Disclaimer: I do not own GoBots nor its characters. Just this strange plot.

A couple of days passed and Leader-1 was healing well. The Last Engineer brought him out of the induced coma a day early and allowed him to slowly regain consciousness, though he was still confined to an energy bed. The Last Engineer wasn't an idiot afterall. He knew as soon as Leader-1 would realize he was alive, he'd want up and back to work. As an added effort to keep him in bed, his friends made regular visits to his bedside. They were dedicated and true to the "guardian" cause--in this case, guarding their commander from damaging his healing body by returning to work too soon.

"Nice to see you back from the dead again!" Turbo joked. "How do you feel?"

"Like Staks ran over me several times over and then a Command Center dropped on me. How'd I get here anyway?"

"Long story Big Guy. Best not to worry about that for now. Focus on mending and be thankful you have more lives than an Earth cat!" Matt replied.

"I've had the weirdest dreams. How long have I been out?"

"Few days. To use words you once used--just think of it as an unexpected vacation." Matt joked.

"Vacation...ironic word as I certainly am not enjoying it."

"Do you even know what that word means?" Aurora jested as she entered his room. The others took it as a cue to exit. Aurora would very likely wish to be alone with the mending commander.

"How do you do that?" Leader-1 asked.

"Do what?"

"Make them leave without a single word? That's true commanding."

"They know not to mess with a bitch in charge."

Leader-1 managed a small laugh, but it hurt so he stopped short. "Bitch eh? New nickname for you?"

"Well, if you're a sly dog then I must be a bitch. Keeps with the dog lingo y'know."

Leader-1 shook his head slowly and tried to adjust to a better sitting position, but a monitor went off.

"Naughty boy. Stay put. The Last Engineer has every one of these things rigged to go off if you do something he doesn't want you doing." Aurora said as she pushed a button to silence the noisy monitor.

"I feel like I'm being punished. Grounded and in time out."

"Interesting perspective. Go with that if you desire."

"Some help you are Aurora."

"I want you up and flying again as soon as possible. You're not helping."

"Commanding me too now? Wow, I'm out a few days and already there's been changes. Nonetheless, I don't like to sit still. Bad for a fighter jet to stay in one position for too long. It's instinctive."

"Yeah. We both noticed that didn't we."

Leader-1 smirked. To think he was once lecturing her about capture and then he himself ended up captured was too much irony. "So I'm told I have you to thank for my rescue."

"Someone's gotta play the hero when you're out of commission. But really, it was a team effort. If it weren't for all of us, you'd still be Cy-Kill's plaything."

"Ugh...don't remind me. I don't remember most of it and I by the feel of my body, I'm glad I don't. But the dreams were extremely strange. What'd you guys give me that made my brain wander the way it did? You were in a few of course."

"Do tell."

"Superimposed Earth and our lives. I must watch too much Earth tv. We were a family...complete with suburban house, white picket fence, two car garage, family dog, housecat, and children."

Aurora laughed. "Were we humans?"

"That was the weird part. No, but we fit into human sized homes and drove human sized cars and had human children."

"Okay, too weird."

"Then there was one where you and Snoop were fighting over me. And so was the rest of your team. If my body didn't hurt so much, I'd probably have been aroused by such a spectacle."

"Please don't elaborate on that one. You were heavily drugged afterall. Definitely not yourself." Aurora laughed. In truth, a small part of it was real. Leader-1 was fading in and out of consciousness during his ordeal afterall. How much he remembered of the actual torture remained to be seen, but nobody was going to try and bring it to the surface of his mind.

"Do you have any idea on when I will be released from this bed? I've never felt so uninformed and useless. Nobody will give me any details on anything...not even the color of the other side of the door."

"And you think I, a fellow Guardian Commander, who's supposed to set standards for others to follow will break rules that subordinates even follow?"

"Well I ---"

"Sorry flyboy. You've been grounded until further notice. That's all I am allowed to tell."

"You're no fun." Leader-1 teased.

"And neither are you at the moment. Now be the good GoBot that you usually are and do as you're told. The Last Engineer worked miracles for you again and it's best not to undo it eh?"

"But the color of the other side of the door? I want--"

"You ARE an obsessive one aren't you? Sssssshhh." Aurora giggled as she put a finger to his mouth to stop the words. She then placed a small kiss on his forehead. "Now, I have work to do. Filling in for you isn't easy at all. You do carry quite the workload don't you? Don't answer that. Get some rest. THAT's an ORDER." she said with a wink before departing. If GoBots could pout, Leader-1 was skillfully displaying such.

In the hallway, Aurora was met by the others, who were quite curious as usual. She gave them a vague update. "He's getting back to his old self rather quickly. Soon we'll have to post a Guardian in this hall to prevent him from exiting. He desperately wants to know what's on the other side of the door."

"And outside the windows and the walls." Turbo mentioned.

"He's trying to get to you all too?! A rat disguised as a GoBot I see." Aurora joked.

"Not quite a rat. Just one sly dog." Matt added with a chuckle. He'd coined the nickname 'sly dog' with Leader-1 a while back and it stuck ever since.

"Well, BowserBot is going to know what it's like to be neutered if he keeps it up." Aurora shot in adding her own version of the nickname.

"Ouch." Matt and Nick both replied in unison as both instinctively covered their groin areas.

"Hey wait, do GoBots even have---" Nick started.

A.J. thwaped him atop the head with a copy of the morning's newspaper. The others just laughed.

"Aww, c'mon, it was a legit question!" he responded as gave chase to the rest who were now departing down the other end of the corridor.

On the Moon's Darkside...

"Cy-Kill, I'm BORED! Can we go to Earth to mess with the humans...just a little?" Crasher whined.

"Crasher, save your energy for the Guardians." Cy-Kill asnwered.

"But I'm BORED! How about target practice with a few of their satellites?"

"No."

"Prank their space station?"

"No."

"Send a few asteroid calling cards?"

"No."

"You're such a party pooper!"

Cop-Tur laughed. Crasher kicked the chair out from under him, sending him crashing onto the ground with a hard thunk. "Who asked you Rotor-butt."

"Hey!"

"Will you two cut it out before I blast you both back to Rogue Star...in less than one piece!" Cy-Kill interruped.

A couple more days later...

Leader-1 was finally given permission to leave the Last Engineer's infirmary, err...lab. All were anxious to see how he'd take to his new form and lease on life. The Guardian Commander was looking himself over in a mirror as the others entered. He hadn't actually seen his new form since he'd been covered in a large, rather comfy blanket throughout most of his stay.

"So whatchya think Big Guy?" Matt asked as Leader-1 turned sideways to see his backside in the mirror.

"Not significant difference outwardly, but I can feel it inwardly. I feel lighter and stronger."

The Last Engineer walked in casually. "Ahh, there is some vanity in the legendary commander. Don't worry, you'll still stop the ladybots dead in their tracks. Maybe moreso now."

Leader-1 smirked. The Last Engineer was hanging around Matt too much. "I don't want them dead...just interested. Wait, did I just say that?"

The others laughed. There was hope for their Guardian Commander yet.

"Guess I'd better see if the Last Engineer can upgrade me then. If I have to fight an entire army of ladybots to get my main bot." Aurora chimed in.

"Shall we step outside, Leader-1? I'm sure you'd like to try out your new vehicle mode." the Last Engineer spoke.

Leader-1 nodded and led the way out of the room. "Hey, the door is brown on this side!" he chuckled as he noticed the other side of the door for the first time. The others continued to laugh.

Once outside, Leader-1 gave himself some space away from the group. "Well, here goes." he said as he converted. There was an added whoosh to the sound as the broader wings and vertical stablizers unfolded. A click revealed the wings locking into place. The vertical stabilizers slowly slid into a slight outward angle before doing the same. An F-22 Raptor stood proudly where an F-15 once was. "Hmm, doesn't feel too different."

"It will. Take flight Leader-1!" the Last Engineer said.

Leader-1 ignited his new engines. They whistled and whirred into a high pitched hum. A big difference in sound from his F-15's loud roar. With only a slight roll for takeoff, Leader-1 flexed his larger ailerons and was airborn. His new form shot into the air with a reckless ease. The broader wing and stabilizer surfaces enhanced airflow over his form. He sliced through the air rather than powering through it. Once at a reasonable height, he tried a few maneuvers. Though a bit clumsy at first, the Guardian jet realized that this form allowed all his old tricks and then some, with greater speed, ease and agility. He could pull higher G-forces, maneuver at greater speeds, and accelerate in a faster time. This form ran circles around his old one! After his little air show for his friends, he converted in mid-air back to his GoBot form and touched down to the ground with a gentle grace.

"Stunning Leader-1...stunning. " Aurora replied. "Can't wait for a mock combat scenario against you. Should be an interesting challenge."

"And now you are Earth's latest fighter jet design. Considering the F-15 is now entering phase out or retirement . You will be able to stay inconspicuous on Earth for many, many more decades." Matt mentioned.

"The new form is amazing! I don't know how to thank you for everything Last Engineer. I owe you more than I could ever give." Leader-1 spoke as he kneeled in respect to the GoBot creator.

"No need for thanks. Just do what you can to bring peace and justice back to GoBotron. Now rise."

Leader-1 stood and nodded. "Now, we have work to do! I have a plan that should put Cy-Kill away once and for all. I've had plenty of time to think and formulate this."

The others knew that line well and naturally, Leader-1 would think of work even if he was unable to work. They followed their leader to the Command Center to listen to his new plan.

"You're NOT going to Earth with us?!" Turbo exclaimed in surprise.

"I want Cy-Kill to think he really did terminate me. I want you all to stage my funeral. Go to Earth first. Inform them en route. Aurora's team is already classified and based on your reports, the Renegades still don't know about it nor the Star Ray...only Aurora. Aurora has already assumed my position on Command Center One. We'll keep it that way while I assume command of her own team and lie low and unnoticed until the time is right. Aurora, how many know I'm alive?"

"Just Zeemon and those present here. I told Zeemon to say nothing to the Council until I had official news. UNECOM and Earth do not know."

"Okay, Zeemon will have to pull some of his political acting to convince the Council and all of GoBotron that I've passed. As much as I never thought I'd see my own death ceremony, this has to be as realistic as possible."

"Now, Aurora, get your team and ship here...without notice. I will not tell any of you where we'll be and we'll be on radio silence at all times. The less you know of my whereabouts, the better. And contact Zeemon of the news. I'm sure he's stir-crazy having not been updated in a few days. Contact UNECOM once you are en route to Earth. "

"Agreed." Aurora replied as she stepped out of the confrerence room and made her way to the bridge.

"Now, you all know what to do and how to do it. Commence Operation Phoenix!" Leader-1 commanded and then stepped off the Commander Center. It launched without hesitation and rose into the sky. Leader-1 watched it depart until it disappeared from view, then turned and followed the Last Engineer back into the lab.

back on the moon...

"Cy-Kill, it's nearly been a week and all we've done is sit here with our thumbs up our pipes! Maybe they aren't coming to Earth. Maybe they've gone to GoBotron first." Crasher spoke.

"Even if they have, they will still return to Earth. We just--"

"Cy-Kill, incoming transmission from Command Center One to UNECOM!" Snoop interrupted. She had been monitoring the communication lines for any outbound or inbound messages.

All the Renegades crowded around the communications hub.

[COMMAND CENTER TO UNECOM. COME IN UNECOM!]

{General Newcastle here. Go ahead Command Center.}

[We are en route to Earth. We have some horrible news. Leader-1 did not survive his capture by the Renegades. We will be coming to Earth to pick up any of you who wish to attend the ceremony of his passing on GoBotron.]

Silence.

{Acknowledged Command Center. You are cleared for arrival at Main Base, pad 7. I'll meet you there.}

[Roger UNECOM. Command Center out.]

The Renegades looked at one another in stunned silence as well...until Cy-Kill broke into a maniacal laugh. "FINALLY! THE DEATH OF LEADER-1! I WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS! Crasher, send the news to Fitor on Rogue Star. Have him bring the ship into orbit near Jupiter and prepare for a full scale assult!"

"R-roger Cy-Kill."

"Now, with Leader-1 out of the way and the Guardians all shook up, depressed, and heading to GoBotron for his funeral, Earth is ours for the taking! What a glorious day! See Crasher, good things DO come to those who wait!"

A few hours later...back on New Earth...

At night, the sleek black Star Ray landed quietly at the Last Engineer's lab. Leader-1 greeted the surprised team and briefed them on the mission.

"Spinner, set course for Earth's solar system! Put us in a stationary orbit on the backside of their Sun. Cy-Kill will figure all Guardians and most key Earthlings will be heading to GoBotron for my funeral. He'll stage out a full scale assult on Earth. Jazzmin, key into all Renegade communication frequencies. Keep us updated if they become chatty. Tigress, come with me. I need to learn this ship, top to bottom fast!"

to be continued...