Standing at edge of the landing bay of the U.S. aircraft carrier, Sam gazed out at the horizon as the cool and salty winds blew around him. This was his first chance to relax after everything that had happened recently and it was a chance Sam was more than eager to take. His plan to revive Optimus Prime had been a success. It had taken a lot of effort and some dangerously close calls, but it had worked.
Not only had the Prime come back to life, but he had also successfully defeated the Fallen and driven off Megatron. With their leadership in disarray, the rest of the Decepticons had fled. Pursuit had not been immediately given as the military had been more concerned with getting their soldiers and the Autobots back home.
The sound of Optimus walking up behind him pulled Sam out of his thoughts. He looked up at the Prime, smiling quietly. « You're looking better. » He commented with a short laugh.
« And I am most certainly feeling better. » The Prime paused for a moment before continuing. « Sam… I wanted to thank you for returning for me. »
« Of course. » Sam replied without hesitation. He turned his gaze back to the horizon. « I wasn't about to just leave you… »
« And I appreciate that fact. » Again, Optimus paused his gaze drifting back to the watery horizon.
Though it was obvious – by both his posture and concerned gaze – there was something else on the Prime's mind. As Sam watched the Autobot leader, he realized that it wasn't something but rather someone. It only took him a few seconds to figure out who. A knowing smirk crossed the young man's features and he chuckled lightly. « You're worried about her, aren't you ? »
Pulled out of his thoughts : Optimus made a short noise and turned his attention back to Sam, tilting his helm inquisitively.
« Laurelin… » Sam's smirk widened a little. « I can tell that you're distracted. You miss her. You're… concerned… about her. »
« Ah… yes… » Optimus replied with a nod. He saw no reason to argue or hide the truth, given that it was so plainly obvious to see just by looking at him. The Prime looked to Sam, almost a little imploringly. « How is she faring ? »
For a moment, Sam was quiet and his smirk faded. He hadn't had the time to tell Optimus about Laurelin's reaction to learning about the Prime's death. However, he doubted his answer would be well-received. « She's... » Sam repeated. His gaze never left the watery expanse before him. « Hm… Well… I haven't spoken to her in a while. To be honest, I haven't had the chance. In fact, the last time we spoke I–… » Unsure of how Optimus would respond, Sam shifted a little on his feet. « Last time we spoke was of you, um… You being… uh… killed. I don't know what happened after that phonecall… Sorry. »
« I see... » Optimus stated grimly.
« Yeah. Laurelin… » Sam sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. « Laurelin didn't take the news very well. She sounded pretty broken up about it. I tried to explain to her that I wasn't going to abandon you, that I had a plan to revive you… But the call got disconnected before I could tell her that. » Sam looked up at Optimus. « I didn't notice how close you two were. »
It was obvious the young man had discovered at least some of the relationship between Optimus and Laurelin during the Prime's absence.
« She was upset ? » Optimus quietly asked.
« Yeah… Quite a bit, actually. Sorry about that… Like I said, I tried to tell her it wasn't a total loss. I wasn't looking to upset her. I– » Sam said somberly. Then, a weak smile crossed his features and he looked up at Optimus. « You must be pretty impatient to get back to her, huh ? »
« I would be lying if I told you I was not… » Optimus chuckled, despite his concern about Laurelin and the state she must currently be in. « And… So… You have not spoken to her since then ? »
« No… I'm sorry. » Sam replied with a shake of his head. « I just... haven't had the chance. Lot of stuff has been happening, you know… »
Optimus drifting to the horizon as his thoughts drifted back to Laurelin. « That it has. » Optimus absently responded.
Two weeks and a half later…
As the airship carrier entered U.S. waters, the ship came alive with soldiers bustling around to prepare for docking. Most of them were sneaking in quick photos of the Autobots, some even conversing with them.
However, Lennox had a specific Autobot he wanted to speak to. He had important informations he needed to relay, and he thought it best to do so before the ship docked. After a short bit of searching, Lennox found Optimus.
The Autobot leader had been debriefing the Autobots and advising them of what they would do when they were back on American soil. As soon as he noticed Lennox, Optimus ended the conversation with his teammates and turned to the human soldier. « Colonel Lennox… » The Prime acknowledged.
« Optimus... You have no idea how good it is to see you back in the land of the living. » Lennox commented with a smile and quick salute. « There was something I needed to tell you and the rest of the Autobots. » The Colonel waited until he had the Autobots' attention before proceeding. « Word just came in that Diego Garcia has been shut down and we're moving everything and everyone from that base. Our new base of operations is going to be in Washington D.C. Not only that, but it's going to be as shielded from the public eye as possible. The higher ups want to be able to have more direct contact with all of you. » Lennox paused, before he scoffed with a smirk. « I think after they've seen the destruction the Decepticons can do, they want to make themselves feel safer by having the Autobots closer. »
« Hmph… They're rather blatant in their self-preservation. » Ironhide muttered.
Though he gave the weapons specialist a slightly disapproving look for his comment, Optimus didn't say anything about it. He waited until the Autobots had dispersed before turning his attention to Lennox. « Colonel… What has happened to Laurelin and her friend ? Sam told me he had spoken to her briefly before I resurrected, but he does not know what happened to her after that phone call… » The Prime make no attempt hiding the obvious concern in his tone.
Frowning in concern, Lennox was quiet for a moment before breathing out a long sigh. « Unfortunately, they both left the base pretty quickly and unexpectedly. Though now I would imagine Laurelin left shortly after learning about your death… Ricci was just bound to follow. » He explained. The soldier gave Optimus an apologetic look and shrugged. « Since they were civilians and had every right to leave when and if they wanted, we didn't follow up or do any sort of tracking. »
Though the response was certainly not what Optimus had hoped to hear, he didn't let his emotions betray him to Lennox. It wasn't the Colonel's fault, as he had simply followed protocol. « I see… » The Prime murmured thoughtfully. He was already mentally going through the process of getting to Laurelin as soon as the ship docked. « How long do you estimate it will take for this craft to reach American shores ? »
« Hrm… I'd say about two weeks. Three weeks at the longest. » Lennox replied. A knowing smirk crossed his features and he looked up at the Prime. « You really want to get back to her, don't you ? »
« That I do. » Though Lennox wasn't as aware of how strong the relationship was between Optimus and Laurelin, the Prime wasn't going to lie to the Colonel.
Lennox chuckled and nodded his head slowly in acknowledgement. « Alright… Well, I'll make sure to put in the word to the captain to steer us through calm waters. » The soldier half-teased.
Undeniably grateful, Optimus mustered up a short chuckle and nodded in response.
By fortunate coincidence, Lennox's words proved true. By the end of the second week, the aircraft carrier was pulling into an American dock. It was greeted by a large group of soldiers, all of whom were ready to escort the Autobots to the new base.
For a few moments, Optimus had his concerns that it might be difficult to leave on his own.
Fortunately, Lennox seemed to notice the Prime's concerns. Before any of the soldiers could step forward to the Autobots, Lennox casually walked by Optimus. As he did so, the Colonel lightly tapped on the Prime's armor. It was enough to catch their attention and Optimus followed Lennox as they led him to a smaller, side exit of the airship carrier. Tapping in a series of number codes to unlock the door, Lennox turned to face Optimus as the door slid open. He motioned to the outside world behind him with a quick jerk of his head.
« Go on, big guy. » The Colonel said with a smile.
« Thank you, Colonnel. » Optimus replied with a smile and a nod.
Then, without wasting any time : The Prime transformed and, making use of the side exit, promptly headed out to find Laurelin.
