Chapter 11: Inconvenient Discovery

Hot Shot just didn't get it. Ever since they lost the Minicon in the Himalayas, Optimus had been avoiding him. She wouldn't even look at him, never said "hello" or "good morning", and it hurt. He didn't understand; was she angry with him because Cyclonus got to the Minicon panel before he did? He couldn't even contact her with his spark; she wouldn't allow him access and that stung even more.

Hot Shot sighed as he sat at the table in the rec room. Nothing was adding up and he didn't know if he should force Optimus to talk to him or not. He didn't want to seem rude; she was still his commanding officer, even if she was his mother. A hand came down on his shoulder and he jumped from the unexpected touch.

"You ok, Hot Shot?" Scavenger asked.

Hot Shot looked back at his mentor and sighed. "No."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked as he sat down in the chair next to him.

Hot Shot sighed. "Optimus keeps avoiding me." He murmured as he stared down at the table in front of him. A cube of untouched energon sat in front of him from almost an hour beforehand when he had tried to comfort himself.

Scavenger frowned. "Are you sure?" He asked. "That doesn't sound like her at all."

Hot Shot sighed. "She keeps avoiding me, she won't stay in the same room as me, and she won't even make optic contact with me!" He stated angrily. "I didn't mean to lose the Minicon! Cyclonus flew up to that cliff ledge; I had to climb up and there weren't a lot of hand holds."

Scavenger gripped his shoulder tightly and gave him a small shake. "I don't think that Optimus would avoid you for that reason." He stated sternly. "There has to be a different reason."

Hot Shot's frown deepened. "What else could it be?" He asked as he looked up at his mentor.

Scavenger chuckled. "Why don't you go ask her?" He replied. "She's in the control room." He added as he stood up. "Go see what the problem is; you don't want this to cause you two to rub against each other all the time over a simple misunderstanding."

Hot Shot frowned again as he stood up. He nodded to Scavenger before he left the rec room and headed to the control room, trying to figure out what he was going to say. He finally decided on being as blunt as possible and to avoid talking himself into circles where Optimus wouldn't be able to give him a straight answer. He entered the control room and froze in shock.



Optimus was leaning over the keyboard at the main computer console, her shoulders shaking. Quick bursts of air kept leaving her, evidence that she was trying to hide her tears. Hot Shot swallowed before he cleared his throat, alerting his mother to his presence. Optimus' head shot up and she turned around quickly.

"Hot Shot," she murmured as she brushed tears away from her optics, "is something wrong?"

"I was going to ask you that." He replied. She stiffened slightly, probably expecting him to ask her why she was crying. "You've been avoiding me and I want to know why."

Optimus sighed softly. "Sweetspark, I haven't meant to ignore you." She stated softly. "There's just…some problems concerning you that I'm trying to work out."

Hot Shot frowned, which appeared to be becoming a habit for him. "Why can't I help?" He asked. "If it concerns me, shouldn't I have a say in it?"

"It's complicated." She replied softly, her optics twinkling in a smile. "Don't worry about it sweetspark, I've almost got it all figured out."

Hot Shot opened his mouth to argue when the Minicon alarm went off. Optimus spun around and started tapping away at the keyboard, trying to discover where the Minicon was. Everyone else came running in, closely followed by the human kids.

"Where is the Minicon, Optimus?" Alexis asked, giving Optimus that strange hero worship look that she had adopted.

"In the canyons not far from here." She replied. "You kids stay put." She added. "Autobots, roll out!"

It took a few minutes for everyone to reach the warp room, enter the co-ordinates, and actually get to the location. By that time, the Decepticons had already turned up and, needless to say, a battle ensued.

Optimus found herself fighting against Sideways, who was still angry about her snapping off his horns. She easily dodged his gunfire, since he couldn't shoot straight to save his metallic hide. After 10 minutes of shooting at her pointlessly, she finally sighed and blasted him back 10 feet into the rock face. His whole body slumped and he lay still on the ground, his foot twitching occasionally. A sudden explosion drew her attention away from the fallen Decepticon and towards a towering figure not far away; Megatron. She saw a flash of yellow as he knocked something aside like it was a fly and her fuel tank clenched in pain.

"Hot Shot." She whispered before she took off towards them.

She smashed into Megatron's side, sending the purple tyrant flying to the left and smashing into the ground with a slightly sickening crunch. She glanced down at Hot Shot and her optics 

widened in horror. His body was covered in energon, his armor was cracked, and his optics were shattered. She sank down beside him and touched his face gently. He jerked away from her and she let out a soft hushing noise to calm him down.

"It's ok, Hot Shot." He whispered softly.

"Is it?" Megatron growled behind her.

Optimus stood up slowly and turned towards him. She bit back a feral growl as she placed herself protectively above her son. Megatron raised an optic ridge as he turned his gun towards her. She heard Hot Shot let out a soft sigh as he fell unconscious behind her and she glared up at the larger mech in absolute defiance; there was no way in the Pit that he was hurting her pride and joy.

"Not planning on having him for your mate huh?" Megatron growled.

"No, I'm not." She replied calmly.

Megatron growled again. "Then why are you…," he started to say when his optics widened in shock. He looked down at the yellow mech and his mouth opened in disbelief. "Why…why can I sense his spark?" He asked.

Terror washed over her as she looked up at her mate. "W-w-what?" She whispered.

"I can sense his spark." Megatron repeated himself. "Why is his spark pulsing in tempo with mine?"

Optimus shook her head in disbelief; she didn't know how Megatron could sense him. Usually Hot Shot kept his defenses up, even when he was asleep. The stress of the damage must have exhausted him enough that his defenses fell just to make sure that he remained alive. She took a more defensive stance over her son as Megatron moved towards her. He stared down at her, some emotion that had no plausible explanation in his optics.

"Is he…is he ours?" He asked.

Optimus snorted angrily. "How can he be yours?" She growled. "You don't care for anyone but yourself."

Megatron froze. "I care about you." He whispered.

"Liar." She snapped.

"He has my optics." He stated softly, a genuine smile appearing on his face. "Not the colour, but the shape."



Optimus looked away. "I've always that too." She whispered. "But that doesn't mean that he is yours. He will never be yours." She added with a flash of her optics.

Megatron looked down into her optics and frowned. He started to reach for her as the sound of screeching tires met them and the next thing he realized, he was knocked sideways again and into the ground. He grunted as he pushed himself back to his feet and glared at the transformer that had dared to hit him. The mech's red optics glared back at him, the Minicon panel safely tucked under his arm.

"Fool." He chuckled as he took aim at the Autobot. "You shouldn't have brought the Minicon here. You're making this all too easy for me."

The panel glowed and before Megatron could even realize what had happened, he was being beaten back by the Autobot. He growled before he called his troops to retreat. The new mech snorted before he turned back to Optimus.

"Is he okay?" He asked as Optimus gingerly picked up Hot Shot's prone body.

"He'll be fine." She replied. She looked at the mech and smiled behind her face mask. "I see you found the Minicon, Blur." She added.

Blur shrugged. "I guess." He replied as the Minicon started beeping at him from his shoulder. "What's it saying?"

"He says his name is Incinerator." She replied as she rested her son's head against her chest. Blur looked at the Minicon sitting contently on his shoulder and nodded slightly. Optimus chuckled before she gave the order to return to base.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Megatron sat in his throne staring at the opposite wall. He had a son. He couldn't believe it; this whole time, he had a son. He grinned. Hot Shot was a lousy shot most of the time, but even he could see the potential in the young mech. His grin slowly faded as he thought back on what Optimus had told him.

Hot Shot obviously didn't know about his origins, otherwise he would have caused some real drama whenever they met instead of merely growling and open firing on him. But, this explained why Hot Shot was always around Optimus and why he was constantly coming to her rescue. He couldn't believe that he had overlooked something like that.

Hot Shot's body design reminded him slightly of Optimus' old one. Small build, innocent face, intelligent optics; it was Oriona all over again. How he had missed all of that was a complete mystery. He shifted slightly in his chair and reached out along over his bond, looking for Hot Shot.



A weak defense led him straight to his son. Hot Shot was looking for some form of comfort and obviously thought that it was Optimus reaching out to him because he accepted him right away. He sent soothing waves to his son, careful not to say a word; the last thing he needed was Hot Shot to freak out in such a critical state of damage. Hot Shot lapped up the comfort quickly and it was almost like he was begging for more. Megatron smiled to himself as he continued to send reassurance to his son. Gratitude flooded his mind as Hot Shot sank into a much more relaxed state and Megatron pulled away.

He still didn't know what to do about this little fact. He could take Hot Shot under his wing, but, he didn't want Optimus hating him for it. And besides, Hot Shot hated the Decepticons too much to ever truly be one of them.

He smiled to himself. Hot Shot; Optimus knew that's what he wanted to call his son, if and when they had one. He remembered that day when Optimus had asked him that, timidly as usual and he had responded instantly, telling her exactly what he would call his son and the reasons behind it.

Flashback

Megatron sighed softly as Oriona rested her head against his chest. He had to admit that this had been a nice piece of land that he had managed to secure for them. He ran his hand along Oriona's helm as she rubbed her head against his chest. He knew that something was troubling her, even though they hadn't bonded to each other yet.

"What's wrong?" Megatron whispered.

Oriona looked up at him and smiled innocently. "What makes you think that something is wrong?" She asked, flickering her optics in that adorable way of hers.

Megatron chuckled as he nuzzled his face into Oriona's neck. "You can't fool me." He whispered softly. "Something's bothering you. Your shoulders are stiff and your back is too ridged."

Oriona sighed. "I hate that you can tell if something is bothering me." She murmured.

Megatron chuckled as he kissed her neck. "I think it's an advantage. That way I know if you need to be cheered up…or if I have to run the other way really fast." He stated.

Oriona laughed in return as she gave his head a shove. "Alright smart-aft." She stated.

Megatron put a horrified look on his face. "Oriona! What a foul mouth you have!" He stated in false mortification. He grinned deviously. "Do I need to clean it for you?" He purred as he brought his face close to hers.



Oriona grinned in return before she kissed him. Megatron purred as he returned the kiss, twisting his arms around her body and pulling her in close to him. Oriona pulled back and smiled at him as she rested her head against his chest.

"That was rather short." Megatron commented as he pouted.

"Mmm, but really good." Oriona purred.

Megatron laughed, the noise resounding around them and earning a happy laugh from Oriona. Megatron stroked her back and purred softly. "So, what's bothering you?" He asked.

Oriona sighed. "Megatron…why…why would you want to bond?" She asked looking away from him.

Megatron frowned. "Why would I want to bond?" He repeated as he stroked her back and looked up and across the fence that blocked them from the rest of the city. "Hmm, I think the main reason would be to know what you're feeling at all times." He replied as he looked down at her and stroked her helm. "And so that I never have to guess at whether or not I should say certain things."

Oriona smiled up at him. "Really?" She whispered. "You want to bond just so you know that I'm happy or not?"

Megatron chuckled. "What kind of question is that?" He asked as he rubbed his nose against hers. "Of course! You know that making you happy is one of my top priorities! Making sure my aft doesn't get fried when I walk through the city is another one." He added with a laugh.

Oriona beamed happily before she frowned. "So…having a sparkling…that isn't a…well…you know…a priority?" She asked.

Megatron looked down at her in disbelief. "Of course I want a sparkling!" He exclaimed. His face softened as he caressed her cheek. "But I want to wait until you think you're ready to handle something like that." He murmured.

Oriona smiled nervously. "So…what would you name your sparkling?" She asked.

Megatron chuckled. "If it's a mech, I'd call him "Hot Shot"." He replied.

She frowned. "Why would you call him that?" She asked.

Megatron chuckled. "Because mechs tend to act like their fathers." He replied. "And am I not a big hot head sometimes?"

Oriona made a face. "Sometimes?" She asked. "More like all the time, Mister Superiority issues." She teased.



Megatron slammed his hand against his chest and sniffled. "That hurts." He murmured. "That hurts right here."

Oriona laughed as her "mate" acted hurt. "So," she stated after she calmed down, "what would you name your femme?" She asked.

Megatron smiled softly as he looked over her head and into the distance. "I'd name my daughter "Grace"." He replied. "Because no matter what is happening, there is always a hidden elegance in everything."

Oriona sighed softly. "That's really deep." She murmured.

Megatron chuckled. "You sound surprised." He stated. "I can have my philosophical moments like anyone else."

Oriona chuckled as she wiggled out of his embrace. "Yah, but yours are few and far between." She teased.

Megatron's optics flashed playfully. "Oh really?" He asked as he stood up.

Oriona squealed as she took off running across the yard, Megatron racing right behind her. She spun around and lost her footing as he grabbed her. With a shout the both went tumbling end over end across the metallic ground. They came to a stop with Megatron holding Oriona's head gently in his hand while he hovering over top of her body. She looked up at him as they both lay there panting, smiles plastered to their faces. She lifted herself up and placed her lips against his. Megatron didn't need another invitation; he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the house and into their room, all without breaking the kiss.

End Flashback

Megatron nodded to himself. Optimus defiantly had thought about him when she named their son. He wondered when he had been sparked; during their initial, mating that had caused Oriona to flee from him, or the second time when she had been upgraded to Optimus Prime?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Optimus stood waiting just outside the med bay. Red Alert had been working on Hot Shot for three hours now and she was beginning to get antsy. Her son could be dying for all she knew and she couldn't even figure out some way to assist. Of course, Red Alert practically throwing her out of the med bay hadn't helped matters.

As the med bay doors slid open, Optimus jumped to her feet. She didn't even need to ask before Red Alert smiled and stepped aside to let her in. She let out a sigh of relief as she rushed past him and into the med bay.



Hot Shot was sitting up already, a slightly dazed look on his face. He smiled for a moment before Optimus had her arms wrapped around him and pulling him into her chest in a deadly bear hug. He flailed his arms around for a moment before he laughed and returned the hug.

"You know, for someone who sent me reassurance a while ago, you sure are acting oddly happy." He commented with a laugh and a grin.

Optimus felt her spark clench painfully; she had to tell him about Megatron. She sighed. "Sweetspark, that wasn't me." She murmured. When Hot Shot gave her a confused look she sighed. "There…there's something you need to know." She murmured. "Hot Shot…your father must have been the one who sent you comfort."

Hot Shot frowned. "So…who's my dad?" He asked in confusion.

Optimus looked away before she sighed. "Megatron."

Author's Note: Mwahahahah! Cliffie! Don't kill me! Anyways, I thought that there should be another reason behind Hot Shot's naming so there you have it. Megatron and Optimus used to be such a cute couple…all it took was one night of too much high-grade…but that's a different story. So leave me a review please and thank you, but refrain from flaming.