Deep inside the Ark, many of the Autobots clustered around the repair bay. A yellow Volkswagen drove through the corridors, parking itself just behind Mirage, Blaster, and Jazz, all of who were waiting for a peak through the large window. Spike Whitlicky jumped out, and then Bumblebee transformed. The both of them joined the other Autobots watching the activity going on within the repair bay.

Behind the glass panels, Optimus Prime oversaw the entire procedure. The three Autobots, Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Ratchet, worked vigorously with all the skill they could muster. Before them were two large tables, one holding RedStreak’s still-damaged carcass, and the other a large skeletal frame awaiting completion.

Optimus Prime looked to Perceptor with his luminous eyes, seeking out an earnest answer. "What are the chances this operation will work?" the Autobot commander said.

Perceptor looked away, glancing at RedStreak’s original body. "Very, very dismal, Prime," Perceptor bluntly stated, "At best, three thousand to one. All that we can hope for…is the matrix of leadership to keep his spark alive."

On a near-by console rested the matrix of leadership, a golden sphere embedded in a silver handle. Within it, a blue-white spark pulsated, just barely online. Beyond its outward appearance, something deep inside the matrix quivered, a life struggling to hold out. RedStreak’s mind and soul were trapped within the matrix itself.

"Hello?" RedStreak’s voice echoed, "Is anyone there?"

The bodiless transformer found himself immersed in an endless sea of data and knowledge, both flowing into and through him. At some moments, RedStreak saw things, felt brief thoughts contained in this strange, miniature universe. On occasion, faces flashed before him, images of the ancient Autobot leaders. Many whizzed by without noticing RedStreak, even through his ghostly form without so much as a glimpse. A few gazed at him for a few nano-clicks before dissolving away.

Overwhelmed by what he saw, RedStreak muttered, "W-What is this place?"

At the moment he finished his question, the entirety of the matrix shuttered, ripples sent out all around him. Bits of data merged, flowing together to form a single object. Even as it was forming, the entity said to RedStreak, "You are…within…the Matrix." In moments, the entity took shape, a spiky helmet and a long beard stretching out as an almost familiar face appeared before RedStreak.

The Maximal’s eyes widened. "Are you…who I think…you are?"

The entity of computer data smiled a little. "I am Alpha-Trion, guardian of Vector Sigma…keeper of the knowledge of the Matrix. I know you…RedStreak."

"How is that possible?" RedStreak blared, "You were destroyed along with Vector Sigma years ago!" Pausing for a moment, the Maximal nervously added, "That is…in my time. This…doesn’t make sense."

Alpha-Trion replied without hesitating, "I am aware of what has yet to come as intimately as I know of what has passed. Indeed…I am no longer online…but my spark, like yours and all others, remains here…in the Matrix."

"The Matrix?" said RedStreak, "As in…where my spark will go?"

"You are linked with the Matrix via the matrix of leadership, young one," explained Alpha-Trion, "But alas, only for a brief time. I have appeared before you…to guide you to your destiny."

RedStreak floated there in a state of shock, still unable to understand all that he saw. Raising an eyebrow and narrowing his eyes, he asked Alpha-Trion, "What…is my destiny?"

"I can not say," Alpha-Trion said cryptically, "Even now I know what will come to pass, and find it glorious." Without another word, Alpha-Trion’s face began to fade away, dimming bit by bit.

"WAIT! WHAT IS IT YOU’RE TRYING TO TELL ME!" RedStreak shouted out loud.

"I can not say," Alpha-Trion repeated himself, "But you will find your answers in the spark of light you carry within you, if you look deep enough. The prophecy…will come to pass."

With that, the Matrix vanished from RedStreak completely, stranding him in a black void. Clasping his hands over his head, RedStreak screamed.

Prime withdrew the matrix as Wheeljack clasped the spark with a large pair of tweezers. Gently, he yanked it out, separating RedStreak’s spark from the matrix of leadership. The crafty Autobot engineer lifted the spark over the open chest hole of the inert body lying before him. Ratchet made one final connection before backing away.

"Let’s hope this works," Wheeljack said softly. He lowered the spark into the open hole, directly between two large plugs. Wheeljack placed the spark inside and waited. At first nothing happened, but after a few crucial seconds, tiny lightning bolts jolted from the spark, linking it with the electrical plugs. Power began to flow through the body, making lights twinkle.

Observing a console, Ratchet exclaimed, "We have a pulse! His spark is online!"

Behind the glass panel, roughly a dozen Autobots cheered, their voices only slightly muffled by the window. "All right Wheeljack!" Spike hollered joyously.

But all too quickly the praise turned to worry. Ratchet saw the new body’s pulse drop rapidly, all manner of readings fluctuating. Perceptor gave the monitor a glance as his face drew long. "Just as we feared, his spark is failing to adapt to Autobot positronics." Turning to Wheeljack, Perceptor shouted firmly, "Reroute his auxiliary capacitors, stat!"

Wheeljack opened up his chest, bringing an electrical probe in to solder wires. He worked hard to compensate, even as RedStreak’s spark grew fainter and fainter. "Positronics rerouted! Give me an EMP modulator now!" Wheeljack ordered.

Ratchet pushed a button on the console, causing a slot in the ceiling to open. A bulky robotic arm descended, various instruments attached to it. Wheeljack ripped two circular pads off of it and put them to the robot’s chest. "Clear!" he shouted. A large massive jolt was sent into the body, causing it to seize up and spasm. "Clear!" he shouted again, zapping the spark with an even stronger jolt.

The repair bay became deathly silent. Then, on the monitor, a faint beep echoed. Perceptor, Ratchet, and Wheeljack all looked at each other in amazement. Checking the read-out, Ratchet reported, "His spark-pulse is stabilizing; all circuits…nominal."

Optimus Prime approached Wheeljack from behind, putting a hand on the Autobot’s shoulder. "Good job, Wheeljack. Now, all we need to do is give him a fitting form."

Several hours later, a strange, blue-colored F-14 circled around a U.S. air force base. A pair of Decepticon icons were embedded on its wings. The Decepticon Thundercracker observed from high above the activities of a new stealth jet being wheeled out onto the runway, its paint still fresh.

Over the airwaves, a voice spoke. "Thundercracker to Megatron, come in. Surveillance of human stealth ship underway. Nothing remarkable so far…." Suddenly, a wasp-like gadget flew past Thudercracker, just grazing one of his wings. The Decepticon whirled about, nearly losing his balance. "Whoooooa!" he moaned, his stabilizers reengaging at the last minute.

The tiny flying gadget, nothing more than an Autobot probe, went straight for the stealth fighter, beeping "Explore! Explore!" over and over again. Before Thundercracker’s eyes, the little probe buzzed about the jet, projecting an energy field about it as a camera deployed. "Scanning! Scanning!" the probe beeped.

"What the?" muttered Thundercracker, "An…Autobot probe, here? Megatron must know…."

Out of the sky a sickening voice shouted, "Megatron already knows, bolts-for-brains!" Another F-14 almost identical to himself zoomed in, transforming into the notorious Starscream. As Thundercracker transformed, the Decepticon lieutenant shouted, "The Autobots are up to something! Megatron commands that we must destroy that probe before our enemies can utilize its scans!"

Thundercracker laughed, pulling his energy rifle out. "Heh! Just what I was hoping for Starscream!"

Back at Autobot headquarters, Perceptor and Optimus Prime watched as the probe relayed its findings. Perceptor smiled proudly, saying, "This aircraft should suit RedStreak just fine. Its superior flight capabilities and stealth technology should help…."

Before Perceptor could mutter another word, laser fire struck the probe. The Autobot probe flew about, its cameras picking up the images of two Decepticons firing at it. Raising a fist, Prime muttered, "Decepticons! They’re interfering with our probe’s scanning mission!"

Clicking on one of the controls, Perceptor said scornfully, "Then let’s see Starscream try to destroy what he can’t see!"

As Thundercracker and Starscream attempted to vaporize the probe, it turned on them. The probe shot out a scanning beam, hitting Starscream right in the eyes. "AHH! MY EYES!" he hollered in pain. In frustration, Starscream fired his arm blasters erratically, hitting everything within striking range. Before Thundercracker could flinch, he was blown a mile away, and the Autobot probe was turned into shrapnel.

As Perceptor and Prime watched the battle, the console started to short-circuit. Electrical sparks started flying all over the place, causing everything metallic to flicker and buzz, including the Autobots within the repair bay. In addition, alarms were squealing as Teletran-1 blared, "Overload! Overload! System error!"

Wheeljack got up, peering at the console’s flickering readings. "Holy scrap pile! The readings are out of order! We can’t assemble RedStreak’s alternate form!"

"Oh yes we can!" Perceptor shouted. He got to his feet and ran to the console even as it continued to flicker. Using what controls that were left, Perceptor accessed a second set of schematics, drawing up a video image of a red Ferrari. "We can use whatever components necessary with a second vehicle to…."

The console exploded violently, throwing Perceptor across the repair bay and into the glass window, shattering it into a million pieces before the eyes of watching Autobots. Those that survived gasped in horror, seeing Perceptor, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and even Optimus Prime down and out, the repair bay around them smoking.

Bumblebee shouted, "Prime!" The eager little Autobot jumped through the broken window and rushed to aid his fallen leader. Immediately Mirage and Blaster joined, deploying fire extinguishers from their arms to douse the burning ruins. Even Spike leaped in, helping Bumblebee lift off the huge sheets of metal that had fallen on Prime.

"What in tarnation’s goin’ on here?" Ironhide’s voice echoed. The red and gray Autobot marched in, gagging from the smoke filling the whole Ark. Looking over the whole repair bay, he saw Ratchet and Wheeljack groaning in pain, Optimus Prime just struggling to stand up, and Perceptor laying on the floor in a coma. Looking to Jazz, Ironhide asked, "What happened? Did the Decepticons invade or a quantum generator explode?"

"I dunno," replied Jazz, "But we’ve gotta help Prime and the others! They were caught in the blast!"

It took all the Autobots nearly a half-hour to retrieve Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Ratchet from the wreckage. Sadly, Prime fared worse. The Autobot’s once regal armor was dented and blackened, his faceplate cracked along with his blue helmet. Yet, as the Autobots sifted through the debris, they found something unbelievable resting on a table.

Ironhide stared, wondering what it was. "Who, or what, is that?" he asked.

The strange being rose up from the table, the light above it flickering on and off. For a brief moment the light shined at full intensity upon it, illuminating its strange form. Between two bulky ramjets for shoulders was a block-like head bordered by thin vents, a dark face of an enemy clearly visible.

Ironhide stepped back and gasped. "Starscream!" Without hesitation he fired upon the transformer, blowing a hole square in its left shoulder. The robotic entity rolled off the table, moaning in pain. "I dunno how you got here," Ironhide shouted out, "But you aren’t going to be around any longer to cause another Autbot trouble!"

Above Ironhide, a support beam started to give way. The fallen transformer looked up and saw it ready to collapse right on top of his nemesis. As it looked at Ironhide, a memory flashed in its mind. Instead of Ironhide, it saw the image of a large, green Autobot with a magnificent helmet on his head. Its eyes widened as the beam fell straight down.

"Springer!" the transformer shouted as it leaped at Ironhide. With one good push, the Autobot was shoved clear out of the way as the large beam smashed down on top of the stranger.

Ironhide shook his head and saw the beam lying before him, as well as the one he presumed to be Starscream. The other Autobots were bewildered as well. The Autobot stood up and approached the crushed transformer, kneeling to grab its hand. A faint voice came from beneath the wreckage. "Help…me."

The noble Ironhide held tightly to the hand, trying to yank its owner out. "Autobots!" Ironhide shouted to the others, "Help me out! Blaster, Jazz; help Prime outa here!"

Hours passed by, at least from RedStreak’s perspective. It was black for a long time, and then light reappeared. At first, everything was very blurry, only bits of color here and there. But very gradually, RedStreak began to see things far more clearly.

Perceptor leaned over RedStreak closely, his eyes scanning over his body. "Are you all right…RedStreak?" the Autobot asked.

RedStreak blinked twice, replying, "Yes…except for a…slight headache. Where am I? What’s happened? Why do I feel so…" RedStreak glanced at his arm, and gasped. "My…my body! How did I turn into solid metal?!"

The dazed Maximal looked about the room, seeing the Autobots Bumblebee, Blaster, Jazz, and Ironhide all standing around him. Each and every one had blank faces, as if shocked. Staring out at them, RedStreak also noticed one other thing; everyone seemed…smaller than before. Slowly, he got up onto his feet, his new iron legs feeling as wobbly as those of a newborn calf. Immediately, RedStreak started to tumble. Less than a nano-click later, RedStreak fell flat on the floor.

RedStreak’s new body fell apart like a cheap toy. His head rolled until it came to a stop at Perceptor’s feet. The Autobot leaned over and picked up RedStreak’s head. "Hmm," Perceptor muttered to himself, "It appears the blast damaged your body. We’ll need to run some tests and modifications…."

"In other words," RedStreak’s head said, "Some assembly required…."

Within a matter of minutes, Perceptor reattached the various pieces that had broken off of RedStreak’s torso, including his head. RedStreak twisted his neck from side to side, the bolts in it cracking a bit. "Ugh. I don’t wanna lose my head again like that! Now," he said turning to the Autobots gathered around him, "Can someone please explain what’s happened?"

While Perceptor and the other Autobots explained to RedStreak all that transpired, Megatron, enraged from the defeat of his latest battle, took his anger out on the other Decepticons. The shocks of his fusion blasts shook the entire Decepticon base as it rested at the bottom of the sea.

Ramjet smashed into a wall, his skid plates and wings smoking. Next to him laid Skywarp, Rumble, and several of the Contructicons, all wrecked and dented. Their leader roared loudly, smashing his black fist into a computer console before ripping it out of its socket. "I can not believe your incompetence!" he shouted, throwing the trashed console at the pile of Decepticons. They all scattered in fright, the console blowing up in an explosive ball of fire.

"Megatron!" Thundercracker called to his leader, grabbing his arm to stop him, "Please! Stop!" Grunting bitterly, Megatron threw Thundercracker aside.

"He’s right, oh mighty Megatron," Starscream spoke up, "If you don’t stop your temper tantrum right now, you’ll reduce the whole base to scrap metal!"

Before Starscream could speak another word, Megatron pointed his cannon straight at his face. "Don’t even THINK to tell me what to do Starscream! You have done nothing to improve the situation! The Autobots still possess the cybernetic entity and an unfair advantage!"

Starscream shoved Megatron’s weapon out of his face and boldly stated, "Well if someone hadn’t blasted me offline, I might have been able to even the odds at your latest battle." Just as Megatron was about to wring Starscream by his neck, the lieutenant brought up something of interest. "However, I think I’ve found something that might help us…."

Megatron’s brow tilted to the side, his curiosity slightly intrigued. Starscream produced a small, cube-shaped device with a radio dish sticking out of one side. Staring at the device, Megatron asked, "What is that?"

"A positron scrambler," Starscream explained, "It is capable of tracking, locating, and immobilizing any positronic device!"

"Brilliant, Starscream," Megatron said half-interested, turning away from his lieutenant, "Tell me when you’ve invented something useful for a change…."

Starscream clenched his jaw bitterly, his left eye flickering with a twinge. In a fit of rage, he held out his scrambler, pointing it directly at Megatron. The positron scrambler shot out a red-orange lightning bolt, hitting Megatron in the back. The Decepticon commander howled in pain, his circuits overloading as he fell to the floor.

Shoving Megatron aside with the heel of his right foot, Starscream snuffed, "That’ll show you how useless my inventions are!" Having dispatched with Megatron, the usurper addressed the other Decepticons, who were all stunned. "Now listen up you half-built rust buckets! Under my leadership, we’re going to storm the Autobot base once again to steal that cybernetic alien for our own purposes!"

"Wait a minute!" Scrapper spoke up, "We attempted the same stunt just yesterday! And without Megatron we’ll…AHH!"

Scrapper was thrown back, falling alongside Megatron. With the positron scrambler firmly in his hands, Starscream said, "I don’t make the same mistake twice, as Megatron would! Before I personally lead the assault, we shall create a diversion to distract Prime and the other Autobots!" Looking over the various Decepticons, Starscream narrowed his eyes as he asked, "Any volunteers?"

Back at Autobot headquarters, Wheeljack and Perceptor finished re-welding RedStreak’s arm. As he moved it up and down to test it, he said aloud, "Ok, so lemme get this straight: you constructed a new body for me by copying the positronic systems of my old, damaged body, transferred my spark into it, and made me into a new Autobot. But I’m left with one question." Glancing at his reflection in Teletran-1’s console, RedStreak asked, "Why do I look like Starscream?"

"A glitch the replication process I’m afraid." Wheeljack admitted, "While we were attempting to scan a new form for you, that lousy Decepticon got in the way and…well…."

Looking at his startling appearances, RedStreak said, "And I’m stuck looking like this? Hmm, all in all, not bad." As he flexed his forearm, it abruptly fell off, clanking on the floor. Picking it up, RedStreak mumbled, "Dang, looks like Rattrap was right after all. The parts really are cheap."

Ironhide walked up to RedStreak, his feet clanking loudly. When RedStreak looked up to him, the Autobot begrudgingly said, "I…I…I’m sorry about…."

At his right foot, the human Spike nudged his elbow. "Come on Ironhide, you know it."

"All right! All right!" Ironhide shouted. "Look man," he said to RedStreak, "I’m sorry about accusn’ you of being a Decepticon! But don’t hold it against me!" Folding his arms over his chest, he added, "Considering that face of yours is a bad omen, it’s no wonder Prime’s hooked up to the ultra-phonic respirator right now…."

"IRONHIDE!" everyone shouted.

"What?" RedStreak muttered, immediately leaping to his feet, "What’s wrong with Prime?"

Perceptor turned an angry eye to Ironhide. "I told you it would disturb him!"

Nabbing Perceptor by the arm, RedStreak insisted, "Please! Take me to him!"

Within a matter of minutes, RedStreak was taken to Optimus Prime’s quarters. Once the doors slid open, RedStreak saw the once-mighty Autobot lying on a bench borrowed from the repair bay, hooked up to dozens of generators and monitors. A large and clear mask covered his cracked faceplate, his chest plate left wide open with the matrix of leadership linked to several wires. Sensing the arrival of others, Prime turned his head slightly to look.

With his mouth wide open, RedStreak muttered, "Optimus…."

Ratchet, posted to Optimus Prime’s side, forced his leader to settle back down. Still Optimus struggled, despite his damaged systems. Looking to Ironhide, Perceptor, and RedStreak as well, Prime managed to wheeze, "It is good to see…that the procedure…succeeded."

"Relax Prime, your power is barely holding," Ratchet said, putting his hand on Prime’s head.

"Oh, Prime, it pains us all to see you like this…." Ironhide said. He knelt by Prime’s side, holding onto his left arm.

RedStreak approached slowly. The sight of Optimus Prime’s ravaged body was more than enough to tear his heart. After centuries of history, it was crippling to see legends like the original Optimus Prime in pain. At that moment, RedStreak realized the damage he’d caused Prime couldn’t be any worse than that which he dealt history itself. Turning to Ratchet, he asked, "How…bad is it?"

Ratchet sighed and shook his head. "Very, very bad. Even with all the life-support equipment I salvaged from the repair bay, his power core, cortical processor, even his spark are barely holding. Only the strength of the very matrix is keeping him online right now."

Optimus Prime overheard Ratchet’s conversation. Tilting his head up, he saw the emotion in RedStreak’s face. "Don’t…grieve…just yet. None of this…was…your fault…Autobot." Prime reached out his hand, attempting to grab RedStreak’s. Before he got within a foot of RedStreak, the great leader fell back, strained from the effort.

At that very moment, the ark’s alarms started going off. "Alert! Alert!" Teletran-1’s voice echoed, "Decepticon activity located!"

Ironhide stood up. "Quickly! The control room ‘bots!" he ordered. Transforming into a van, he rolled out with Wheeljack and Perceptor. RedStreak headed for the door, but paused before exiting. As he gave Prime one last look, he muttered to himself, "By the Matrix…what have I done? Because of me, Optimus Prime himself may perish…even before the Great War’s end. What have I done to time itself?" With that, he walked out, leaving Optimus Prime in the care of vigilant Ratchet.

In the control room, Teletran-1 reported the situation to Ironhide. "Decepticon activity spotted at geothermal plant near Denver, Colorado. Currently extracting energon from plant facilities."

"Just great! Prime’s down and the Decepticons are running another energon raid!" Ironhide exclaimed, "We’ll have to assemble a battle team! Wheeljack, contact Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and the Aerialbots! Have them rendezvous with us ten miles out of Colorado! Autobots, transform and…."

"Wait!" shouted RedStreak, "What about me?"

"Not now, tender-foot! This is a real crisis!" Ironhide blared.

"But I refuse to stay here and do nothing! I owe you Autobots my life, if not more!" exclaimed RedStreak.

"Your systems haven’t been checked yet! We’ll need to test them before you’re battle-ready!" Perceptor pointed out.

Speaking frankly, RedStreak said, "And what better test is there than a real battle?"

Ironhide grunted with frustration. "Fine! But keep to the group!" he finally caved, "Autobots, transform and roll out!"

Most of the Autobots exited the Ark, leaving only RedStreak to tag-along. Looking at his wings, RedStreak mumbled, "Ok…with any luck, I should be able to fly. Um…how does this work again? Red…Streak…transform?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, his body responded, switching gears literally. The cockpit forming his chest arced up as his head retracted, his arms and feet folding back as engines ignited from behind. "W-WHOOOOOOOOOOA!" hollered RedStreak as he blasted into the atmosphere.

After a minute of wobbling unstably, the new Autobot got the hang of flying. "Hey! This is kind of fun!" RedStreak saw and experienced the world in an entirely new way: he had radar instead of sight and wings instead of arms. As his jets roared steadily, RedStreak chuckled, "Y-Yeah! This is what flying is truly about!"

With the body of an F-22 stealth fighter, RedStreak soared across the great blue yonder at mach two. It was the most incredible sensation he ever felt, flying at speeds he never was able to attain in his previous body. Hikers and cars traveling down the roads below him could only look up and wonder at the strange vehicle looping and spinning above their heads.

Just a few miles southeast, the Aerialbots flew in their aircraft modes with the Autobot Sideswipe flying via his rocket pack. Quite suddenly, an alarm went off in Sideswipe’s left arm. Clicking on it, a small scanning screen deployed, a blip on it flashing on and off. "Leapn’ lasers!" he said, "My scanners show a bogie coming in just to our left…but I can’t get a lock on it!"

"Mine too!" Slingshot shouted, "Our radar is somehow refracted!"

"A stealth jet!" Skydive exclaimed.

In the wink of an eye, the strange new jet came into view with its jets flaring. As it neared the flying Autobots, the jet transformed. Still flying fast, it braked with the thrusters mounted into its feet, slowing to a complete stop before the Aerialbots. Smiling openly, the new transformer said, "What’s up?"

"STARSCREAM!" Sideswipe shouted. As the new transformer jumped in surprise, Sideswipe retrieved his blaster and fired dead center on him. Hollering loudly, the new jet-bot started falling to the ground. As Sideswipe watched, he received a transmission from Perceptor. Seeing his old friend over his built-in screen, Sideswipe greeted, "Oh hi! Just vaped’ a Decepticon a moment ago…."

"That wasn’t a Decepticon, Sideswipe! That was RedStreak, our new Autobot!" Perceptor exclaimed.

"Oh slag!" Sideswipe cursed. He looked down, but couldn’t see where the poor bot landed. "I can’t see him from this altitude!"

"Well this complicates things," Perceptor frankly stated, "We require your assistance at the geothermal plant here! But someone must also retrieve RedStreak…least he get into worse trouble."

"Don’t worry Perceptor," Sideswipe assured him, "I’ll find RedStreak for ya!"

"Right, and we’ll take care of the power plant!" Silverbolt said, "Aerialbots, move out!"

Sideswipe broke off from the Aerialbots, diving down towards the city where RedStreak fell.

Not far away, over a hundred people standing on a street watched as a silvery giant arose from a great crater it left in the ground. Loud groans came from a mechanical mouth, the eyes above it flickering on and off.

"Oh…" RedStreak groaned. Using his stiff, barely functional legs, he stood up. Much to RedStreak’s surprise, he found himself in the middle of a broad street, which in turn was in the middle of a modest town filled with ordinary people that paused to look at him.

RedStreak glanced at his shoulder. His left wing was broken at the tip, with many cracks running through it. "Great," he muttered to himself, "No flying for the rest of today. Guess I’ll have to walk back to Autobot headquarters."

It was quite an unusual sight, seeing a twenty-plus foot robot attempting to walk casually on a sidewalk. RedStreak constantly felt the presence of eyes on him. He noticed how strange some humans acted: the elderly gasped when they looked up, grabbing their hearts as they passed out; children stared at him with both amazement and wonder, saying odd words like "Wow!" and "Cool!" and even "Neat-o!" The more mundane people just stood to the side, and regardless of their destination, gave way to the passing Autobot as they stared blankly.

"This is starting to get too weird," RedStreak said to himself.

Just a couple of blocks away from where he crash-landed, the Autobot happened by a toy store. At first RedStreak was just going to walk by and continue on his way out of town, but it just so happened that he paid a passing glance at the merchandise. Less than five seconds later, the giant came rushing back.

The Autobot kneeled before the building, plastering his huge face against the glass window like an excited child. All the shopping parents and toddlers inside screamed and went into a panic, but RedStreak didn’t seem to notice. Instead, a great smile appeared on his face as he stared at the new line of toys simply called, ‘Transformers’.

"Oh by the light of the Matrix!" RedStreak practically squealed, "The original, nineteen-eighties, generation one, transformer toys!" The eccentric Autobot reached his large arm through the doors, just grazing by several shoppers. With one swoop of his hand, RedStreak grabbed an entire shelf loaded down with a myriad of transformer toys. Bringing it outside, he retrieved from it a single box marked with an Autobot symbol.

"I can hardly believe it!" RedStreak said, "It’s…it’s…the original Optimus Prime transformer toy!" The brand-new toy, an almost perfect replica of the real Prime, was, in RedStreak’s future at least, a prized antique held within museums dedicated to Cybertronian history. To hold something so rare, so precious, was a joy beyond all joys.

Sorting through other boxes, RedStreak was further excited. "Oh boy! The original Megatron! Soundwave! Ironhide! Wheeljack, Perceptor! I’ve, I’ve…I’ve gotta have them all!" With almost mad ferocity, RedStreak started grabbing boxes by the handfuls, stuffing the treasured transformer toys into his open chest cockpit.

Quite to RedStreak’s surprise, there was a tapping sensation against his right heel. Pausing his shopping spree, the Autobot turned around, finding a good-sized police officer tapping his nightstick against his metal foot. Speaking politely, yet firmly, the officer said to RedStreak, "Uh…excuse me, whatever you are, but you do realize you can’t take things from stores without paying for them."

With a blank and puzzled look, RedStreak muttered, "Pay?"

"Yes…pay," the officer said, "You have to pay for those items, with money."

"Pay? Money?" RedStreak mumbled. Such words made no sense to him. Then, as RedStreak’s memory of human history returned, he recalled that in previous centuries, humans used things like currency to control trade and distribution. It was about then that RedStreak froze up, his mouth mindlessly saying, "I have no money…."

"Well then," the officer said, pulling out a revolver from his belt, "We must insist that you put those back…if you will." Behind the single officer was a dozen police cars drawn in a circle around the store, behind each several SWAT teams armed with rifles, shotguns, and bazookas. They all readied their weapons, a chorus of triggers clicking.

For a minute, RedStreak stood their, his chest hanging open as a few toy boxes fell out. If the transformer had been human, he would have dropped a load then and there. Suffice to say, within two minutes the transformer found himself running from many bitter police officers, screaming "AHHHHHHHHH!"

The police held out loud speakers and bullhorns, demanding for him to stop. When RedStreak failed to comply, they broke out their weapons and fired. Naturally the bullets just bounced off RedStreak’s titanium frame, and the shotgun blasts left only smears on his shiny metal.

Looking at his damaged wing, RedStreak growled, "Aw man! If I could only fly!" Then, as he was running, desperately trying to outpace the cops, RedStreak noticed his fists and arms, how the back of his hands resembled the front end of a sports car. Realizing this, RedStreak said to himself, "All right! I’ll just outrun these guys on their own roads! RedStreak, transform!"

Upon saying those words, RedStreak’s Autobot body changed; his front arms stretching out and merging together, his airplane wings and cockpit folding underneath as the canopy and spoiler of a Ferrari took shape. "Yes!" RedStreak shouted, his wheels squealing and engine revving. Inside, his clutch shifted gears under its own power, shifting RedStreak into overdrive. In mere seconds, RedStreak raced away at over a hundred miles an hour, leaving the police in his dust as he laughed madly.

Just outside of the city limits, a group of bitter Decepticons waited at a gas station they’d torn apart hours ago. The tenants inside took refuge in the basement, hoping the metal giants would walk off when they got bored. Suffice to say, none of the five transformers looked very happy or entertained.

"This stinks!" one Decepticon yelled, kicking over a drained gas pump. He sat down on top of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, crushing it to bits. Raising his arms up, he shouted, "I’m a race car for crying out loud! I need to burn rubber or else I’ll go insane!"

One Decepticon, gray and violet-colored, looked to the previous one and grumbled, "Oh will you please shut up, Drag Strip! You’ve been going on and on about that!"

The largest Decepticon, Motormaster, turned to the other four and yelled, "Will you all shut up! We have our orders!"

"And since when do we follow Starscream’s orders?" asked Drag Strip.

"Yeah, for once I agree with you." Dead End said, "That aluminum tin-brain never gave us any important tasks."

As a slight gust came in from the west, a yellow piece of paper sailed beneath Motormaster’s feet. By chance he looked down and saw it. "What’s this?" he said, picking it up. Upon reading it, he learned that it was part of a poster advertising a local event called ‘BotCon’. "Hey! Check this fellow Decepticons!" he showed the poster to his comrades, "A human festival celebrating the Autobots! Any of you thinking what I’m thinkn’?"

Four evil grins appeared on the Decepticons before Motormaster. "Yes…" Dead End said with a sinister attitude, "Let’s show those stupid humans what a festival is all about."

The five Stunticon Decepticons transformed, Motormaster becoming a tractor-trailer and the others becoming various styles of cars. They raced for the far end of town, all five snickering evilly.

After evading the police. RedStreak also found himself heading for the far end of town. Thankfully, his Ferrari mode blended in fairly well with the local traffic; aside from the Autobot emblem on his hood, he looked no different than a silver-painted car. "Robots in disguise," RedStreak chuckled to himself as he watched a few police cars pass by.

As RedStreak attempted to negotiate the traffic, a sign came up, laminated in bright yellow with a picture of Optimus Prime at its center. The sign read: Join Botcon! Newest Sensation Celebrating the Transformers and their heroic battles! Visit nearest convention center at next exit!

"BOTCON! OH MY GOD! THIS MUST BE THE VERY FIRST ONE!" RedStreak’s brakes locked, his tires squealing as he made a hard right turn. As dozens of cars piled up behind him, RedStreak hollered, "Botcon! Here I come!"

At the convention center, rows and rows of cars were driving in, delivering fans in such great numbers that Star Trek conventions looked like preschool get-togethers. After patiently waiting in line, RedStreak grumbled, "Aw screw this! I’m walking in!" Amid the chaos of cars, RedStreak transformed, becoming a giant robot once again.

He stepped over various roadblocks as well as parked cars, making sure to avoid stepping on any person. But before he knew it, RedStreak was facing a great wall of people that he couldn’t meander. Turning around, he saw that he was surrounded completely by curious humans. No…not just any human, transformer fans!

Smiling somewhat confidently, RedStreak said, "Ah…my kind of people."

Literally out of nowhere, someone shouted, "Hey! It’s Starscream! He’s a Decepticon!"

RedStreak saw thousands of faces frown at once. Softly, he muttered, "Oh no…." as he remembered what happened the last time somebody accused him of being a Decepticon. A torrent of enraged Autobot fans started chucking all manner of comic books, transformer toys, even paperweights shaped like the Autobot symbol at him. "Ouch! Hey! This is…ouch…uncalled for!" RedStreak objected. In response, someone chucked a large rock that hit him in the side of the head.

Finally, overwhelmed by countless fans, RedStreak cried out. Just as he thought the end was near, one small voice shouted out, "Hey wait a minute! Look at his wings! He’s not a Decepticon! He’s an Autobot!" Peeking between his fingers, RedStreak also looked at his wings, realizing they were marked by Autobot symbols.

Within mere moments, the crowds went from being a maniacal mob to a cheerful band of Autobot lovers. They all gathered around RedStreak, some even brave enough to try and touch him. It was wonderful for RedStreak to be admired by countless faces; if he were organic again, he’d be blushing from all the attention.

One small pre-teen boy approached him. RedStreak bent down and held out his hand, saying, "Why hello! You’re the one that saved me!"

"Yes I am!" the kid said as RedStreak lifted him up, "I’m a big fan of the transformers, especially you Autobots. But…I don’t recall seeing you before."

RedStreak chuckled, and explained to the kid, "Well, I’m sort-of a new member. The name’s RedStreak. What’s yours?"

Smiling, the young boy replied, "Mine’s Yee…Ben Yee! It’s nice to meet you!"

"Same to you, Ben!" RedStreak said.

The roar of engines sounded from behind a large trailer. Two nano-clicks later it blew apart as a group of cars plowed through. The crowds parted and screamed as the reckless vehicles rushed through, sweeping by RedStreak at fantastic speeds. The following breeze knocked the Autobot off his feet along with Ben Yee.

"What the heck?" RedStreak said as he got up. He watched as the cars busted through stands and ran over posters, narrowly missing the crowds of startled humans. Then, looking at the sides of the various automobiles, a shimmer of violet appeared in the shape of Decepticon symbols. "Decepticons!" RedStreak clenched his fist.

Dead End and Drag Strip screeched to a stop just as their rampage began. "Hey! Was it my optics or was that an Autobot standing over there?" Drag Strip asked.

Finishing up with another poster, Dead End parked alongside Drag Strip and checked with his scanners. "Why so it is!" he said with an almost cheery tone, "We might as well give him a warm welcome as well!"

A gray Ferrari and a yellow Formula-1 car rushed at RedStreak. The Ferrari ran over his feet, causing RedStreak to bend down. The Formula-1 racer then leaped into the air, hitting the Autobot hard. As RedStreak groaned in pain, Dead End and Drag Strip laughed as they transformed.

"That’s an Autobot?" laughed Drag Strip, "Even they put up a better fight than that!"

"Oh that does it!" RedStreak angrily snarled. He looked straight at the two Decepticons and pointed at them. "If you creeps want to fight, then fine!"

Just before RedStreak could transform, a huge black truck came at him from behind. "Ha!" the large Decepticon laughed, "Then prepare to be creamed, tin-britches!" RedStreak turned and saw a pair of headlights flash at him. He jumped to the left at the last possible second, letting the Decepticon smash through the base of a large billboard hanging above the parking lot.

The billboard started to sway dangerously over the crowds, causing them to outright panic. RedStreak looked and saw little Ben Yee in the shadow of the billboard, unaware that it was about to fall. "BEN!" he shouted, running for the defenseless human. Before he could reach Ben Yee, the large black truck reappeared and transformed, grabbing RedStreak by the arms.

"Heh! And where do you think you’re going, punk?" Motormaster said.

The billboard finally broke, falling slowly towards Ben Yee. As it got closer to the ground, it fell faster, and the human seemed doomed to be a blood smear on the pavement. A large red Ferrari roared into view, driving straight for Ben Yee. Before the board crashed, it wedged itself right underneath it, stopping it from hurting the boy.

"Hang on, human!" a voice came from the Ferrari. The car transformed, turning into an Autobot that forced the billboard back up.

"Hey!" Ben Yee exclaimed, "You’re Sideswipe!"

"That’s the name," Sideswipe replied, "Now let’s get you to a safer locale!"

"But RedStreak’s in danger!" Ben told the Autobot, "Look!"

When Sideswipe looked, he found his fellow Autobot being beaten by Motormaster. The larger Decepticon grabbed RedStreak by the arm and threw him into another billboard, bruising up the poor Autobot badly. The Stunticons were approaching, aiming to join in the unfair fight.

"In that case I’d better help!" Sideswipe said. Before he ran off, he told Ben, "Thanks!"

Ben Yee stood up and brushed the dirt off his Autobot t-shirt. Another transformer fan came up, watching the transformers battle against one another. "Whoa man! How did you know that robot’s name, or which was which?" he asked.

Ben simply shrugged and said to his friend, "It’s a little talent of mine."

Motormaster lifted RedStreak up, preparing to slam him into the ground. "Time to finish this!" he said.

Sideswipe charged at Motormaster with all his strength, ramming the Decepticon hard. Motormaster tripped, losing his grip on RedStreak. Before the Decepticon had a chance to get to his feet, Sideswipe grabbed RedStreak and said, "We’d better lose this crowd before we’re both beaten to a pummel!"

"No!" RedStreak refused, "If we don’t fight, they’ll ruin the festival and hurt the humans!"

Noticing Motormaster move, Sideswipe quickly replied, "Then we’d better lead ‘em away from here! Let’s roll!" Catching Sideswipe’s clue, RedStreak transformed with him. The two Ferraris drove off, blowing dirt right into Motormaster’s face.

Raising up his fists in a rage, Motormaster screamed, "AGGGGGH! STUNICONS! AFTER THEM!"

Sideswipe and RedStreak found themselves racing along a road edging a steep cliff. They were miles away from the Botcon convention, and their scanners indicated Decepticons close by, but still they hadn’t seen one of them.

"Do you think we gave ’em the slip?" asked RedStreak.

"From the Stunticons?" said Sideswipe, "Noooo way!"

As if on cue, part of the mountainside behind them broke apart. As the dust cleared, five Decepticons rolled in, with Motormaster himself leading the way. The second they saw Sideswipe and RedStreak, they chased after them. Laser guns deployed from their headlights and fired, blowing away sizeable portions of the mountain and road.

"Dang!" RedStreak exclaimed as blasts went off, "You’re right!"

"I really wish I weren’t now!" Sideswipe replied, dodging a laser bolt.

Just ahead, RedStreak spotted a bridge that was just halfway completed. An idea popped into his head immediately. "Sideswipe!" RedStreak told his fellow Autobot, "Turn right at that construction sight! I have a way for us to get rid of those Decepticons!"

"All right…but you’d better realize that bridge doesn’t have an off-ramp!" Sideswipe pointed out.

The two Autobots turned sharp onto the uncompleted bridge. Likewise, the Stunticons followed, speeding up with them. Nearing the end of the bridge, RedStreak shouted, "Ok Sideswipe, transform and fly!" Both Autobots shifted to robot mode just as they went off the bridge. Sideswipe ignited his rocket pack as RedStreak fired his leg thrusters. The five Stunticons, still stuck in their automotive forms, drove right off the bridge and down towards the crevice below.

RedStreak raised up his hand and shouted, "Whoo-ho! Gimme’ five, Sideswipe!" As he slapped metal skin with Sideswipe, RedStreak exuberantly yelled, "We did it! We got rid of the Stunticons, even when we were outnumbered two to five!"

Sideswipe smiled at first, but then, a large and dark shadow was cast on both him and RedStreak. His eyes shifted upwards, focused on something big, black, and menacing. "Uh…RedStreak," he nervously said, pointing to the monster hovering behind them, "The odds have just changed to…two…to…one. One very big one."

RedStreak turned around, seeing a giant Decepticon made from the merged bodies of the Stunticons. As he stared in horror, the giant yelled with a deep voice, "Menasor…crush…Autobots!" He reached out with a pair of hands, ready to pluck both Sideswipe and RedStreak from the air.

Elsewhere, a huge explosion went off, knocking down the doors to Optimus Prime’s chamber. Ratchet stood up and pointed his gun, saying, "That’s far enough, Decepticons! Not another step closer!"

A voice cackled, "Says you and who’s army?" Before Ratchet could fire a shot, an orange ray hit Ratchet square in the chest, knocking him offline. Starscream and Thundercracker entered the light. Both marched up before Optimus Prime, their weapons aiming for his head. "Tell us where the cybernetic alien is hidden, Prime!" Starscream demanded.

Still tied to Ratchet’s life-support equipment, Prime replied in one word, "Never…."

"A pity then," said Starscream, "I had hoped to destroy you in battle, not in your own quarters, Optimus Prime."