Guys, I'm afraid I have bad news-I'm sick. My throat hurts, I feel like crap, and I think it might be strep because that crap's been goin' around my school. But fortunately uploading stuff makes me feel better and getting reviews makes me feel even better. Lol. So please leave me some nice reviews, because I could use a little pick-me-up today. :) Thanks.
I do not own Transformers Prime, unfortunately. I'm simply borrowing the characters. I only own my OC, the Hybrid race, and any other characters you may not recognize.
X-Ray Dog; Acts of Courage
27
Ω Acts of Courage Ω
" Are you sure you are comfortable?"
Grinning, Hunter looked up at the red and blue Prime who was looking at and mincing around her with sheer concern and utter worry. " Big guy," she giggled, " relax." It had been several hours since she, Optimus, and Greasy had all returned from the lake and their meeting with Bombardier. After a long, heavenly, hilarious moment of Greasy's introduction to the rest of the team [A/N I will be writing this "deleted scene" as a short story later. Thanks to one of my DA friends for giving me the idea! (If I don't find the time to write it, I will give the task to anyone who wishes to tackle it and see if they can do as good a job of writing with my OC as me)], the remainder of the waking day had been spent with a check-up from Ratchet (despite Hunter's protests), a long hot shower to clean up and soothe achy muscle cables, and then another hour or so of her spark-father and remaining human friends trying to get her mind off all the drama that was happening. The Lennox's, Epps, and Agent Fowler has since left for home and nobody had seen Greasy for a couple hours or so. Hunter had decided to stay the night at the base—where there was absolutely no chance of her energy-signature being detected so that the Lennox's would be protected. Also, it was here where she could get new information on Jack, Miko, and Raf if Starscream decided to change his game plan.
Hunter shook her head. " Sheesh! With the way you're actin', you'd think I was on death's door." The fifteen-year-old Hybrid suddenly realized just how not funny her joke was as she remembered what had happened only about a week ago. The grin melted away and she looked down at the floor. " I..." she stammered, biting her lip, "...I shouldn't've said that." Her stomach twisted as she remembered her death and the gravity of the current situation.
" It's funny, is it not?" Optimus' voice brought her out of her thoughts.
" What?" Hunter asked, looking back up at him.
Optimus smiled sadly. " How once we've experienced something we used to joke about, it isn't as comical anymore," he answered.
Hunter snorted and looked back down at the floor. " Yeah," she huffed. " Tell me 'bout it." She sighed heavily. " I don't think I'll ever be able to talk about death without being serious ever again."
Striding across the room, Optimus lowered himself to the berth to sit beside her. He gave a fatherly pat to her knee. " Perhaps it is better that way," he commented gently.
His spark-daughter shrugged. " Maybe."
An uncomfortable, brooding silence fell over the room for a minute, before Optimus finally broke it. " So, are you sure that you will be comfortable in the sick-bay tonight?" he questioned for about the hundredth time. " Sarah did set up the hide-a-bed before she left. You could sleep there, if you wish." The Prime didn't know why he was being so cautious and worried about Hunter's stay tonight. It wasn't as though this had been the first time. Quite the contrary; this was just one of many, many, many times she had stayed at Autobot Outpost Omega One since being brought into the Autobot fold. In fact, before and after her transformation, Hunter had spent three or four consecutive nights at the base every other week (they still had yet to produce an official berthroom for her). This base was more her home than even the ranch. But maybe it wasn't the fact of her staying the night that had him on edge. Maybe it was just the sheer fact that the med-bay was the point of the base that was the furthest away from his quarters. Granted the living area out on the catwalk wasn't much closer to his room than the med-bay, but it wasn't exactly a separate room with it's own walls and doors. In other words, Optimus could hear Hunter on the catwalk. By having her sleep there and keeping his own door open—even just slightly—he could hear if something was wrong. Several times he'd gone to her aid for nightmares by utilizing that strategy. During those times, he'd also awoken in the morning with a sleeping Hunter curled up over the comfy, warm spot on his chestplate where his spark-chamber was. In short: Optimus was a worried as a new father.
Hunter smiled lovingly at the mech. " I'll be fine in here, Optimus," she assured him, putting a hand on his shoulderplate. " The light might bug me a little bit,"—Ratchet had insisted on keeping some form of light on the med-bay so that he'd be able to check on her throughout the night—" but I'll get used to it." She gave a dry chuckle. " Besides, I probably won't be sleeping much tonight anyway."
For a moment, Optimus studied her face in silence. It was amazing how at times Hunter could look neither young nor old—Optimus figured it must have had something to do with her being the Fuser. Right now, however, all the Prime could see in her face was fear and weariness. It broke the Prime' spark to see her in such distress. Today alone had probably taken ten thousand years off her life-cycle. He continued to watch quietly and she tediously raised a hand and began to rub at the back of her neck, grimacing as she tried to relieve the knot of stress that plagued her there. " Hunter?" he uttered her name softly. The femmling raised her beautiful pristine-blue optics to his and the Autobot commander smiled. " Would you like for me to rub your back?"
The Hybrid smiled sheepishly at her commander, but nodded her head all the same. She loved it when Optimus massaged her back. Groaning, she laid down and rolled over onto her mid-plate, resting her head on her arms and closing her eyes as she did. A tremor went through and a relieved moan lifted from her as the Prime began to massage up around her shoulderplating. " Primus!" she hissed as Optimus began to work on that particularly sensitive knot close to her neck. " Big guy, if you'd been human, you coulda made a profession as a physical therapist. No li-ah!-lie. Ooh-hoo..." Hunter released the sigh as that pesky knot finally came untangled beneath the mech's large but surprisingly deft fingers. "Mmm, keeping going," she mumbled as Optimus went on to find another tense area in her shoulders. " You're getting closer. Ooh! Oh, yeah, right there! Right the-ah! Yeah..." The fifteen-year-old practically melted into the berth. " This is the most relaxed I've been all week."
Optimus simply chuckled as he continued to rub and work at her taut muscle-cables. For several minutes he continued to search out and undo the knots in her back in silence, going where Hunter told him at times, applying more or less pressure when she requested it. Finally his fingers could find no more knots. " All right," he announced, patting her shoulders , " I think that about does it."
Groaning, Hunter rolled onto her backplate and sat up again. Without thinking, she scooted across the berth and clambered up into her Prime's lap. With a sigh she curled up in his strong, warm, loving arms and rested against his chest, leaning her head against his shoulder. This was her most favorite place in the whole world.
Instinctively, Optimus held her as close as possible and began stroking her headset and backplate. He loved the feeling of his spark-daughter being cradled in his arms; the feeling of her spark—which had been ignited by him—close to his; almost beating in sync with his. He cherished knowing just how much she trusted, and believed, and depended upon him to be there for her, and how he trusted, and believed, and depended upon her to keep him going—to keep fueling his drive and passion. He would never grow tired of these moments.
Hunter gently nuzzled into the crook of the mech's neck. Once again she released a heavy sigh. Her spark was still troubled and, even within the arms of her spark-father, she could find no comfort. " Optimus I still feel sick to my stomach," she confessed. She hated to burden him. He had his own concerns about the matter at hand to worry about without dealing with hers, but she just had to tell someone.
Optimus put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from his chest a bit to meet her faceplate-to-faceplate. " Hunter," he crooned, drawing her gaze to his, " we will get them back, sweet-spark. We'll save them."
Hunter closed her eyes and shook her head. " No," she murmured. " We can't save them. Only I can."
The red and blue Autobot sighed just as heavily as his charge had. He knew she was right. " I must be honest," he murmured, pulling her back against him. " I do not like the idea of you facing down the entire Decepticon army all alone."
" Join the club. But it can't be helped."
" I know. It's just..." Optimus optics slowly moved to take her back into his gaze, "... I can't afford to lose you again, my shooting star." His voice was hardly above a whisper and brimming with both fear and unbelievable pain.
Hunter became dead silent, a gloom looming over her spark that was a mixture of both her spark-father's and hers. Her optics shifted downward to the massive arms that surrounded her and she moved a hand to hold onto one of the large hands. She squeezed it, trying to reassure herself as much as him.
A few tears pricked at Optimus' eyes and he tried to blink them back. " After watching you die in my arms once..." his voice faltered and he had to swallow hard before continuing, "... I don't know if I would be able to stand it again... even if you were to resurrect."
Hunter closed her eyes, her mind drifting back to that conversation she'd had with Jack a few days ago. " He cried when you died, Hunter," Jack had said. " He held you in his arms and cried." Whether she'd admit to it or not, the girl had been skeptical of this information, knowing Optimus as she did. Now, however, she believed it to be true. " O-Optimus..." she choked out after a moment, "... is it true... that you cried when I died?" She had to know for sure.
For an eternity, Optimus was silent and motionless. Finally he slowly nodded his head. " Yes," he whispered.
Hunter bit her lipplate and snuggled closer to him, nuzzling into his chest. She tried to send a comforting, reassuring feeling through their bond.
The two sat like this for a long time in silence. Finally Optimus cleared his throat and patted the femmling's shoulders. " It's getting late," he stated. " You need your rest."
As if to prove his point, Hunter yawned. She really was extremely tired, considering all that had happened that day, though she wasn't sure if she would be able to sleep. Slipping out of the Prime's lap, the fifteen-year-old stretched out on the birth, rolling onto her right side—the side she liked to sleep on best. She watched as Optimus strode across to a cabinet on the other side of the med-bay, opened it, pulled out a thermal tarp, and came back with it. " Still intent on tucking me in?" she teased him as he spread over her, making sure it covered her in the exact way she liked.
" Always," Optimus chuckled. Once he'd tucked her in, the Autobot commander sat down on the edge of the berth yet again and began to stroke her antennas. He gazed at her lovingly. " How was I ever lucky enough to be blessed with you?" he crooned after a minute.
Hunter shrugged and giggled. " I dunno," she replied. She rolled onto her backplate. " I ask myself the same thing about you."
The Prime simply smiled. All of a sudden, he felt something building inside his chest: something warm and sincere. It moved from his chest, up his throat, to his mouth, and before he could stop it, out his lips. " I love you, Hunter," he finally professed. " I love you... more that I can ever tell you."
Hunter's spark skipped a beat, and she stared at her commander in wonder. Had she heard that right? Her audio-receptors weren't playing tricks on her, right? Had Optimus Prime really just told her that he loved her more than anything? The teenager felt warm and fuzzy all over; it was her dream come true! How she'd longed for so long to hear those words come from somebody! To have them coming from Optimus—her spark-father—made them all the sweeter and more meaningful. A huge grin parted the femmling's lips as a warm feeling begin to develop in her own spark. Before she could think of what she was saying, she began, " I lo..." but then that skeptical, fearful, distrusting part of herself caught her and she couldn't say anymore. Saddened and embarrassed, Hunter's gaze fell away from Optimus'. She just couldn't tell him. Despite how much she desperately wanted to, she just couldn't tell him the same. She was still too scared. " I-I'm sorry," she choked.
Optimus simply gave her and knowing, sympathetic smile. " It's all right, little one," he assured her. " You don't need to tell me; I know."
Hunter could only bite her lipplate and nod. Of course, Optimus would know that she loved him—they shared a spark-link after all. Still, the girl knew that her spark-father wanted to hear the confession as well, just so he could be absolutely sure.
Optimus then leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the scarlet and black-and-silver striped femmling's cheekplate. " Goodnight, my shooting star," he whispered. He stood and began to exit the room.
" 'Night, big guy," Hunter replied. She rolled back over onto her right side and watched him as he left.
Optimus reached over to flip one of the two light switches off. The room was left half in shadow (the back half where Hunter was) and half in light (the front half so that Ratchet could check on her through the night). He continued on toward the door, and then paused in the doorway. He turned back around and met her optics. " We will save them, Hunter," he repeated. " We'll save them together." And with that he turned back around and left.
Hunter's spark sunk. More than anything she wanted to believe that what Optimus said was true, but she couldn't believe it. She knew it wasn't true. If she showed up to face Starscream with backup Jack, Miko, and Raf were dead meat. They couldn't save the kids together. The femmling knew that Optimus knew that fact as well because the Prime always made a promises he knew he could keep, but never made promises he knew he couldn't keep. And this time... " You didn't promise it," Hunter whispered after him.
Later that night Hunter was in human form, lying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling of the base. It had been a few hours since Optimus had tucked her in in the infirmary. Ratchet's last check on her had been a little over and hour ago, and it was after that that Hunter had decided to move out to the hide-a-bed on the catwalk, claiming to herself that the lights were bugging her and that's why she couldn't sleep. She knew that was a lie. The lights weren't what was keeping her awake, it was the danger her friends were in and the decision Starscream had placed before her. Shifting around, Hunter reached into the pillow case and dug out her phone to check the time: 3:30am. Time was running out—her deadline was fast approaching. Hunter punched the mattress with a growl, cursing to herself. She couldn't wait any longer. The time to move was now.
Standing up, Hunter stepped over towards the chair where her clothes were and began to strip out of her tanktop and flannel bottom pajamas and change back into her black tee, skinny jeans, and knee-high Converse. Her necklace with the Hybrid medallion, as always, was already around her neck. After throwing it away that one time it had felt like part of who she was was missing. She'd felt like she'd lost herself. The teenager had vowed never to take the necklace off again. After quickly running a brush through her long, fiery red hair, Hunter went to the railing of the catwalk, leaped over, and landed softly in a crouch down on the floor. She sprinted towards the hallway, pressed herself flat to the wall, and quickly surveyed the hall to make sure that none of the 'Bots were up. Then she slipped into the dark and crept quietly down the hallway towards Optimus room. As quietly as she could she pushed the door open and peeked inside.
The Prime was up on his berth, turned away from the door, deep in stasis.
The fifteen-year-old tip-toed into the room and hurried across the floor to his berth. Instead of transforming—which would have made too much noise for her liking—Hunter simply leaped up onto the berth and stalked across it up towards the mech's head. For a long time she stood there, looking at him, smiling. Optimus looked so peaceful and at ease when he slept. A lump formed in the girl's throat and a few tears pricked at her vision but were easily blinked away. With a trembling hand, she reached out and gently stroked her spark-father's cheekplate. She couldn't help but stifle a giggle as the Prime turned his head into her touch ever so slightly. Then the teen leaned in and kissed his cheek. " I'm sorry," she whispered into his audio-receptor, " but I have to. They can't wait any longer." She was planning on turning to leave but something stopped her. Hunter released a quivering breath as she realized why. She had to tell him... at least once. In fact, she needed to tell him. She leaned back in to his audio-receptor until her lips were almost touching it, then she swallowed hard and choked out, " I... I love you..." the last word slipped out before she could stop it, "... Daddy." With that, the young Hybrid turned away, jumped down from the berth, and exited the room, taking one last look over her shoulder at the one person she loved more than anything else in the universe before finally turning away and leaving.
Little did Hunter know that right as she left the room, Optimus opened his optics and sat up, looking after her. He'd heard every word. The Prime felt so overjoyed and proud that he thought his chestplate might burst, but at the same time he felt his spark breaking. His brave little girl was going to face her worst enemies, and there was nothing he could do to help except pray to Primus to protect her. " I love you too..." he whispered the confession into the dark, "... my daughter."
Carefully punching in the coordinates supplied to her by Bombardier, Hunter booted up the ground-bridge. She was still in human form, with her father's golden energy bow and arrows sheathed across her back. Turning on the catwalk, she watched as the green vortex boomed up in the long cavern and then she jumped down to the cement floor once again. She stood there for a moment, staring far down into the bridge, thinking about what could be on the other side and dreading it.
" Off to play the hero are we?" a familiar voice broke into her thoughts.
Hunter turned to see Greasy—also in human form—standing there with his arms folded over his chest and watching her with a gleam in his eye. The girl quickly looked back off into the ground-bridge then back to him. " I have to," she stated softly. " I can't wait any longer and neither can my friends. Time is running out. There's no other way; I have to go alone."
Greasy gave her an empathetic smile. " I know you do," he answered gently.
Hunter returned a half-smile. " Thank you for understanding."
The old Hybrid nodded. " I only wish it were different."
Hunter snorted. " Yeah, you're tellin' me."
Greasy was quiet for a minute as he studied the young Hybrid. When he finally spoke again, it was the strangest of all questions. " Hunter," he began, walking closer to her, " do you understand the meaning of the phrase 'Primus' chosen one'?"
The fifteen-year-old cocked an eyebrow and gave him a look. " Yeah," she answered. " The Fuser—the savior of Cybertron: that's what it means."
Once again Greasy nodded. " Partly," he agreed, " but not completely true."
" What do you mean?"
There was a sigh. " By being Primus' chosen one, the Fuser isn't just the savior of Cybertron, and she isn't just the flame of hope either. By being Primus' chosen one, the Fuser is, in fact, a housing for Primus."
" I don't understand."
" Well, you see, during the Exodus, when your Prime and the other Purebreds left Cybertron because it was no longer livable, Primus—or rather the essence of him—left as well."
Hunter blinked at the old man. " Wait, back up! Are you telling me that Cybertron has no heart?"
Greasy nodded. " Primus himself is no longer in possession of his spark, so by that extension, the planet has no heart."
" So then where is Primus' spark?"
The old Hybrid grinned. " Right here on this planet," he answered, pointing to her, " waiting for you."
" What?"
" Once you have truly accepted your destiny as the Fuser, Primus' spark will merge and live within your spark until the time has come for his return to the core of Cybertron."
" And when will that be?"
" No one knows for certain. Whenever it is safe for him to return, I suppose. If he were to return now, he would be poisoned by the darkness that thrives there now, and Cybertron would never be able to be revived."
Hunter felt slightly numb. " So not only am I a powerful being on my own, I'm the home to an all-powerful god-like being too."
" And when yours and Primus' energies merge," Greasy further explained, " you are at your most powerful."
For a long time, the young Hybrid was silent, letting it all sink in. " I'm like the friggin' Avatar," she murmured to herself.
" What?"
" Oh, it's the cartoon with this person who... ya know what, forget it. You won't understand unless you watch it." Hunter sighed heavily. " Just when I think my life can't possibly get anymore confusing, I get tossed into another maze."
Greasy chuckled.
Rubbing her head, Hunter took a deep breath. " Okay," she said, " well I've wasted enough time. I better get going." She turned, transformed, and got ready to sprint off down the bridge, when suddenly her arm was grabbed. The femmling turned back to see Greasy looking up at her. In his hand was the golden hilt of the flame-saber.
" Take this," the old Hybrid ordered, slapping it into her hand.
Hunter held and stared at it. " But... i-it didn't work," she stammered, looking back at the mech. " I couldn't get it to awaken."
" Maybe you will on this mission," Greasy suggested.
Hunter shook her head and tried to offer it back to him. " Greasy, I'm sorry, but I can't. I'm not ready to admit to anything, and I..."
" Just take it," the old Hybrid said, pushing it back towards her. " Take for sake of my sanity and the sanity of your spark-father."
Hunter pressed her lips together in a grim line, but nodded all the same. " All right," she agreed, and sheathed the hilt over her back on the opposite side of where she reached back to grab her bow and arrows. " Thank you, Greasy." She took a step towards the bridge but was stopped again my Greasy's voice.
" Oh, and, Huntress," the mech called after her, " let me give you some advice."
" Shoot," Hunter replied turning back to face him, arms crossed and foot tapping in impatience.
Greasy met her optics and looked deep into them. " A Hybrid," he began, voice deep with seriousness, " cannot survive this mission alone." A smirk suddenly pulled up a corner of his mouth. " But maybe the Fuser can."
Hunter gave him a wry smile back. " Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," she replied somewhat jokingly. Then she spun around and sprinted off into the ground-bridge before she could be stopped again. Like that she was gone and the bridge boomed closed.
" Primus be with you, my dear girl," Greasy whispered.
