Wild Ride (Cyberverse Mech!reader X Hot Rod)

28: Escaping Unspace

"What are you talking about?" Bumblebee asked as we reentered the Ark's control bridge. "What danger are we in?"

"You all are going to cease existence if you remain here." I said grimly. "I don't know the science, but I do know the danger."

"I can fill in a few of those details." Wheeljack said. "It appears to be an inevitable degenerative effect of an exterior force brought into contact with unspace quantum disintegration!"

"Translation, please?" Hot Rod said.

"It means exactly what Y/D said. We need to get out of unspace, or we will cease to exist!"

"That's sounds absolutely awful." Telatraan-x said in its usual nonchalant yet oddly cherry tone. "Also, you should know another vessel is approaching."

"Grimlock, hail that ship." Optimus said. Grimlock nodded and opened a hailing channel with the vessel, and what stared back was an exact copy of the crew minus myself.

"What the?" I whispered. "Are my optics deceiving me, or are there 2 of each of you?"

"This is highly unusual." Both Optimus's said in unison.

"Something weird is going on!" Both Bumblebee's said.

"And it's fantastic! We gotta meet up!" Both Wheeljack's said. And that's just what happened, and by the Primes, was it unerving as I watched the doubles interact with each other from a distance. It felt strange that there was no double of myself.

"But who is that me?" The other Wheeljack asked as he pointed at me, the motion drawing my attention.

"Oh, that's Y/D! Wait. You don't have a Y/D with you?" Wheeljack asked his double.

"No, I've never heard of a Y/D either, so he isn't a Decepticon."

"That would suggest that unspace acts as a bridge between alternate realities!"

'Alternate realities?' I thought to myself. 'If that's the case... wouldn't that mean there should be a version of me?' As I was deep, I thought I was completely oblivious to the fact that our Hot Rod was approaching me from behind.

"Hey, big g-"

"GAH!" I jumped in surprised and teleported away from him only to reappear on top of a pile of crates like some sort of Earth ninja.

"Whoa, how'd he do that?" The other Hot Rod asked. "That was awesome!"

"Uh, Y/D? You okay, big guy?" Our Hot Rod asked.

"Yeah, just uh... hang on a sec." I then awkwardly hopped down from the crates and smiled with embaressment.

"Y/D, that is the second time you've done that." Our Optimus said.

"I know. I just... I don't know what's happening to me."

"Hey, everything will be okay, big guy." Our Hot Rod reassured me. "We are all a bit confused right now."

"I hate to interrupt, but we have company." Telatraan-x said as multiple Arks entered the in-between. Soon, several versions of each of the Autobots were on board, and again, there were none of me. I felt very left out and lost as they worked together to figure out some sort of device our Wheeljack had found while the others gathered with their alternate versions.

'All of them have multiple versions, yet I have none? What does this mean? I thought I'd have answers, but now I just have more questions! Why can I teleport? Is this something that only I can do? Can the others do it, and they just haven't? Why can I speak again when I have no voice modulator anymore? Why did this weird matrix bind with me? What is going on?!' I then felt something strange with my hands, and I looked down to see them flickering in and out of existence, my optics widening in fear.

"Uh, guys?" I said, catching their attentions.

"What... what's happening to him?" Our Hot Rod asked. I looked up from my hands to them, and the strange feeling continued up my circuits. I started to flicker like a glitched out viewfinder, and I began to panic.

"What's happening to me?!" I cried out in fear. A loud and undeniable static shrieked in my audials with such force that my legs buckled, and I grabbed my head in an effort to block it out. I saw the 16 beings flash in my mind and the Quintessons slaying each of them. I saw the black ooze rise up and swallow me whole, pulling me down into the dark depths. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

"We have to hurry!" One of the Wheeljacks said.

"Y/D, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay." Hot Rod said as he tried to comfort me. As he reached to touch me, one of the Wheeljacks stopped him.

"Hot Rod, do not touch him. In his current atomical state, he could spontaneously combust!"

"What does that even mean?!" Hot Rod snapped with terror in his optics.

"It means he could explode and kill all of us. Unspace is tearing his physical form apart!"

"What can we do? We have to help him!"

"The only thing we can do is to get out of here!" Was the last thing I heard before the static and black completely took over. I felt like I was floating in nothingness, completely limp and lifeless. I saw the 16 titains surround me from above, and each of them reached up to the Matrix core that hovered above. I felt compelled to do the same. I felt myself drift up towards it and reach for its center, but I hesitated as I began to question if it was the right thing to do. I looked down at the titains, and they nodded, silently telling me to reach. As I reached for it, I felt a surge of power rush through my circuits so intense that it was painful.

'Anomaly has returned to us.' A voice said. 'The 16 shall be 1 once again. All that remains is the final trial for the Guilty to become the Innocent.'

'What does any of this mean?' I asked the voice.

'The one with many faces comes to repeat the cycle. This time, they will not succeed, for 16 shall be 1, and Guilty shall be Innocent. Merge and prepare for them, Anominon.' I recognized the name. It was one that belonged to the first iteration of myself. The one who failed. Before I could ask any further questions, I was pulled back into reality as we somehow escaped unspace.

"Y/D? You okay, big guy?" Hot Rod asked when he saw I had calmed down significantly.

"I... we survived?" I asked almost in disbelief as I rose up from my tight ball.

"For now, but I'm afraid we must abandon the Ark and prepare for battle." Optimus said. "The final stand, for Cybertron."

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A/n I want to spill all of his lore so badly! But I gotta waaaait ahhhhhhh!