I own nothing, but Arona. Thank you Starseeded for the help, dabbling in you're universe and the song; the song "St. Elmo's Fire is by John Parr.
*Iotonian Language*
Autobot Base…right before dawn…
Rodimus turned on his berth, optics closed; he dreamed what could have been…
He laughed with glee as his sister literally froze a couple of suitors off his aft, *Thanks,Ro!*
*Anytime, bro!* she said with a chuckle, *If you could choose just one of them, the rest would get off your aft!*
Rodimus rolled his optics in annoyance, *I want to bond with someone who see me as me, not the heir to the throne. Why don't you get bonded with Mirage? That would relieve some of the pressure off me!*
It was Arona's turn to roll her optics, *I would if the slagger would stop being so stubborn! He believes he is too old for me! There is not that big of an age gap!*
Before she could rant further on the subject, a male voice interrupted the pair, *Children, why are these two femmes frozen solid?*
*Uh-oh,* muttered the pair as their father walked toward them, *How many times must I tell you not to do this Arona? Rodimus; unfreeze them.*
*They were bothering Roddy!* she protested, while her brother whined, *Father, do I have too?*
*NOW!*
Grumbling, Rodimus did as he was told, once the femmes were unthawed they quickly left their presence; once they were out of sight, the Prince Consort sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, *What in Primus's name am I going to do with two? Rodimus you will have to make your choice soon, if nothing else, it will get these cyber-vultures off your aft!*
*That's similar to what I said,* muttered Arona.
*As for you, my daughter, you're forbidden to go to the lab for the next cycle.*
*But, father!*
*No, buts!* he sternly told her, *I realize you're protecting your brother, but that is no excuse for freezing every femme he comes in contact with! You may be an adult now, but you are never too old for me to turn over my knee and spank your aft!*
Suddenly, Rodimus was roused from his dreams by a familiar voice, "Roddy, hey, Roddy are you awake?"
Groaning, and opening one optic, he took a look at his unexpected visitor, "Blaster, why in the name of Primus are you waking me up at," quickly checking his chronometer, "3:00 in the morning?"
Blaster looked down at his friend, finally he blurted out, "Jazz wanted me to get info on your father from you. Jazz woke me up from a sound re-charge just a little bit ago; she wouldn't wait for a reasonable time.
Groaning, Rodimus sat up and muttered as his body started to become covered in flames, "She doesn't know how lucky she is that she is not here right now."
"What do you mean?" Blaster asked as he sat down beside him on the berth.
"It means that I am just starting come into my full power," he explained, "and I have no control over it until is settles down; so if Jazz was here when you told me this little bit of info…" He suddenly threw a fireball at the wall, which left a deep, black mark, "It would take all my will power not to burn her to a crisp!"
Gulping, Blaster said, "So, you're fire thingy acts up with your emotions?"
"YES!" he yelled, and then took several deep breaths to calm down, silence reigned over the room; finally Blaster asked, "So, any nice femmes on Ioton?"
Rodimus chuckled in amusement, "Yes, Blaster. In fact, Ioton has the reverse problem that Cybertrions have at the moment even before the war started on Cybertron. There are more femmes, than mechs on Ioton…the difference is so great that it is very common for femmes to fight over any particular mech…I believe humans call it, 'cat fights.'
"Really, do you think you can set me up with one?" Blaster asked hopefully.
Rodimus sighed, and started to shove his friend out of the room, "If I ever free Ioton, I'll try to set you up with one," he said sarcastically, "Now, for Primus's sake…get out of my room and be sure to tell Jazz that she can go frag herself!"
Once he certain Blaster was gone, Rodimus contacted his sister, *Arona, wake up! I got new orders for you!*
Later that day…Somewhere in the Mohave Desert…
Arona informed Skywarp, "My coloring and certain parts of my head look too much like my father in his old body, and it wouldn't take Jazz long to connect the dots as the humans would say if she saw me. So, I need someone to drop something off for my brother. I'll make it worth you're it if you do this little favor for me."
"Mmm," he muttered, "What are you offering?"
Arona smirked as she showed him a small tube filled with a silver liquid, "One drop of this stuff, will age any high-grade energon at a faster rate."
"Really," he said with interest.
"Yes, it's my own invention," she told him, "The down side of it is that the effects of the high grade will multiply three times."
"It's interesting, but where would I find high-grade?"
Smirking, she replied, "I know Wheeljack, and ten to one credits he is cooking up some high grade energon in his lab."
Skywarp growled in thought, high grade with her little improvement would cause a lot of chaos at the base, but after the slag everyone has recently put up with, they could use another good party. Perhaps he could give it to Barricade and Starscream and not feel so bad for interrupting them. "Why can't Hot Rod come to you?"
Arona shrugged, "Roddy's got a lot on his plate right now, and he'll relax more once he's out of sight of Prime's optics. I assume we have a deal?"
Skywarp chuckled, "Deal."
Later at the Autobot Base…
"Hey, kid!" shouted Skywarp as he walked up to Hot Rod and Mirage as they were preparing to head out, "I got something for you!"
All of the other Autobots looked to where Skywarp was, not expecting the black Seeker since he was not invited. He ignored the glares while he did his business with Hot Rod.
"Oh?" asked Hot Rod, also known as Rodimus.
"Yeah," he said as he handed Rodimus the small package, "It's from your sister, and she is not as obnoxious as you."
"Well, I have lot going on at the moment," he told him as he scanned the package, "And I don't even want to know what she bribed you with."
Skywarp looked at him as he innocently asked, "Who said anything about bribe?"
Rodimus snorted in disbelief, "I know my sister, and the crazy slag she can pull out of thin air. By the way, did she have anything with her?
Skywarp shrugged and replied, "A large cat with huge teeth, looked kinda like one of those Sabre-tooth tigers from Earth's history,"
Rodimus sighed, "A large cat with huge teeth," looking up to the ceiling, "Why am I not surprise? C'mon, Mirage let's go."
Shortly thereafter, outside of the Autobot Base…
Rodimus shut his communicator off with a groan, *I'm tempted to let Kup kill him!*
*What happened?* asked Mirage.
*Apparently,* explained Rodimus, *Wheeljack sent Arona some of Earth's TV programs to help her deal with boredom, one of them was called Power Rangers Dino Thunder. Arona got inspired from the robots on the program which are called biozords. *
*She didn't…* Mirage asked in disbelief.
*She did,* he confirmed, *She took the DNA from a local animal that's similar to Earth's saber-tooth tiger combined it with Ioton and Cybertron technology.*
Mirage groaned, *Why in Primus's name did she do that?*
*She was lonely,* he replied, *Primus help me!*
*Look on the bright side,* Mirage told him.
*What bright side?* Rodimus asked in disbelief.
*She will have an easy time creating human identities for both of you as well as currency,* he answered.
Rodimus rolled his optics heavenward, *As long as she doesn't do anything too illegal.*
A few days later…in the jungles of Africa…
John Montgomery smirked as he talked to the local warlord as they toured the mine, "Are you sure you can increase your quota?"
"Of course," replied Zale, "This is perhaps the largest diamond mine in the area, and the men whom are volunteering to work the mine, are very week and superstitious."
John chuckled, "Good, hey…does this mine feel kind of chilly to you?"
Zale frowned in thought, "Yes, it's…" Before he could finish his sentence, darkness claimed them both.
A few hours later…
John Montgomery groaned as he awoke, and immediately noticed two things; one he was tied up and two, the very men whom Zale called weak were holding very sharp spears to his neck. Gulping, he stuttered, "Hey, um…I r-realize I am in a very delicate situation with you guys…but…m-maybe…we can m-make a deal?"
"And what kind of deal did you had in mind Mr. Montgomery?" asked a female voice as the men before him parted slightly to let her through.
John, immediately noticed the beautiful white female with silver hair and blue eyes, "Oh, honey…" he then noticed the huge tiger with large teeth by her side, "JEZZ! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING?"
"Samba?" asked the woman as she stroked the tiger's white fur and he purred in response, "Oh, he's my pet and still quite hungry…aren't you Samba?"
"Hungry?" he asked weakly.
"Oh, yes," she said as she pointed to a pile of bones and rotting heads that still had flesh, Montgomery immediately paled, particularly when he saw the head of the former warlord, Zale. "I do hope you can answer my questions, and I promise you a painless death…" she told him, "Otherwise, you are my pet's next meal."
Realizing he was going to die either way, he asked, "What do you want to know?"
The woman smiled cruelly as she said, "Let's start with the numbers of your overseas accounts…"
The next day…in a hotel in Cairo, Egypt…
The young silver hair woman sighed in relief as shut down her laptop and stretched out on the bed, 'Well, that takes care of that…we got identities, money, and even a diamond mine. It was so nice of that local tribe to give it to me in return for they're freedom, they even told me no one will enter it, though I do wonder why they keep calling me Oya?' Before she could go further into her thoughts, her communicator beeped, *Arona, here.*
*What slagging invention did you create this time?* a cranky, mech voice yelled out.
Wincing, she replied calmly, *Hello, to you too, Kup. And may I remind you I am of age now, and you have no authority over me.*
*You're not too old for me to turn over my knee and spank your aft, Princess! Now, what did you do? Your brother and Mirage won't even tell me, and I already know about that little potent stuff you gave Skywarp!* shouted Kup.
*Did it work?* she asked, hoping to change the subject.
*It worked so slagging well that Ratchet had to go help Hook with the hangovers, now for the last time…what in the pit did you do now?*
Gulping in fear, Arona briefly explained about Samba, and when she was done, Kup asked too calmly for her taste, *And just where is Samba now?*
*Uh,* she muttered, *He's hidden in a secret diamond mine that I recently acquired,* then she quickly explained, that little adventure.
* I see,* said Kup, *At least you acted like a proper Iotonian to get what you and Rodimus needed, so I have to ask…WHY IN THE NAME OF THE PIT DO YOU ACT LIKE THAT MISFIT WHEELJACK HALF OF THE TIME INSTEAD OF A PROPER IOTONIAN PRINCESS!*
Wincing at his shouting, Arona weekly replied, *Because he sparkling sat me and Roddy when Ratchet was busy, plus he comes up with cool stuff.*
A strange noise came over the communicator, and signal clicked off, Arona sighed and prayed to Primus that Kup wouldn't hurt Wheeljack too badly. An hour later, her communicator beeped again, *Arona, here.*
*Ro, I was in an important meeting with Prime,Keller, Prowl, and Jazz,* her brother told her wearily, *But, it was suddenly interrupted…do you want to know why it was interrupted?*
*I can hazard a guess,* she replied, *Was anyone seriously hurt?*
*No,* Rodimus said sarcastically, *But, Autobot Base needs to be slightly repaired; Wheeljack is going to make a full recover after being buried alive; Keller and Prowl are trying to come up with something to explain the Earthquake to the local population; Kup is in the brig cooling off while Mirage stands guard, let's see am I forgetting anything? No, that's just about it. Do you have any idea what I got on my mind this moment, my dear sister? *
*Before I invent anything like Samba again, clear it with you first?* she meekly replied.
*YES!*
She weakly chuckled, *Understood. By the way, I've got our money and human identities, where do you want to go from here?*
*We're going to enroll in Indiana University as archeology students, that will provide us cover for our search; plus the famous Professor Jones usually hangs around there, we could use their help.*
*Professor Jones?*
*Yes, Professor Henry Jones the IV, he and he's ancestors have a reputation of finding unique artifacts.*
*We'll need all of the help we can get, brother* she told him, *I'll go get Samba, and we'll meet you there.*
*Arona…* Rodimus started to warn her, but she interrupted him, *Oh, don't worry! He can transform into a perfect, normal, human housecat! I'll be Ronda Primestar, and you're Ronald Primestar.*
*Primestar?* he cautiously asked, *Isn't that a bit close to the truth?*
*And who among the humans would be able to figure it out?*
*Humans, no. Decepticons, perhaps if they were curious or even cared to find out. Autobots, yes! Particularly, Jazz!*
*Well, she won't know where we're going, so it doesn't matter; Anyway, why would she care?*
*Because she is a smart aleck who is too nosy for her own good!*
*Didn't you tell me she is busy courting, Prowl? She'll be too busy with him and possible sparklings to care about who our father is, Roddy. I'll see you in Indiana, Arona out.*
*I hope you're right, Rodimus out.*
Autobot Base…Rodimus's quarters
Rodimus sighed as he closed the communicator, leaned over his desk with his optics
closed and head in his hands, 'How do they handle slag like this?' he thought, 'Primus, I hope we can free Mom as well as the others, I don't think I am ready to handle this full time!' Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, sighing he said in the most confident voice he could muster, "Come!"
In the doorway, was the last mech he wanted to see, cursing internally, he said, "If it's about Kup, he and I have already had a long talk; he won't try to kill Wheeljack again. Both he and Mirage have agreed…" But, he never got to finish his sentence…
Growin' up
You don't see the writin' on the wall
Passin' by
Movin' straight ahead you knew it all
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain
You'll find you're all alone
Everything has changed
"I didn't come here to discuss Kup's recent actions, Hot Rod, if that is your real name," interrupted Optimus Prime.
He was silent for a moment, finally he asked, "To talk about what exactly?"
Optimus sighed, as he replied, "Shockwave shouted something to you over the battle lines, but I must admit I wasn't paying that close attention to him. It sounded like a name similar to my own, am I right Hot Rod? Or do you prefer me to call you Rodimus?"
Once again silence, as the young mech stared at the older one, Prime met his golden gaze head on, finally the younger one responded, "Rodimus, part of my real name is Rodimus. Kup changed our names when we escaped Ioton, in order to hide us from Shockwave."
I can see a new horizon
Underneath the blazin' sky
I'll be where the eagle's
Flyin' higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lyin'
St. Elmo's Fire
"I see, and what is the rest of your name, Rodimus?" But silence was his only answer, sighing he asked, "And what is your sister's real name?"
Trying to keep his emotions under control, he answered, "Part of her name is Arona, it means twin star in the Iotonian language."
"Ah," he muttered, "You remind me of someone, Rodimus."
"Do I?" he asked weakly.
"Yes," Optimus said as his optics narrowed in deep thought, "But, I can't remember who! It's on the very edge of my memory banks, and then it slips away."
Play the game
You know you can't quit until it's won
Soldier on
Only you can do what must be done
You know in some way
You're a lot like me
You're just a prisoner
And you're tryin' to break free
"Really? Perhaps, it will come to you Prime," Rodimus said but with very little hope in his spark.
"Perhaps," he agreed thoughtfully.
"Was there anything else, Prime?" he asked while he thought, 'Please, Primus! No more, I don't know how much longer I can control my feelings!'
"No," Optimus replied, "I hope you are successful in your mission Rodimus, Primus keep you safe."
"You too," Rodimus told him and once he was certain that the door was closed and Prime was out of hearing range, he collapsed to floor and quietly wept for the first time since his escape from Ioton. As flames started to circle his body, he let out a furious howl and threw a huge fireball at the wall.
I can climb the highest mountain
Cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me
Burnin' in me
Take me where my future's lyin'
St. Elmo's Fire
Just once in his life
A man has his time
And my time is now
And I'm comin' alive
I can hear the music playin'
I can see the banners fly
Feel like you're back again
And hope ridin' high
Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels