So this is my first one-shot for Transformers, and I have to explain something. This fic covers most of Optimus' life, and I have to admit... I have no idea what, if any, of his past is, assuming that it's been revealed. I did no research before writing this, it was just a late night, and my sister/editor and chief were bored, so this happened. The ball started rolling, and we went with it.
If I get an overwhelming response from this, I might continue it with Bee's past, but like I said, I have no plan for this. Well, maybe one... but we'll see.
So really, if you liked this and if you want to read more, then review.
And the others chapters probably won't be this long, but I don't know.
The giant doors opened, allowing access to the main room of HQ for the human children, who were muttering amongst themselves. It appeared to the Autobots that were scattered about the large chamber, that both Jack and Raf were trying to convince Miko not to do something, but she was resolute in her decision. Like always.
"Hey!" the Asian girl called, waving her arm above her head, interrupting her comrades. The machines politely turned to her. "Have any of you 'bots seen Optimus?"
Jack and Raf winced, and the roots exchanged glances.
"It's nice to see you too, on a Saturday?" Bulkhead remarked, stepping forward.
"Bulk, this is serious!" she scolded. Again the 'bots referred to one another with their glances.
Arcee stepped forward to reply, but Bumblebee's buzzes cut her off. The children turned to where he was pointing to see Optimus ducking under the mostly opened door as he entered.
"Oh Optimus! Glad you could make it!" Miko called, running over to him.
Calmly glancing down, the leader focused his optics on the tiny girl standing before him. "Miko," he said slowly. "Is there some way that I can be of service to you?"
"As a matter of fact there is!" she said whipping out a small, hand-held recorder. Prime looked at the other 'bots, who shrugged.
"I do not follow your intentions," he said, getting on one knee before the girl.
"I need you!" she said, interrupting the 'bot.
"But Miko, you have your own Autobot. Is there some reason why Bulkhead no longer suits you?"
Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at Bulk, who crossed his arms. "No, no. Bulkhead is okay and all-"
"Okay?" the 'bot questioned.
"Bulk! Not now okay?" Miko warned. Looking back at Optimus she giggled nervously. "It's just that he's not a leader. Well not THE leader," she corrected herself to appease the angry 'bot.
"I am still at a loss," Prime said.
"I need to interview a leader for... a school project!" she blurted out, making the other two humans in the background sigh.
"And are you certain that no other leader is capable of assisting you in your project?"
"Very!" Miko stomped to prove the seriousness of her words.
"Then I am happy to assist you in any way that I can for your assignment," Optimus said after a moment's thought.
"Great!" the girl cheered, "Now change into car mode, and let's go!" she emphasized.
"Very well," Prime said, sighing to himself at the unpleasant title of 'car mode'.
The Autobots and humans watched as Prime transformed into his vehicular mode, Miko excitedly climb in, and they both disappear through one of the rooms side doors.
"Miko, it's time for you to tell me what you exactly you require in this report," the dash spoke to her.
"It's simple really. I want, uh- need to know what made you you. What makes Optimus tick? What did you go through to become a Prime?" she crossed her ankles on the dash as Prime's speed increases along the desert road.
"Are you quite certain that whatever information that I do reveal to you, you can pass it on to your classmates in a way that does not link your bond with us Autobots?" he asked.
"Um, yes...?" she more asked than answered.
"Very well. I will tell you what you desire to know, assuming that I have permission to withhold any information that I deem unnecessary or top-secret," the Autobot leader said, declaring his rights.
"Top-secret information?" Miko repeated, clicking her recording device to start doing so. "Let's start there."
"Miko, I do not have the clearance, nor the desire to tell what I know, for your safety, and the safety of the others," he warned the girl.
"You mean that what you know can hurt us?" she clarified, intrigued.
"Precisely. And please consider this portion of our conversation closed."
Miko sighed, slumping in the chair. "Fine. Tell me about your mother!"
"I'm sorry?"
"Your mother Optimus! Behind every good man is a good woman. And assuming that your not married, that has to be your mom. You aren't married are you?"
"Of course not."
Miko snapped in pity of her dieing story. "Well then you had a mother. Tell me about her! I bet you were the oldest in you family," she said, as she stood and walked into the back of the truck.
"Miko, please try to understand. On Cybertron, we did not have what you refer to as 'family'. We had brotherly love, bonding, and skill as our aid in trouble. Cybertron, though a beautiful planet, was a rough place, and it was very unforgiving to those that were weak. If young, and if you wished to survive amongst the thieves and abductors, you had to either outsmart them or out-power them," he carefully explained.
"So Cybertron was a bad place?" Miko asked, hollering from the back.
"Not at all. Like you world, Cybertron had it's low areas, where the poor lived, and evil thrived, but it also had it's good, rich areas. There were those that were poor, dirty, and of many bad deeds. But like here on earth, there were many more that thrived in the cities. Living expensive lives, learning the finest education, and their love for justice.
Unlike earth, Cybertron was not separated by seas, oceans, or countries. We all lived on one continent, under one government, and served in one army for the greater good."
"But which part of Cybertron did you live in?" Miko asked, returning to her seat.
"I spent the majority of my younger years in the slums of Cybertron. I was forced, and blessed, to have to fight for my meals and protection," the experienced 'bot described.
"Really? So is that why you're so tough?"
"Being 'tough' is only one part of the battle. But yes, I credit my character to one place, one person, and one event of my past," he explained.
"One place, one person, and one event," she repeated for the recorder, "So let me guess, that place was your home when you were little?"
"Precisely."
"Cool. So then what? What was it like when you were young?"
"I believe I have already described that for you."
"Oh yeah... so when did you know that you wanted to be a Prime?"
"It is the aspiration for every young 'bot to become an astounding army leader, though very few are fortunate enough to be blessed with the opportunities that I had to require and train the necessary skills for such a rank."
"So you're a natural," she quipped.
"I am not one to brag."
"Isn't that like a humble brag?"
"Miko, I fail to see how any of this will be presentable to your classmates in your assignment," the 'bot addressed her.
"Oh yeah... that," she spoke nervously, rubbing her hair. "About that..."
"You are interviewing me for a school assignment, are you not?"
"Not exactly..." The girl was thrown forward as Optimus slammed on the brakes.
"Miko, have you lied to me?" he asked sternly, as she got her senses back.
"No!" she cried.
"Miko."
"Hey, all I said was that I had to interview a leader-"
"For a school report. Do I quote you incorrectly?" he asked, slowly turning around.
"Optimus please! I realized the other day that I don't know anything about you, and I should!" she begged.
"And what makes you believe that you have a right to know about my past? Are my secrets not my own?"
"Yes, yes- of course they are! And I'm sorry for... misleading you, but I promise, the report's just for my own personal interest, I swear I won't tell anyone!"
After a moment, Optimus broke the unsteady silence. "Being a 'bot of my word, I will continue in assisting you for your report, though believe me, I do not appreciate being led on or lied to."
"Never again!" Miko promised, crossing her heart.
Optimus sighed heavily. "Very well. Please resume your questions," he said.
"Great!" clicking her recorder to start again, she asked, "What was it like? Becoming a Prime. I mean, what did you have to go through? Did you have any friends? I bet everybody hated you!"
"I instated in the army with my metaphorical brother, Megatron. We were very close, and grew in the ranks quickly. But Megatron soon heard another Prime say that he had his optics on me, and would choose me to be granted with the much coveted position instead of Megatron. He did not take this lightly, and began pushing himself harder and harder in training, while separating himself from me. Once he learned that I was to be trusted with a secret of the All Spark, his hatred grew, even to the point of assaulting me," he began, but was interrupted by Miko shyly raising her hand. "Yes?"
"What do you mean 'the secret of the All Spark'?" she asked.
"The creation of Cybertron, of the All Spark in of itself, is a secret that the government of Cybertron attempted to keep a secret," he explained.
"Why?"
"If a 'bot, whether Auto or Decepticon, got hold of the secrets of the All Spark, fable says that he will be granted the power of controlling it. He will have the ability to take life, and distribute it at will. He will obtain the power to create and destroy thousands upon thousands of his metallic enemies, with ease."
"So, the gov tries to keep it a secret. How?"
"Once an Autobot becomes a Prime, he is granted a small portion of the secret. Only what the other Primes believe he deserves. The more Primes, the better dispersed the secret is, thus the harder one will have to fight to obtain it for himself.
"I, like those before me, was also granted my portion of the forbidden knowledge, but Megatron and his army attacked before I was granted with it."
"Aw, disappointing. So wait, Megatron wasn't after you, he was after the secret of the All Spark?" Miko clarified as she moved about the back of the truck's cabin.
"Megatron started the war in his hatred for me, but it soon grew to involve all of Cybertron." Optimus said, following the dirt road around a turn.
"So then what? Did you ever get your secret? Obviously he didn't, so then it died with the Primes?"
"Your assumptions are not far from the truth of what happened," Optimus said as Miko closed her eyes, envisioning what was happening.
There was rubble of the army training base everywhere, and 'bots were dodging 'con attacks by using the chunks of twisted metal and concrete to hide them from their aggressors.
Optimus, who looked generally the same, but just a bit smaller, was running through the halls of the Inner Room, the sanctuary where only Primes, the highest generals, and the best scouts were allowed access.
An explosion ripped through the wall a few rooms beside him, but the younger 'bot kept sprinting toward his leader, but he stopped to assist any fallen 'bots however he could. Initiating orders, he watched several 'bots carry an injured other to a dungeon room, where they would be safe while they waited for medical attention. Even though Optimus was not yet a Prime, he was respected as such since the attack occurred only moments before he would be appointed to the position.
Turning a corner, he lungs panted heavily for air through the smoke, but he kept going on, not slowing down, except to assist others. He had to get to the other Primes before the Decepticons did. Even if they were interrogating a presumably treacherous scout, that would have to wait.
Bursting through the doors to the Innermost Sanctum, he felt forward on one knee, respected those that he barged in upon. Dropping his head, he panted heavily, as other Primes came forward to help him up.
"Deceticons, coming- here," he stammered between rapid breaths.
"We know Optimus, we have already been warned," Blackbird, the eldest Prime, said. Raising his massive head, he called out to the others. "It is time that this 'bot be rewarded for his service."
The other Primes nodded and shouted agreements while they helped Optimus into the center of the room.
Optimus moved his optics upward to gaze at the face of Blackbird, his longest friend and commanding Prime. "I'm honored to be instated, but is now the time? We should be out there, fighting! Leading our army against the 'cons who dare to step so close," the youth argued, emotions high.
"The war will come to us soon, and if we are to defeat the large numbers, then it is imminent that we hold the upper hand," Lokius said. She was the only woman 'bot to ever become a Prime, and was respected as such.
"Oh Lokius, you always did have such a way with words," Sedon said, commenting her.
"Allow me to show you my way with guns," she threatened.
"Children," Blackbird calmed them, "Now is not the time. It is up top priority for us to instate this young 'bot, while we still can."
"Agreed," the Primes said in unison.
"No my leaders. Now is no the time! Shall I be so selfish as to expect a promotion while my fellow Autobots die right and left, and hide in dungeons like prisoners?" Optimus argued, but their response was interrupted as an deafening explosion tore through the room, sending its occupants flying in all different directions.
Optimus snapped his neck once he hit the wall, and he could feel the consciousness slipping. Moving his unfocused optics around, he watched the chaos ensue before him. The Primes were falling here and there, their bodies being crushed by the enemy. Optimus hear Lokius yelling in agony, and watched as her skin melted as a ball of fire surrounded her. Sedon was stabbed repeatedly as he tried to reach her. Managing to bring his hand forward, he stuck it into the flames, watching as it melted with Lokius'.
Optimus watched, his optics wide as the nightmare played before him. The ruthless 'cons were dismantling the Primes with seemingly no strategy, only raw thirst for Energon. He knew that it wouldn't be long before he was found and killed, or before Megatron would dig through the debris, and obtain the secrets of the All Spark. He couldn't let that happen.
Patiently he waited for the ravenous 'cons to leave, and soon they did. Optimus slowly moved his paralyzed body, and with slow, painful steps, he made his way to the center of the room. Tears rolled down his dusty cheeks as he surveyed the bodies of Cybertron's best.
They were mangled, beaten, stabbed, burned, and shot, but alive. Inside their dieing bodies, the Primes minds lived, though barely. Leaning against the center podium, Optimus looked around. He couldn't save them, there was no way. But he couldn't let the secret of the All Spark die either.
"I was faced with the hardest decision that I have ever had," Optimus explained to Miko, who was clinging to every word.
"What did you do?" she asked tensely.
The 'bot sighed as if he didn't wish to continue. But he did, "Please understand Miko, I was young, hurt and scared. My leaders, guardians, heroes, and friends were all brutally murdered before me."
"Optimus... I'm so sorry," she said.
"Thank you, though I did not wish for your sympathy. I only wish to explain, not excuse, why I did what I did. Which, to this day, I still doubt was the right choice."
"What was it?"
"From their dieing, crippled bodies, I took from them the only thing that they lived for. The secrets of the All Spark. All of them," he slowly explained.
"What?" Miko coughed, "You took the secrets of the All Spark? I thought you were only allowed to have a small bit of them?"
"I was, but in my mind, I believed that I could handle all of them. I had convinced myself that it was better to carry the burden on my shoulders, then let it die with the Primes. So yes, I took the secrets.
"The power and knowledge was overwhelming, but what I will never forget is the betrayed look in Blackbird's eyes. All of the Primes died believing that I betrayed them, and, in a way, I did.
"I am still not, nor will I ever be convinced that I made the right decision that hour, but it's one that I am forced to live with." the Autobot finally concluded.
"B-but Optimus! Of course you made the right choice! You have power now, imagine what you could do-"
"Miko! That topic IS NOT up for discussion. I betrayed my commanding Prime, and all of those before him. I would die before I use the power of the secrets for my own gain!"
Miko shrunk back at Optimus' harsh tone, trying to find the right comeback, but struggling to decide if she even needed one. Looking out the window, she distantly watched the walls of HQ roll by as they entered.
Braking quickly, Optimus opened his door, willing her to leave him.
The rest of the 'bots and humans watched as Miko sullenly climbed out. After which Optimus transformed and stormed out.
"So? How'd it go?" Jack asked as he and Raf stood to greet her.
"Yeah, you were gone a pretty long time," Raf innocently noticed.
"We got lost okay? Just let it go," Miko demanded.
"Miko? Is everything okay?" Bulkhead asked as he squatted next to her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just," she looked after Optimus as he disappeared, "Oh! Oath or no oath, you guys need to hear this!" she stopped as she stood, gaining the undivided attention of her audience. "What do you guys know about Primes?"
"Well, he's a good leader," Bulkhead shyly said.
"No, not Optimus. Primes in general! Okay, fine. What do you know about the All Spark?"
Her question took everyone back. "Why?" Arcee hesitantly asked.
"Because... okay, have you guys ever heard of a thing called 'the secret of the All Spark'?"
This inquiry got even more questioning glances, and an surprised blip from Bee.
"Do you have anything to add, Bumblebee?" Arcee asked, which made everyone turn to look at the 'bot.
Shaking his head rapidly, he motioned that he didn't.
"Bumblebee, is that a 'I don't' or a 'I don't want to'?" Raf asked, looking up at his friend.
Bee took a moment to rub his neck, then blipped something.
"He says that-" Raf started.
"Yeah, I know what he said," Arcee cut him short, "Doesn't mean that I have to believe him."
"Arcee, what's wrong with you?" Jack asked his 'bot. "If Bee doesn't have anything to say, then he doesn't have anything to say! Okay? I don't know what your attitude is about, but you need to get over it," Jack sternly commanded, which made Arcee snort while she walked out.
"That was weird," Bulk said as be bent down to Miko.
"Bulk, we need to talk," she whispered to him. "Let's go for a drive, you look worn out!" she pipped up.
"Okay," Bulk agreed, sensing her seriousness. Walking out, they left Raf, Jack, Bee, and Ratchet behind. But Ratchet was working, so he was hardly there at all.
"Bumblebee, are you sure you don't know anything about 'the secret of the All Spark'?" Raf asked his 'bot.
Nodding vigorously, Bee lied to the child.
"Okay, I trust you," Raf said wearily, but cheerfully.