* * *

The Maximals were fading from view. So were The Predacons. For them the two sides of the flowing universe could not support each other or The Autobots and Decepticons. It was a decision that for all intents and purposes was for the better.

It started in the very distant past, The Maximals were there to keep The Ark from Predacon hands. But in doing so their part in the near fatal destruction of the timeline weighed heavily on the massive leader Optimal Optimus. It was something he hadn't considered before. And looking back at the deactivated Autobots, he realized that maybe it would have been better if Megatron had wiped them out.

"We don't belong here," he thought to himself. His ruminations were cut short by the arrival of Rhinox who had gone out looking for more energon in the high valley beyond the volcano. "Optimus, I found it. We can use the power from the energon for a machine to raise The Axalon from the sea and..." But he was barely listening to him. "Yes, yes! Put it on the table in the lab and we'll look at it later," he said.

Rhinox was puzzled. He had never seen his leader so depressed.

"Optimus," he said "What's on your mind?" "A lot. I was just thinking about an Autobot, one of the last few who left our world for another dimension. He had asked me why we had to constantly expand in our technology. I was very brazen and foolish at the time to see it. But I had always thought that it was important to outgrow our old ways and move forward. And what he told me then makes a lot more sense now than it did 250 years ago." He paused for a minute to remember what The Autobot told him. "He told me that we were an abomination, not worthy to be called Autobots and that the more we moved away from our roots, the less we will depend on our emotions, our instincts." "What kind of nonsense is that? We haven't changed," Rhinox said. "But we have. By being here we made a mess of history. If we go back we may not even have a Cybertron to go back to."

"That temporal time storm could've been the end for us, all of us," Rhinox said to Optimus. "Yes. And that means we can't interfere anymore with our history, or in this case - theirs," he said to Rhinox. Turning around Rhinox saw the deactivated Autobots sleeping soundly not to be woken for a few million more years. "Our best bet would be to leave this place once and for all." Optimus said aloud.

Far away from the volcano in the dense jungle, an all searing light enveloped the sky high above. A cruise ship with different markings of alien origin touch down on the surface of Pre-Earth. The sliding door opened and a man in a silver suit covered with images of the universe all over him stepped out. Around his waist was a utility belt that had all sorts of gadgets. A jack knife, a flare gun and a grenade, just to name a few. Pulling out his compass he headed in the direction where The Darkside was.

"This time, Megatron. You won't escape me and when I terminate you and The Predacons, The Maximals will be next."

Over at The Darkside, Megatron was hatching another plan. He was so confident of it that he immediately went into action to implement it. Turning to the vidscreen he punched a button. "Inferno. Come in immediately. That's an order," he said sternly. "Yes, my Queen!" "I do wish you'd stop that," Megatron said looking annoyed. Coming into the headquarters Inferno noticed a large glowing canister with green fluid in it. "Ah, I see you've noticed it. This is my latest plan to foil The Maximals. It is green energon." "Green energon?" Inferno asked curiously. "Yes. This is the kind that has nitro mixed in with a dose of poisonous acid from a spot I found earlier this past week. This will sneaked into The Ark The Maximals are protecting. They need something to quench their exoskeltons besides the plants and roots near the volcano. Once they've pumped this into their mechanoid systems it would start a chain reaction to make them rust from the inside. I'll admit it is a rather simple plan. But as they say the simplest machinations are always the ones that work."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," the warrior said as he stepped out from his hiding place. "You may call me Hypertime." "I come from a place beyond the normal flow of time and space and you are clearly still disrupting the continuity of The Autobots and Decepticons". "Who gives a slag's eye, puny human. We are the future now," Megatron said arrogantly. "Shall I terminate him, Royalty?" Inferno inquired. "Yes. You may. Yesss!" "BURRRNNN!!! HUMAN!!! BUUURN!!!" Hypertime seeing the charging Predacon took a flying leap out of his way and Inferno crashed headlong into the wall in front of him. "I think not," he said. "And now, it's time you went back to The Land of Rusted Parts."

It is to their credit that The Predacons did not scream for mercy as Hypertime raised his chrono-gun in their direction and they were thrust into the time continuum never to return to this universe.

Satisfied with the results Hypertime began walking to the Ark.

Optimus and the other Maximals saw the whole thing on Teletran One.

"They...they never had a chance," he said to himself softly.

Optimal Optimus' metal hands wanted to raise his fists in protest but he knew it was over. The aliens he had met a few years before were right. They and The Predacons had compromised history beyond their own ego driven desires. They hadn't realized the end to come. He just stood there defiantly hoping against hope that their part in history would not be erased totally.

"Let's scrap 'em, Optimus," Cheetor said looking for a fight.

"No!" he said. "But..." "I SAID NO!!!" he shouted. "We meet our end with dignity, Cheetor," he said to The Transmetal II robot.

Hypertime now arrived at the base and saw The Maximals just standing there in front of The Autobots' Ark. "Well, Aren't you going to put up a show of force for me?" he asked. "No. We surrender." Hypertime looked at all of them for a moment with a bit of sorrow but he had to do what he was sent to do. "Trust me. This won't be painful. I'll send you into a different timeline from this one," he said to Optimus.

"This is what was meant to happened," Hypertime told them. "Your lineage to The Autobots' was a mistake created out of ignorance. That's why The Autobots were driven off Earth after a city in California was destroyed by Jhiaxus. After The Swarm incident it was decided by the ruling council to wipe out the memory of The Autobots and Decepticons from every man, woman and child on Earth. Rather than admit your failure to prevent the tragedy it was then proposed that you disassociate yourselves from your former identities. You Autobots took your new moniker from Fortress Maximus and The Decepticons took theirs from The Predacons slained in the final Great War."

"Be gentle," Optimus said calmly. For the first time in a long time he felt at peace. All The Maximals huddled around their massive leader. Slowly, ever so slowly their metal bodies began to slip into the void as Hypertime gradually erased them from Pre-Earth into another dimension. A dimension that was sealed off completely from the true timeline.

As the last Maximal disappeared Hypertime then erased all remnants of their existence from Teletran One's databanks. He then placed a small orb into a secret hatch in its console to be used when the event of The Early 1990'S would occur.

"All is as should be," he said. And then he too beamed out.

The End