Transformers: Armada

The Last Mini-Con

By Trixter



     The Mini-Con had thought the Barrens would be safe.  When he had finally 

made his way out of Megatron's lair only to discover that the rest of his race 

was nowhere to be found, he knew he had no choice but to go into hiding.  This 

no-bot's-land on the border of Decepticon territory had seemed like the perfect 

place to let his continued existance be overlooked by the rest of the world.  

But it turned out that even the Barrens had a few inhabitants.  And while the 

enraged derelict now chasing him seemed uninterested in rewiring or 

experimenting on him, and may well have been completely unaware of the energy-

boosting properties of the Mini-Con race, he was extremely territorial and was 

not happy to have others trespassing through what he considered "his" part of 

this wasteland.

     And so the Mini-Con ran.  This part of the wasteland had once been a city 

for the larger Transformers, and the rubble-clogged streets were a mixed 

blessing.   Even though it had been a few days since his escape from Megatron 

his body was still sore from the experiments and imprisonment, and he stumbled 

over the uneven terrain as he ran.  His truck mode would hurt less under this 

kind of abuse, but he couldn't navigate as quickly through the rubble on tires 

and he needed all the speed and agility his aching body could give him.  But the 

rubble provided ample cover for a small robot like him, and, with the crunch of 

the robot's treads getting louder behind him, he ducked behind a large slab of 

fallen building.  He said a silent prayer to whatever gods may watch over Mini-

Cons as the larger Transformer got closer and closer.

     Then the crunching stopped, just behind the slab, and he heard the massive 

tank transform.  "C'mon out, ya wretched mechling!" he bellowed, his voice 

echoing through the city.  The Mini-Con winced.  He heard the tank-bot step 

forward, then the slab above him shattered into dust.

     The Mini-Con braced himself to bolt, but before he could take off again 

through the rubble he was startled by another voice ringing out from further 

down the street.  "Hey, why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"  He 

looked down the street to see another large Transformer, an Autobot, walking 

towards them with his gun drawn.

     The derelict growled, then lumbered past the Mini-Con's hiding spot toward 

the newcomer.  The Autobot smoothly raised his gun and fired.  A bolt of light 

hit the robot and he crashed mid-stride to the ground, surrounded by a crackling 

electrical aura.  He didn't get back up.  And as the Autobot stepped around the 

fallen Transformer and approached him, the Mini-Con suddenly realized just how 

exhausted he was and, with the immediate threat of dismantling at the hands of 

the angry giant gone, he fainted.

     The Autobot knelt beside the limp Mini-Con and lifted him carefully.  "Poor 

little guy," he said, shaking his head.  "Let's get you somewhere a little 

safer."



     The Mini-Con awoke on the floor in the corner of a field tent.  He lay 

still for a few moments, letting everything come back to him.  He didn't hurt as 

much as before.  It was definitely a welcome change, a result no doubt of the 

needed rest his body had forced upon him.  He slowly turned his head.  The 

Autobot who had saved him was now sitting on the floor nearby, typing on a 

portable computer.  He seemed a little on the small side for an Autobot, with 

blue and purple coloring and hints of a racecar altmode.  A visor concealed his 

optics, but the set of his mouth suggested that he was concentrating hard on 

whatever he was typing.  It occured to the Mini-Con, as his thoughts recovered 

from unconsciousness, that the Autobot was probably typing up a report about 

him.

     Finally noticing he was being watched, the Autobot turned to the Mini-Con.  

He instinctively froze, but the Autobot just smiled down at him.  "Hi there," he 

greeted softly.  "I'm Speedway.  Feeling any better?"

     The Mini-Con nodded stiffly.  "Thank you.  For saving me back there."

     Speedway turned back to his computer.  "You don't have to thank me.  That's 

what I was sent out here for.  There were rumors of a Mini-Con still hiding in 

the Barrens, and I came to find you before Megatron's lackeys found out.  To 

keep you safe."  Speedway looked back at him again and smiled.  "Think of me as 

your bodyguard.  I'm assigned to protect you."

     The Mini-Con slowly sat up.  "That's right, Leader-1 called the Autobots to 

help us..."

     Speedway sighed.  "As much as we could.  Not enough."  He turned off the 

computer and closed it up.  "I guess my report's pretty much done.  So...tell me 

about yourself.  What's your name?"

     "Um..."  He had to concentrate for a moment, it had been so long since his 

name had mattered.  "Hotwire.  From village D10."  He tried to think of what 

else to tell the Autobot, but he found that the very ideas of identity and home 

only brought back feelings he had been trying not to deal with.  He had lost so 

much since the Decepticons had attacked his village, starting with friends and 

finally concluding with everything he had ever thought constant and stable in 

his life.  He found himself shaking.  "I'm sorry, it's just..."

     "Hey, it's okay," Speedway said reassuringly.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean 

to upset you."  He shook his head.  "I know you've been through more than I can 

even imagine.  Why don't you just rest some more before we head back to Cyber 

City?"

     Hotwire nodded, then laid back down.  As much as it hurt, it was reassuring 

to finally be able to let his guard down and just cope with all that had 

happened.  And he did feel like he could trust this Autobot.  He didn't know a 

lot of the details of the Autobots' involvement in the Mini-Con War, but he knew 

they had always had a reputation for being defenders of those in need.  Not to 

mention that Speedway simply seemed like a nice guy.

     "Hey, Speedway?"

     "Hmm?"

     "What happened to the rest of the Mini-Cons?"

     The Autobot sighed.  "Gone.  Best we've been able to figure out is that 

while the Decepticons were tearing apart Cyber City, a small team of Mini-Cons 

who had escaped from Megatron returned to his base and freed them all.  They had 

gotten ahold of a functional ship, Primus only knows where, so they all went 

off-planet."  Speedway looked down at Hotwire.  "Well, we thought they had freed 

them all.  I guess they missed you, huh?"

     "So they...they're still alive?"  Maybe his spirit had been too far broken 

by the weeks of abuse, but it hadn't occurred to him to hope, to think that 

anything less than the absolute worst had happened to the rest of his kind.  But 

now a tiny sliver of that alien hope was working its way into him.

     Speedway nodded.  "Ideally.  There's a lot that could happen to them out 

there.  Interstellar space isn't the friendliest of places.  But they're safer 

than they are here."

     Hotwire was silent, still trying to get his mind around the idea.  The 

other Mini-Cons - all his old friends, the others from his village - were still 

out there somewhere.  He was the last one on Cybertron, but the rest were still 

alive.

     Then Hotwire's thoughts were interrupted by a trembling in the ground below 

him.  He looked up at Speedway, alarmed.  "Do you feel that?"

     "Feel what?"  The Autobot looked around, confused, then turned sharply to 

the door of the tent as the subtle vibration changed to a loud crash outside.  

Suddenly the door was ripped away completely, and the derelict stood framed in 

the opening.

     The robot bellowed wordlessly, tossing the mangled door aside.  Speedway 

lept to his feet and stood defensively in front of Hotwire.  "I thought you'd 

killed him!" the Mini-Con exclaimed.

     "Not killed, only stunned," Speedway explained, shaking his head.  "I 

thought he'd stay down longer!"

     "Get out of my city!" the robot howled, tearing his way through a doorway 

too small for his bulk.  Hotwire braced himself for what he knew had to happen 

next.  The only way they were going to keep this behemoth from ripping them to 

shreds was for Speedway to link up with him and use his gun mode.  He was weak 

enough already, but it was the only solution.  But when he looked back up at the 

Autobot he was still just standing protectively over him, eyeing the corner by 

the door where he had left his rifle.

     "Speedway!" he shouted over the screech of warping metal.  "I have a gun 

mode now, use me as a weapon!"

     But the Autobot ignored him and lunged for the corner, taking the 

derelict's attention with him.  He snatched up the gun and turned just in time 

to sidestep a blow from a fist the size of his head.  "I can't do that!" he 

cried, ducking smoothly to avoid another swing that landed solidly on the wall 

above his head, making a deep dent in the thin metal plating.  "I'm not going to 

use you like the Decepticons did!"  As the other robot pulled back for another 

punch Speedway brought the rifle into position and fired.  There was a crackle 

of energy, but the beam that shot out was nothing like what Hotwire had seen 

earlier.  The derelict stepped back, a look of confusion briefly flashing across 

his face.  Then he snarled and lunged again.  "Out of power..." Speedway 

muttered to himself.

     His attention was distracted by the malfunctioning rifle just long enough 

for his attacker to strike.  The derelict threw another punch and caught him 

squarely in the shoulder.  Speedway cried out in pain as he was pinned to the 

wall, his shoulder mangled.  Hotwire shook his head in frustration.  "You have 

to!" he shouted.  He ran across the tent to Speedway, careful to avoid the 

clumsy feet of the towering attacker as he moved back for another blow.

     Hotwire lept into the air, transforming to gun mode.  It was the first time 

he had ever done it willingly.  The moment he attached to Speedway's arm he felt 

a rush of power, the same strange synergy that Megatron had exploited his race 

to control.  The Autobot cried out again, this time in shock, but he quickly 

understood and brought his arm up.  Hotwire felt all that extra energy channel 

into him, then he fired it at the charging robot.  The blast hit their attacker 

point-blank and threw him into the wall.  The thin metal buckled under the 

weight and sent him crashing to the ground.  He didn't get back up.

     Speedway stared at the fallen robot for a moment, then looked down at the 

gun attached to his arm.  He tugged and Hotwire came off, transforming back to 

robot mode and landing on his feet.  The Mini-Con looked even wearier than he 

had before.  "Now you see why Megatron wanted us."

     The Autobot looked back at the unconscious derelict and nodded.  "Do you 

think we killed him?"

     "Dunno.  Maybe.  Probably."  Hotwire sat down, exhaused, in one of the only 

clear spots left on the floor.  "If it's all the same to you I'd rather not 

stick around to find out."

     "You're right."  Speedway began rummaging through the wreckage, favoring 

his injured shoulder as he moved.  "I need to get you back to Autobot HQ.  We'll 

have Red Alert fix you up.  Fix me up, too, for that matter."  He pulled the 

field computer out from under a fallen panel and dusted it off, then stood up 

and looked around.  "HQ's not gonna be thrilled, but I don't think there's any 

point to taking this tent back with us."

     Speedway stepped out of the tent through the ruins of the doorway and 

Hotwire carefully got to his feet to follow.  He hadn't minded having the 

Autobot use him as a weapon.  After all, there was no point in wasting the 

abilities the Decepticons had given to him, even if they were as much curse as 

blessing.  But in his already weak and injured condition it had made his body 

hurt even more than when he had been running from the giant tank.  He stumbled 

out of the tent and looked up at the Autobot.  "I'm not going to be able to 

drive all the way back to Cyber City."

     "That's okay, I wasn't expecting you to."  Speedway transformed, letting 

out a small gasp of pain as he rotated his injured shoulder but still managing 

to make it to racecar mode.  He swung open the door closest to Hotwire.  "Get 

in, I'll drive you back."

     "Thank you," the Mini-Con said, climbing in.  He settled into the seat and 

Speedway closed the door behind him.

     "I told you," Speedway said as he drove away from the wrecked tent, "you 

don't have to thank me."



     "Hotwire?  Hotwire, are you okay?"

     The Mini-Con slowly became aware of someone calling his name through the 

haze of unconsciousness.  "Yeah, I'm alright..." he muttered groggily as he 

slowly woke up.  The world outside had become dark since last he saw it, and the 

lights illuminating the roadway sped past at a dizzying rate.  They still had 

not reached the more heavily-inhabited area near the city, but he could already 

see a glow on the horizon ahead of them.

     "Good.  I was getting worried.  You hadn't been moving or anything for a 

while."

     "I just went into rest mode, that's all."

     "That's what I figured at first, but...  I wanted you to be awake when we 

got to Cyber City.  It's really nice at night."

     Hotwire smiled to himself.  "Thanks."  He sat back and relaxed, letting his 

mind wander as he watched the lights blur by outside.  He had known very little 

about the Autobots before the Decepticon attacks began.  They were a military 

police organization in charge of protecting the most populous city on Cybertron, 

but until now they hadn't exercized jurisdiction outside of Cyber City's 

borders.  Not that Hotwire or any of the Mini-Cons had complained about them 

overstepping their boundaries this time.  He wasn't thrilled with the idea of 

being in anybody's custody after his time in Megatron's labs, but the Autobots' 

seeming lack of interest in taking him apart and putting him back together again 

won them some points.

     "There it is!" Speedway announced, jolting the Mini-Con from his thoughts.  

He looked forward and realized with a start that the glow on the horizon had 

already given way to the brilliantly lit towers of Cyber City.  Speedway was 

obviously much faster than he had realized.

     "Wow..." he whispered, awestruck by the skyline.  It was an impressive city 

by the standards of the larger Transformers.  To a Mini-Con it was 

incomprehensibly large, with towers reaching to the sky well into the distance.

     "Nice, huh?"

     "Amazing," Hotwire replied.

     "Glad you like it.  This is gonna be your new home!"

     "Yeah..."  Hotwire sat back into his seat, watching the city lights grow 

closer and feeling very, very small.



     As they entered the city, Speedway opened up a comm signal to Autobot 

headquarters.  "Speedway to Autobot HQ, I'm coming home."

     Hotwire listened as another voice replied over the comm.  "This is Autobot 

HQ.  Welcome back, kid!  What's your status?" it asked jovially.

     "I've got him.  We're both a little worse for wear, but nothing Red Alert 

can't fix.  Let him know we're on our way, okay?"

     "Will do, I'll have him waiting for you.  Not Decepticons, I hope?"

     "No, no, just an empty out in the Barrens.  Got a little territorial."

     "Did you take care of him?"

     Speedway was silent.  "Yeah.  He won't be telling anyone anything," he 

finally replied.

     "Good."  The other Autobot chuckled.  "I knew we could count on you, kid.  

I'll have Red meet you at building E-6.  Back of the building."

     "Thanks, Smokescreen.  Out."

     Shortly after the exchange ended they arrived at Autobot headquarters.  The 

front gate opened automatically as Speedway drove up, then closed smoothly 

behind him.  The lower, more utilitarian buildings of the base made Hotwire feel 

a little more comfortable than the neon-lit skyscrapers of the rest of the city.  

Speedway drove slowly through the streets, eventually pulling around the back of 

a building marked as a repair facility.  He drove through an open door in the 

back into a large, darkened bay.  The door closed behind them and, as soon as it 

was fully shut, the lights came on, revealing a loading bay empty but for one 

other inhabitant.

     Speedway opened the door to his passenger compartment as the other Autobot 

approached.  "Here he is, Red Alert."  Hotwire looked up at the medic nervously.  

He knew he didn't have any valid reason to be afraid, but he simply wasn't used 

to being around so many big Transformers.  Red Alert knelt down and smiled 

reassuringly.  "His name's Hotwire.  Go on, it's okay."

     The Mini-Con got to his feet slowly.  Speedway transformed behind him, 

crying out as his injured shoulder moved into place.  Red Alert pulled out a 

scanner and Hotwire stood still as he held it in front of him.  The medic nodded 

to himself.  "Looks like what you need more than anything is a full recharge and 

some downtime.  Your body seems to still be accepting what was done to it, but 

nothing will help that but time.  Your internal systems are still realigning."  

He flicked the scanner off and looked at Hotwire.  "I'll set you up with a nice 

comfy spot in the repair bay to rest and recharge, how's that?"

     The Mini-Con nodded.  "That...that'd be nice.  Thank you."

     Then Red Alert stood up and walked over to Speedway.  He began examining 

his mangled shoulder.  "I don't even need to scan you.  Had to fight for him, 

did ya?"  Speedway grinned sheepishly.  "Not a big deal.  I'll have you back in 

shape before the night's over, right after I get your little friend settled in.  

And then Prime wants to see you."



     Speedway stood opposite the large repair bay door, leaning against the wall 

with his arms crossed.  He knew it hadn't been that long since Red Alert had 

taken Hotwire in there, but it felt to him like long enough to merit concern.  

He was resiting the urge to knock when the door was opened from inside.  Red 

Alert stepped out.  "Okay, it's your turn."

     "So will he be okay?" Speedway asked, following the medic back into the 

repair bay.  He looked around the tool-cluttered room, finally spotting the 

Mini-Con resting on one of the work tables.  Red Alert gestured to another table 

and Speedway sat down on it.

     "Don't worry, he'll be fine," the medic reassured him as he chose a small 

assortment of tools from a table of repair equipment beside him.  "You and the 

little guy hit it off well, I take it?"

     Speedway looked the other way as Red Alert started working on his shoulder.  

"I feel bad for him.  He seems perfectly nice and all this bad stuff's happened 

to him."

     Red Alert chuckled.  "You're such a softy, Speed.  But I can't say for sure 

that Prime'll let you keep him."

     "What do you think he'll decide to do with him?"  He looked again at the 

Mini-Con lying motionless on the table.  He looked tiny surrounded by medical 

equipment designed for the larger Transformers.  Tiny and helpless.  It didn't 

seem fair.

     "He'll have to stay in protective custody.  Probably here in the medlab, so 

I can keep an eye on his energy levels.  I'll have to monitor him to see if the 

Decepticons' reworking of the little guy left any permanent damage."

     Speedway sighed.  He didn't like the idea, but at least he'd be safe.



     By the time Speedway left the repair bay Autobot HQ was starting to bustle 

with early-morning activity.  He walked the short distance to the main building 

to give himself a little time to think.  Most of what needed to be said was in 

his report, but Prime might have further questions for him and he wanted to 

think over what to say.  He entered the main building of the base, absent-

mindedly waving to a few other Autobots standing on the steps on his way in.  

Without even having to think about it he wove through the hallways to the base's 

main command center.  The door scanned him as he approached and, determining 

that he had the proper clearance, opened for him.  Optimus Prime was, as 

expected, already here briefing some of the other officers on the repair work 

they were supervising for the city.  He nodded to Speedway without pausing, then 

began wrapping up the briefing.  Speedway stood back and waited, feeling 

irrationally nervous.  He hadn't been with the Autobots long, and while he 

looked up to Prime he also still found the big blue and red Autobot commander a 

little too impressive to be comfortable around.  He waited for the group of 

Autobots to disperse, saying a quick greeting to Smokescreen as he made his way 

to the door.

     Optimus Prime approached Speedway as the last of the other Autobots left.  

"I've heard your mission was a success."

     Speedway nodded.  "Yes, sir.  I located..."

     Prime interrupted him with a raised hand.  "Give me your report in the 

meeting room."  He turned and moved toward a door to the side of the control 

room and Speedway followed at a respectful distance.

     As they entered the room Prime closed the door behind them, then turned 

back to Speedway.  "As I was saying, sir," Speedway began, "I located the Mini-

Con in the Tetrahex ruins in the Barrens being chased by a derelict.  I took him 

to the camp to wait until nightfall to return to Cyber City and write up my 

report, and during that time the derelict tracked us down and attacked.  He 

ruined the tent.  Everything's in the report I filed up to that.  I kept the 

Mini-Con safe, but he tore up my shoulder a bit."

     Prime nodded.  "Red Alert contacted me once you left the repair bay with an 

update on your condition and that of the Mini-Con.  Hotwire, wasn't it?"

     "Yes, his name's Hotwire."

     "And this derelict?"

     Speedway paused.  "I had used up the power in my stun rifle rescuing 

Hotwire the first time.  When he attacked again, Hotwire insisted that I use him 

as a weapon.  I didn't ask him to, Prime..."

     The Autobot commander nodded.  "Continue."

     "We didn't check to see if he was still alive.  By then it was time to 

return, and I wanted to get him out of the Barrens as fast as possible."

     Prime nodded again.  He paused for a moment, then took a seat at the long 

table in the middle of the meeting room.  He gestured for Speedway to sit down 

as well.  "Red Alert told me that you seemed to have bonded with the Mini-Con 

during the mission."

     Speedway stammered.  "I was just...I mean, I feel sorry for him..."

     "Hotwire has been through a lot, like all the Mini-Cons.  I wouldn't feel 

right having you bring him here and then not letting him see the one friend he's 

made.  He's going to have to be kept in a restricted-access area, but I'm going 

to give you clearance to visit him."

     Speedway tried not to grin, fearing he'd seem unprofessional in his 

enthusiasm.  "Thank you, Prime.  I'll make sure he's taken care of."



     Hotwire ran.  Through darkness and pain he ran from a massive black force 

he could not see.  There was a ship ahead.  He couldn't see it, but like his 

pursuer he knew it was there.  Likewise, he knew what he would find when he got 

there.  The rest of the Mini-Cons had taken that ship as an ark, and if he 

didn't make it there soon they would leave without him.  He stumbled through the 

ruins of a city, struggling to keep his footing, knowing with absolute certainty 

that if he fell it would be over.  Finally, after an eternity that seemed only a 

moment, the ship came into sight.  It was already hovering above the ground, but 

the hatch was open and the familiar form of his friend Payload was hanging out 

the door waiting to pull him up.  He lunged for the ship, catching his friend's 

hand.  But as the ship began to slowly rise he felt the hand of his pursuer 

close around his legs, pulling him back down.  It was only then that he looked 

back and saw the face of Megatron as the monster tugged him from Payload's 

grasp.  And as his world filled with the soul-shattering sound of Megatron's 

laughter, he could hear his friend call out above him...

     "Hotwire!  Hotwire, wake up!"  The world shifted sickeningly around him, 

and he looked up to find Speedway's face hovering above him.  The Autobot looked 

worried.  "I'm sorry, you sounded like you were having a nightmare..."

   Hotwire slowly sat up, feeling the slight tug of the wires hooking him to the 

medtable's monitors.  "I was."  He realized as he moved that most of the pain 

was gone.  He looked around, his optics slowly adjusting to the stark brightness 

of the room.  It wasn't the room he remembered. "Did they move me?"

     Speedway nodded.  "It's the same building, they just moved you to a high-

security wing in one of the sub-basements.  You'll be safe here.  Even your 

presence here at the base is being kept secret."

     The Mini-Con looked around some more.  The room was bare but for his 

medtable and the door on the opposite wall.  It would have made a decent cell 

for a larger Transformer.  To him it was downright spacious, but depressingly 

bleak.  He looked back up at Speedway.  "They still let you come see me, 

though?"

     The Autobot smiled.  "'Cause we're friends.  Prime didn't want you to be 

lonely down here with nobody but Red to keep you company.  I have clearance to 

come down here whenever I want, so long as I keep up on my training."

     Hotwire smiled back up at him.  "I don't know why, but I didn't really 

expect that.  That's really thoughtful."

     "He's a good commander.  But I still wish you didn't have to stay locked up 

in here."

     He shook his head.  "Don't worry about it, Speedway.  Right now I can't 

think of much else I want to do anyway.  I'm happy to just be here.  It's been 

so long since I've been this comfortable..."

     Speedway nodded.  "Yeah, I guess I understand that..."

     They sat in silence for a moment.  Then the Mini-Con sighed.  "I do wish I 

could try to find the rest of the Mini-Cons.  It's good to know they're okay, 

but..."

     "But you miss them?"

     "Yeah."



     "Prime?"  Speedway stood in the doorway of the control room, looking around 

anxiously to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything.  The Autobot commander 

was standing at the main screen with Hot Shot, reviewing the city's rebuilding 

efforts with the cadet.  The room was otherwise empty.  Optimus Prime turned at 

the sound of his name.  "Do you have a moment?"

     Optimus nodded.  "You have something to report?"

     "Um, yeah.  In private?"

     "If it's regarding our guest, Hot Shot can be included.  After all, this is 

the sort of thing he's being trained for."

     "Okay, then."  Speedway stepped the rest of the way into the room and let 

the door close behind him.

     Hot Shot waved.  "Prime told me about your mission.  How's the little guy 

doing?"

     "Red Alert says he's recovering really well.  Another couple days of rest 

and he should be back to normal operating status.  He's still gonna keep an eye 

on him, but he won't need the medtable in his room."  Speedway looked up at 

Prime nervously.  "After that, um, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you 

about..."

     Prime nodded again.  "Go on."

     "Once he's fixed, will he have to stay locked up?  It doesn't seem right to 

punish him like that."

     "There's nothing else we can do, Speedway.  If Megatron gets word that 

we're keeping him here, he'll stop at nothing to get him back.  The last thing 

Cyber City needs right now is another Decepticon attack.  And you've seen what 

would happen to him out on his own."

     "I know, but..."  He trailed off with a sigh.  "Will he ever be allowed to 

leave?"

     "When Megatron and the Decepticons have been tracked down and brought to 

justice, then we won't need to keep him in protective custody any longer.  But 

until then he has to stay there."  Prime put a hand on Speedway's shoulder.  

"It's for his own good.  You have to understand that."

     Speedway sighed.  "I understand..."



     Hotwire was sitting up on his medtable reading from a small datapad when 

Speedway came by that evening.  Red Alert had left him with a download of the 

day's news feeds, and he was deep into an article on debates over rebuilding or 

replacing some older buildings damaged in the attack when his friend arrived.  

He marked his place before setting the datapad down.  "Hi!  Red Alert brought me 

this so I could keep up with everything that's going on.  There...there was some 

stuff about Megatron, how they're still having trouble finding him..."

     "Yes, they are," Speedway said somberly.  Noticing a chair against the wall 

that hadn't been there last time, he sat down by the table.  "I talked to Prime.  

You're going to have to stay here until they find him."

     Hotwire nodded.  "I figured as much."

     Speedway shook his head.  "But it's not right..."

     "But it's the way things have to be.  Don't hold it against him."  He 

cocked his head, looking up at the Autobot.  "You're too idealistic, Speedway," 

he said gently.  There's never one perfect answer that's simply 'right'.  Life's 

not that easy.  Sacrifices have to be made.  And I'd rather give up my freedom 

for a while than be used by Megatron to take over our world."

     The Autobot looked away.  "I'm sorry.  It's just...I told you I'd protect 

you.  I don't want to think that I have to protect you from the Autobots, too."



     When Speedway returned to his quarters that night, he found a small datapad 

stuck to the door.  He flipped it on.  "Meet me tonight behind the barracks," he 

read to himself as the words resolved on the screen.  "It's important.  -Hot 

Shot".



     As he walked outside, Speedway noticed that there was more activity around 

the base than usual for such a late hour.  There was a feeling of anticipation 

in the air as the construction crews that had been sent into the city returned, 

being replaced by armed security bots.  He turned a corner to find his fellow 

cadet waiting where he said he'd be, watching over his shoulder as some more 

soldiers passed.  "Hey, sorry to keep you waiting..."

     Hot Shot turned around, grinning nervously.  "Don't worry about it.  Have a 

seat."  Speedway sat down next to him on a small staircase leading from a 

disused back door.  "I've got something important to tell you.  'Bout your 

little friend."

     Speedway found the combination of the atmosphere of the base and the other 

Autobot's own apparent apprehensions unnerving.  "What's going on, Hot Shot?"

     "Megatron," he said simply.  The last traces of his usual joviality 

vanished with the word.  "The Decepticons have regrouped, and they're coming 

back.  And they still have Mini-Cons.  Only a handful, but..."

     "So Hotwire's not..."

     "No, he's not the last.  But they'll be after him the moment they find out 

we have him here."

     Speedway watched as another pair of security troops drove by.  "Is there 

anything we can do?"

     Hot Shot nodded.  "I brought you here to ask you something.  Something that 

Prime would never ask you to do himself.  I want you to take Hotwire and get out 

of here.  Take one of the starcruisers, try to find where the other Mini-Cons 

went, get him back with them.  The Decepticons don't have any starships, they 

won't be able to follow you.  It's just...you won't be able to come back to 

Cybertron, not until he's taken care of.  That's why Prime won't consider it.  

The two of you would be refugees."

     And as Speedway looked outside of the base at the city surrounding them, 

considering Hot Shot's words, he realized that this was what he had been looking 

for all along.  This was the right thing to do.  "I'll do it."



     Hotwire was finishing the reading he had abandoned earlier when Speedway 

burst into his room.  "We're leaving!"

     The Mini-Con looked up at him, confused.  "What?"  He tried, but he 

couldn't think of anything to connect that to.  "Leaving where?"

     "Cybertron."  The Autobot began gently removing the monitor cables from 

him, releasing him from the medtable.

     "Wait, wait...  What's going on, Speedway?  What's happening out there?"

     "The Decepticons have regrouped.  They...they still have a couple Mini-

Cons, but the Autobots are gonna try to free them and send them after us.  But 

we have to get you out of here."

     "So we're going into space?"

     Speedway nodded, finally getting the last of the sensor tabs off.  "We're 

going to try to track down the Mini-Con ship."  He knelt down to Hotwire's 

level.  "If...if that's okay with you..."

     Hotwire stared at him, dumbstruck.  "Yeah, I've got no problem with 

that..."



     Speedway hurried across the base.  At first he kept to what shadows he 

could find to conceal the Mini-Con once again attached to his arm in a weapon 

mode, but as he watched the passing Autobots he realized that he'd be more out 

of place unarmed.  Soon he reached the open area that housed the small fleet of 

starships.  He slipped onto the field unnoticed and dashed to the closest of the 

blocky, utilitarian ships.  With the push of a button the door slid open and he 

lept up into the darkened interior.  He ran up a short hallway to the bridge and 

set Hotwire down before starting up the power.

     Hotwire transformed back to robot mode and looked around the cavernous 

bridge.  "Do you know how to fly this?"

     "Yep!" Speedway replied proudly.  "It's part of Autobot basic training.  I 

was especially good at it."  Settling into the pilot's seat, he looked down at 

Hotwire and smiled weakly.  "I always did kinda like the idea of being a 

starship pilot..."

     The Mini-Con scrambled up into the co-pilot's seat and looked up at the 

main viewscreen.  It was currently showing the view in front of the ship, the 

nighttime cityscape rising above the base.  The ship shuddered and began to 

rise, and the view of the buildings around them dropped accordingly, then 

shifted until he could see the star-filled sky ahead of them.  As Hotwire looked 

up at the stars, he finally fully understood that this was where they had gone.  

And this was where he was going to join them.



     In the control room of Autobot Headquarters, a small alarm sounded, its 

beeping another voice in a chorus singing from the main computer.  The silver 

and blue Autobot watching the controls turned to his commander.  "Prime, one of 

the cruisers has just launched.  No clearance, no warning, no nothing!"

     "What?"  Optimus Prime looked up from another monitor on the console where 

he had been scrutinizing the placement of his troops throughout the city.

     Hot Shot stepped up beside Prime.  "It's Speedway," he explained.  

"I...suggested he take the Mini-Con and try to find the others.  It wasn't an 

order."

     "I see..."  Prime looked down for a moment at the layout of his battle 

plan.  The readouts encompassed not only the city but also an area a good 

distance outside its borders, but the Decepticons were already starting to show 

as blips on the outside edge.  "Very well.  I want you to add a final report 

regarding the Mini-Con found in the Tetrahex ruins.  The record is to show that 

he died shortly after being brought to Cyber City, of injuries beyond our 

ability to repair."

     Hot Shot nodded.  "Yes, sir."