Author's note: If you aren't familiar with what a halberd looks like, it might be worth your while to take a glance online before reading this chapter. I tried to describe one as best I could without following Victor Hugo off on a wild tangent, but a picture is worth a thousand words.
While waiting for their time slot on the training grounds, Ultra Magnus accepted Optimus' invitation to fuel up again. Half of the crew of the Iron Will headed out for human integration training, while the rest were scheduled for a presentation on how Earth's various environments impacted their weapons systems. Somehow, though, news had leaked about the impending sparring match.
Ultra Magnus suspected Agent Graham.
Once gathered for their morning fuel ration, the new mechs took a vote to postpone Wheeljack's presentation until after a trip to the training grounds. Wheeljack himself even voted in favor of postponement and Ultra Magnus sighed. Where were Prowl or Lancer when you needed them to put down an uprising like that?
Optimus indulgently nudged Ultra Magnus over the bond, and the taller mech softened. /We'd better make all this scheduling chaos worth it./
Optimus' amusement washed back to him. /Agreed./
…
When they finally made it down to the training grounds, Optimus and Magnus didn't waste any time. Standing across from each other, they bowed as if in a games arena back on Cybertron, and then Optimus' battle mask engaged. Magnus allowed a swell of fierce delight across the bond before he blocked it. From the time they were both younglings, they'd dueled in the arena, and they'd both made something of a name for themselves there (admittedly Optimus more than him). His battles had been in earnest for eons, but when he pulled his favorite melee hammer out of subspace and saw Optimus unsheath his energon blades, it was almost as if they were just a couple of brothers playing in an arena again.
Magnus gave the command for his hammer's handle to transform, and it quickly extended to a halberd-style spear. The long handle was much better-suited for engaging an opponent so similar to him in size and strength, while the head (a hammer on one side, a curved axe on the other, and a spear-point on the top) was heavy enough to crush even Cybertronian armor when Magnus put his full strength behind a blow. Few Cybertronians had the mass and agility necessary to effectively use this hammer design. The shaft alone was taller than Cliffjumper when extended, but when retracted, the resulting warhammer made for a surprisingly swift close-quarters attack. Many Decepticons (too many, but not enough) hadn't anticipated what he could do with that hammer. Optimus remembered it, though, and knew to be cautious. Magnus sensed that caution despite his block on the bond and smirked before activating his own battle mask.
Optimus' shoulders rolled a little in anticipation and then Magnus made the first move, thrusting with the halberd's spear point. Optimus crossed his swords, catching the Cybertronium haft of the halberd and pushing the spear point harmlessly into the air. "That's a youngling's move," Optimus taunted.
"Designed for use on a youngling." Ultra Magnus tried again, closer to Optimus' midsection. Optimus knocked the halberd's head wide and away with one sword and raised the other to strike a blow at Magnus. Magnus swung the butt end of the halberd and parried Optimus' blow with the haft in one smooth motion. His trainers, had they lived, would have been proud of that one.
Breaking apart, they warily circled each other.
"Problem, Prime?"
"Only a mech who needs to be taken down a notch or two."
Ultra Magnus allowed his humor to slip past the block on the bond. In the arena, verbal sparring was as highly-valued a sport as physical sparring. "I agree. Watch your footing."
"Best two out of three."
Meaning Optimus expected Magnus to best him at least once. Magnus actually chuckled at that one and thrust forward with the halberd again, lower this time.
Optimus batted the spearpoint down with the right blade and thrust forward with the left.
Magnus jerked back, dodging away from the swords and bringing the halberd with him, but he lucked out. The hooked ax on his halberd caught Optimus on the ankle and by surprise. Magnus pulled so hard that Optimus' leg kicked high and he actually flailed, transforming his swords back into hands. Magnus swung the spearpoint wide and, since this wasn't in earnest, hit his off-balance brother on the shoulder with the flat of the halberd's hammer-end. Optimus sprawled in the sand, and Magnus knew this match was about to get interesting. Good, he thought. It had been too long since he'd been able to spar with someone as skilled as Optimus.
Ultra Magnus shortened the halberd's haft back into a hammer, idly swinging it while Optimus regained his feet. Magnus rather liked the way it whistled through Earth's atmosphere. "You're getting rusty, Optimus. No wonder Samuel had to protect you against Megatron."
Several of the Autobots groaned in appreciation – a typical reaction from arena spectators – and Wheeljack even chortled, "Burn!"
"One shall stand," Optimus solemnly entoned, "one shall have his aft kicked."
"Really? Because you've got sand all over your…"
Optimus thrust forward with his right blade, and Magnus again extended the hammer into a halberd, simultaneously parrying the sword with the spearpoint and stepping backward. The sand shifted underfoot as he moved.
It was a distraction Optimus tried to use to his advantage. He struck out at the halberd's head with the left blade, too, keeping it engaged and trying to slip past it. Magnus retreated further, his focus divided between keeping his footing and watching for an opening.
This time Optimus was ready when Magnus flipped the halberd around, and the Prime blocked the butt-end with his left sword. Magnus used the momentum from Optimus' block to bring the halberd head back into play and land another solid hit on his brother's shoulder. Optimus staggered under the blow but didn't fall. It was enough to disrupt Optimus' attack and Magnus resumed his defensive stance, shifting his feet a little to try to find more-solid ground.
By this point, the Autobots were shouting encouragement, Magnus' mechs cheering him on and the Earth-based 'bots backing Optimus. The humans, however, were oddly quiet.
That was some intense sparring, even by Cybertronian standards, Magnus thought. Was something wrong with them? What would it take to make them cheer for their Prime and champion?
Magnus didn't have time to comment on it, though, because Optimus was again on the move. This time he used first one sword and then the other in quick succession, trying to knock the halberd head up and out of his way. That was an even easier attack to thwart – all he had to do was fall back and keep bringing the halberd down and in front of him. Magnus was growing more confident as he moved over the alien terrain, and the pleasure of a good challenge again filled him. After a few astroseconds, Optimus gave up on that approach.
Optimus again closed with him, engaging the spear-point with both blades in succession, and this time his attack was so furious that Magnus lost his footing on the shifting sand as he retreated. He hurriedly transformed the halberd to a hammer and swung it wildly.
Optimus deflected the blow with one sword, but Magnus didn't even see the fist that struck his torso, landing a blow so solid that he collapsed heavily on his skidplate.
The humans were finally starting to show some interest, talking excitedly amongst themselves but in low voices. They could be taught, then, Ultra Magnus decided.
Optimus' remaining sword transformed to a hand, which he then offered to his brother. Magnus gratefully accepted it and rose to his feet. Dusting himself off, he said, "Your humans are a quiet bunch, Optimus. You must not be giving them enough to cheer about."
"What!" Epps shouted, and several of the Autobots chuckled. Magnus felt Optimus' pleased amusement at that, and Magnus let his own internal smirk slip through before tightening down on the bond again.
That was the only warning he gave, extending the hammer into a halberd and thrusting forward in one smooth motion.
Quicker still, Optimus' fists transformed back into swords, batting down the halberd so fiercely that the spearpoint struck the sand. Instinctively, Magnus followed through by planting his weight and striking out with his fist. His programming had been honed by too many eons of life-and-death combat. The blow left a dent in Optimus' helm and shattered one of the blue antennas.
In the silence that followed, Magnus said, "Oops." Optimus' battle fury was rising – Magnus knew well the feel of his brother's rage despite the buffering battle protocols, though usually Optimus directed it at Megatron instead.
The Autobots broke out in an uproar of laughter and taunts at that, and the humans enthusiastically joined them this time.
The speed and strength behind Optimus' attacks had Magnus retreating again over the shifting sand. The extra processor power required for his footing divided his attention, and too late, he saw Optimus' sword catch the hooked part of the ax on the halberd. The Prime yanked so hard that part of his energon sword gave, but it pulled the halberd from Ultra Magnus' grasp.
Yep, he was slagged now.
Optimus gripped the shaft and thrust the halberd forward, hitting Magnus on the chin with the butt-end.
Stunned, Magnus looked up at Earth's impossibly-blue sky, blinking stupidly as cranial circuits reset.
Energon swords came into view in a traditional scissor formation, stopping to hover above his neck. "Yield!"
"I yield, my Prime."
Optimus' swords became hands again, and he dropped the block on their bond. Magnus was relieved that, despite the ceremonial implied threat of decapitation, Optimus wasn't angry with him. In fact, his worry poured into Magnus' spark like a torrent.
"I'll leave your termination to Ratchet," Magnus added in a low voice.
"What makes you think he'll side with you?" Optimus scoffed.
"Because I'm significantly less likely to engage in noble acts of reckless stupidity."
"You're brutal," Optimus answered with a chuckle. "Can you stand?"
"Unassisted, no. My HUD says to give me another couple of minutes. If you want to clear the training ground, though, I could probably stagger to the observation area with some help."
"Up you get," Optimus said, again helping his brother to his feet.
The Autobots' jeers turned to cheers when they saw Magnus gamely making his way toward them.
"Bulkhead," Magnus ordered, "you're on deck. Prime, choose a champion."
Prime grinned as his battle mask retracted. "Wheeljack."
"Better clean up those antenna fragments," Jolt said, still grinning. "Ratchet's going to want 'em."
Bulkhead and Wheeljack spent a few seconds salvaging what they could of the blue metal before taking their places across from each other in the training ring.
/Bumblebee and Sam will be joining us shortly,/ Optimus said over the comm. /We should have Bumblebee and Cliffjumper spar next./
/Did his voice ever heal?/ Ultra Magnus asked Optimus as the taller mech settled to sitting in the sand.
/Only briefly. The Cube healed him, but he was injured again./
Magnus watched as the two mechs sparred, having fun trash-talking despite the shifting terrain. Bulkhead and Wheeljack were almost as close as Prowl and Jazz, and it showed in how well they could anticipate each other. Usually Bulkhead would have had the advantage over Wheeljack, but 'Jack clearly had experience sparring on sand.
Eventually Magnus thought to ask, /Now that the All Spark is housed in the Matrix, could Bumblebee get his voice back that way?/
/I've never attempted to use the Matrix to heal. Its power is severely depleted. Only when the need is great may we use it./
/He's never asked you,/ Magnus realized.
/He has not./
/If he did?/
Optimus' admiration for Bumblebee swelled across their brother-bond. /He wouldn't unless the need was great./
Magnus nodded in agreement.
A green Hummer sped toward them, the engine all but growling. As Ratchet transformed, he said, "What have you two overgrown sparklings fragged up now?"
"Such language in front of sparklings!" Sideswipe snarked.
Ratchet glared his way before focusing again on Optimus. "You could at least wait until I've got my patients fully repaired before you start roughing them up!"
Ultra Magnus wisely didn't laugh in front of Ratchet, but his smug amusement swelled over his bond with Optimus. "Told you."
The Prime puffed up his chest plates. "I'm the one with the broken antenna."
"You probably deserved it," Ratchet grumbled, setting to work on Ultra Magnus.
Magnus felt a sudden, aching shift in Optimus' mood, and though puzzled, he offered wordless comfort. Optimus accepted it with bittersweet affection. Aloud, the Prime simply said, "I probably did."
…
At Major Lennox's home, Magnus activated his holoform and took a moment to appreciate the sheer fluidity of this form. The term "squishy" he'd overheard the other Autobots use had seemed profoundly disrespectful for fellow warriors, even if they were organic. But as he poked at his forearm in fascination, he decided it was simply factual. The humans were, indeed, squishy.
Optimus' amusement nudged him over their bond and he glanced up to see his brother's "human" face wearing an expression his holoform library identified as a smirk. It was an odd sensation to feel his own face stretch and bunch into an answering smile. It was all one unnatural sheet of flesh – no plates to slide at all.
A holoform femme he didn't recognize rounded the corner and walked toward them, but when she spoke, it was with Lancer's voice. He'd never considered what she might look like as a human, but somehow, the appearance was fitting.
"Commander, Primes," she said by way of greeting.
"Lieutenant," Ultra Magnus answered with a nod.
"That was some impressive sparring," she said with a half-smile. "Sarah says Major Lennox is rather miffed that he was stuck in a meeting with Prowl and several other humans during it. She had to explain the concept of 'spoiler' to us and swore us all to secrecy."
Sam chuckled and moved on toward the sandwiches.
"I assume your training this morning was more than just sparring," Lancer's holoform continued.
"Yes," Optimus answered. "After lunch, you will first go to the training range for some sparring of your own and then you'll get a full briefing on our tactical situation."
"...which is impressive," Ultra Magnus added. "We haven't been in such a relatively strong position since we held Iacon."
"Really. I'm looking forward to learning more." To Magnus, she added, /Maybe you won't be reporting to Elita One in person after all./
He glanced at Optimus before replying, /Maybe./ Aloud, he said, "What do I call you? I understand we have undercover code names for our holoforms."
Extending her hand, she said, "I'm Alana Christiansen. And you are?"
He peered at her hand curiously. "John Smith."
Grinning, she reached for his hand and showed him how to shake her own. Turning to the Prime, she said, "And you?"
He firmly shook her hand. "Optimus Witwicky. And we're glad to have you on the team, Alana."
They rounded the corner to the back and the squishies – human and Cybertronian – were playing some kind of game reminiscent of lobbing. "Sweet Cybertron, this brings back memories," Magnus murmured.
"It's interesting, the things that are alien and the things that are strikingly homey," Alana agreed. "Come on, commander. You get to try cookies now!"
"You say that with far too much enthusiasm to bode well, lieutenant."
She just smiled and led the way. After a few steps, she paused and turned back toward them. "If I may, Prime, before we join the others I have an inquiry about something Prowl said."
Optimus stopped mid-stride and waved her closer. She approached both his and Magnus' holoforms, and Optimus said, "Go on."
"He said the Matrix may only be used when the need is great. When I asked what those parameters were and why, he deferred to you."
"Ah," Optimus answered, understanding Prowl's unease. "That is something I can only know intuitively, through communion with those Primes who have gone before."
"Understood," she answered. "May I ask why, though?"
"Why it can only be used when the need is great?" Ultra Magnus echoed. "I wouldn't expect Optimus to use it casually."
"Nor I," Alana hastily agreed. "But if it is a genuine need, it is inherently urgent. Why wait until a need is great?"
"Because the power of the All Spark is all but depleted," Optimus quietly admitted. "I must wait for certain, opportune weather patterns to harvest solar power for it. Otherwise, it would cause alarm and undue interest from the humans."
"But it's solar power, sir," she said, her eyebrows coming together in a very disconcerting way. "And you have Seeker mods. Harvesting that power on Earth's surface seems illogically wasteful. If you flew perpendicular to this solar system's plane of axis for even a relatively short distance, then you could harvest a significantly greater amount of power for the All Spark and no human would ever know."
Optimus blinked in surprise and then chuckled to himself. "Between myself, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Prowl, not one of us had thought of that."
"Now you see why I consider her irreplaceable," Ultra Magnus said to his brother, his pride saturating their bond.
"I do indeed," Optimus answered.
"Thank you, sirs." With a pleased grin, Alana turned and continued on toward the picnic tables.
The human integration training was interesting, but a part of Magnus couldn't help but feel this was a waste of time. Why did it matter if they could believably pass as humans? The chance of them needing to do so was astronomically low, and surely there were more-pressing needs in terms of training.
Since his holoform lacked a constant reminder from his HUD, it was easy for him to forget that one of the humans in the group was a Prime with a spark, and he had to look over the crowd three times to find him. Samuel was sitting next to one of Ratchet's human helpers – Quinn was his designation – and they were laughing about something. Why was he over there instead of with his bond-brother? Most of the time they were separated by a planet's diameter.
These beings were squishy in more than just the frame, by all accounts. How could one possibly be a Prime like Optimus? How could that ever be a bond between equals? Pit, most of the time he was acutely aware that Optimus was the better mech, and he stood a head taller than the Prime. Optimus could carry Samuel around in his palm, and even if the human was unusually lucky, he'd at best live to be a hundred years old. Eighty years was much more likely.
Samuel's short lifespan suddenly sank in for Magnus, and he bowed his head. What had Optimus done? This squishy, fleeting brother could bring nothing but pain to him, and Magnus wondered if Samuel wasn't part of Optimus' inexplicable grief after Ratchet started to repair their sparring damage.
"Problem?" Optimus asked.
Magnus turned his head to see the Prime staring at him, an unusually-tempered curiosity rolling across the bond.
"No," Magnus answered, and he hoped it was true.
