With a convenient excuse tucked under his paw, something about 'observing societal evolution in real-time'
Garfield settled in for an extended stay in the Transformers' world.
The time had come for his students to take their first real steps.
Orion Pax and Megatron stood at the threshold of the database, their processors buzzing with newly acquired ideas.
With Garfield's encouragement, they stepped out into the world, ready to spread the fire they'd been given.
Orion Pax had an advantage from the start.
His existing circle of friends, fellow archivists, data clerks, and those who shared his quiet curiosity about the universe, became his first audience.
His ideas spread among civilian Transformers like a slow, steady flame catching dry kindling.
Soon, he had his own group of supporters.
They weren't soldiers or politicians. They were workers, thinkers, dreamers. But they listened, and they believed.
Megatron started with nothing.
A former miner, dragged from the depths by Garfield's intervention, he had no friends, no connections, no reputation.
Just a spark burning with new understanding and a voice that had never been allowed to speak before.
So he did what any creature with nothing but conviction does, he started at the bottom.
He descended into the underbelly of Cybertronian society, the mines, the factories, the forgotten quarters where Transformers labored and rusted in obscurity.
And there, he found his audience. They were rough, cynical, beaten down by cycles of exploitation.
But they recognized something in this stranger who spoke of change, of a future where their sparks might matter.
Personal charm, Garfield had once observed, was a mysterious thing. Megatron had it in spades.
Soon, he met his first loyal subordinates.
Among them was a massive, tank-like mech with rough-edged, unable to evolve into a more sophisticated form, but fierce in his loyalty.
He saw in Megatron something worth following.
In the cycles that followed, Orion Pax and Megatron worked like diligent spark-bees, spreading their ideas across Cybertron.
For most species, spreading a new philosophy took generations, centuries of slow infiltration. But Transformers were different.
Their minds were networks, their thoughts data waiting to be shared.
Garfield offered a simple suggestion. "Record a speech. Throw it on the public networks."
"Free resource, plus a headline that grabs attention."
They did.
The result was explosive.
Ideas spread at the speed of light across Cybertron's data streams.
Millions downloaded, listened, considered. Some sparks ignited with hope. Others flickered with recognition.
And some, the ones with the most to lose burned with cold fury.
The rotten ones. The ones who profited from the decay noticed.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
In shadowed chambers, away from public networks, they gathered.
Their optics glowed in the dimness.
"What do we do?"
"It's just two youngsters. They can't do anything real."
"I don't like it. My sensors detect something... off."
"Off? You're paranoid."
"Paranoia or pattern recognition? Either way, they're growing."
"Then we eliminate them."
Silence. Then a cooler voice, sly and measured. "Eliminate them, and we admit their ideas have power."
"Kill them, and they become martyrs. Their words sound forever. We lose either way."
Finally, the sly voice spoke again. "Then we join them."
Confused optics turned toward the speaker.
"We help them achieve their goals. We become their allies, their supporters. And then..." A pause, thick with implication.
"We corrupt them from the inside. Just as we've always done."
Slowly, optics brightened with approval. Nods exchanged in the darkness.
It was perfect.
This idea was unanimously approved, and Orion Pax and Megatron did not know that a crisis was quietly approaching.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Garfield held the Time Stone in his paw, allowing him to glimpse possibilities even as his body struggled to recover.
While Orion Pax and Megatron were locked in their eternal struggle.
Garfield would occasionally activate the stone, peering into the flow of time to nudge both leaders toward a better path, whether they realized it or not.
Doctor Strange had once witnessed fourteen million futures in an instant, enabling him to guide events precisely.
Garfield's relationship with time was different, yet no less significant.
As Garfield manipulated temporal energies, Bumblebee returned from a scouting mission and immediately noticed something wrong.
The orange cat's form was beginning to flicker at the edges, growing translucent.
Concerned, Bumblebee activated his detection equipment.
The massive surge of temporal energy flooded his sensors instantly.
"WARNING: UNKNOWN ENERGY SURGE DETECTED"
"WARNING: UNKNOWN ENERGY SURGE DETECTED"
"WARNING: UNKNOWN ENERGY SURGE DETECTED"
"RECOMMENDATION: SHUT DOWN DETECTION SYSTEMS"
"RECOMMENDATION: SHUT DOWN DETECTION SYSTEMS"
Thinking quickly, Bumblebee made the smartest choice possible, he powered down his active scanning equipment before it could be permanently damaged.
But like the diligent scout he was, he kept his passive recording functions running, capturing the historic moment like the world's best documentary filmmaker.
Good job Photographer.
Garfield noticed Bumblebee's recording efforts but made no move to stop him.
Having a visual record might prove useful someday.
Perhaps he could even create content that would leave certain bamboo rats, those overly excitable fans.
Preparations for their first major public address required considerable work.
Beyond crafting the right words, there was the equally important matter of security.
Both Megatron and Orion Pax had assembled followers who shared their vision.
Orion Pax's faction included familiar faces… Bumblebee, Breakdown, Windcharger, the gentle giant Ironhide, the communications expert Ratchet, the weapons specialist Crosshairs, the agile Sideswipe.
Prowl with his tactical genius, the courageous Red Alert, the construction specialist Grapple, the resourceful Wheelie and the ever-passionate Hot Rod.
Megatron's contingent included Laserbeak, the aerial spy, Ravage, the silent stalker, Rumble and Frenzy, the destructive twins, the massive Bruticus.
The combative Onslaught, the brutal Brawl, the aerial warrior Thundercracker, the seeker Starscream, and Soundwave, Megatron's most loyal intelligence officer accompanied by his cassettes.
Surveying this assembly, Garfield scratched his head in confusion.
He couldn't quite remember when these particular Transformers had joined the cause in any version of history he knew.
Something felt slightly off.
Had Soundwave always followed Megatron this early?
And on Optimus's side, were Breakdown, and Grapple even acquainted with Optimus at this point in time?
Garfield's attention drifted to Orion Pax's vehicle mode.
The truck's head design was somewhat... underwhelming.
He had to acknowledge that Optimus's current form was rather simple and rounded compared to what he'd become.
Despite their origins, some designed for civilian functions, others for military purposes, both factions stood together harmoniously, united in their respect for one another as fellow Cybertronians.
But one figure truly stood out among them.
A carbon-based lifeform.
Boldly orange in coloration.
A feline that could fly.
Not only did this creature not look out of place among the metallic giants, but it also followed alongside their leaders, muttering something while holding a glowing artifact.
Though curiosity burned within them, the Transformers maintained respectful distance.
Unwilling to intrude upon whatever business their leader's companion was conducting.
Confusion, one of Megatron's troops, stared at the unusual sight with stars practically visible in his optics.
He turned to another, who seemed equally fascinated: "Big bot, do you know anything about that orange carbon-based creature?"
He shrugged uncertainly. "Seen it around, but don't know much. Maybe B-127 knows something."
B-127, of course, referred to Bumblebee, the first among them to encounter Earth and its strange inhabitants.
Following his gesture, Confusion navigated through the gathered Transformers until he found Bumblebee deep in conversation with another bot.
"B-127?"
Bumblebee looked up. "What's up, brother?"
Confusion pointed toward Garfield. "You know him?"
Following the gesture, Bumblebee's expression transformed into one of profound respect. "That's our boss's teacher, Garfield Pando Godzilla Pendragon."