"This is Headline reporting from five miles outside of Autobot territory where a strange glowing circle appeared in the sky exactly three minutes ago and a small red and silver Transformer fell out of it. He proclaimed to be okay."

She paused and played a recording of a male voice stating with precise enunciation: "Do not worry! I am o-kay!" Accompanying video showed the small stranger standing up out of the dirt -- the ground exhibiting an imprint of his front -- and waving his arms.

She then continued, "He now appears to wish to speak to an authority figure."

Video cut back to the stranger, whose face was scrunched up in thought. Then he smiled brightly. "Take me to your leader!"

The camera panned across the confused faces of the Protectobots, then settled on Headline. "Obviously we all wonder where he came from, and this reporter intends to find out." She glanced away from the camera as the sound of someone transforming and then an engine revving interrupted her. She hastily looked back. "Once I catch up to him. He appears to be leading the way to Autobot City."

~*~

Kup was waiting at the bridge with arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The red and silver car was heading straight for the entrance ramp, and picking up speed. Suddenly the visitor launched upwards and transformed in mid air. He landed on his feet. "I have always wanted to do that!" He smiled and looked up at Autobot City. "Ah, it is just as I had planned. Except for all the orange. The tourmaline blue with coral trim would have been much better." He then walked right past Kup, calling, "Hello, elderly guard fellow."

Kup turned and all but reached to grab him by the top of his helm -- the small robot was slightly taller than Rewind and Eject. "Now just a petro-cotton picking minute. Who do you think you are?"

The smaller robot deftly avoided any potential attempts to grab his cranial unit. "Who am I? Who am I? I am the powerful, I am the pleasurable, I am the indestructible ROLLER. ...I would tell you to speak to my agent, but he did not come along. In fact, I am quite alone. So please let me do what I need to do, before I really realize that fact and go hide in a corner to cry." He then smiled cheerfully and kept walking.

Kup stared. "What are you--" He reached for the mech's head this time, but the proclaimed Roller transformed and zipped off down the hall. Kup sighed and sat down with a grunt. "I ain't chasin' that little punk. Now, where have I heard the name 'Roller' before..?" He held his chin and thought about it, then straightened up and snapped his fingers. "Of course! Prime's scout that he kept in his trailer. But he was never sentient on his own...and he was small..er...and had six wheels...and..."

~*~

Roller hummed loudly as he drove through the halls, soon breaking into full song. "Ohhhh, the rain in Spain falls mainly ON! THE! PLAIN! And then the flowers growwww and birds singgggg and--" He screeched to a halt and transformed to walk forward. "Heeeyyy! I did not put a dead end here! Who designed this thing?"

"You can find out later," said someone who came up behind him. "Right now you're going to tell me who you are and why you invited yourself in." Rodimus Prime stood with his arms folded as he frowned down at the little mech.

"I think I forgot to send the memo. Oh well. I am Roller! You are Rodimus. I believe I was looking for you."

"Really?" He was unimpressed. "Please elaborate."

The little mech did, but not with words. Rodimus' arms pinwheeled as Roller leapt at him.

~*~

"This is Headline again at the scene just outside Autobot City where the strange visitor has just walked out carrying something that's glow--" She slapped her palm to the front of her helm. "Primus, he's got the Matrix."

The camera panned to Roller, standing at the top of the entrance ramp with the artifact held high. "I have the touch! I have the power! The saving of the universe can now commence!"

Headline walked over. "I'm afraid you missed it, but the universe was already saved. Here." She took out a portable monitor and brought up some footage from Unicron's destruction.

Roller peered at the screen, then at her, then back to the screen. "Hey! I can see my die cast production plant from here!" He pointed to a fuzzy spot on a shot of Cybertron.

Then someone laughed and Roller suddenly had both empty hands in front of him. "Where did it go? I have to save the universe, it cannot go bye-bye yet!" Headline stared at him with doubt. Another laugh in the same voice came from somewhere to their left. "Oh dear. He followed me. Stop him! And no, he is not my agent!"

The Autobots in the area all looked around, seeing plenty of mechs that qualified as a 'him' but not seeing anyone holding the Matrix. A shadow to Streetwise's right laughed. Roller pointed just as a green car raced out and headed for the road leading to Lookout Mountain. "Stop him! He is jeopardizing the universe and that is not a nice thing to do!"

Just then Rodimus staggered out, one hand held to his chest. "You're the one who jeopardized things by taking the Matrix in the first place."

"Technicalities." Roller flipped both hands palm-up in a shrug. "Hurry, hurry! Buy some rice and curry!" He transformed and zoomed after the green car.

"The Junkions have nothing on this guy. At least they can blame it on watching too much TV." Headline shook her head. "Rodimus, can I get your opinion on all of this?" She leaned close to him to pick up the audio, which actually lead to catching him swearing under his vocalizer. He realized this and hastily "Ahem"ed.

"At the moment, all I can do is say, Autobots, transform and catch them both!!"

~*~

"Stop! Thief! Stop! Thief! Stop! Thief!" Roller sing-songed his way around every bend in the road up the mountain.

"Stop stating the obvious and get more creative!" His target shot back, then laughed.

"ArrrrrRAAaarrrggaaaarrraghhh!" Roller responded.

"Nope, no goo--" The green car skidded as Blades landed in his path. "Whoops!" He took off again, off-roading up an incline which was impressive since he was a compact car and did not appear built for anything but smooth flat asphalt. He gained the next level of roadway and kept driving along. Blades took off after him and Roller kept to the road itself, calling out again, "Stop! Thief! Stop! Thief!" Meanwhile, a satellite truck and a Winnebago were rapidly closing.

"Headline, any theories on these two lunatics?"

"I know what Roller is like and that is not it. I would say alternate dimension."

"Peachy. Just as long as they don't bring another Unicron with them."

"Or worse?"

"Or worse."

Just then a bluish-white light surrounded the top of the mountain and the thief's voice called, "I've got the disco ball! Ha-HA!"

"SLAG IT ALL TO THE PIT!!" Roller's voice yelled obscenely. "You cannot be Prime again, Rattlelatch! Do you remember what happened the last time?"

"Was it something about Unicron in Bermuda shorts using the moon as a bean bag chair while demanding the Earth send up the world's biggest martini?"

"YES!"

"Nope, don't recall a thing about it."

Rodimus stopped just below the top ridge. "Headline, are you getting this?"

"Juxtaposing visuals as we speak."

"Good. ...I don't want to see those visuals, though."

"Roger." She made the image view optional with a text warning of 'Unicron in Bermuda shorts. Click at own risk of losing optic sensor input.'

"Give me that Matrix! I need it!"

"Say please."

"It is not even yours! Ours, I mean!"

"So why did you take it?"

"That is strictly confidential and none of your bee's wax!"

"Nah, I think I like it enough to hang onto." Rattlelatch repeatedly tossed the Matrix up and caught it in the same hand, grinning away.

Roller fumed, then looked around. He then dashed over to Rodimus. "Roddy! Quick! A Fast Ball Special!"

Rodimus blinked. "Fast ball what?"

"Just throw me! Now!"

Rodimus still didn't get it but before he knew it he had picked up the small mech and threw him spear-like toward Rattlelatch. Roller snatched the Matrix out of mid air and sailed on over the ridge. He transformed, then he sped around the road and continued on down the mountain.

"Ah...heh-heh." Rattlelatch put his hands up as Blades and Hot Spot leveled their weapons at him. "Whoa! Look! It's Menasor!" He pointed, they looked, he transformed and raced after Roller. Rodimus was right on his tail. Headline kept the camera rolling to capture whatever the two strangers would do next and followed.

Roller sped ahead of 'Latch and made a beeline to the spot where he had first appeared. Blades' blades roared overhead while Streetwise and Hot Spot had their sirens blaring, but neither visitor seemed to care.

"A high speed chase is underway as the Protectobots continue to pursue the intruders. The one calling himself Roller still has the Matrix but Rodimus is certain we'll recover it."

"At least I hope I am" Rodimus commed over to her. "I want to review the recordings later, something strikes me as off about these two, alternate dimension or not. Just keep rolling, Headline."

"That's a given."

A glowing circle appeared in the road ahead of Roller and he shot into it -- and didn't emerge from the other side. Rattlelatch went right in after him. Blades would have followed but Rodimus saw in time. "Halt pursuit!" Blades swerved at the last moment, then circled warily.

The mechs on the ground transformed and slowly approached the glowing gateway. Headline zoomed in but there was nothing to see within the edges of the circle. Rodimus regarded the gate with his right hand clasping his chin.

"Sir..?" Hot Spot came over and looked expectantly for an order.

Rodimus didn't respond, only continued to study the portal. The surface rippled and the top half of Roller leaned out. "Everything is a-okay, Rodimus. Thank you and may your existence not be plagued by SD Starscreams!"

"Uh...thank you. Carry on."

"No, I prefer to check my luggage since there is rarely room because everyone else brings their suitcases on board. But yes, goodbye!" He disappeared again, then the gate closed.

The Autobot leader said, "Thank--" as three Protectobors and a journalist said, "The Matrix!!" Rodimus finished it all off with a sigh. He glanced at them and opened his chestplate. The Matrix was there glittering away.

Headline blinked first. "Then what--"

"It was a trick. Didn't have time to explain."

"Then why--" Headline stopped herself. "Nevermind. Hmm, shall I clarify in the next segment or save it for the evening edition?"

"Whatever you think is best. I'm going to go lie down. After finding that is who becomes leader after Optimus, I don't want to know what their universe looks like."

"That was rhetorical, sir. Which one of them was it?"

"Both, at one time or another. Roller said it was currently someone else. Except the green one apparently took their Matrix just as it was needed again and Roller charged himself with catching him."

"Did he say what they needed it for?" Headline leaned in, intrigued and wondering if it would be something other than Unicron.

"He mentioned something about some Renegades and invading Rocklords."

~*~

Headline made one last adjustment to the camera. "All right. Do you have any opening statements before I present the questions?"

Roller, who had returned three days after the incident, nodded enthusiastically. She pressed a button on the camera and nodded. "I would like to say hello to all my homies and fellow component parts -- Trailer, or Roderick, whichever he is calling himself at the moment, not to be associated with the Hot Rod "Roddy", and Hi-Q, and Optimus himself! They are always such good sports."

Headline smiled and nodded again. "Let me ask the questions that have been on everyone's mind: Why did you pretend to steal the Matrix, and why come to us?"

"I needed to trick a thief. A former thief, but a thief nonetheless. And thiefs can be very clever. So clever in fact, that they use a warp gate that goes through the very fabric of time and space to steal things!"

"So this thief, who you name as Rattlelatch, was going around stealing Matrices from other universes?'

"No."

She blinked at his abrupt tone. "Then what was he doing?"

"Trying to help."

"Help do what..?"

"Stop Unicrons."

"Ah, pardon me, but did you just indicate multiple Unicrons?"

"Yes. The family reunion kind of messed up the gravity all throughout our solar system. Pluto is no longer a dwarf planet. And Jupiter's acne cleared up."

Headline started to ponder the possibilities, but filed it for later. "Yet you told Rodimus something about Rocklords..?"

"Oh, there was that, too. But then they met up with the Unicrons and they all decided to crash a party being held by some guys named Hordak and Skeletor."

She tried a new angle. "So you followed him here -- or led him here? What were your motivations?"

"To catch him, because he is silly."

And you aren't? She kept the thought to herself. "We now know you never touched our Matrix. Whose did you actually have?"

"Mine!"

"...Yours?"

"Yes. I am Roller, and I am Prime. Or a part of Prime. Do you see? I am the boss too!"

Headline couldn't help herself. "Do all of your Autobots have a...similar line of processing?"

He smiled broadly. "We all live in a BIIIGG asylum and the Decepticons are our neighbors! Shockwave said it was for the good of Cybertron."

Headline smiled, nodded, and took a step back. "May I ask how you came to visit us in the first place?"

"Skids broke the universe."

"Pardon?"

"Skids. He was playing with some new technology. He turned Mainframe into a rabbit, and Ratchet into a spirit bear, and Grapple into a giraffe. There were a lot of animals, actually. We should have opened our own zoo. Tracks and his sister turned into foxes with wings. Prowl turned into a wolf that also turned into a motorcycle! That was pretty cool. And Red Alert was a very, very small red squirrel."

Headline smiled away, trying not to make any sudden moves. "You're losing me. But I see the confusion that could have caused. So the warp gates were a side effect of new technology. You decided to utilize them in order to stop something else from happening."

"Yes. And the day was saved! Hurraaayyy!! We should have cookies now."

"Sorry, I didn't think to bring refreshments."

"That is okay. But I would like a cookie later. I especially like the ones with little colored candy pieces in them."

She stared. "You really do mean the ones the humans make?"

"Yes, of course! Although Ratchet keeps telling me I should not eat them because they gum up my internals. But they are so tasty! But I should listen because he has been threatening to shred me if I keep eating them."

This time her smile was genuinely humorous. "I don't think he really would."

"He is a bear, after all."

She let that pass. "I think I may have all the answers I need for the audience in this universe. Is there anything else you would like to add?"

"Yes. Another hello to my other crew: Scattershot, Afterburner, Strafe, Nosecone, and Lightspeed! You kids better be behaving or when I get back I will send you to your rooms without energon goodies!"

"And cut." Headline quickly busied herself with packing up her equipment. "Thank you for clearing things up. I hope I haven't kept you too long. I know you want to get back to have those cookies."

"Yes, I agree! Thank you for your hospitality, Headline. And always remember to wear a tin foil hat around Cincen!" He waved, and a gate opened, and he dashed through it. It closed behind him. Headline sighed in relief and wondered what Slamdance was going to think of this one.

~End~

Disclaimer: Stuff borrowed from Disney's Mulan, Stan Bush, Dr Bombay, the X-Men, the GoBots, She-Ra Princess of Power, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I didn't and still don't own the Transformers, on that note.