Prime Blood: Rosa Chapter 1 (Rosa's story after Poco from Prime's Bloodlineher side.
Five year old human Rosa Garcia has just watched her father and her "uncles" incinerate her mother's casket and remains. Primo, her brother, has just added their mother's wedding ring to the thick gold chain around her neck that also contains her mother's filigree crucifix. Rosa reaches over and slips her hand in Sarah Lennox's as she watches the Autobots disappear into the misting ocean fog after her mother's funeral. She may be all of five years old, but she knew her life would be alright. She reaches up and slips her finger into her mother's ring on her necklace. The ring now has green emeralds to the funny face, like her mother's. They used to be beautiful aqua-blue topaz color and Rosa never saw her mother take off the Titanium-looking ring. But when Optimus bent down to talk to her with his blue optics filled with love, she knew where the blue dots came from. Rosa also knew right then that he was her true father. Reaching out she touches his chest, "Don't worry Pap, Mama's right here. God will keep her safe now. No more running."
Optimus' face slipped from worry to relief. He strokes his daughter's back with a single finger tip. She could tell he was sad, and tried to let him know it would be alright. Then Optimus pulled back with the rest of his robotic team and drove down the cliff side road into the fog. She knew his spark was breaking to leave her in the care of others. But her mother had told her over and over again about her father the amazing warrior commander. Rosa's own spark filled heart swelled in pride watching him got to battle.
Rosa looks over to Will Lennox who is opening the door to his personal van and the children load up. He is a good man. She could see why Mama and Optimus trusted him a lot. She was going to be alright. Will gave Sarah a warm kiss and hugged each of the children tightly, "I will always love you as one of my own. You will be second to no one, got it?" Primo tried to be strong, but a tear streaked down his face. He had been a little worried what kind of a home they would end up in. Then Will told them, "I'll be home as soon as I can, but I can't promise when that will be."
Sarah smiles, "Will, you never make promises you can't keep. We'll be fine. Go. Take care of him."
Will grimaces, "Yeah, we'll there's a tall order." Sarah shakes her head at the bad pun towards Optimus. He shuts the door and turns to the rest of the humans. Sarah turns the van down the hillside.
~~For Rosa, the first few days adjusting to the Lennox Family were fun. Grace Lennox loves her new little sister. But Grace also had homework to do and couldn't always play. Daniel is fun too but he is a boy! Primo always had to be next to Rosie and try to protect her. She was starting to get frustrated with him. Finally she had a fight with him about smothering her. He cowered off and dove into his computer. From that moment on their separation continued.
Rosie loved going to school. There were lots of kids her age to play with. The teachers thought she had a wild imagination. She was very smart and could speak several languages. Some of the kids called her "Ridiculous Rosa" because of her smart intellect and spunky attitude. But she had others who just adored her. Oh she did like this kind of attention. And it was fun no longer hiding who she really was.
When anyone asked who she was, she was honest, "My father is a military commander from another land. My mother was a linguist and scientist who perished defending my father. The Lennox's are family friends and my guardians. I love basketball, drawing, and challenging my brother in academic decathlons." Everyone knew she was going to go far. And spunky! She was not afraid to help a friend in tutoring, lay-up, or chasing off a bully. Rosa was beloved by all. A couple times at the park she would look over her shoulder and see the red and blue semi on the street side. She knew her father had come to watch her. She would blow him a kiss and he would flash his running lights at her.
At home, Grace showed her lots of ways to braid her beautiful straight black gleaming hair into gorgeous hair styles. They could spend the whole weekend doing things like this. Will would laugh watching his daughters. Rosa over heard him one night telling Sarah, "Optimus was always fascinated by Poco's hair. Several times I caught him itching his fingers together. He told me only once, he loved running his hands through her black mane." Sarah chuckled.
So the years went by. Primo became more and more of a recluse to his computer. He started closing her off. For as close as they used to be, he was becoming someone she didn't know anymore. He was hiding something big from her. It hurt.
Instead, Rosa turned to her Autobot family. As much as Will tried to get home to his family, Sarah tried to get Primo and Rosa over to the Autobots as much as possible. But it got hard with four children. So Sarah made it okay if Rosa went with Skates, cute little white and hot pink mini cooper. So Skates would come and pick up Rosie and take her to the Ark.
Grace had given Rosie a pair of white and hot pink inline roller skates. Rosie picked it up swiftly. Sarah mentioned skate competitions, but Rosa shook her head, "No. Between basketball and skating I would have to give up my time with the Autobots. I can't do that too them. Skates would be so sad. Besides, I think Papa needs me too." What could Sarah say to Rosa's compassion for the 'Bots sparks needing a reminder what they are fighting for.
Skates enjoyed teaching Rosa all kinds of tricks she could do. They became very good friends and partners. Skates and Rosie became an awesome team when it came to the human-Autobot basket ball games. Rosie loved seeing the pride on her father's face. Even better when he tried to hide his smile when she and Skates would swipe Ratchet's wrench and switch it for the dagger from Ironhide's ankle and the two mechs would bellow. Neither one would actually harm her or chide Optimus about his daughter.
When Skates had to leave for battle with Optimus, Rosie became worried. Optimus tried to leave Skates at home but Skates reminded him that she was a member of this team. Part of her job was to protect Rosie on and off the battlefield. She would do that to the best of her ability. Optimus and Rosa agreed. Neither one wanted to hold any 'Bot or human back from their duty.
The Prime-Garcia children grew up very smart. Primo in fact went to college at the age of 13. Rosie was very upset at him leaving. She didn't mind him going to college, but did he have to do it with such a big hidden chip on his shoulder? Rosa did not understand why he left with anger towards Optimus. Primo never told her why. What could their benevolent proud father have done to make teen Primo so angry? No matter how she tried to get the answer from him, Primo just wouldn't tell.
She did finally hack into Ratchet's computer and find information about the Da Vinci virus. But at the age of 10 it wasn't making complete sense. Rosa had a lot of academic smarts, but still parts of her maturity were still ten years old.
Shrugging, Rosa joined the local human kids basket ball league. She was made captain of the team, quite tall for her age added to her skill made her the prime choice. She was very talented. She was very happy. She was also beginning to notice the boys who started attending her games. At eleven and twelve, she was starting to become a young lady. Sarah knew the time was coming. She started to have some of the talks. Grace even started to help with the talks.
Sarah mentioned to Optimus, "Your daughter is becoming a young lady, you need to understand suitors will come calling soon. You can not blast them away. You can not hinder her maturity. Will learned the hard way, they grow up way too fast." Optimus bristled. He knew what he had shared with Poco and just couldn't even fathom is little Rosa becoming a mate to anyone.
"Primus help any mech, uh man, that hurts my girl," Optimus scowled. "I may have to teach her to carry a weapon."
Sarah couldn't help but giggle at the fifty foot father protecting his five foot two daughter. "Optimus, that child can hold off any bully who threatens her physically. She already has."
Optimus leans in, "That's not all that I meant, Sarah." Rosa had proudly told her father about besting that boy just the other day.
Sarah leans in, "Oh trust me, Grace and I are giving her all the skills she will need to fight off the playboys who toys with hearts as well. She is quickly becoming as cunning as any 'Con." Optimus isn't sure weather to take that as a compliment or not. Sarah continues smiling his scowl, "But the last thing the child needs right now is to fight off her father's over protection while trying to make her own relationships. Optimus, keep in mind, you and Poco taught her that love can survive the battle fields. Will and I have tried to show her love can survive at home. But do not make her choose between you and a young man. You will always win, but she will be lonely. Do you want that?"
Optimus shakes his lowered head, "No, of course not."
"Good, now let her know how beautiful she is. Remind her what attracted you to Poco. That is what sustained your marriage during the reversion, right?" Optimus nods. Just then Rosa skated into the room around her father and tagged him on the tip of the nose with a paintball. With a sizzling finger strike in the air, she flashes her unshielded blue eyes at him and zips off.
Optimus fake-scowls at her and runs after her, "You can run sparkling, but you can't hide!" The rest of the team turns to his bellow.
Bumblebee calls, "Paintball FIGHT!" Quickly NEST & EMC garb their paintball gear and latch onto the exiting alt-forming 'Bots headed to the junk yard that doubles as the Autobot firing range. Today, Rosa was still his little girl.
~~ It came as a real blow when Grace married a SEAL. Will was torn between pride of her marrying a military man, but did it have to be a SEAL? Rosie was enamored by the beauty of the military wedding. But also her big sister was now gone. She dove into her life with Skates and her studies. And then her whole world turned inside out…..
One day Rosie was at home sick. Something unusual. The Prime-Garcia children were never sick. Rosie said her head was hurting and her stomach didn't feel right. Sarah had her stay home from school. Rosie wanted to have a birthday slumber party the next day and hoped she would be well by then. She was turning 13. So she stayed in bed. Sarah had a meeting she had to attend and then Daniel had an orthodontics appointment. Rosie told her she would be fine just staying in bed. She promised she would call if she felt worse.
But it wasn't Sarah she called when she felt worse. She knew this was beyond Sarah's help. She called the Ark. "Uncle Ratchet?" she moaned to him.
"Rosa?" he quickly hushes the rest of the group in the hangar near his station.
"I don't feel so good. Please come and get me." she pleads.
"Where is Sarah?" Ratchet asks concerned closing his equipment down.
"Daniel had an appointment. I thought I just had the flu. My head was hurting. But now it's killing me. There is something very wrong with me. Please, where is my Papa?" she is begging and groaning now. The sound of her groan tears his spark.
Quickly he points to Bee, "Don't let anyone touch anything."
Bee point to himself to ask, "Who me?"
"Don't give me that after what happened last time!" Ratchet orders. Then he turns to Sam as he drops to his wheels, "Sam, come!"
Sam walks towards him, "Why me?" I'm not a doctor."
"No but you are a human friend." Then Ratchet calls to Skates, "Find Optimus. NOW!" Skates scurries to the communications area.
"Rosa, we are on our way." Ratchet tries to comfort her.
"Hurry Uncle Ratchet," she pleads weakly.
Ratchet and Sam tear through town with lights sirens and wheels screeching. Running over curbs, cutting through a city park, and four wheeling through a construction sight, Sam is holding on for his life. "Ratchet, are you aiming to hurt me too?"
Ratchet is on the verge of panicking, "Sam, you don't understand."
Sam braces his hands against the interior roof, "I understand I'm going to get hurt if you roll."
Ratchet growls, "Optimus can not loose another child. It will crush him."
Sam is confused, "Just because Primo is sulking doesn't mean he's dead. Primo will come around eventually. I've had my own teen fights with my father."
Ratchet blasts through a red light blaring his horn. "That is not what I mean."
The silence is heavy. Sam knows there is something more serious going on, "Ratchet, what are you talking about?"
Ratchet sighs heavily seeing the housing complex coming up, "Sam, you must keep this confidential. I know you can. Poco was not Optimus' first mate. Nor is Primo his first sparkling."
Sam has to weigh the information carefully. As Ratchet makes the turn down the next street ,he is forced into waiting for the youth soccer league in the cross walk. Sam has time to put it together and whispers, "Oh please dear God, no…."
"Yes, they rest in the arms of Primus," Ratchet manages to choke out. Sam says nothing else as Ratchet peels out and turns down the next street to the house. Not waiting for Ratchet to stop, Sam leaps from the cab and races into the house. Sam can only gasp at what he sees.
Rosie is laying on the couch with the phone still in her hands. She barely has her eyes open. She is sweating bad. She is very clammy. She looks pale, with a metallic glitter-sheen? He ponders but quickly scribbles a note to Sarah:
R sick. Taken to ARK. Come quick. -Sam
Then he lifts her into his arms, "Hang on, Rosie-girl. Hang on." He rushes her out to Ratchet and puts her inside the back. Ratchet dashes down the street calling orders, "Get that cuff on her. Get those leads on her chest. What is her temp? What do her vitals say?" Sam carefully does as Ratchet says. He apologizes as he parts her shirt to put the leads on her chest. She smiles up at him. He's been like a brother to her. He notices that the skin over her heart is beginning to glow a light blue. Like what he had seen in Optimus' spark chamber.
She reaches for his hand and with a dry throat she pleads, "Where is my father?"
Sam just shakes his head, "I don't know." The tears come down her face.
Ratchet pipes up, "Rosie, you know we can't tell you. But I have Skates trying to reach him."
She tries to wipe her tears away, "I know, a Prime doesn't cry." Sam just smiles. But Ratchet's, "Ha!" laugh is what surprises them both.
Sam strokes her brow, "But you are also a Garcia." As his fingers brush the top of her hair. Her hair starts to come out in his hand. He asks carefully, "Where is Primo?"
She smiles weakly, "He's almost got his doctorate. He might get it this week."
Then she starts to groan and curl into a ball. Sam can't help but hold her, like she was his little sister. Then he calls, "Ratchet, her heart rate is dropping."
"I know!" Ratchet growls and pours on more speed but has to drive more carefully this time. "Her temperature is getting too high for a human, too."
Rosie pulls the necklace off and pushes it into Sam's hand. "Please, if anything happens, give this to Primo." Sam looks at the necklace. It's her crucifix and her mother's band. The Autobot face with the green eyes.
Sam shakes his head and strokes her brow as she drifts unconscious, "Papa Massss…," she whispers. Tears are coming to Sam as well.
"Ratchet, we have to get him back here." Sam reminds.
"I can't make that call. I can't tell him this." Ratchet is fighting his own flashbacks of watching Optimus grieve over his mate and unborn sparkling. He shutters, rattling Sam, and sighs, "Let me get her back to base with more facts before I tell him anything."
"Would the Matrix help?"
"I just don't know," Ratchet feels helpless.
It feels like hours when it was only minutes as they raced through town back to base. Sam, Ratchet and Jolt get her hooked up on Ratchet's monitors. Ratchet is shaking his head in spark-wrenching frustration. Jolt tries to console Ratchet, but it's no use. At one point Ratchet just has to walk away and throw a couple choice wrenches while tears streak down his face. Then lifting his optics, he prays and cries out to Primus. Everyone turns as Ratchet's plea hit's the roof. Then they see Ratchet's current patient. They too begin to pray. Even the NEST and EMC on-call soldiers begin to pray for Prime's charge. Rosa continues to hold onto Skates asking for her father. Sam finally finds Sarah. She gets to the base as quickly as she can.
Now centered and focused, Ratchet and Sam try to go through the data. But they can't stop what is happening to her. Her body is shutting down. They can't figure out why. They all agree, "A true human should be dead by now. Her body is fighting the Autobot-nanos and the Matrix running through her system. It's a civil war in her system."
"It's time to call him," Sarah tells Ratchet.
Ratchet swallows hard knowing that the inevitable has to be faced. He goes to the long range communication's center and overrides the battle locked out security codes. "Ironhide!" Ratchet calls to the battle field. They can hear the clanging and explosions.
"What is it, Ratchet?" Ironhide barks.
"I need Optimus back here," he orders.
Ironhide groans, "Not a good time right now for a check up, Ratch."
Ratchet takes a deep breath and tells him, "Rosa is dying. We can't stop it."
Ironhide is quiet for a moment. Then Ratchet hears him change his tone and call out, "Come on, Prime. Quit messing around. We have better things to do." Prime laughs back and an explosion goes off right beside Ironhide.
Then Ironhide tells Ratchet seriously, "Do what you can. I'll get him here as fast as I can. Out." The CMO knows the SIC will get the father to his daughter's side if he has to take him down himself and drag his smoldering aft personally. Ratchet tries to go back through his notes and Prime's blood files one more time. He just can't find it. He knows there is an answer but where?
Rosie mumbles, "Uncle Ratchet, where is my father?" He's at his wits end. And he turns to the others shaking his head. She reaches for him, "Tell me a story."
"What do you want to hear?" He says softly.
"I'm a teenage girl. A romance story of course. Tell me one of your favorite soap operas." He laughs and she lays her head in his palm. She closes her eyes to the warmness of his tender bedside voice while he strokes her back. He loves this child as if she was his own. Even his tears come silently watching her sleep.
Primus, how can you do this to an innocent child and benevolent Optimus. You are not a cruel creator, please help me save them both. Ratchet says his own prayer.
The next thing Rosa knows, the soft voice of her father is beside her ear, "Rosie, can I tell you a story?"
She looks up to her fathers soft blue eyes and smiles, "Papa Mas." Kneeling down at her side, he smiles at her using her mother's nickname for him, stroking her cheek with a lone finger tip. He wishes so much that he was human so he could comfort his child in his arms. It breaks his spark that he wasn't even human when she was born. She never saw him as a human.
"I finally made it here Rosie." He tries to keep his voice in control. But he's loosing it. He's barely hanging on. He has seen plenty of swift death, but watching someone slip away is so very different, especially his own flesh and code. Control is what he prided himself on, but he is loosing control of his family. Elita and their hope was ripped from his spark. Poco is gone giving it all for him and their children. Primo had abandoned him, turning his back on his father heritage. And now, his beloved spunky graceful daughter was slipping away from him. And he could do nothing to stop any of this. Like sand through his fingers, spilling at his feet … it was all blowing away.
Cupping her into his palm, he tells her a story of a young Orion Pax and Elita and their friend Dion. She amazes everyone by saying, "I can see it." She describes it in detail what she sees. By touching her father she could see what he saw. Before his story is very far along, soon she slips unconscious again. At Ratchet's order, Ironhide takes Rosa from his palm and lays her back down while Ratchet pulls Optimus aside. Will and Jolt have kept most of the other members far away from Optimus and Ratchet.
Optimus is trying to keep it together and orders Ratchet, "Do something!" But really he was yelling at himself and Primus.
Ratchet runs a hand over his face and then has to get bold. He goes face to face with Optimus, "I would if I had all the facts!"
Prime snaps his head and stares at him just as boldly, "What do you mean by that?"
Ratchet tries again softly, "Why didn't this happen to Primo?"
"You are the Medical Officer, you tell me." Optimus tries.
"You're the one with the Matrix! You tell me!" Ratchet fires back letting Prime know he did not appreciate being kept in the dark this whole time.
Sam could see Ratchet clench his fist. He cares very much for the family but he's about to punch Optimus. Ratchet turns to Ironhide giving him that look again, Are you going to kill him or me? Then he takes a deep breath and turns back at Optimus, "When was Primo conceived?"
Optimus blushes, "I'm not going to tell you about my interfacing!"
Ratchet leans in closer, "I didn't say HOW, I said WHEN. I'm trying to save your daughter's life and if you don't come clean with all the facts, Optimus, I can't do anything. You better tell me EVERYTHING! I want all the facts this time, not just what you think I need to know."
Optimus tries to turn away, but it's Ironhide who stops him with a hand clasped to the inside of his bicep. A warriors arm clasp. Optimus doesn't move. He also doesn't turn around. Ironhide leans in and whispers, "Orion…" Optimus drops his head. He takes a moment to let everything sink in.
Ratchet has his head buried in his research notes when he asks, "Are there anymore offspring? Are there anymore females?"
Optimus reaches up and grasps Ironhide's arm in the return grip. Not to return the greeting, but for Ironhide to keep him in check. To keep him from barking or hitting Ratchet. Ironhide grips the bicep even tighter. They know Ratchet is only asking from a researchers perspective, but the question is like a sword to the chest. Quietly, still not turning around Optimus answers, "There is no one else. And never will be again." Ironhide puts a friendly hand to Optimus' back with his other hand and they release each other. Optimus takes another deep breath and then orders everyone, "Leave me. Ratchet, Ironhide stay. Everyone else, this is private. Leave." No one questions his orders and they leave the hangar, closing the door.
Optimus faces Ratchet coming clean, "I first transformed into a human the night of the Cortez virus attack. But it was only after a meteor had slammed into my back knocking a blue ball of my spark and a physical manifestation of my holoform away from my Cybertronic shell. My shell was left empty of life signs. That night Primo was conceived. I had a couple other physical rendezvous with Poco. Then there was the time I brought her back to the Ark after they had gone searching for her. She left that night."
Ratchet is solemn, "I remember that night. That was Primo she was carrying?" Optimus nods. "I told her to go in peace. I thought you both had a fight because of another man." Optimus shakes his head. It dawns on Ratchet, "Oh, now I understand." That fight had been directly between the mates and the fate of their sparkling.
Optimus takes another breath, "I was human the day Primo was born. But I knew then that I was loosing the ability to remain human. The last time I transformed was the day we brought Primo and Poco back from Quebec. Rosa's conception took the last I had. I barely had the strength to walk. Sideswipe had to help me back into the shell." He takes a deep sigh gripping his temples and closing his optics. Sadly he finishes, "The ability was gone after that. I tried again. I tried to be there for her birth but, I couldn't. I couldn't do it." A single sob escapes his vocorder. He has to stop talking. His voice was going to waver again.
Optimus flashes back to his daughters birth: He remembers arriving back in Quebec when his mate called saying she was in labor. Snatching his flight-tech he took off nearly running over a passenger plane coming in for a landing. He sent a short message to his CMO, "You have the base until further notice." Landing swiftly at the lake side park, he tried with all his might to part the chest. But the ball wouldn't come out. It was killing him to watch her cringe in pain and he could do nothing. She finally told him to take Primo away. He took their 6 year old son to the side and distract him with stories of basketball. He kept looking back as she delivered Rosa on her own. It was amazing to Optimus to watch his beloved transform from a woman in great pain to a woman in great peace with his tiny slippery child in her arms. And yet he could do absolutely nothing. He felt helpless. All he could do was watch. He helped create this new life and he could do nothing to ease his mate's grief and pain while delivering their miracle.
Optimus kneels beside his mate and she lays the tiny infant in his palm. He blows his hot breath ever so gently across her body, "Hello Rosa." Monique had planned to call her something else, but no, this was the perfect name for their daughter. A blossom of love and strength. Optimus doesn't wait this time for the base chaplain. He pulls the Matrix out immediately and waves it over his daughter. Primo comes to sit in his father's hand beside his sister.
"Primus, guide this daughter. Let her life be a shinny testament to your miracles. Give her the wisdom of your ages."
Poco leans up and touches her daughter as well. "Psalm 91: 1&2 He who dwells in the most secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, My God in Him I will trust."
Primo nods, "Please God, let Rosa and I be tight light Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Let me protect her. Keep us safe. If you can bring Mama and Papa together, you can do anything!"
They all "Amen."
Optimus opens his eyes, finally faces his friends, still stroking his daughter's back. Ratchet can see how personal that moment was, sinking down to his own chair. Ironhide could see Optimus finally had a naming ceremony over one of his own sparklings. A miracle the Transformers thought had been lost with the All Spark. More than that, Optimus had his hope in his own future reignited. Ironhide couldn't help but look over to that hope so small and fragile now dying under her father's finger tips. He could see Optimus' spark was shattering and Ironhide had no idea how to help Optimus or Orion through this….again.
Ironhide wanted to look away so badly, but Optimus turned to Ironhide with a look pleading this to not be real. Ironhide couldn't face him and instead looked to the floor. Ironhide felt worthless. The only time he felt worse than this was when Chromia was captured and he wasn't there to protect her.
The only time Optimus felt more helpless was when he watched Poco give her life for the Autobots. And now he was here again watching and not being able to do anything for their daughter.
"Papa…" a very weak Rosa reaches out for her father. "You tried to be there for my birth?"
Optimus turns to her and looks down very softly at her and smiles. He touches the top of her head. Her hair is falling out in large pieces, "Of course. I wanted to hold my baby girl. I'm sorry I couldn't."
She smiles up at him. She can see his pain. She tries to let him know it would be alright. He carefully lifts her into his palm. He takes her to the corner of the hanger where they can be alone quietly. He sinks down to the floor propping his back against the wall nearly curling his body into a ball over his last hope.
"I'm so cold, Papa," she whispers to him. He lifts her to his face and smiles as he tells her the time he kept her mother warm in the Italian Alps.
Sarah is the one who finally comes up with the answer, "Ratchet. Tomorrow she turns 13. She is transforming from a child into a woman."
Ratchet nods weakly, "I think I found the other key factor. After Prime was injected with the virus his body started changing into a human. Some thing in that meteor slowed down the process giving the Matrix a chance to restore him. Primo was conceived when Prime had most of the human DNA. But over time the Matrix , like your antibodies, took over and started killing off the human DNA. Thus returning him to his Bot coding. Rosa's conception leached the last transformation out of him. He was more Autobot than human at that point. Thus making Rosa more of an Autobot and Primo more human.
Sarah looks over at Optimus cuddling in his daughter, "And now her body is trying to decide."
Sam states quietly, "Like you said, a civil war in her body." And they watch as Optimus' head lowers over his daughter's body, shoulders slumped and he quietly begins to shutter. They can see the tears begin to hit the floor. "The battle has been lost," Sam whispers grievously.
Ratchet and Ironhide motion everyone to quietly leave the hangar. Ironhide stands guard outside the hangar door. A sentry for his friend and commander's grief.
It's nearly an hour before Optimus emerges. He places a hand on his friend's shoulder in gratitude. Ironhide just nods to him. They have been friends for so long that few words are needed. Then Optimus looks out to the rest of his team. He is composed and back to the Prime Commander they all know and revere. Human and Autobots all stand awaiting for his next action. They depend on him. He depends on them. He will not let his personal grief interfere.
"Let's go. There is work to do," he commands warmly. He looks around at them making it clear not to speak to him about Rosa. Then out of the corner of his optic, he sees him standing with the Lennox's. Optimus smiles broadly and takes a step towards his son. He only gets two steps when:
KA-booooom ricochets out of the hanger and the smoke billows out. The Autobots quickly cover their human teammates and draw their weapons.
Eh, slight deviation form Ironbands and yeah, I guess I kind of screwed up the time line where Ironhide is at Ocean City or at Ark… so sue me!