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guardian-of-fandoms · 2 months

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The alternate felt sheer panic inside him, trying to ignore the crimson stain spreading across his jacket as he rushed through the clearing, stealing a glance at the Bots.

They'd wasted no time in engaging Morocco, but the metal madman they faced now was a far cry from the Mor-Bots they'd faced before.

He was faster, more calculated, more instinctual.

But far more worrying, he'd defeated cybertronians once before.

Cody caught Heatwave's eye, who nodded, wildly dodging to avoid a swipe of sharp talons.

"GO HELP THEM SAVE CODY AND FRANKIE! WE'LL KEEP HIM BUSY!!!"

"BUT-"

"PLEASE!!!"

The pleading in his voice haunted Cody, reminding him of his EMP attack earlier, the guilt still ebbing away at his soul.

His desire to destroy Morocco burned inside him, but he sighed.

"Okay. I promised I would protect them, and so I will. But please, please.... Be careful..."

Heatwave nodded, determination etched into his face.

"We will."

Cody nodded, and dashed away.

The human members of the team had grouped up, staring uneasily at the two entranced children.

They had blank, detached expressions, empty eyes staring at the team, watching them intently.

Doc gripped Charlie's shoulder like a vice, both fathers in terror for their children.

The alternate Cody ran up, gasping out,

"We have to destroy the phones!"

Dani nodded,

"Like I said, we dealt with the Mind Control Phones here too. Madeline Pynch used them to control the whole town once, Cody was the only one not effected. He and Boulder had to destroy the cell tower to snap us all out of it."

Kade glanced over at the alternate, getting an idea.

"Hey, Hotshot, how many more toys you got?"

"Not many, I only have a few tricks left."

"Got any more EMP doohickeys?"

Cody reached into his pocket, frowning with hesitation as he pulled out an EMP block.

"Only one left. If I use it on the phones, I won't have any left for Morocco."

That got Doc's attention.

"What about the EMP you took from the lab?"

".... Sorry about that..."

He glanced back, groaning as he spotted the case in the distance, past the robot brawl.

"... shit..."

"I see..."

Kade sighed, his eyes drifting back towards the hypnotized kids.

"Look, I promise, we'll do EVERYTHING we can to send your morocco to the scrapheap, but please, can you use that to take out the phones?"

He hesitated, but sighed, nodding.

"Fine. But remember, we only get one shot. And somebody needs to retrieve Doc's EMP to use on Morocco."

Kade nodded, before grabbing his shoulder.

"Thank you. Seriously."

"... I just want this to finally be over."

Dani got a fix on the case, then back at the kids, who stood absently staring, waiting.

"I can go for the Case, but what's our plan here?"

Charlie cautiously took a step forward, his hands raised.

"Everyone, just take it slow. We have no idea where their heads are right now. Dani, on my signal, run for the case. The rest of us, we just need to gently surround them. Don't touch them, just try to get them within range."

Doc nodded, adding,

"Agreed, we must use upmost caution. Given our own experience, they likely won't remember anything from this experience, assuming the phones from the alternate reality function identically to the ones here."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

The alternate Cody stared at the phone clipped to his counterpart, trying in desperation not to recall the static, the white noise bubbling up from nerves.

"They shouldn't remember any of this. They might be tired and disoriented after, but they should be okay."

"... Is that what... you felt?"

He went rigid, and Kade groaned, instantly stammering,

"Sorry, sorry, dumb question, I-"

"No, no.... You're.... you have a right to know. My Kade never did.... You may as well."

Everyone carefully moved into position, Kade coming right beside Cody as everyone prepared to move, Dani preparing to sprint for the case.

"I don't... I don't really remember doing anything. All I remember is... Static. This... buzzing in my brain... Everything fading out.... and then...."

He clutched his arm.

His words trailed off. But Kade understood the implications.

".... Hey..."

Kade nervously rubbed his neck, his eyes flickering between his Cody and the Alternate.

".... What happened... in your world... I... I want you to know-"

"NOW!"

Dani sprinted off towards the case, as everyone started to circle the two children.

Kade hesitated a moment, the words on the tip of his tounge.

"... I wouldn't blame you...."

The team circled Cody and Frankie, arms outstretched as they gently surrounded them.

They moved back to back, tensing up as they appeared to study the team.

Charlie's breaths were shallow, but he steeled himself, trying to project a false confidence.

"I don't know if you can hear us right now, but I promise, we're not going to hurt you. We just need to destroy those phones."

Doc nodded, his hands trembling.

"Frankie, my dear.... I promise, I just wish to help you..."

Cody slowly grabbed Frankie's wrist with his left hand, his right sliding into his jacket.

Kade noticed the motion, and braved a step forward, his hands above his head.

"Just take it slow.... We're all friends here... we're all cool..."

His breath was tight in his chest as he reached towards the phones.

"Just take it-"

A flash of green slammed into Kade, causing him to cry out as he stumbled to the side.

Cody threw his hoverboard to the ground, pulling frankie on behind him as he jumped on, nearly bowling Kade over again as they sped deeper into the trees.

"DAMN!!"

Charlie was quick to stabilize Kade, shouting,

"DON'T LOOSE THEM!!!"

The alternate Cody held out his arm, his own hoverboard flying to him.

"I'm on them!"

Charlie nodded.

"We'll catch up, try to get them still."

"Will do."

He pressed the EMP into Kade's hands, hopping on the board.

"I'll lure them back here, be ready!"

Kade nodded, and he sped off, a trail of Gold now in pursuit of the Green.

The young Cody took sharp turns around the dense trees, only guided by the light of the two boards.

"Wait! Please! You're going to get yourself hurt!!"

The Alternate closed his helmet, the internal specs popping up on the screen giving him a clear layout of the area.

He wove between trees, trying to come up with a plan.

"Think, Cody, think...."

He was gaining on them, quickly taking note of everything.

His counterpart was slower than him. He could guess a number of reasons as to why, his own having been built specifically for combat, the reduced mental stimulation from the mind control, and the extra weight from Frankie.

Hmm... Maybe he just had to flip the roles....

Using what little power he could spare, he blasted his hoverboard's power core, giving the device an extra boost.

He sped in-front of his counterpart's board, turning a sharp circle as he faced his counterpart head on, throwing his hands out mockingly.

"What, just gonna run away? I can't be that unpleasant to talk to."

The empty stares of his counterpart and Frankie unnerved him, but as the other hoverboard started to slow, he knew he had to persist.

"C'mon, slowpoke! Give it more juice! What's the point in running away?"

He cautiously sped up, feeling triumphant as he noticed his counterpart speed up to match him.

That's it.... Just need to switch up this cat and mouse game....

He looped around a gnarled, misshapen trunk, mapping the tree in his mind as he noticed his counterpart following him.

Frankie had her arms tightly wrapped around the young Cody's torso, peering over his shoulder as the two sped through the dark woods, Cody's eyes narrowing, a departure from the previously blank face.

The alternate didn't like the intensity in his eyes.

It reminded him too much of himself.

But he persisted, keeping his stance firm, his resolve steady.

"C'mon! Come get me!"

The younger Cody tilted his head, saying in a stiff, monotone voice,

"What are you really hiding from? Do you run from me? Or do you run from yourself?"

He felt his heart skip a beat, the board's power core singing the top of a bush as he dipped lower.

"You think you can defy fate, by saving my family? You think you can defy reality, amend your greatest failure? But more severely.... Do you really think they would trust you? Now that they are aware of what you've done? Of the blood on your hands? You watched them die once because you killed them, what right have you to correct a wrong you orchestrated?"

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!!"

He turned around, taking his eyes off the trees ahead of him as he faced his counterpart, his eyes burning and his voice cracking.

"I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE!!!! THAT MONSTER CONTROLLED ME, JUST LIKE HE'S CONTROLLING YOU NOW!"

The hoverboard clipped the top of a bush, knocking off his balance and causing the counterpart to evade wildly.

"Kid, this isn't you! .. us.. I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE. Look, You're right, I... I caused my family's death. If I hadn't gone after Morocco alone, he wouldn't have mind controlled me... But I have spent EVERY DAY of my life since trying to make amends for that. I... I want you to have the choice I didn't. The future I don't. I want better for you."

"Such a sweet sentiment. But It is lies."

Frankie joined in, craning her neck over Cody's shoulder.

"You hate him. You seethe with jealously, burning inside from the knowledge of a world where your fate may have been avoided. You desire what he has."

She seemed to stare into his soul, cutting into him with the stern directness he knew all too well, the face she used when analyzing an experiment.

"You seek to preserve what he has, while enraged that you may not claim it yourself."

"You hate me. You hate me, because you hate yourself."

The Alternate felt that familiar sting within his heart, and felt his blood run like ice, just as the two kids suddenly smirked.

Before he could question it, he was flung off his board as he abruptly smacked into a tree, crumpling to the ground as his board spiraled off out of view.

He groaned, internally cursing as he felt fresh blood seep through the wound in his torso.

The kids circled now, leaving a green arch around him.

His young Counterpart seemed to drill into his soul, the young boy peeling away the facade he'd crafted so carefully.

"You can never forgive yourself for what you've done. Changing my fate won't release the agony within your soul. Keeping them alive cannot repair the bridges you've burnt."

He'd grown used to seeing Frankie gaze at him with a broken pain, but her stare now further wedged the knife inside his heart.

"In seeking to destroy one monster, you created another. You've altered yourself beyond recognition, shoved aside the few allies you have left for the sake of revenge. You fall into darkness, and you blame the face of the one you'd do anything to pursue. You throw yourself into the abyss with no intention of clawing out, yet protest the darkness you've thrust upon yourself."

The alternate rested on his knees, his head bowing.

.... How bizarre it was, hearing himself say the words he'd thought for years.

Frankie had always denied these notions.

Hearing her advocate for them now felt bitter, but not unwarrented.

He closed his eyes, feeling tears drip down his face as the children dismounted, drawing closer.

"... It was my fault..."

He felt the small hands on his shoulder, the younger Cody staring at him, hate filling his eyes, yet his tone remained hollow.

"You cannot hide from yourself. I haunt you every day of your life, because i am the face you see when you think about their fates. You see me, and you feel the agony of memory and remorse."

He felt the claws of despair inside him, the old static buzzing in his ears, when he felt another hand on his shoulder, firm yet soft.

"It wasn't your fault."

Kade stood over him, his expression stern, yet soft.

He gripped the Alternate's shoulder, who slowly looked up at him, the wet trails of tears still staining his cheeks.

".... I know you never got to hear this from... well... me... but... You were controlled. You didn't have a choice. And if there's any version of me that thinks otherwise, then I wouldn't hesitate to punch myself in the face."

The alternate felt a lump swell up in throat, his eyes burning as the young Cody stared at the two, saying stiffly yet commandingly,

"Tell him your last words."

The alternate's eyes widened, with Kade growing confused.

"Last words?"

The alternate sighed, his chest shuddering.

"... I don't remember if I said anything to my Kade while I was controlled, but... The last thing i said to my Kade before.... I told him... I...."

He was stumbling over his words, before he felt the eerie gaze of his counterpart, and turned away from Kade.

"... The last thing I said to my kade... I told him I wished he wasn't my brother..."

Kade went quiet, and The Alternate buried his head in hands.

".... I'll never know, if they realized i triggered the detonator. I'll never know... If my kade knew I murdered him... and what he thought of me for doing so..."

There was a beat of silence, and just as The Alternate turned to check Kade's reaction,

he was blindsided by a firm, warm hug.

Kade wrapped his arms around his alternate brother, who froze, his words stuck in his throat, his eyes wide.

Kade held him tight, quietly saying,

"I got mind controlled once. We all did. We chased cody around town all day, trying to do who-knows-what to him. Cody was skittish of everyone for days after, but... I couldn't sleep for weeks. I just... Thought about it. Thought about what could've happened. What I could've done. I know it's not the same. I.. I don't really know what i'm trying to say here, but.... I could never think of you as a bad person."

His hug felt identical to his own Kade's.

It had been nine long, painful years since he'd felt the embrace of his own kade.

That burning pain within his chest flared up again, but even so, he felt something else.

He couldn't explain the feeling bubbling up in his chest, But as he sat enveloped in Kade's arms, something cut through the pain.

He's long grown accustomed to the burning agony that swelled within his chest.

But now, a softer warmth overtook him, easing it's way through the cracks in his broken heart.

He pulled away from Kade, his eyes still glistening with a sour dampness, but his breath evening.

".... Why...."

Kade met his eyes, nodding seriously.

"Because you're my brother."

Cody struggled to string together a proper reply, As kade glanced behind him, his stance stiffening as he noted Cody and Frankie watching them intently.

"That's Morocco talking, okay? He's in your head, you can't let him break you down, or he'll just keep controlling you. You can't change what happened, you can only go forward."

Kade pulled him to his feet, and he smiled, ever so softly.

".... I've missed you.... So much... It feels good to talk to you like this. But I think we have a job to finish."

"Then let's finish it."

Kade smirked, handing him the EMP block.

"I think this is yours."

Kade quickly darted to the side, and the rest of the team emerged, surrounding the kids.

the young Cody made a grab at the hoverboard, but Kade was Faster, snatching it off the ground.

"Sorry, Squirt, but I think you've had too much Screen Time!!"

The alternate Cody was quick to blast the block, and the two kids went rigid, their eyes wide and posture stiff as the phones began sparking wildly, before crashing to the ground, and kids falling back.

Charlie and Doc were quick to scoop up Cody and Frankie respectively, Kade smirking as he stomped on the fried phones.

"And that takes care of that!"

Dani was quick to look over the kids, who'd collapsed, now being cradled in the arms of their respective father.

"They look alright, just tired."

"They should be."

The alternate grabbed his torso, glancing over at the kids.

"They'll be alright, but we need to get them out of here. The Bots need our help."

Charlie cradled cody in his arms, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Agreed."

Graham moved to look at the ruined phones, but suddenly froze as he got a good look at kade.

"... Oh my god..."

Staining the front of Kade's shirt was a drying crimson.

Kade glanced down, then held out his hands.

"..... That's not mine..."

All eyes shifted to the Alternate.

Cody winced, and Kade stormed back over, groaning as he spotted the stain spreading beneath his jacket.

"Dude!"

"I'm sorry! But-"

"You're hurt and you didn't tell us."

"Is now really the time?!"

Kade didn't like the look of the stain, the fabric seemed pretty saturated.

"Cody, I know we just had a heartfelt moment and all, but DUDE. YOU CAN'T JUST HIDE THAT!"

"I'm fine, Kade, really. It... It dosen't hurt?"

"..... Alt-Bro, we both know that's bullshit."

"Kids."

Charlie's voice was quiet, obviously trying to avoid rousing the sleeping boy in his arms, gently rubbing Cody's back as he cradled him.

"We need to get back to the Bots, now. Dani, I want you and Blades to get Cody and Frankie out of here, alright?"

"Got it."

"Now, uh.... Other Cody, I won't deny you this. I know how badly you want justice, so I'll let you make the choice for yourself. But just know, we want you to value your life just as much as you value protecting ours."

He clutched the wound, then sighed.

"I can't stop, not now."

"Promise me you'll let us treat that as soon as this is over, okay?"

".... I... I promise."

The promise felt weird.

He hadn't ever counted on getting through this alive.

But one glance at Kade told him that they'd realized this, and were hellbent on securing his survival.

Charlie nodded back towards the chaos, and the team started moving, with him and Doc heading up the rear.

Cody felt his lack of power catch up to him, and he nudged Kade, pointing to his Counterpart's hoverboard.

"Do you think my counterpart would mind? I really need some energy right now."

"Oh, sure. He probably wouldn't mind, and we can just get a new battery later."

Kade handed the hoverboard, and Cody grasped it with his cybernetic, draining the power from it.

Doc watched in fascination, cradling Frankie close.

"How fascinating... Perhaps you'd be willing to allow me to study your unique abilities, at a later date?"

He couldn't help barking out a laugh.

"Sure, Doc.... If I get out of this in one piece, then by all means, go nuts."

The group picked up the pace, not knowing what they were about to walk into.

Heatwave winced as the monster's talons dragged across his arm, leaving notable scratches in his paint.

The alternate Morocco was far different than the average Moor-Bot, his form clearly built for inflicting damage.

He was faster, sleeker, more agile.

But far more concerning, was the mind inside.

"It's been ages since i've seen so many Cybertronians in one spot.... Functional ones, anyhow."

Chase lunged forward with his tasers, but Morocco easily ducked, and Chase almost struck Boulder by mistake.

Heatwave didn't like the sneer repeatedly tossed his direction.

"You, Firebot, you almost feel like an old Friend. I've gotten to know your counterpart quite well..."

Heatwave didn't answer, not that he had the words to.

"It was frustrating to me, that you survived. But i decided i might as well make the best of it. After all, it was quite fascinating, to learn that an alien could grieve a human."

From his perch from afar, he recounted his surprise, watching the firebot clutch the bodies, his own wounds still leaking the blue lifeblood as he screamed, his cry of agony low and feral.

"Fascinating indeed.... Human, Alien, Machine, it all blends together in the end."

"You're no Cybertronian.... And you're certainly not human."

He couldn't understand why Morocco looked pleased at that.

"The firebot i know has near identical words..... Incredible..."

Heatwave couldn't resist the yelp that escaped him as the claws scratched his window.

"You and that boy, you're quite alike.... You both sought to quell the pain inside by causing more. You both hunted me.... Until he hunted alone."

The bots all exchanged a glance between themselves, the mystery of Other-Cody growing more.

"Two worlds, so similar, so different."

"You broke his heart."

They were all surprised by Boulder's words.

Boulder looked a little hesitant at what he was saying, but narrowed his optics, continuing.

"You... broke him... and you enjoyed doing it. What's left of Morocco, you enjoyed warping his heart, using his pain to manipulate him. Because this all is just one big game to you, isn't it?"

"It's the survivor that manipulates his surroundings."

The bots exchanged another look, clearly thinking the same thing.

Morocco was no survivor.

He was a murderer.

No...

That young man, with his innocence beaten out of him, the smile robbed from his eyes, the scars across his body, the anger etetched into his soul,

he was the survivor.

Not from tampering with powers he couldn't understand, but from dragging himself away from death by the skin of his teeth.

Heatwave couldn't quite process what he did next, time seemed to skip, between processing the Madman's words, and his fist colliding with the monster's head, metal crunching and the screen face shattering.

Morocco reeled back, his glitched "breath" seeming to skip, time holding still as he steadied himself.

The digital face on the screen warped into a series of discolored lines, cracks running all across it.

Heatwave almost looked shocked, barely having time to process his own actions.

The "face" was apparently purely decorative, as Morocco slowly turned to face heatwave.

"You.... Are going to regret that..."

Despite his shock, Heatwave glared.

"For him, never."

He couldn't read Morocco's expression through the damaged screen, but he really didn't need to.

Everyone tensed as the purple, crackling energy escaped his chest.

They weren't expecting him to freeze in his tracks as well.

"What on earth...."

He stretched out his hands, the purple energy trailing around the limbs, the power spiking wildly.

His broken face met Heatwave's, rage filling his glitched voice.

"YOU MEDDLER!"

Heatwave was too stunned to fire back a remorse, nor did he need to, as the shout from the distance caught his attention.

"GUYS!"

The Burnses charged out from the dark woods, the Bots feeling collective relief to see Cody and Frankie unharmed, if unconcious.

Dani waved over Blades, and after a confirming glance at the others, he broke away from the fight, rushing over.

He didn't even need the cue, instantly dropping to his knee, opening his cab.

He gently took Cody and Frankie, buckling them into his seats with upmost caution.

"Are they-"

"Just tired. It took a lot out of them, but they should be okay."

The alternate glanced at the rest of the bots, eyes eyes widening.

"No way..."

He knew that energy pattern.

Kade caught his eyes.

"Other-Bro, what's going on?"

Before he could answer, there was a loud, thunderous crack from just behind morocco, and a swirling, bright magenta void opened in the sky.

Everyone sat in dead silence, even morocco.

That silence suddenly shattered, as a figure emerged from the void, which closed behind them.

The figure easily cleared the air, appearing to have some sort of rocket boots.

But the big surprise came as they propelled them-self forward, right THROUGH Morocco's chest, popping right out the other side, a strange translucent energy fading away as they touched down on the ground.

"WHAT WITCHERY?!"

Everyone stood in shock.

Well, everyone, except Cody.

He walked forward, a slow, bewildered grin overtaking him.

"... Heh... Wasn't expecting you here, Savior."

The figure wore a helmet similar to Cody's, with a black jumpsuit, and a strange looking harness.

The figure tilted their head, letting out a garbed laugh.

"Still insist on the Codenames, Responder?"

"You know me, I like the bit."

"I do... and, are you ever expecting me?"

"Fair, fair."

Underneath the playful banter, there was an unmistakable tension, evidenced by the stiff posture, the flicker in Cody's eyes.