Author's Note: Now you'll find out what Kup is going to say. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I hope you like this one.

Disclaimer: You already know.

(Ultra Rodimus to Magnus)

((Magnus to Ultra Rodimus))

Years of Darkness

Chapter 6: A New Revelation

"The only way this could happen is if Ultra Rodimus and Magnus are lifebonded," Kup announced.

There was complete silence. Everyone in hearing distance stared at the old bot, mouths hanging open, optics so wide they threatened to pop out of their heads. Even Magnus couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Lifebonds were so rare that very few Cybertronians even knew what they were. The most anyone knew was that a lifebond tied two bots together mind to mind and soul to soul. They were considered sacred bonds, formed by Primus himself.

"I lifebonded to him?" Magnus whispered.

"That's the only thing that explains how you are able to hear his thoughts. And it explains why you're hovering around him like that. If you lifebonded to him, of course you're drawn to him."

"What is a lifebond, anyway?" Jazz asked, looking from Magnus to Kup. "All I know is what I heard from the rumor mills."

"I knew a lifebonded couple a long time ago. They tried to explain to me what it was like. Let me see if I remember what they told me." Kup thought for a moment. "They told me that lifebonded couples become so close they become a kind of two-headed, two-personalitied entity, Ultra-Rodimus-and-Magnus, and you'd better hope you don't suddenly come to like something the other detests because you wind up sharing just about everything. It's a partnership where strengths are shared and weaknesses minimized. The two halves of the bond become so close they may think and dream as one, and will be able to communicate mind-to-mind. Already the bond is strong enough to allow them access to each other's thoughts."

"Then you can tell me what he's feeling while I'm repairing him," First Aid told Magnus.

"Gladly."

They reached Cybertron nearly an hour later. Magnus carried Ultra Rodimus to Medbay. He already knew there wasn't an antigrav pad large enough to carry a bot the size of Ultra Rodimus. First Aid followed behind.

Once in Medbay, First Aid began running detailed scans of the young Prime's body to map out all of the damage. Then he fetched his tools and began the repair work.

"What smells like it's burning?" Magnus asked, snorting to get the scorched scent out of his olfactory sensors.

"The insulation of the conductor network under his armor," First Aid replied absently. "He has a network of conductor wires running all through his body. At first I didn't know what they were for, but now I suspect they're to conduct electrical energy, like he did when he transformed into his eighth alternate mode. But these wires weren't meant to carry that much charge, and they melted. What you're smelling is the insulation burning. I'll replace the entire network with superconductors so he won't risk internal damage the next time he does that. The reason he passed out this time was because of energy overload. He shorted himself out."

"Oh." Magnus fell silent and let the medic work. A surge of pain ran through Ultra Rodimus's body, and he nearly woke. Magnus soothed his mind, guiding him back into slumber. "He felt that last shock. Take your hand off that connector. It's shooting pain through his neural net."

First Aid moved his hand, and Magnus felt the pain fade. "Thank you for telling me, Magnus."

"You're welcome."

The repairs took hours. After they were finished, First Aid wheeled Ultra Rodimus to the recovery wing. Magnus dragged a chair over next to Ultra Rodimus and sat down beside him, taking one limp hand in his own. He knew that Ultra Rodimus was deeply asleep and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. He settled down to wait. Before long, his own weariness caught up with him, and his optics closed on their own. He leaned forward, resting his head on his crossed arms, and was out like a light almost instantly.

Medic Alert peeked in to check on Ultra Rodimus. A smile ghosted across his face when he noted Magnus's position, leaning over onto the table, head just touching Ultra Rodimus's shoulder, sound asleep. The doctor knew that neither of them would wake for hours. Ultra Rodimus had been exhausted by the surgery, and Magnus had been running on the Transformer version of adrenaline. It had finally run out, and his own weariness had finally gotten the upper hand. After a moment, Medic Alert withdrew.

"How is he?" Sandstorm asked First Aid.

The chief medic looked up at the pacifist. "He'll be fine in a couple of days. He had severe internal damage from the pounding those gestalts gave him. I had to replace his entire conductor network to prevent another overload. And there has been an interesting new development. It seems that Magnus has formed a lifebond with Ultra Rodimus."

Sandstorm was so startled he actually staggered. First Aid pointed to a chair, and the stunned triple changer lowered himself into it.

"They're lifebonded?" Sandstorm breathed.

"They are. Magnus has already proven that he can hear Ultra Rodimus's thoughts and what he is feeling."

The pacifist blinked rapidly. He was completely shocked. He hadn't thought he'd ever meet anyone who was part of a lifebond.

"So how strong is the bond?"

"There's no way to tell."

Hours later, Magnus felt Ultra Rodimus beginning to stir, and dragged himself back to the waking world. He lifted his head, blinking to clear his optics. He felt Ultra Rodimus's fingers twitch as he began to wake.

"Ultra Roddy?" Magnus whispered.

"Mags?" was the slightly slurred response, and hazy emerald eyes opened, the slitted pupils jerkily widening and narrowing as he tried to bring Magnus's face into focus. He finally succeeded, groaning at the brightness of the overhead lights.

"How do you feel?" Magnus asked gently.

"Did anyone catch the number of that moon that hit me?" Ultra Rodimus rasped, his voice harsh.

"Here." Magnus brought over a glass of liquid energon. "Drink this." He lifted Ultra Rodimus's head and held the glass to his lips.

"Thanks." Ultra Rodimus's voice was stronger, more like his usual bass purr. "That's better." He cocked his head at his second-in-command. "Is there any particular reason that you're hovering over me?"

((Just to make sure you're all right,)) Magnus mindsent, and Ultra Rodimus's eyes widened. ((There are other reasons as well. It seems that I've lifebonded to you.))

(This is sudden,) Ultra Rodimus thought back. (Sudden, but very welcome. I've had feelings for you for some time now, but I had no idea how to tell you. This solved that problem for me nicely.)

Ultra Rodimus's eyes were shining, gleaming like precious emeralds. Magnus smiled at him.

"I hate to interrupt you," First Aid said from the doorway, startling both of them. Magnus rolled his eyes, and Ultra Rodimus shot a glare at the medic. "Don't glare at me, big guy. I have to make sure you're recovering well." He pulled out a sensor and ran it over Ultra Rodimus's body. "You'll have to rest for a few days. Pushing yourself too hard might trigger another overload until your circuitry readjusts."

"Message received," Ultra Rodimus responded. "I don't think I could stand for more than a few seconds before I collapse. I think I'm gonna sleep for a week."

"You better not be saying that just to throw me off your trail," First Aid warned.

"He isn't," Magnus put in. "He really does feel awful. He's been trying to sit up for the last few minutes, and you can see how far he got with that. He's not strong enough to support his own weight yet."

The doctor looked from one of them to the other. "I want to keep him here one more day for observation. Then he can be moved to his quarters."

Ultra Rodimus nodded. He moved his head slightly and groaned.

"Looks like I'm just in time," Sandstorm commented as he entered. He lifted Ultra Rodimus's head and pulled off his battle helmet, them slid a pillow into place.

"Why doesn't he wear his normal helmet in battle?" Swoop asked from the door way, surprising everyone by speaking so clearly. "Having two makes no sense."

Sandstorm turned to him. "His other helmet is for warding off small things like rocks and bolts. It wouldn't stand up to weapons fire. So this helmet is reinforced and strengthened to be able to resist anything an enemy can dish out."

"Why does it have a visor?" Swoop asked.

"To shield his weak points. Even he has his weaknesses. In his case, his weakness is his eyes. A shot through the eye socket will go right into his cranial circuitry. That's a kill shot. The visor is made of the same material as his body armor, but transparent, to deflect any shots aimed at his eyes."

"Oh."

Smokescreen poked his head in. "Blaster is being swamped by calls from Earth, wanting to speak to Prime. What should I tell the humans?"

"Tell them that Prime is not available, and will not be available for several days," First Aid told him. "He'll get to them at a later date."

The other Autobot nodded and disappeared.

"Looks like I'll have to make my first appearance on Earth since my rebirth," Ultra Rodimus commented, yawning.

"Not until you've fully recovered," First Aid pointed out.

"I have no intention of disobeying you, F.A.," Ultra Rodimus assured him. "You'll do something nasty to me. So I think I'll stay right here. Now, could you please turn down the volume? I want to sleep." He put his head down, closed his eyes, and promptly fell asleep.

Magnus shooed First Aid and Sandstorm out. Then he closed the door and left his new bondmate alone to rest.

The next day, Ultra Rodimus was still too weak to get up. Magnus carried him to his quarters. Ultra Rodimus chuckled at the exaggerated expression of strain Magnus made as he lifted the young Prime off the table.

"I'm not that heavy!"

"No, you aren't, which surprised the hell out of me," Magnus told him. "I'd expected you to weigh a lot more."

"I'm lighter than I look."

It took almost two weeks for Ultra Rodimus to fully recover. During that time, the lifebond between he and Magnus continued to develop.

"I think it's time we put in an appearance on Earth," Magnus commented. "Remember, the humans have yet to see you."

Ultra Rodimus grinned. "It'll be interesting to see how they react to me."

"Yes it will. We'll take the next shuttle to Earth."

To be continued...

How will the humans react to seeing Ultra Rodimus for the first time? Are the Decepticons really gone? Only I know for certain. If you wanna know, you'll have to review and tell me. Then I'll post the chapters and you'll find out!