Let's Kill Who?

Hauler stepped outside the chamber. "It's done. My greatest shame is no more." Ever since that day, millions of years ago, he had regretted the role he played in Megatron's creation. All the deaths are now gone. His fellow Constructicons would now remain builders rather than destroyers. Cybertron would remain in the golden age that followed the Great Expulsion. Just a few key conversations did it. Convincing Scrapper had been the key, but he'd done it. Megatron was not built. Megatron never existed.

He triggered the return remote. Wheeljack greeted him as he returned to his present. "You made it safe? You succeeded?"

"I did, Wheeljack. I talked with my fellow Constructicons. They understood. We did not build Megatron."

"Who's Megatron?"

Wheeljack's response startled me. This was the whole point of our mission. We had spent the last five years, reconstructing captured Decepticon schematics, improving them, just so I could go back and stop Megatron from ever being created.

Confused, Hauler reminded him: "Our greatest threat? The tyrant who started the Great War, who conquered Cybertron?"

"I've always known him as Shockwave, Hauler. Big, purple guy with one eye and one hand? I've never heard him called Megatron before."

"No, Megatron is grey and black, Shockwave is his lieutenant--" I realized what happened. "Ah. I did succeed. I went back in time to stop Megatron's construction. I stopped it. He was never built. Therefore you've never heard of him."

Wheeljack was still puzzled. "You were supposed to prevent Shockwave's election to the Senate."

 Hauler considered this. I know I succeeded in stopping Megatron, but it looks like his crimes found a new author. Well, just have to put a stop to this one too. "Looks like I missed the mark, then. There enough energon for a second trip?"

"Enough for three more trips!"

"Fire it up!"

Cybertron dissolved and reappeared around Hauler. Cerebros's office. Of course. If Shockwave doesn't get elected, someone else has to. Who better than our pacifist friend? Another conversation. More persuasion. "I'm concerned about the Senate elections. These are dangerous times. I am only a humble builder, Cerebros, but I don't trust Shockwave. Someone needs to stop him, and ensure peace remains. Have you considered running for the Senate?"

"I have, Hooler."

"Sorry, it's Hauler."

"Sorry. Hauler. I have. I'm leaning against it. So much to do here in my lab."

"Perhaps if you saw what Shockwave's election would lead to?" Just as he had with Scrapper, Hauler gave Cerebros the data files of the Great War. This time, where once a large grey robot was featured, there was a purple one.

"That's horrible! I cannot let that happen. I'll run -- and I'll do everything I can to win."

"Then I won't keep you further. I wish you a Prime's luck." Hauler stepped outside, and down a back alley, before signaling his recall.

"I did it, Wheelja--" Wheeljack was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Perceptor stood in front him. "Perceptor. I persuaded Cerebros to run against Shockwave. Did he win?"

"He did. It was the last great moment before the Great War. But that was not your mission, Hauler."

"It wasn't? Perceptor, just a little while ago Wheeljack sent me back to do just that. Hey, where's Wheeljack?"

Perceptor's eyes narrowed. "Hauler, Wheeljack was captured and executed by Decepticons over three million years ago. You were there when Nova Storm and Ion Storm drug him off to Slipstream."

"Slipstream?"

"Of course, she wanted to see her orders carried out personally. She always does when important Autobots are executed."

"Slipstream leads the Decepticons, Perceptor? Not Shockwave? Not Megatron?"

"Who's Megatron? Anyway, did you succeed in planting the bomb to take her out?"

"No, I-- My mission was to stop Shockwave's election. I mean, originally it was to stop Megatron's creation. I guess I keep succeeding. But the war goes on. Ok, give me another bomb and another trip."

Give me a long night at Maccadam's and a bar tab paid by Smokescreens's gambling winnings when I get back, Hauler though. He was getting a headache from all the consequences, all the successes and the futile outcomes.

Once more, Cybertron dissolved and reappeared around him. Slipstream's quarters, this time. Sometime before she started the war, presumably. Sometime before Wheeljack died. He rang her comm. "Who is it?"

"My name is Hauler. I have a package for you." Slipstream opened the door. She took the bomb -- in a standard storage container, nondescript with ordinary Cybertronian glyphs on one side -- and gave Hauler a couple of energon chips as a tip. "Thank you, ma'am." He ducked down another alley, pressed the recall button yet again, and returned to his time -- if it was his time. Hopefully it worked this time --

A series of nearby explosions gave him his disappointment. "Perceptor! I did it!" 

Cliffjumper lost his cool. "Twin Twist has his Seeker squadrons destroying Iacon around us, and you have the nerve to tell a dead bot you succeeded?!"

"Twin Twist leads the Decepticons??" Hauler was absolutely stunned.

"Yes, Twin Twist still leads his pit-damned Decepticon army. Clearly, you failed, and you have the bearings to try telling a long-dead comrade you succeeded! Why, I oughtta --"

Just then, an idea occurred to Hauler. He transformed into crane mode, picked up the small bot, and flung him through the wall. He called out, "Primus forgive me, buddy, but if I'm right, you won't even know this happened." He set the controls himself. Back to where it started. Back to the original mission. But with a twist -- a twin twist, you might say....

Hauler arrived at a by-now familiar place. He saw himself appear just across the plaza. I have one chance. He shot his double -- himself -- then drove over and pressed the recall button. Leaving himself behind, he found his fellow Constructicons. "Sorry I'm a little late, Scrapper, but I was stuck in ... self-examination. Shall we get started?"

Hauler limped away from the temporal displacer. "What happened?" Wheeljack asked.

"I'm not sure. As soon as I arrived, I was shot. I didn't see who did it. As soon as I woke up, I was already returning. Enough energon for another trip?"

"Should be. That's strange. I fueled it up with enough for four trips. But now, the tank's empty."

"Another time, then. Wheeljack. We'll stop Megatron before he starts."