Over

by Odeena Sabnach

The sun slowly rose above the ocean, as the first sounds of morning broke through the silence of the dawn. The world itself seemed to celebrate the rebirth of the sun altogether, as it grew brighter and brighter on the clear sky.

Thin rays swept across the beach, gently refflecting off of the metallic armor of the one 'bot who watched the sunrise. He could almost sense the joy in the air -- the joy that a new day had come, and with it, a new beginning for all.

He couldn't remember when he had last watched the sun rising from the ocean. The beach had become a dangerous place lately; one had to be on full alert for Rampage. The murderous crab made little difference between friends and allies; to him, they were all the same: mere toys for amusement. Besides, there was little time for personal affairs in a war. Nights were shared between patrols, monitor shifts, allerts, surprise attacks and thinks like that. Sleep -- whenever it was allowed -- was a blessing.

But the war was over now. It almost seemed incredible; in the past few months, he had gotten so used to the state of conflict, that the sudden change of situation had caught him completely unprepared. He had almost forgotten how it was like to do whatever he liked, whenever he liked and however he liked; he had almost forgotten how it was like to walk through a forest or run over a plain without the constant fear of being attacked; he had almost forgotten how it was like to live. Now, it was all given back to him, and this world hailed him as its hero.

Still...

The 'bot sighed as he slowly began to walk along the shore. The war was, indeed, over; but remnants of the chaos still altered the beauty of the land. Shards of glass and metal, coming from the disintegrated Nemesis, were spread all across the beach. Large, burnt holes in the ground told where the weapons of the Decepticon battleship had struck. Trees were burnt down, and small pools of carbonized blood laid here and there. All this reminded him of the tremendous power that had been unleashed.

And yet, the sun was shining calmly, as it had the day before, and as it would for many days still to come. The menace had passed; the beast had been chained; so why bother?

He frowned as he let his thoughts trail off. The others had celebrated their victory until late the past night. Everyone had been exuberant. Rattrap had cheered them all with the best jokes he could come up with. Silverbolt and Black Arachnia had been in each other's arms all evening. Rhinox had let go of his serious pose for once.

But he couldn't celebrate. He couldn't just shrug off the entire war. He couldn't just forget what had happened. He couldn't even pretendto forget.

Once, his gaze had encountered with Optimus', and for a moment, he thought he saw a faint grief deep within. Still, the Maximal leader confined it well, and it was almost unnoticeable when he laughed at one of Rattrap's jokes or frowned when the rodent went too far.

Suddenly, his eye caught on something, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

A few steps away, half burried in the sand, a thin, blue piece of metal gleamed in the sun, and he felt a strange mixture of sorrow and pride when he remembered whom it belonged to.

Depth Charge. Somehow, despite all the bickering between the two, he felt an immense respect for the manta ray. He had died a hero, in an ultimate attempt to stop Megatron. The 'bot knew little about what had happened; all Optimus had been able to tell them, later, when things had finally calmed down, was that he had heard a scream; and then, there was a tremendous explosion, and he had thought it was all over.

But no way it could have all been so simple. No. War had to claim even more lives, even more friends, before peace would eventually ensure. Depth Charge, Tigerhawk... Dinobot.

He couldn't believe it at first. He couldn't believe that Dinobot's clone -- Megatron's creation -- had had the strength to rebel against his master. But Optimus had told them the whole story, and, again, he had felt nothing that pride. TM 2 Dinobot's past mistakes, his repeated attacks against the Maximals, had all been forgotten; all that remained was the pride and respect to have once served on the same side as the warrior. Dinobot had always been strong; and now, they all owned him their very existance.

But the past few days had brought many unexpected turns of events. The apparent balance of the Beast Wars had been shattered with the destruction of the Predacon base and the arrival of Tigerhawk. Megatron -- who had by then managed to merge his spark with the original Megatron's and assume a new form -- had barely escaped with his life. Tarantulas was already gone.

Then, death struck. Many times. And each time, taking away a friend. The 'bot even thought of Inferno and Quickstrike as friends now. Not even them had deserved to die. Not like that.

He sighed again as he came to a stop. More pieces of blue metal were spread across the beach, some even floating in the shallow water; and amongst them, there were shards of dark metal that made him shudder even now.

Rampage. The slaughterer. The 'bot whose spark fed on fear.

But he was also dead. There was nothing more to be afraid of, and the 'bot took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The menace had passed, and -- he thought it for the thousandth time -- it wasn't a dream. It was real. The was was over.

Amongst the many remains that had been washed up on the shore, one caught his attention, and he curiously picked it up. It was a long, curved piece of metal, and he noted vaguely that it had once belonged to a Transmetal 2.

Dinobot.

The hero who had sacrificed his life twice, to save the past, the present and the future of Cybertron altogether.

A few steps away, there was a shattered, yellow remain of an optic. He didn't have to think back to remember who it belonged to. He could senseit. It belonged to Tigerhawk -- who had no more than the day before died at the hands of Megatron.

Megatron. The mere thought of the name made his yellow optics narrow to mere slits, as rage built deep within. Megatron had murdered everyone, and without a single second thought. He didn't even deserve to die. Death, would be too little for all that he had done.

The 'bot smiled, a ferocious grin, when he remembered the moment Optimus had removed the original Megatron's spark from the former Predacon leader's chest. The chained tyrant hadn't whined, he hadn't begged for mercy. He had almost took it with dignity; yet, on a closer look, one could see the terror and despair deep within. That was was the tyrant had feared the most: his downfall. It was worse than death. He had had to endure the vengeful looks of the Maximal survivors, the pain and the shame altogether. That was what he deserved.

No, the 'bot couldn't forget all that. The memories would remain forever, the pride to have been one of the 'bots to save Cybertron's very existance mixed with the grief of the losses of his comrades, his friends. Now, he noticed with a grim smirk, he would really have something to gloat about for the rest of his life. It was something he had always wanted; but the price he had to pay was immense.

And this world would't forget, either. The beach itself had become a gigantic page of history, and the story was all written here. Written with shards of glass and metal. Written with the unhealed wounds of the land. Written with the mech. fluid of those who had sacrificed their own lives to bring this absurd war to an end.

Suddenly, his comm activated, jerking him away from his thoughts as Rattrap's familliar voice came through, "Are ya there, kiddo?"

Cheetor smiled, half tiredly, half understanding. "Good morning to you too, Rat-Face."

"Yeah, good mornin'... Ya had better return to base. We're almost ready to kick off dis dirtball and back to Cybertron." The voice grew extatic. "I can already hear da dames, cryin'out for me..."

'Perhaps, it is the thought of your return that causes their, unhappiness...'

Cheetor quickly started up. For a moment, he could have sworn that he had heard Dinobot's voice; but no, it was only the monotone sound of waves breaking against the shore. Nothing more. Dinobot, too, was gone.

"Okay. I'll be there in a nano."

The link cut off abruptly, and Cheetor sighed again. He looked around; this image, the image of a beach, with shattered remains spread across, gleaming as rays of light reflected off, and the sun slowly rising from the ocean, he would remember , and treasure, forever. Transforming, he sped across the beach, towards the mountain which held the Ark, and as he did, he felt that he was leaving behind everything this war had ever meant. He would not forget; but now, he, too, could celebrate. Only now he noticed the bright light of the sun, the few drops of dew glittering in the sunlight, the harmony of the suave songs that trembled in the air. Only now, he allowed himself to smile.

It was all over.