Epilogue
The Zapbots enter a worm hole that takes them to the other side of the Universe and also to a huge discovery.
The Fall and Rebirth of Gearatron - Next--->
Synopsis
Anthony enters a period of deep personal crisis, recording a log that reflects his growing sense of isolation, purpose fatigue, and fear of impending doom. Overwhelmed by responsibility, he places Botimus Prime in charge of most of his shifts and wanders the now-empty human sectors of Fortress Misslemax, haunted by unrealized dreams of human–Zapbot cooperation. At the urging of his Minibots, Anthony briefly returns to his hometown on Earth to reflect on his past, but finds no clarity there. Upon returning to Misslemax, he unsuccessfully attempts to reconnect with his human friends—including Jeremy and Mike Quartz—only to realize how distant his life has become from theirs.
The calm is broken when the bridge detects a stable wormhole forming near Earth. Drawn by instinct and destiny, Anthony orders Fortress Misslemax to investigate. Passing through the wormhole, the Zapbots emerge near an unexplored Class-M planet with lifeform readings. A landing team consisting of Shortstop, Botimus Prime, Hightone, Carry-On, Speedy, Iron, and Terrain discovers the wreckage of an ancient spacecraft and is attacked by an unknown robotic defender. After a tense standoff, the robot reveals himself to be a human HeadMaster named Shane, known among the Zapbots as Geo.
Shane leads the team to a hidden encampment where they make a startling discovery: the long-lost Ancient Zapbots Lighting, Bridge, and Knife are still alive. The elders explain that they rescued Shane as a child during a Gongos raid on Earth fifteen years earlier and escaped through a collapsing wormhole, becoming stranded on the planet. They raised Shane as their own and trained him as a Zapbot HeadMaster while secretly monitoring events on Earth through fragmented transmissions. Though wary at first, the Zapbots agree to escort the Ancient Zapbots and Shane home.
Anthony struggles to connect with Shane, whose social development was shaped by isolation and survival, but gradually forms a bond with him through shared experiences aboard Misslemax. Their fragile reunion is interrupted when the Gongos track them through the wormhole and launch an attack. With assistance from the Animal Team, the Zapbots retreat to Misslemax, pursued into the wormhole. A Gongo torpedo detonates within the tunnel, freezing the wormhole and crippling both ships.
During the blackout, Anthony once again encounters Matt E., who warns him that Shane must be protected at all costs. Awakening to chaos, Anthony finds Fortress Misslemax heavily damaged, its shields, engines, and structural systems offline. Shane is critically injured but is saved using the Lifesaver device. As the crew races to restore power before the wormhole reactivates and crushes the ship, the Ancient Zapbots reveal extraordinary technical knowledge, rapidly repairing systems thought irreparable.
A Gongo infiltrates the ship and nearly kills Shane, forcing Anthony to unleash the power of the Matrix of Leadership to save him—confirming Shane’s importance to the larger cosmic balance. With systems barely restored, Misslemax escapes the wormhole and destroys the pursuing Gongo ship in Battle Station mode.
In the aftermath, Anthony discovers a tracking device secretly embedded in Bridge since the ancient war, explaining how the Gongos followed them. Though damaged, Bridge survives, unaware he was ever compromised. As repairs are completed at a starbase, Matt E. appears one final time, confirming that Anthony’s choices have set the endgame in motion—and that Anthony already knows the answer to the question that has haunted him.
Returning to Gearatron, the Ancient Zapbots are welcomed as heroes. Omega Dupreme escorts Shane back to Earth to reunite with his family, while Anthony reflects on the rare gift of friendship and connection amid cosmic responsibility.
Epilogue: In the depths of space near the ruins of New Gearatron, the Nonocons recover the lifeless bodies of Amphotron and Tri-Star as Skyscream and Shock observe silently—signaling darker forces gathering for what is yet to come.
Featured characters
| Zapbots | Humans | Nonocons | Enemies | Planets |
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Quotes
“Phil Collins! You like him?” he said laughing. “Yeah why?” “He sucks!” “No he doesn’t” “He sounds like he’s castrated!”
- Shane talking to Anthony
Notes
Versions
- First Version: 1993?
- Second Version: 2021
- Third Version: 2021
Production notes
- First appearance of Geo.
- This story was really the last of the original batch of stories I wrote just before I went to college and started revamping them. It is meant to take place just before The Fall and Rebirth.
- Most of the conversations between Shane and my character are taken from actual conversations we had in real life.
- See Preface for the backstory on how I met Shane.
Continuity notes
Real-life references
Continuity and plotting errors
- I believe Creater was destroyed in a previous story. Must have just rebuilt his body at some point. Tee hee
Other trivia
- When I started to rewrite this story I googled Shane’s name and saw that Shane had passed away in 2018 due to a horrific car accident. This makes this story a very important memory of someone that was very near and dear to my heart. It is a shame I never had the chance to reconnect with him.
