave express his disappointment.

“Brother, what would you say if I told you this piece has a name?”

Soundwave said nothing.

“This side is ‘laughter’ and the other side is ‘danger.’”

“That’s not ‘a name.’” Soundwave corrected.

“Those are the names of the sides, not of the piece.”

Soundwave walked over to examine the back side while Magnus continued to work on the front.  At one point his brother leaned over the top and whispered: “You’re almost out of time, Magnus.”

“I don’t care.” came the mirthful reply.

A short while later Alpha Trion informed him that his time was up.  Magnus shrugged again.  The old general walked away muttering that the whole affair was very irregular.

“I know who you are, Alpha Trion.” Magnus whispered after him as he left.

He was Prime.  Irrational as it seemed, there was no doubt about it.  He had been with Primus when they found Megatron.  So logically, they’d been the ones to find Tactus Prime, too.  Tactus would’ve needed a successor quick, and he apparently survived long enough to name someone.  Who better than old A3?

Magnus turned back to his carving, content that he too could still believe enough in his government even if cynical hermits in Kaon couldn’t.

Soundwave was looking at him with a blank expression.

“Yes, Soundwave?”

He seemed to try to smile but said nothing.  Then he left.

Soon some other giant was blocking Magnus’ light.

“That’s a pretty interesting sculpture there, little brother.” Shockwave observed.

“Do you know what it means?”

“I know who made it.” he smiled.

Magnus shook his head: “I guess you’ve found me out, then?”

“What are you going to call it?  You have to tell someone for reference and A3 would punch you if you ruined the suspense for him.”

There were so many possible names.  The name was unimportant.  She was important.  Whoever she was, or would be, or even had been.  Even if he lived as long as Artemus had, and known only triumph all that time, he could never be sure that she was safe or that he’d kept his promise.  All he could do was keep his ... eyes – best – on the enemy while he still had the power to see.  She would have to defend herself from the rest – all the things he couldn’t see.  But chose to believe that she could and that she would.  Or maybe that she already had.

So who was protecting who, now?

Did it really matter?

“Maybe later.”

“Well, why not?” he held out his hand, “Magnus, Powertech’s done waiting.  It’s time.”



The Beginning....
Please see author's notes with part 1.

There is a sequel called Transformers: Forgotten Wars located here: [link]

There is also a related serial set after the end of season 4 called The Hall of Dead Gods located here: [link]

More will be forthcoming.
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