SABOTAGED IDENTITY

By Raksha

"Every silver lining has a dark, dark cloud;
Always after sunshine comes the rain.
They say that after night

the dawn is sure to be bright;
But don't forget the night will come again."

--Star Trek the Next Generation
Annual #1, D.C. Comics

Part 1

Sabotage crept down the narrow, steeply slanting tunnel that had been cut deep into Cybertron's metal crust. It was almost entirely black, except for irregularly spaced pads of radioactive luminescence that had been inlaid into the uneven ceiling. It was suffocatingly hot, and condensation ran down the walls, dripped from above, and made footing treacherous. More than once, Sabotage had to stop and brace herself against the walls to rest. No wonder they call this place Hellpit Territory, she thought as she crept forward again, ignoring the painful throbbing in her right leg and shoulder -- her old battle wounds, never fully repaired, that were aggravated by her slow and awkward progress downward.

Every so often she passed other tunnels branching off to both sides, some darker, some a bit more brightly lit. These mining tunnels honeycombed the subsurface of Hellpit Territory, the only place on the planet where valuable quadrilithium for laser weapons crystallized naturally below ground. Sabotage had studied her route well, and was not fooled into following the wrong pathways. It would be easy, dangerously easy, to get tempted into following a brighter, more even tunnel, and get lost down here. If they found her, the overseers in charge of the mining slaves would make short work of her.

Up ahead, she sensed the illumination growing just perceptibly brighter. She was getting close. Taking care to move soundlessly, she concentrated on what lay ahead, sending her mind ahead of her ... sometimes it worked, sometimes she could get a telepathic sense of how many opponents she would have to deal with when she turned the last corner ... yes, she was getting the definite impression of thought-wave patterns now, many, jumbled together.... She stopped, let her one working optic sensor dim to black in concentration. Above the muddle of minds steeped in exhaustion and despair she picked out two that were clearer than the rest, alert, with a hostile tint to their thought-waves ... not that she could ever delve deeper than that, much as she had tried, to pick out actual thoughts and images from another robot's mind. A vague general impression was all she could achieve, if anything at all; her telepathic abilities were too weak and sporadic to be heavily relied on. Not like those of her long-dead creator, she thought with a shudder of bitterness and pain -- he had been a true, powerful telepath, and he had died along with her beautiful home city, long ago in this senseless Autobot- Decepticon war.

Sabotage's city had been one of Neutrals, innocent bystanders, thoughtlessly ruined in the clash of two great armies that happened to meet head-on in that particular location. She had never known, or cared, which side won that battle. She only knew that she had lost everything and everyone she had ever cared for, and from that moment on, the Autobots and Decepticons both were her enemies. She had traveled alone across the planet, from territory to territory, destroying what she could, and, as her name proclaimed, sabotaging the military operations of both sides. She despised all warriors too much to have formed any friendships along the way -- she had, when her survival was at stake, entered into temporary alliances, though her "allies" later found they had made a fatal mistake in trusting her, after their usefulness was ended. In all, Sabotage was a dangerous, elusive, and solitary robot who lived to destroy, knowing well that her hours were numbered and hoping only to take as many of her enemies as possible with her when she was finally caught.

Today, however, she did not intend to die. Only two overseers stood against her in this section of the mine, and two she could handle easily. She tried to get as precise an idea as possible of their locations by concentrating on their thought-waves, and then leapt around the final bend in the tunnel, firing the lasers on both her arms simultaneously -- one at each guard. Her guess at their locations had been precise, and they were taken completely by surprise. As one, they fell to her paralysis bolts -- weapons she had developed which allowed her to keep her victims alive long enough to extract any useful information they might have. These two, however, had none. Sabotage wasted no time and fired a point-blank laser blast through each of the guards' optics, to melt down the vital circuitry of their brains.

Behind them, separated by a glowing containment field, the first of the mining slaves were staggering dazedly to their feet with the realization that something unusual was going on. Quickly Sabotage picked out the control box on the wall that kept the containment field in place. She could blast it and destroy the field that way, but it would set off alarms. She pulled open a panel and expertly disconnected the necessary wiring, disabling the alarm system, and then sent a charge of energy into the controls. The containment field failed with an electronic crackle.

The mining slaves stood staring at her -- Autobots, imprisoned here so long that they had lost all hope of escape. The horror of Sabotage's physical appearance probably had something to do with their shocked expressions as well, she thought ironically. "You're free, you idiots!" she snapped at them. This seemed to jolt them into awareness of their situation, and they rushed forward, nearly running her over in their eagerness, streaming out into the tunnels. Sabotage grabbed hold of one of the last, one of the smaller ones, and slammed him up against the wall of his former prison. "Tell me, where is the nearest pocket of quadrilithium?" she demanded.

"This tunnel leading off to the right," he gasped. "Follow it down, and take the third tunnel going left. But -- there are guards--"

"How many?"

"Three or four, it depends--"

Sabotage shoved him aside and darted into the tunnel, leaving the Autobot to stagger after his companions. Some of them would no doubt get lost in the maze of corridors and be recaptured, but that was no further concern of hers. Enough of them would escape to make things inconvenient for the Decepticon mining operation. Sabotage would, however, make even more trouble for them while she was here. She burst out of the tunnels into a more spacious chamber, firing as she came out, again catching the guards by surprise. But there were four of them this time, and she hadn't known their exact locations, and they managed to dodge her blasts. Behind them, slaves clambered over outcrops of multicolored quadrilithium crystals that were imbedded in the metallic stone. They stopped their work and dove for cover as well, for Sabotage's firing was random. She leapt aside as the closest Decepticon guard opened fire on her. At that moment her damaged leg gave out and she stumbled, barely managing to pitch herself forward behind a cover of crystal outcrop. But the blast caught the edge of her foot, and immediately a searing pain raced up her leg, leaving a cold numbness in its wake. Neurocircuit inhibitor! Clamping her jaws shut over her cry of pain, Sabotage dragged the paralyzed limb after her as she pulled herself further behind the crystals, then balanced on her good leg to fire over the top of her barricade.

The four guards were closing in on her, and she couldn't fire on all of them at once. Worse, as soon as her first laser burst had struck the quadrilithium, a wailing alarm siren had gone off, and more guards would arrive any moment now. The neurocircuit inhibitor blast was starting to wear off, and Sabotage was beginning to get some feeling back in her leg. Quickly she set her weapons to produce a sonic wave capable of shattering the quadrilithium crystals -- lasers bounced harmlessly off them -- and fired up and outward at the sides of the chamber.

A deep, grinding, rumbling sound drowned out the high- pitched shatterings of the quadrilithium as the crystals sprang into multifaceted shards. The entire unstable ceiling of the chamber came down with a tremendous roar. Sabotage sprang for the cover of the tunnel behind her and ran as fast as she could, still limping, up the steep incline. A plume of rock and metal fragments and pulverized crystal dust blasted her from behind and she almost fell, but kept going. Soon she was past the empty holding cell where she had released the Autobots, and back in the original corridor that led upward and out of the mines. It was a straight run to the surface from here, if only she encountered no more guards.

As soon as she had this thought, Sabotage heard them coming at her from an intersecting corridor. Laser weapons and neurocircuit inhibitor blasts flashed toward her out of the darkness of the tunnel. She released another sonic wave, a short pulse, enough to cave in a section of the ceiling behind her. Through a hail of sharp-edged fragments, she ran for the opening up ahead, transforming into her jet mode and streaking away into Cybertron's dark sky.

* * *

Siege-Gun waited in the dimly lit entrance chamber to his commander's throne room, letting his optics adjust to the darkness. It was not good form to go tripping and stumbling into Shadowlord's presence, he had found over the years, and so always gave himself some time to get used to the lack of illumination before entering. Besides, these few minutes were often vital for gathering one's courage, especially when bearing unpleasant news. Like today.

Siege-Gun steeled himself and entered. The throne room was even darker than the entrance chamber, but a single torch burned beside the door. Straight ahead, Shadowlord's throne rose on a pillar of darkness, its edges rimmed with a faint silver network of thin, shimmering lines: Shadowlord's remote sensor system, to which he directly plugged himself in and personally observed his entire territory. Shadowlord himself was, at first glance, difficult to pick out on his throne, though the leaping flame of the torch cast eerie outlines of his wings and horned helmet onto the wall behind him.

Siege-Gun came forward, stopping at a respectful (and safe) distance. "Commander," he began, "there's been--"

"A problem. I know," Shadowlord interrupted. Of course, Siege-Gun thought, he would know. Shadowlord's huge, luminous, cold-white eyes stared out at him unflickering from the shadows of his face, and Siege-Gun resisted the urge to squirm. The ruler of Hellpit Territory continued inflectionlessly, "Earlier tonight, someone bypassed the security alarms and entered the North Mine, whereupon she killed two of my overseers, released 57 of my slaves, and collapsed a ceiling on 28 more, as well as four more guards, to say nothing of utterly destroying a valuable outcrop of quadrilithium. A small outcrop, to be sure, but it represents a loss for me, and I'm not pleased."

"Uh ... yes, Commander," Siege-Gun murmured. Light from the torch danced faintly over the strands of the sensor-net. Nothing, absolutely nothing that happened in Hellpit Territory escaped Shadowlord's notice, and it wouldn't have done any good to try and downplay the facts.

"Furthermore," Shadowlord went on, "after all this mayhem, the perpetrator escaped. I am familiar with this female's activities -- her name is Sabotage, and she has caused trouble in these parts before -- but never within the borders of my realm. She made fools of you and your guards -- and with Megatron due for an official visit tomorrow, I have no intention of letting your incompetence reflect badly on me."

He fell silent, pinning Siege-Gun with his luminous gaze. The shadows flickered behind him, and seconds passed like eternities. "Find this vigilante and kill her," Shadowlord said finally, "before she causes any more trouble."

"As you command, Shadowlord," Siege-Gun said, offering the Decepticon salute of the closed fist against his chest, and turned to go.

"And, Siege-Gun--?" Shadowlord added, freezing him in his tracks. "If there should be a problem while Megatron is here ... I assure you, you will be the one to pay for it. Now go."

Siege-Gun nodded and hurried out of the throne room, relieved to be away. It was only after the doors had closed and he stood in the entrance chamber, that the full meaning of Shadowlord's words came to him. If he did not succeed in this mission, his own life was forfeit -- even after all his years of loyal service. Fighting a sense of betrayal, Siege-Gun hurried off to organize a search troop.

* * *

This was the worst of all possible outcomes, Siege-Gun thought as he led a troop of guards at a run down the fortress corridor. Some hours ago they had flushed Sabotage out of hiding among the residential ruins that had collected over the centuries around the base of the looming mountain fortress. The Decepticons had formed a net-like pattern to captue her, closing in, cutting off all escape routes. They had been close, so close -- and then she had vanished, right from under their grasp. They picked up the trail a few minutes later, but by then it was too late -- she was heading for Shadowlord's fortress, and they couldn't reach her in time to head her off. So here they were, Siege-Gun thought, playing hide-and-seek in the hallways, with Shadowlord and Megatron elsewhere in the very same building. If only they could trap her and kill her before disaster stuck, he thought desperately.

Sabotage. Her reputation preceded her -- she did indiscriminate damage to Decepticons and Autobots alike, now and again managing to kill a high-ranking military commander or territorial ruler. And now, here, she undoubtedly saw her chance to assassinate the one Decepticon who commanded all others: Megatron. No wonder she had fled toward the fortress! Even an unsuccessful assassination attempt, here in what was supposed to be a secure stronghold, would make Siege-Gun look like an inept bungler, since he was in charge of security -- and by extension, would undermine Shadowlord's power. Siege-Gun cursed himself for his lack of foresight, but there was nothing to be done now. Only blind chance could still save him from Shadowlord's retribution.

Chance, one last chance, it seemed, was on his side. Up ahead, he caught a flash of silver-white as Sabotage broke cover and dashed across an intersecting cross-corridor. "After her!" Siege-Gun commanded, dodging into the intersection to follow. But Sabotage had too great of a lead, and it seemed that, as fast as he ran, he couldn't close the gap. But at least he could see her now, up ahead, and could keep track of her twists and turns.

She dodged into a wide hallway leading off to the left. With a sudden, sickening horror, Siege-Gun realized she was heading for the throne room. There was perhaps one final opportunity to corner her in the entrance hall before she blasted her way into the main chamber. As she disappeared through the entrance, Siege-Gun put on a final, desperate burst of speed and surged in after her, all lasers ready to fire. He skidded to an abrupt stop at the sight that met him -- a sight that made his fuel run cold. The guards rushing in behind him nearly collided with him. Siege-Gun stood oblivious to them.

Shadowlord stood in the entrance chamber with one hand wrapped around the vigilante's throat, holding her up and away from him so that she struggled in the air, clawing frantically at the vise-like grip that held her. Shadowlord's impressive wings were unfurled behind him, framing him as he turned his head slowly to regard Siege- Gun with his icy, dispassionate gaze.

"Your efficiency, and I use the term loosely, leaves much to be desired," he said. As he spoke, he slammed Sabotage down and brought up one knee to gouge the venomous spike at its tip into her stomach. Indifferent to her shriek of agony, he threw her forcefully against the wall. She crumpled to the ground and convulsed into a tight ball, pulling her legs up against her. "I gave you specific instructions," Shadowlord continued to Siege-Gun, and kicked Sabotage viciously so her head snapped back from where she had curled it against her chest. "I told you, no incidents were to occur while Megatron was here." He punctuated this with another kick.

"But -- she didn't get in," Siege-Gun pointed out. "She didn't do any more damage...?"

"Yes." Another kick, even harder, though Shadowlord's expression never changed. "And that is the only reason why you still function. But you've failed me, Siege-Gun, and I won't forget it." One final kick. "Now, take her and melt her down. I assume you can do that much, at least."

"Of course, Commander," Siege-Gun assured him quickly, and turned toward Sabotage. She lay against the wall, knocked nearly senseless. This was the first time Siege-Gun had gotten a close-up look at her. She was in bad shape, not only from the beating she had just taken, but from older injuries as well. Her right arm and leg were dented and battered, her shoulder-joint torn open so that some of the internal wires showed. These gave off intermittent sparks -- something deeper inside was torn loose as well. Her left wing had an entire chunk missing, the edges ragged and coated in corrosion. It was amazing that she could have caused so much damage in her time, or moved so quickly to elude the guards.

Siege-Gun reached down and pulled her up by her undamaged shoulder, and her head lolled backwards. The ruined face had been beautiful once, but now the entire right side and part of the helmet was molten into a shapeless mass. An empty, malformed socket took the place of her right eye-lens.

He placed the gunbarrel on his arm against her throat, and prepared to fire.

"Drop her!" came a sharp command from behind him. Siege- Gun jumped, but kept his grip on Sabotage's shoulder; this was not the voice of Shadowlord, and Shadowlord had given him different orders. He turned to see Megatron striding towards him out of the open doorway of the throne room. "I said let her go!" growled the Decepticon leader, letting his eyes flash dangerously. Megatron was perhaps the only Decepticon of Siege-Gun's acquaintance who was not in the least bit intimidated by Shadowlord. That said a great deal for his personal power. With an apologetic glance at his commander, Siege-Gun let Sabotage sink back to the floor.

Shadowlord's expression remained indifferent. The matter was closed to him -- the vigilante was Megatron's problem now.

The Decepticon leader crouched down on the floor next to Sabotage, cupping her chin in one hand to tilt her ruined face upward. "Selenia," he murmured.

Her one working eye-lens flickered dimly back on. "M- Megatron?" she whispered uncertainly. Then the light faded back to black.

* * *

Sabotage/Selenia lay in the repair ward, too stunned by her own churning emotions to do any more than passively let the repaireons swarm over her. Up until the moment she had struggled back from the brink of unconsciousness in the entrance hall, she had known exactly who she was, exactly what she wanted. What she had wanted was Megatron's death. This was her perfect opportunity, she remembered thinking as she had maneuvered out of Siege-Gun's trap and toward the fortress -- her big chance to take out the driving force behind the Decepticon army, and possibly Shadowlord as well, a likely successor. When she was caught in the entrance hall -- when her electronic defense field had failed to activate, as it sometimes did, to ward off Shadowlord's touch -- she had known it was all over. She had failed in her mission, and it would cost her her life.

And then -- Megatron. Seeing him, hearing the name he addressed her by. Something had snapped inside her, some barrier broken by a flood of memories that seemed at once alien, not her own, but also familiar, undeniably true. The shock, more than her injuries, had overwhelmed her and caused her to lose consciousness again.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on a table in Hellpit's repair ward. She barely noticed the hum and whine of equipment, the hissing of blowtorches and clatter of replacement parts that went on around her. Without protest she sat up when she was told to do so, for a new left wing to be fitted into place; again without a word she lay back down for continued work on her new right eye. She felt none of it -- the repaireons had given her a destimulant that deadened all pain, though even without this, she probably would barely have noticed. It had been centuries, millennia even, since she had allowed another Transformer to touch her for repairs. Now she hadn't the strength to protest, even though the repaireons were restoring her and already she felt physically more powerful than she had in a long time. But her external senses were numb, her reeling thoughts focused inward.

The repaireons were adding a final coat of polish, moving her unresisting limbs as they lubricated the joints, then coaxed her to a sitting position again. She let her legs dangle from the table and stared blankly ahead as they filed out of the room, leaving her alone. For a moment she floated in a void of dead silence, her surroundings fading around her. Then her attention focused forward. Megatron had entered the room.

He regarded her for a long moment, then nodded approvingly. "Much better. We couldn't have let Soundwave see you like that."

She caught her breath, hearing another name that triggered a rush of indefinable emotion. "Soundwave lives?" she said. "After all this time?"

"But of course. What's more, you have a whole flock of siblings that you've never even met."

Siblings. She'd had a brother, Ravage--

"You were too busy cutting a swath of destruction through my forces," Megatron interrupted her thought, his tone suddenly cold, his eyes like hard crimson shards. "Sabotage." Megatron spat the name derisively. "What was the meaning of all that? Who were you getting back at? Do you know how many times I sent out the order to have you killed?" He had moved forward and seized her wrists, pulling her off the table and to her feet, his eyes burning into hers.

She tried to pull away, but his grip was unyielding. As Sabotage, she loathed his touch -- he was everything she hated most, the ultimate embodiment of the warrior, who would stop at nothing, who would overrun entire cities, to get his way. As Selenia, she shivered with the remembered thrill of his effortless power, the unexpected delight of being so close to him again. The mental conflict was too much. She twisted desperately, crying out, "I don't know, alright? I don't know why I did what I did, why I lived the life I did! I'm not even sure who I really am!"

Her voice had risen in panic, and Megatron let her go. She pulled back from him, pressing herself back against the repair table, as far away from him as possible. "Alright," he said, taking a more soothing tone. "We'll try another approach. When you were captured by the Autobots, Soundwave said you started a self-destruct sequence. Shortly thereafter, he lost his mental link with you. We assumed you were dead. Obviously you were reactivated at some later point. Why didn't you come back to us then? Why did you take on this Sabotage- persona?" It ended up sounding like an accusation.

Selenia shook her head. "I don't remember any of that. I just don't know."

Megatron regarded her skeptically for a few moments. "Fine," he said. "We'll let your creator sort this out. Come on." The door to the repair ward slid back as he stepped through. Selenia hesitated for a fraction of an instant, then followed.

A small, armed shuttleship was parked on the landing platform atop Shadowlord's fortress. Siege-Gun and a troop of guards were there to see Megatron off, and they snapped to attention when the Decepticon leader appeared. Shadowlord himself was nowhere to be seen -- an implied hint of disrespect, Selenia wondered? Before she followed Megatron into the shuttle, she gave Siege-Gun a defiant look, worthy of Sabotage: she had survived. But once inside the shuttleship, she was Selenia again, and lost. She curled herself into the co-pilot's seat and stared fixedly out the window while Megatron lifted off. On the journey to Polyhex, halfway around the planet, she didn't say one word. Megatron glanced at her oddly now and again, but she was grateful that he let her be and did not attempt conversation.

* * *

Darkmount in Polyhex City was the home base of the Decepticon high command. Impregnable and bristling with armament, it was here that the war against the Autobots had its true origin; even when Megatron was off-planet, he filtered most of his orders through whomever he had placed in command of these twisted spires. The base had vast underground reserves of stored energon, immense labs and test-facilities for the ongoing development of ever- more-deadly weapons, and a computer and surveillance system second only to Shockwave's computer at Watch Central, the Guardian's residence.

Selenia had never been within the forbidding walls of Darkmount. Megatron ushered her without ceremony from the landing bay and through a maze of narrow corridors, finally leaving her in a small, partially empty storage room. "Wait here," he instructed, and was gone again. She heard the click of a locking code as the door slid shut.

Selenia looked around. Assorted pieces of machinery and weapons littered the floor and shelves. Almost instinctively she sifted through some of the equipment, picking out, with a skill born of long practice, those pieces she might at some point be able to use. Surreptitiously she stashed them in her chest-compartment, behind the now-repaired opaque glass of her cockpit. Her fingers brushed the new, shiny-purple Decepticon symbol that had been burnt onto its surface. For some reason it bothered her. Some feeling she could not explain protested that it was a badge she ought not wear.

The mental confusion that threatened to overwhelm her again was cut short by the sound of the door unlocking and sliding back behind her. Megatron entered, followed by Soundwave. The Decepticon leader barely glanced at her, but instead stood aside and watched Soundwave closely.

For a moment Selenia stood transfixed. What could she say to her creator, after all these centuries? Then she felt his thoughts reach out to her -- the old, familiar telepathic touch, carrying with it the sense of everything he was -- his calm self-assurance, loyalty and courage, warmth, wisdom, and patience. The mental link, which had been so violently snapped, re-established itself with surprising ease; the frayed connections mended themselves. Selenia barely realized that she rushed forward and flung her arms around Soundwave's neck -- barely noticed when Megatron, apparently satisfied that she was truly not an impostor, left them alone -- she knew only that Soundwave held her tightly and, at this moment, all the pain and confusion that tormented her vanished into insignificance.

* * *

For a while, Selenia thought her joy could have no bounds. Soundwave took her down to a huge, complex laboratory facility that doubled as a repair bay, for a tempestuous reunion with Ravage. Her older brother, usually so reserved and aloof, practically climbed all over her in his delight, and threatened to lap off her entire new coat of polish with his raspy tongue. Selenia sat on the floor and hugged him and laughed until she was out of breath. She found, after she and Ravage had regained some measure of composure, that their telepathic mind-link had re-established itself as easily as it had with Soundwave. Selenia felt a new completeness inside, as though a few missing pieces had been returned to her soul.

Soundwave introduced her to her other siblings. Megatron hadn't been exaggerating when he'd described them as "a whole flock": Selenia's eyes went bright with amazement when it seemed there was no end to the cassettes that leapt out of Soundwave's chest compartment and transformed into small robots or animals. Selenia, who had gone up against some of Cybertron's deadliest warriors, found herself suddenly at an uncomfortable loss for words under the skeptical, yet curious, scrutiny of her brothers. "I'm -- I'm your sister," she stammered finally.

"We don't have a sister," said the little blue robot whom Soundwave had introduced as Rumble. He and the others had apparently never known about her. He glanced uncertainly at Soundwave. "But we don't have a sister...?" Meant to be a statement, it came out as a question.

"You do indeed," Soundwave replied. "We thought she was destroyed long ago, before you were created. I did not know otherwise until today."

Selenia reached out mentally to Rumble's mind, to all of them. She didn't know for certain if she'd get through --

"Hey!" another one, Frenzy, yelped in amazement. He and the others looked at Soundwave, at each other, at Selenia. They had all felt her telepathic contact. After that, their initial shyness dissolved, and they all came crowding around her, all seemingly talking at once.

Selenia found that she had a limited mind-link with each of them -- not as clear as the one she had with Ravage, and not anywhere near as strong as her link with Soundwave -- but she could send and receive thoughts and emotions, in a general way, quite easily. Soundwave, as was his custom, stood back and let events take their natural course. Finally, though, he interrupted and ushered his entire brood out of the lab, assuring them they could get together with their newfound sister again later. "You too, Ravage," he added when the robotic feline remained firmly rooted at Selenia's side. "Selenia and I have much to discuss." Slowly, with unhurried elegance, Ravage rose and padded noiselessly after the others, who left the lab amidst half- hearted protests and complaints.

"Amazing," Selenia breathed when the doors slid shut behind them. "However do you keep them from driving Megatron crazy?" She giggled at the thought -- the Decepticon leader was not known for his patience, and she couldn't imagine him happily enduring a horde of laughing, shouting, rambunctious children.

"At times it requires a bit of ingenuity," Soundwave admitted, but smiled fondly, in his way, with the brightening of his eyeband.

Selenia, too, smiled and clasped his hands in spontaneous happiness. "I didn't know I had such a large family."

Abruptly the expression in Soundwave's eyes turned serious. "You did not know you had a family at all, for the past four million years," he corrected. "Come over here." Selenia felt a vague sinking sensation inside as Soundwave led her to the diagnostic equipment in the repair ward part of the lab. "I wish to check you over," he said. "To be certain that Shadowlord's repaireons did a good job." Obligingly Selenia hopped up on the table, though she felt suddenly tense and wary.

Soundwave began by testing her right shoulder, where some of the worst damage had been. She relaxed a bit under his touch; in addition to being a communications expert and third-in-command of Megatron's forces, Soundwave was also a highly skilled repairs specialist. Selenia let him move and rotate the shoulder joint. He then brought out a tiny diagnostic scanner, which he ran closely over the newly repaired surface. The scanner hummed an almost inaudible, soothing tone.

"Sabotage," Soundwave mused, almost casually. "How did you end up that way? Tell me what you remember."

Just beyond the newly healed fragments of her soul, Selenia sensed a yawning black chasm of terror. Her happiness had been a superficial thing, a veneer that chipped and flaked away at the slightest provocation. "I don't remember anything," she whispered, her body gone rigid.

"Yes you do," Soundwave persisted calmly. He tilted her head up so she met his eyes. "You are merely afraid of facing it." "Selenia," he said, and she realized he was no longer speaking, that the words formed in her mind, "Selenia, remember, you are safe now. Whatever happened, however painful it might be to remember, you must face it so it can no longer hurt you. I am here -- I will travel into your memories with you. I will allow nothing to harm you."

* * *

Selenia restlessly prowled the perimeter of the great chambered cavern which had been hollowed out deep beneath the Bismuth Mountains, and served as a temporary base camp. The others had all gone off into battle -- she was the only one there. She was frustrated, verging on angry.

She circled back to the conglomeration of hardware and software that had been strung together to form a makeshift surveillance computer, in an alcove of the main chamber. "Stay behind and guard the computer," Megatron had said, "it's the only equipment we have."

Guard -- from what? Their base was so well hidden, with both entrances holographically disguised, that an entire army of Autobots couldn't find it -- let alone the ragtag rebel bands that crawled around this sector of the planet, and spent almost as much time fighting each other as they spent fighting the equally ragtag Decepticon bands. But Megatron had said stay behind, and stay behind it was. He made her angry sometimes, with his imperious manner, as though he were already Supreme Commander of all Decepticons instead of just a minor warlord. But Soundwave and Ravage were convinced that was merely a temporary situation, and Selenia found that she had to agree. With his driving ambition, fearlessness, power, and cunning intelligence, Megatron was already beginning a meteoric rise through the Decepticon ranks. His latest ploy was to unite the scattered and feuding Decepticon bands that roamed these mountains, and consolidate them under his command; he had already systematically gained the loyalty, or at least the sworn allegiance, of much of the Decepticon-controlled southern hemisphere and equatorial regions. Now, having left the bulk of his army camped on the equator, he was pushing his influence north. Even Straxus, from his fortified position in Polyhex, had reason to be wary of the fiery young warlord who would, no doubt, soon challenge him for power.

Selenia found it hard to stay angry with Megatron when she thought of him like that. He was, after all, the most exciting and attractive male she had ever met; he had introduced her to pleasures she hadn't thought possible, both physical and emotional. When his attention was fully focused on her, she felt like the luckiest female in the galaxy. And then again he could be so -- so condescending. "Guard the computer, indeed," she muttered, her annoyance flaring again. Megatron just didn't think she could hold her own on the battlefield.

And Soundwave -- Soundwave was just as bad. Selenia loved her creator dearly, but he could be so overprotective that she sometimes felt suffocated. She'd been amazed and pleased that he had even condoned her relationship with Megatron; but then, Soundwave thought the world of Megatron. And, like Megatron, he didn't think she could hold her own in battle. "You have insufficient training at this time," he'd say, to which she'd shout back, "How can I ever get training if you never take me along?!" Even Ravage had to put his two chips in, trying to tell her how dangerous things were, out there, and she'd only be injured. "Chauvinists!" she screamed at them, "chauvinists, that's what you are!" And she'd stalked away to sulk in a corner of the cave. Later she'd felt guilty for screaming, realizing intellectually that Soundwave's, Megatron's, and Ravage's reluctance to let her join battle was motivated by concern, not malice -- but, that didn't make it emotionally any less frustrating. Finally they had reached an uneasy compromise, with Selenia being given bombing missions that usually kept her at high altitude or only within enemy firing range for the briefest possible time. It still wasn't what she wanted, but at least it was a start.

And this time they'd left her behind again. One step forward, two steps back. She sighed and sat down at the computer, letting her wings droop dejectedly. There was movement on the surveillance screen, but that was nothing unusual, and she turned her eyes to it with little interest. A small band of Autobots poked around in the vicinity of one of the disguised entrances. They suspected there was a base around here somewhere, but they didn't know exactly where. They'd never find it. They were already turning away, heading in the wrong direction.

Selenia suddenly straightened in her chair as a thought struck her. "Guard the computer," Megatron had said. So, what if those Autobots turned back, and by chance did find the entrance? What if they came down here and destroyed the computer, or captured the base? Wouldn't it be much better to destroy them now, before they even got close? Selenia grinned. When the others got back, she would lead them to the corpses of the Autobot squadron that she had destroyed all on her own. She'd show them!

But she had to hurry. Soundwave periodically "checked in" with her telepathically, not in an intrusive way, but just to make sure she was alright -- though at such moments he could usually tell what she was doing. Hopefully he would be otherwise occupied for a while. Selenia quickly powered up her lasers and leapt out the aerial access portal, out into the night sky. Engines howling, she raced off in pursuit of the Autobots, who had already moved out of visual range.

She swooped low, between the jagged mountain peaks that glimmered with eerie flickers of color. She rounded a ridge and saw the squadron up ahead. She closed on them quickly and released a barrage of laser fire that concentrated on the unsuspecting robot nearest her. He managed to turn halfway toward her, cried out, staggered, and exploded into a brilliant fireball. The others had whipped out their weapons, lighting the dark sky and metallic peaks with a criss-cross of multicolored beams.

Selenia spun out of their path, climbing high, twisting, and diving toward them from a new angle. Her first, effortless kill had exhilarated her, and she was ready to do more damage. She activated her electronic force field, which sparked and crackled around her, and shot high-voltage electrical bolts from its perimeter. Two found their mark -- one Autobot damaged, the other incinerated beyond repair.

Again she climbed clear of their return fire. What was so difficult about all this? Autobots died easily -- even Megatron had said so. A snatch of argument drifted through her mind: "You always say they're not real warriors," Selenia had protested, "so why can't I help you fight them?" "Not real warriors, but treacherous, and sometimes they get lucky," Megatron had replied.

She dived, firing electric bolts and lasers. Something clipped past her wing, rattling her balance; an instant later she felt a searing pain along the edge, which startled her into ceasing fire. She pulled out of her dive. Another bright bolt flashed past her, narrowly missing -- not from the ground, but from halfway up the nearest mountain! While the main group had kept her busy, one or two others had scrambled to a new vantage point.

Selenia peppered the dark mountainside with laser fire, randomly hoping to hit something. Fire from the ground increased, making it necessary for her to respond. Her attention was being divided, making it hard for her to fully concentrate on either target. Her exhilaration had vanished, replaced by anger and a growing spark of fear. She realized she had lost control of the situation, and logic told her to pull out -- but she so desperately wanted to prove herself that she decided to forge ahead. These Autobots weren't so tough, they were just---

An impact struck her in the back with such force that she lost engine power. A moment later there was searing pain, like before, but over her whole body. Fighting a blackness that threatened to close in over her, she forced herself upward in the air, tilting her wings back. Her engines made an unhealthy whining sound as she continued to drop in altitude, despite her efforts. She realized with a shock that the bolt which struck her had come from yet a third angle, halfway up the opposite mountain.

"... treacherous, and sometimes they get lucky...." Selenia lost consciousness an instant before she crashed to the ground.

"Continue," Soundwave told her, running his scanner over her newly-replaced left wing. "What is the next thing you recall?"

Selenia found herself held immobile to a smooth vertical surface, locked in place by magnetic clamps. The laser-impact on her back burned like liquid fire. She flickered her eyes carefully to brightness, afraid of what she would see. She had barely glimpsed light, and behind it shadow, when the back of a fist slammed across her face. She cried out with the shock and pain, then mentally cursed herself for having made a sound. She brightened her eyes fully and stared unwaveringly ahead.

A bright light-source hung above her, though behind it gathered the formless shadows of a subterranean cavern, much like that of Megatron's base. To both sides of her, computer equipment and machinery hummed and blinked. A large green-and-silver Autobot stood before her, menacing and powerful.

"Welcome back to consciousness," he said coldly. "You're a bit young to go ambushing my warriors, aren't you?" He slammed his fist across her face again, once, twice. "That's for Torque and Fusion," he snarled. Selenia had this time forced herself to make no sound. Even through the bright haze of pain that pounded behind her eyes, she took pleasure in the Autobot's confirmation that she had indeed taken out two of their number.

"You've bitten off more than you can shred, little female," the Autobot continued. He leaned very close to her, grasping hold of her chin and turning her head roughly from side to side. "I didn't think the Decepticons could turn out such attractive females." He laughed unpleasantly, reaching up with his other hand to caress the side of her helmet.

Selenia felt a surge of revulsion at his touch, but there was something chillingly familiar about his manner. She had seen Megatron treat prisoners in similar ways, worse even, switching back and forth between violence and almost kindness during the course of an interrogation, toying with them, enjoying it. Watching him, she'd thought it fascinating; finding herself on the receiving end now was altogether different. She barely managed to clamp down on the panic that rose within her.

"Commander Typhon," came a voice from the shadows.

The green-and-silver Autobot snatched his hands away from Selenia with an annoyed snarl. "What is it, Circuit?"

A slender, bright yellow Autobot with cyan accents moved into the light. "Don't you think we should extract information from her first, before you -- uh, damage her? She won't be able to tell us anything once she's dead or traumatized beyond sanity."

"I won't tell you anything anyway!" Selenia hissed.

Typhon clamped his hand around her throat. "Oh, but you most certainly will," he said, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous anticipation. He tightened his grip painfully. "For starters, where is the entrance to your hidden base?"

"Stick it in your audial sensor," Selenia replied.

The grip tightened. "One more time. Where is your base?"

"Go find it," Selenia gasped. Her vision was going black. Furious, Typhon pulled his hand away, and Selenia gulped air.

"Circuit," Typhon ordered, "go bring me that blowtorch you were using earlier."

Circuit looked vaguely uncomfortable. "Sure, Commander," he said, and disappeared into the shadows.

As Typhon regarded her with a twisted smile, Selenia realized for the first time that she would very probably die. They would have to kill her, since she would tell them nothing. The realization that she would never see her friends and family again was as painful as any damage that had yet been inflicted on her. She suddenly felt a poignant affection for her fellow warriors, even Starscream with his obnoxious attitude, and Shockwave with his infuriating logic, and Ruckus who rattled and clanked and leaked all over the floor ... and Ravage, and Megatron, and Soundwave, the beings she loved most in all the galaxies. She regretted all the time wasted in friction and arguements, and fought back tears -- she would not fall apart in front of her enemies.

Circuit returned, carrying a blowtorch in one hand and an unusual-looking helmet with dangling wires in the other. Typhon eagerly reached for the blowtorch, but Circuit spoke up quickly, "Why don't we just hook her up to the mental probe?" He held out the helmet. "Once activated, the probe will display any of her thoughts visually on the computer screen, and she can't lie or refuse to answer. It would save a lot of time -- and energy." He watched his commander hopefully.

Typhon glowered at him. "You're so damn practical sometimes, Circuit," he growled, and reluctantly reached for the helmet.

Selenia's fuel pump raced with a renewed burst of panic. She would have preferred the blowtorch. Now, because of her own stupidity and recklessness, because she had foolishly defied orders in a vain attempt to prove herself, she would end up costing the Decepticons far more than just the loss of one warrior. The Autobots would be able to pick and choose among her thoughts and ferret out the minutest details about Megatron's plans, the strength of his forces, and their exact location. She had perhaps doomed them all to destruction.

Circuit was helping Typhon connect the helmet's dangling wires to the blinking outlets in the computer.

There was one thing, Selenia realized, that she could do to prevent this. Dimming her eyes, she activated a complicated series of mental commands. When she brightened her eyes again, she felt rather than heard the beginning of the steady countdown deep inside her, felt the heat slowly building in her power core as the overload gathered. She only hoped she had begun the self-destruct sequence in time. There was no way to speed up the countdown.

The helmet was hooked up, and Circuit was keying up a diagnostic program while Typhon waited impatiently.

Selenia almost gasped aloud as she felt a familiar mental touch. Soundwave, "checking in," casually at first; there couldn't have been a worse time for it. Selenia tried to pull away from the contact, but it was too late -- he knew immediately that something was wrong, and intensified the link. Selenia felt his start of horror when he sensed the countdown and realized what was going on. Swiftly his thoughts entered her neural pathways to abort the sequence. Selenia tried to block him, but against his telepathic skill her untrained efforts were less than useless. Nevertheless it was too late -- the countdown was past the point of no return.

Typhon approached her with the helmet. Selenia barely saw him. Despite all her efforts, lubricant tears streamed down her face. "Soundwave I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she whispered. She tried to pull away from his mental contact, to spare him what came next. She never knew if she was successful, for the heat that had built inside her exploded outward to envelop her entire perception in a molten red fireball. It shrank quickly into blackness and utter silence.

* * *

Selenia leaned against Soundwave, shaking, drawing strength from his presence. It seemed a long time before she could pull back and look up at him. "You were still in contact with me, weren't you, when I -- when the sequence ended," she asked.

"That is unimportant now," he replied. Selenia saw the barest flicker of remembered pain flash through his eyes.

"I can't believe I could have been that stupid," Selenia said angrily. "To attack a whole squadron by myself--!"

"No more recriminations," Soundwave stopped her. "It was long ago."

"Yes," Selenia sighed. "But that still doesn't explain how I became Sabotage."

"I hesitate to delve into your mind further just now, but I think I know. Obviously the Autobots were able to reactivate you after your power core overloaded. You were, for all intents and purposes, dead for at least a few minutes, since our mental contact was broken ... but tell me, what is your earliest memory as Sabotage?"

"It's not all that clear anymore. But I can still vividly see the ruins of the city in front of me, the city that was -- that I thought was, my home. I remember dragging myself through the smoking rubble, coming across the bodies of my neighbors and friends, finding my creator half-buried under tons of steel, dead, and vowing at that moment to spend the rest of my life destroying those who had caused this. Even when I think of it now, it feels like a true memory -- I can still smell the acrid smoke from the fires. It's as though there are two entirely separate beings living inside my body, each of whom lived her own life."

Soundwave nodded thoughtfully. "But think for a moment, Selenia. What was the name of your city?"

She looked at him blankly. "I -- I don't know."

"Did you ever know?"

"No -- no, isn't that strange? I guess I never thought of the city by any particular name. It was just 'my destroyed home city'."

Soundwave was putting holes into her "true memories," pointing out places where the logic didn't fit. "Your 'dead creator'," he continued, "what was his name?"

Selenia shook her head in confusion. "I don't know that either. But you know, Soundwave, when I picture him, he looked like you. When I remembered him, as Sabotage, he was a skilled telepath, like you. The pain of losing him was real. Isn't it strange, though, that I never questioned why I didn't have names for anyone or anything in my past?"

"Not so strange," Soundwave replied, "when dealing with false memories that were programmed into your mind. In such mental manipulation it is always more effective to add real events to the false memories, to make them ring true. Real emotions are used as much as possible, and bonded to the false memories. But to use real names can endanger the whole process, because real names can trigger real memories and lead the subject back to their true identity."

"So basically, I was implanted with a command to sabotage any military operation -- only I thought I was doing it for my own sake, for the sake of vengeance! Soundwave, I can't believe how many years I wasted trying to vindicate a false set of memories! It's as though someone took my whole life away from me and manipulated me into living an enormous lie!" It seemed to Selenia, at that moment, the most heinous of crimes. She remembered living with the vengelust, the bitterness, the painfully friendless and solitary life she had led as Sabotage, and felt utterly violated.

An unpleasant suspicion took shape in her mind, something that she didn't even want to think about ... but she had to know. "How do you know so much about this process," she asked softly, hardly daring to voice the question.

"I have used it," he answered matter-of-factly.

For a moment she was horrified, to think that her creator could have done this deplorable thing to someone else that had been done to her. But it made sense, in a twisted sort of way. For all his empathy and gentleness, Soundwave believed strongly in the Decepticon cause, and could be a ruthless fighter -- a fact that never failed to surprise his fellow Decepticons, some of whom mistakenly considered him almost a pacifist.

Soundwave was not currently reading her thoughts, but he guessed at what was going through her mind. "This is war," he said. "We do what we must."

Selenia nodded and dimmed her eyes for a moment, ridding herself of the revulsion. "You think you're an individual," she muttered, more to herself than to Soundwave. "You think you're secure in your personality, that this is who you are. And then to realize how easily it can just be blanked out---"

"It is not always so easy. In some individuals, their original inclinations cannot be totally overridden -- merely expanded upon. For instance in your case. You attacked Autobot installations as well as ours -- that was your original nature coming through. No doubt the Autobots who programmed you realized you would do some damage to their own side as well, but felt it was worth the cost, in return for the damage you would do to us."

"Now that I think about it," Selenia mused, "I don't remember hating one side any more or less than the other, but I do seem to remember attacking more Decepticon installations than Autobot ones. At the time, it seemed like those just came up more frequently in my random path -- but maybe it wasn't so random?"

"That is a reasonable assumption," Soundwave agreed. "Memory manipulation can be very subtle, so you never suspect you are acting on someone else's instructions. In fact, you may still not be entirely free of it. I still sense mental blockages in your mind. But I think the worst is over, and we can deal with any other problems as they emerge."

Selenia offered him a shaky smile. She very much wanted to believe that the worst was indeed over.

Part 2

In the next few days Selenia explored the base, marveling at the immense size and maze-like diversity of Darkmount. Her younger siblings were only too eager to lead her into all their favorite haunts and corners, and Selenia enjoyed their company -- but found she learned more about the actual lay-out of the base when she explored on her own. She learned quickly that Soundwave could almost always be found either in the weapons lab/repair bay deep below ground, or in the upper-level communications center that could link up with almost all the Decepticon troops on the planet, and even had interplanetary capability.

Besides this huge and sophisticated center, there were innumerable smaller communications consoles scattered throughout the building, most linking up only within the base or within the province of Polyhex, but some having planet-wide capability as well. Selenia found herself strangely drawn to these outreach points -- often she found herself standing in front of one of the screens and consoles, unable to remember arriving there, and not sure why she was staring at a dark screen. A dozen times she'd been on the verge of telling Soundwave about these disquieting lapses of memory -- but, Soundwave was actively involved in helping Megatron plan a major assault, and she didn't want to distract him. Maybe her lapses were merely after- effects of getting her identity back, she reasoned. And, she felt she had caused Soundwave quite enough worry already, without adding to it further. So, when she heard footsteps behind her and turned around, startled, to realize she was in the main communications center, she dismissed it without much further thought.

She had turned to face someone she had known long ago. "Starscream!" she exclaimed.

"Selenia," he replied coolly, looking her up and down. "Rumor had it you were back from the dead. I guess it's true." He didn't sound especially pleased. They had never much cared for each other, even in the beginning, though they were close to the same age and might have found some common ground there in the early days of the war. But Starscream had been afflicted with a serious case of hero-worship, and Selenia had been hopelessly infatuated, and so they'd found themselves vying in some sense for Megatron's attention. When Selenia's relationship with Megatron had become more intimate, their initial dislike of each other had deepened into something that approached enmity.

"You do realize this is a restricted area?" Starscream persisted.

"I was looking for my creator," Selenia snapped defensively.

"Well he's not here," Starscream stated the obvious, "so you can go now."

She fixed him with a level glare. "I'll go when I'm good and ready."

Starscream, to her annoyance, laughed. "So, you're not the fluffy bit of tinfoil you used to be."

"From anyone but you, I would almost take that as a compliment," Selenia answered sarcastically.

Starscream shrugged. "Take it any way you like." He wandered around her in a casual circle, looking her over. "You going to pick up where you left off with Megatron?" he asked, his tone taking on a subtly needling quality.

Selenia whirled on him. "I don't see what possible business that could be of yours!"

Starscream held out his hands in a gesture of utter innocence. "Hey, I was just attempting to make conversation. You were always so touchy."

"And you were always such an arrogant jerk, always looking to stir up trouble--!"

"What's going on in here?" demanded a voice from the entranceway. Megatron strode into the huge circular room. "Is he bothering you, Selenia?"

"Yes," she stated emphatically, as Starscream simultaneously voiced an indignant "No!"

"But then again," he continued with a smirk at Megatron, "seeing as you two are, shall we say, close, I don't suppose you'd believe me over her."

"Get out of here," Megatron snarled at him, "while you can still walk."

Grinning to himself, but nevertheless keeping Megatron at a safe distance, Starscream left the chamber.

"I can't believe he's still around!" Selenia exclaimed. A trace of Sabotage's memories came back to her, things she had heard about the goings-on in Decepticon High Command, about the rift that had developed between Megatron and Starscream. "I thought for sure, after Starscream took so many treasonous actions against you, that it was only a matter of time before you twisted his head off."

"I've been on the verge of doing just that a thousand times," Megatron said.

"But surely he's not your Subcommander anymore," Selenia said.

"Well, actually, he is."

"What?!" Selenia exclaimed. "But why?"

"Quite simply, he's good at it," Megatron told her. "And don't ever tell him I said that."

"Not to worry." She regarded him skeptically. "But, I remember the rumors about all the trouble he's tried to make for you. If even half of that is true--"

"Most of it's probably true," Megatron interrupted with a touch of annoyance.

"Then how can his abilities outweigh the risk of keeping him around -- and in such a high-ranking position?" She had a sudden flash of insight. "That's a lot of sentimental value to attach to a dead friendship, Megatron."

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped. "What are you doing in here, anyway? This is a restricted area--!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I brought it up. I was just looking for Soundwave. I know you're planning some kind of major assault on the Autobots. I want to know how I can help."

The anger in his eyes slowly faded. "Alright," he said. "We've discovered a weak spot in the defenses of Iacon -- a way to attack the city from an ancient subterranean tunnel system that doesn't even show up on most of the maps...." He continued to outline his plan to her in detail. Iacon was the Autobot equivalent of Polyhex, the stronghold of the enemy forces, the seat of command. For a while it was just like old times, Selenia thought -- Megatron explaining his grand plans to her, his optics flashing with the anticipation of success, and Selenia herself getting caught up in the excitement. But when he finished, saying, "The destruction of Iacon, Selenia, will rip the fuel pump out of the Autobot resistance" -- he closed his fist over empty air in a crushing motion, and reached out with his other hand in an unconscious gesture, to lay an arm around her shoulders -- she pulled back from his touch. Megatron, far more concerned with his anticipated victory than with her, barely noticed. But for Selenia, the excitement had abruptly ended. Despite Starscream's needling insinuations, she could not see herself "picking up where she'd left off" with Megatron. What she had admired in her youth as his idealistic ambition, she saw now as boundless greed; what she had formerly thought of as his indomitable courage, now seemed to her pure ruthlessness. He was, without question, as physically attractive now as he had been then. But Selenia was no longer attracted to him. Or -- was it some vestige of Sabotage, she wondered, that was responsible for her changed viewpoint? Deep in thought, she drifted from the communications center.

"Selenia!" She heard Megatron call her as though from a great distance. He followed her, grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him. "Where are you going? I thought you wanted to help."

"I -- I do." She forced herself not to pull away from him just then.

"Then you obviously weren't listening. I just told you I want you to join us in the attack."

"Me?" She gaped at him. There was a time when she would have given anything to hear those words.

"Of course -- we might have use of your talents. I know you've managed to get in and out of places that were thought to be impregnable. I also know you've become a highly skilled fighter. It would be a waste to leave you behind."

Selenia did her best to muster a facade of enthusiasm, that she somehow did not feel.

* * *

Typhon leaned back from the computer screen and stretched his creaking joints. Three times he'd been transferred into new replicas of his original body, after that blasted Decepticon female had nearly killed him in her self- destruct overload. Some freak aftershock of the damage had caused his neural pathways to deteriorate rapidly in the first two bodies; in the third, the pathways held, but he was forever after plagued with a painful grinding in his joints, for which no rational cause or cure had yet been found. A fourth transfer, he was told, would probably kill him. So he'd lived in this body, letting its imperfections feed his hatred for the Decepticons.

But moments such as now made it worthwhile. He'd received some important information, so important that he had not hesitated to pass it on to Iacon. A strange bunch, at Iacon -- while they pretended to deplore his methods, they always appreciated his results. And his results, this time, would be that the Decepticons would not get even halfway to Iacon. He'd already arranged to have the powerful motion-sensor explosives planted along the subterranean route.

He thought of the Decepticon female, as always, with two simultaneous and divergent sets of emotions. He often fantasized about getting her back into his clutches, just one more time, and doing unspeakable things to her. He pictured her dying at his hands, a defeated and broken thing, and smiled wistfully. Perhaps some day he would give her the order to seek out his base and return.

On the other hand, she was like a creation to him. A kind of love/hate obsession writhed and twisted itself around his mental image of her. He had made her over, in countless hours, weeks, months of mental manipulation, into someone so different that she might as well have been a newly-created robot. Better yet, the personality she assumed was only the top layer of a set of implanted instructions and impulses that were buried much deeper. It made little difference that she had now discarded Typhon's carefully constructed surface-layer personality; she was, if anything, even more dangerous now. The truly delicious part was that he had made her over into an Autobot -- and she didn't even know it!

* * *

"I am not certain she is ready for this," Soundwave was saying. He and Megatron stood alone in the huge audience chamber that doubled as a throne room. "There is still much confusion in her mind, a number of impenetrable blockades in her thoughts, that even I am unable to reach. With time, perhaps, but as things stand--"

"I don't see the problem," Megatron countered. "She knows her own identity again. Isn't that the most important part? And she's certainly proven that she has the battle and survival skills that we're going to need on this mission. She's far too valuable to leave behind."

"She may not be as valuable as you think, at this time. Sometimes it seems she is at war with herself. Her own confusion may hinder her effectiveness and thereby endanger her."

"I doubt it. She survived too long, alone and against all odds, to make a fatal mistake now. Like any good warrior, her reactions have become instinctive. We need those reactions, those instincts, against the Autobots."

Soundwave still looked skeptical.

"Alright," Megatron added, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll keep her in sight at all times. I promise you, Soundwave, I'll bring her back safely."

At that moment the large, heavy entrance doors slid open, and Starscream walked quickly into the chamber. "Megatron, I--" He stopped upon seeing Soundwave. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Megatron's optics flickered in annoyance. "Anything you have to say to me can be said--"

"--in front of Soundwave, I know," Starscream impatiently finished the familiar sentence. "Have it your way, then. But he's not going to like it."

When had Starscream ever cared what Soundwave liked, Megatron wondered. Starscream had always seen Soundwave as a rival, a target of intense and irrational jealousy, even though Soundwave was not the least bit threatened by, or threatening to, Starscream. Starscream took every opportunity to try and incite trouble, and delighted in making nasty little needling remarks that Soundwave rarely ever condescended to answer. But this time, Megatron could see, Starscream was not playing his little games. He was dead serious. "Well, what is it, then?" Megatron demanded.

"Call off the attack on Iacon. I'm convinced we're walking into a trap," Starscream told him.

"Don't be stupid," Megatron said dismissively. He had planned everything to the smallest detail. Even as they spoke, many of his best warriors were assembling in Darkmount's lowest sublevel and preparing for the assault. "The Autobots have no idea we're coming."

"I think there's a good chance they do," Starscream argued. "Haven't you been keeping track of our outgoing shipments lately? Weapons, fuel, replacement parts, sent from Polyhex to our warriors all over the planet. In the last week alone, four out of five emergency shipments were intercepted by Autobots -- who weren't supposed to know about them! Of those four intercepted shipments, we were only able to salvage one. That's a pretty abysmal record, considering what our security procedure is supposed to be like!"

It was true -- Megatron had seen the reports. He'd been momentarily angry about them, but he'd been so involved in planning his assault that he'd quickly put the failures out of his mind. And what did this have to do with Iacon, anyway?

"I think we have a traitor in our midst," Starscream said, as though answering Megatron's thought.

"You mean, other than you?" Megatron laughed.

"I'm loyal to the Decepticon cause!" Starscream exclaimed indignantly. "But someone is leaking information to the Autobots. If they knew about our emergency shipments, they probably know about our attack plans, too." An expression of malicious pleasure flickered across his face. "And you know, it's funny, but all the trouble started right around the time Selenia arrived."

Soundwave leveled a stare at him. "Such unfounded accusations are ill-becoming of your rank and stature," he said, the diplomatic phrasing strangely at odds with the uncharacteristically warning undertone.

"Merely an observation," Starscream replied, with his classic expression of such innocence that it was obviously meant to be fake.

Now he was playing his little games, and they never failed to make Megatron angry. He knew what Starscream was doing. By accusing Selenia of treason, he was merely trying to get to Soundwave -- it was the only subject that could rattle Soundwave's composure. Perhaps there was a leak inside Polyhex, but Megatron would never believe it was Selenia. True, she had been somewhat distant and cold since her return, but then, she'd been through a great deal. "That's enough out of you," he snapped. "Now, let's go. We have Autobots to destroy."

He strode out of the chamber, followed by Soundwave and Starscream.

"Okay, fine," Starscream muttered to himself, just loudly enough for Megatron to overhear. "I'll just sit back and watch your plans fall apart. But don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

Selenia checked her weapons one more time, making sure they were fully powered. She looked around at this, the lowest sublevel of Darkmount, where a sizable fighting force of Decepticons had assembled. Many were re-checking their weapons, as she was; some were silent and intense, focused on the upcoming conflict; some were loud and talkative, bolstering their courage with a final show of bravado. Selenia herself felt strangely empty.

"Hey, Selenia!"

She turned to see Rumble standing beside her, with both guns in his hands. He grinned up at her. "Ain't this great?"

She usually had to smile at the tough-guy accent he tried to affect, but this time she wasn't amused. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"What d'ya mean? I'm attacking Iacon, same as you."

"You can't be serious! The others too?"

"Sure." Rumble gave her a puzzled look. Overkill and Frenzy disentangled themselves from the surrounding crowd and joined him. They too were armed for battle.

A horrible sense of foreboding gathered inside her. Frantically she scanned the crowd for Soundwave, spinning around to find he had come up behind her. He held a concussion grenade out to her. "Some additional firepower," he said. "Just in case."

Selenia took the grenade and slipped it into her chest compartment, along with the other odds and ends that she'd stashed there -- when had she picked up some of this stuff, she wondered absently? -- and gestured at her brothers. "Surely you're not letting them come with us?"

"Of course," Soundwave said.

"But they're much too young!" Selenia protested. "When I was their age, you wouldn't even let me go out alone at night!"

"They have had to grow up quickly, at least in some ways," Soundwave said. "Do not be concerned, they are competent warriors. If I learned anything from what happened to you, I found it better to teach them to look after themselves than to attempt to shield them from all dangers. They will be fine." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "And you? Are you well and prepared for battle?"

"Yes of course," she answered automatically, dropping her gaze so Soundwave would not see the doubt in her eyes.

"Decepticons!" came the voice of Megatron. He stood by the doors that led out into the subsurface shaft. "The downfall of Iacon will mark a turning point in the war. With the decimation of the Autobot high command on Cybertron, conquering the rest of the planet will be easy. This battle is no mere border-skirmish. It will determine the future of the Decepticon empire. I expect each of you to use full destructive force. We take no prisoners, and we destroy everything. Decepticons forever!"

"Decepticons forever!" echoed the assembled warriors. "Hail Megatron!" shouted others.

A ruined city flashed vividly and painfully through Selenia's mind. She felt an irrational surge of hatred for Megatron, and checked herself. These were Sabotage- thoughts, not Selenia-thoughts. After this mission, she vowed, she would tell Soundwave that too much of Sabotage still lurked within her, and also about the memory- lapses. Yesterday, for instance, she had found herself before this very same subterranean entrance, alone, as though she'd just come through from the other side, but unable to remember anything more. Yes, as soon as this was over and they were safely back in Polyhex, she would tell him, first thing.

The army moved forward as the huge doors slid open. A yawning, straight-sided chasm gaped behind it and the Decepticons dropped down into the open void, activating their flight-engines, many transforming to aircraft modes. It was a vertical drop for some distance, until an equally large square-sided horizontal tunnel met the shaft at a right angle. Megatron led his warriors through a maze of tunnels so large that the whole army could easily remain in flight. These were the main service-tunnels that ran beneath the subsurface of Cybertron -- before the war they had housed a network of transportation systems which had long been dismantled for spare parts. They were large enough to make traveling to distant Iacon quick and easy -- but they were also well-known, reasonably well mapped, and, close to the enemy province, well guarded. The tunnels that Megatron intended to use to transport his forces directly below Iacon were much older, much smaller, ran deeper, and were all but unexplored. Selenia had the uneasy sensation that she recognized the spot where Megatron landed and pulled up a metal plate in the floor of the large tunnel, to expose a much narrower shaft that dropped down into the ancient tunnel-system.

Once within the tangled maze of the old tunnels, the Decepticons often had to proceed single-file. Selenia kept near the head of the column, close to Soundwave, who stayed close to Megatron. Starscream, as Subcommander, also stayed near the front. "I don't think Megatron knows where he's going," he smirked to Selenia once, but she ignored him. Megatron knew exactly where he was going -- more and more she had the feeling that she recognized the route.

For instance, there should be an open area up ahead, large enough for most of the army to gather together. From this there were three tunnels leading forward, of which they would have to take the central one, as well as several other tunnels leading off to the sides and back the way they'd come. When they arrived at just such a location, Selenia began to be seriously concerned. Why did she know this place? Had she been here as Sabotage? If so, when? She wished fervently that the mission was already over, that she was back at Darkmount and could have a long talk with Soundwave about her confusion. Now was certainly not the time or the place.

"I don't believe this!" Megatron exclaimed angrily up ahead.

Selenia came forward and saw that the central tunnel leading toward Iacon was blocked by a great mass of twisted and shredded metal that had collapsed from above. "Soundwave," Megatron demanded, "when was the last time Ravage came through here to double-check the route?"

"Three days ago," Soundwave replied, as Ravage melted out of the shadows behind him and seated himself at his creator's feet. "The tunnel was clear at that time. The cave-in must have occurred within the last few hours."

"Looks more like a bombing," Starscream observed casually. "But then, what do I know?" He offered Megatron an innocuous look.

The Decepticon leader glared at him. Annoyed at the delay, he immediately assigned a group of warriors, including Starscream, to clear the tunnel. It was obviously going to take some time. "Ravage, Soundwave, see if you can find another route through this tunnel to the left," he ordered. "Selenia, you and I will explore the one leading to the right."

Selenia followed him in. Without the light from the many glowing eyes of the other Decepticons, the narrow tunnel was almost completely dark. Megatron was impatient and moved quickly; Selenia realized they would soon come to a more open dead end that sported a few dim light-banks in the ceiling, that had not yet burned out over the millennia. She was inexplicably both relieved and startled when they did arrive at just such a place.

There was an outline of a removable panel in the ceiling at the other end of the small room, which looked like it would lead to another tunnel above. "What do you bet, that's an alternate route past the blocked tunnel?" Megatron said. "Next stop, Iacon." He grinned like a predator who had enjoyed the hunt and was about to close in for the kill.

Another surge of pure hatred washed over Selenia. "Yes, I'm sure that's the alternate route," she said. "Open it."

With an air of confident satisfaction, Megatron strode toward the panel.

Suddenly a shadow soared into the room. "Laserbeak!" Selenia gasped. Her brother's mind touched hers briefly, communicating his anticipation, his eagerness to enter the alternate route and leave behind all the delay. He flew straight toward the panel.

Selenia leapt forward, shot past Megatron, and snatched Laserbeak out of the air. But he'd already gotten too close to the motion sensor. With an earthshattering blast, the ceiling panel blew inward, along with most of the ceiling. Selenia spun so her back was toward the blast and threw herself forward, covering Laserbeak with her body. He screeched in panic and transformed into his cassette shape, additionally shrinking down to a much smaller size. Even as sharp-edged shrapnel tore into her from above, Selenia shoved Laserbeak into her chest compartment.

The first blast had set off the others, strung in a chain around this section of the tunnels. The floor was heaving, and Selenia found it hard to struggle to her feet. Smoke and flames poured in around her from all sides. She felt a powerful grip on her arm, and saw the silhouette of Megatron outlined against the smoke. He pulled her forward and they ran back the way they had come.

They rejoined the army to find them in heated battle with Autobots who poured in streams out of most of the side-tunnels. Soundwave and Ravage burst out of the last forward-leading tunnel, with smoke and flames close behind. All three forward-leading routes had now been blocked off by the chain of explosions.

And the Autobots were trying to cut off their route back to Polyhex. Selenia fought side-by-side with Megatron, matching his furious, desperate determination. What had been planned as a battle of conquest had become a fight for survival. Selenia used all of her skills, all of her weaponry, and slowly, very slowly, they fought their way toward the one tunnel that would lead them back to base. And it was blocked by a squadron of Autobots!

"Cover me for a moment!" she shouted to Megatron, and snapped open her cockpit, snatching the grenade out of her chest compartment. Laserbeak was still there, safe, and the knowledge gave her added courage. She activated the grenade, darted forward until she was within range, and flung the explosive into the center of the group of Autobots. The blast threw them in all directions. Those who managed to recover were felled by Selenia's electric bolts -- she had hurled herself at them even before the aftershocks of the explosion had died.

The way back to Polyhex was clear. The Decepticons streamed toward it, clawing and fighting and pushing past one another to enter the narrow tunnel, with few keeping the presence of mind to cover the retreat. Their losses were staggering.

At some point during the mad flight back toward base, Selenia began to feel the shrapnel that had torn into her back, began to sense the fuel that was leaking out of her, began to falter with a sudden, sickening weakness. She had only the vague sensation that someone took hold of her, someone very powerful, and carried her the rest of the way back to Darkmount.

* * *

The area that had formerly served as the repair bay had spread to include not only the entire weapons lab, but several adjoining rooms. Damaged Decepticons were laid out everywhere, even atop lab tables and on mats on the floor. Soundwave and the repaireons under his command labored to attend to those first who were most critically damaged, but for all their efforts, Megatron could see as he entered the repair bay that many would leak to death before they could receive attention. A cold fury crystallized inside him. Everything had been planned, everything would have been perfect. Even terrible casualties such as these would have been worthwhile, if only the objective had been accomplished. But this way, it was all wasted. Good warriors, dying for nothing ... there was only one way things could have gone so badly wrong.

He looked around for the closest repaireon. He caught sight of Repairs Specialist Talon, second in rank and skill only to Soundwave, and the "second in skill" part was debatable. Megatron motioned him aside. "Where do I find Selenia?" he demanded. After handing her over to the repaireons, he'd lost track of her in the tumult of returning to base. "Has she been repaired?"

Talon shrank back from the barely restrained fury in Megatron's voice and eyes. "Yes, she's been repaired," he answered. "She's still resting. You'll find her along the far wall of the weapons lab, where the pulse cannons used to be. Now, if you'll excuse me, Commander--" He hurried off to tend to his next patient.

The experimental pulse cannons had been moved out into the hallway to create more space. Megatron moved swiftly toward the spot along the far wall where they'd stood, and rounded a lab table -- fuel pooled at its base, the Decepticon stretched out on top was already dead -- and against the wall, amidst many others that were occupied, lay a vacant mat. "Damn," Megatron snarled, and hurried out of the repair ward. She couldn't have been gone long. Chances were that she would make for one of the above- ground exits, but which one? Taking a chance on a snap decision, Megatron headed for the nearest air-access portal.

She was there, waiting for the lock on the portal to cycle open. She hadn't even turned on the lights in the small dim chamber. She whirled, startled, as Megatron entered and slammed down the lever on the portal controls, which reversed the unlocking cycle and kept the hatch firmly shut. She backed away, slowly and warily, but her gaze was steady. Megatron made sure to keep himself between her and the doorway to the corridor. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave us?" he asked. He tried, and failed, to keep the icy anger out of his tone.

Selenia said nothing, only watched him. Her eyes gleamed in the dimness, accentuating her delicately beautiful face. For a moment Megatron saw her as she had been long ago. He had been fond of her -- hadn't loved her, exactly, but she'd been available, eager to please, and amusingly naive. She was none of those things anymore. She was the worst of all possible things. Even worse than that, Starscream had been right -- again -- and would not soon let anyone forget it.

"I know what you are," Megatron growled, advancing on her. "I knew the moment you pulled Laserbeak back from that blast. You knew it was coming because you planted it -- or informed someone who did, it makes no difference. You're a traitor, and you know that I know -- and that's why you're trying to sneak away into the night. Because you remember that the one thing I hate most in all the galaxies is a traitor." He reached out and grabbed her arms, pinning her forcefully back against the wall. He tightened his grip until he could feel his fingers gouging into her metal. He wanted to shake her until she snapped in half.

A moment later he pulled back from her. She had activated her electric force-field and sent bolts of pain into his hands. The field sparked and crackled around her body, making it impossible for him to touch her. He snapped up his right arm, aiming his fusion cannon right at her head. "Save your power," he snarled. "You know my fusion cannon can puncture your force field like paper."

The electric crackle faded into blackness. "Do it, then," she said. Her look was an odd mixture of defiance and sadness. "Get it over with and be rid of me, even though you don't know why I did it, even though I don't know why I did it, even though neither one of us has all the facts. But you're not one to let facts stand in your way, are you?

"You told me about what you hate ... well, what I hate is Transformers like you, who have turned this whole planet into a wasteland, willing to destroy everything that gets in your way. You don't care about anything or anyone except yourself and your own mad quest for power!"

Megatron held his aim steady, though he could feel himself tremble with fury. "Is that what the Autobots told you, you filthy traitor?!" In a moment, he reminded himself, she would be gone -- molten to a pool of bubbling metal and singed circuitry, and if he could control himself just a little bit longer, he would be able to truly savor her death. If only her self-destruct sequence back in the Bismuth Mountains had been successful, today's disaster would have been avoided. Right at this moment he might have been at Iacon, overseeing the execution of whatever Autobots remained there--

His thoughts stopped short as he suddenly remembered how Soundwave had lost contact with Selenia, that first time. All the light had gone out of his eyeband. He'd seemed on the verge of collapse, and Megatron had taken hold of his shoulders to steady him -- and the light had come back on in his eyes, but dimly. "She is gone," he'd said, very quietly, "Selenia is dead." And he'd walked away, and spent a lot of time by himself after that, but never discussed Selenia again. Soundwave's absolute silence on the subject had disturbed Megatron far more than if he had openly displayed his grief. Those who did not know him well, might have said that Soundwave must not have felt the loss very deeply; Megatron knew that nothing was farther from the truth. He thought it significant that, of all the children Soundwave created later, not one of them was female.

Slowly, very slowly, Megatron lowered his fusion cannon. "You're wrong, Selenia," he said. "I'm not going to kill you, because Soundwave would feel you die. I would have to explain to him not only that I killed his creation, but also why. I will not be responsible for putting him through that much pain again." He stepped to the controls for the air-access portal and keyed in the unlocking sequence.

A few moments passed before the hatch cycled open. Selenia drew a shuddering breath. "You -- you're not going to tell Soundwave that I was the -- the--" She couldn't bring out the word.

"The traitor," Megatron finished. "No. It would kill him. But don't ever cross my path again, Selenia, or so help me, I will kill you. And if I ever hear of Sabotage again, I'll come after you myself."

Selenia edged toward the open portal. "Don't worry, Megatron," she said quietly. "Sabotage is dead." And so is Selenia, she added to herself as she turned away and stepped out through the portal. She hovered for a moment as her flight engines kicked in, then transformed and streaked away into the velvet-black star-flecked sky. What identity she would assume now, and where she would go, she could not even begin to guess.

END

Run in the shadows,
Damn your love,
Damn your lies.

And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again.
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain.

---Fleetwood Mac, "The Chain"

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