Chapter 4 - Spark to Spark... heart
(WPOV)
Will knew he was frowning. He couldn't help it. He just couldn't win. Period.
The bots were stubborn, and his superiors seemed completely dense at the moment. Of course orders were orders, but that sure as hell didn't mean he had to like it.
Prime of course chose that moment to transform, it was always kind of cool to watch the bots transforming. He strode to the communications central and stood silently, looking at Will almost pensively. He glanced around the hangar and looked back at Will.
"Join me for a drive, Major?" the bot rumbled quietly.
Will stared at the bot. Flabbergasted. The Prime almost never drove someone around. He nodded rather numbly and slid down the ladders as Prime transformed again, backing into the open area and opening his door for Will.
Which was actually kind of courteous of the bot. Will climbed into his cab and sat, kind of awkwardly, he knew. It was still kind of weird that he was sitting inside of a sentient being.
Optimus simply pulled out of the compound and drove.
Neither of them spoke.
Will idly watched the surroundings, just in case he wound up walking back. You never really knew with these bots sometimes.
Prime pulled into a clearing out on the cliffs that looked over the base.
Nice lookout area, actually.
"Out you get," Optimus rumbled quietly. Not rudely, just quietly. Will obeyed and watched as the big man transformed again, carefully sitting and dangling his legs over the cliff edge. Curious now, Will walked over and leaned against a nearby tree.
"May I ask why?" Will started quietly.
"Most seem to be unnerved when I transform from my truck form to my bipedal form when they are still in my cab," Optimus rumbled. Will couldn't stop the snort of laughter, he looked guiltily up at the bot. Prime simply met his gaze with a calm expression.
"I'm sorry," Will stated quickly. "I mean, may I ask why we're up here?"
"I had hoped to ask a favour of you, Major," Prime rumbled calmly.
"And that is?" Will asked warily, eyeing the bot.
"I wish to have an open dialogue with you," Optimus rumbled in that same calm tone. "You seem aggravated of late, I do not know if it is common among humans, but on Cybertron it is considered... detrimental, to withhold one's opinions and to not share dialogue."
Will slid down his tree and sat on the ground in shock, staring at the bot. Optimus looked down at him worriedly.
"Are you quite alright, Major Lennox?" he rumbled curiously.
"I... I'm good," Will stated in a shocked tone. "I'll admit that is the last thing that I ever expected to hear from you, though."
"Even among my unit I am considered... unapproachable at times," Optimus nodded sagely, looking down at the base. "Unfortunately, it comes with being Prime, one of my least favourite aspects of the position if the truth is to be known."
Will felt a bit of a let-down that he'd not saved sliding down his tree in shock for that statement. He'd gone and wasted it on a simple request for open speech.
"But that is beside the point, at the moment," Optimus continued calmly, looking at the view. He turned and looked at Will. "I wish to give you the opportunity to speak, shout and rant in confidence, something that I feel you wish to do regardless."
Will sat and stared at the bot in silence.
"I might remind you that I am big enough to handle you yelling at me," Optimus added with an absolutely straight face.
"Is... was..." Will gasped out weakly. Optimus watched him calmly. "Did you seriously just make a size joke?" Will demanded.
"I believe your precise phrasing is a 'pun'," Optimus rumbled seriously. Will stared up at the bot's optics. There was a sparkle of humour hiding behind that calm facade. He couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.
Optimus stayed sat on that cliff edge and simply watched him with that same calm expression on his face. Will took a deep, calming breath and smiled up at the bot.
"You realize just how hard it is to shout at a person who made you laugh?" he asked seriously.
"We shall probably be irritated with each other again at some point," Optimus rumbled calmly, shrugging. "I never stated that it is a one-time deal. I feel as though our dialogue with each other is deeply constrained, and that we would accomplish far more if we are capable of speaking openly with each other."
Will grinned, he couldn't help it.
"In return, you're allowed to yell at me, one on one, you know," he stated comfortably, looking up at the bot. "I might make you promise that you won't squash me in a fit of pique though, it is kinda daunting arguing with a bot forty times your size."
"You already have my promise to do no harm to human kind," Optimus rumbled irritably, "what must I do to get that across the language barrier!?"
Will stared at the bot incredulously.
"No, see normally when somebody states human kind, they mean the group, the majority," Will stated seriously. "A few individuals being sacrificed for the sake of human kind."
"The group is made of individuals," Optimus retorted. "Each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses, the loss of one is a loss to all. Besides, if I wish to cause harm, I have cannons for that." the bot finished irritably, bringing a cannon online for a moment, looking at it and sheathing it again. "Far less messy."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Well, that's good to know," Will stated mildly. Optimus... snorted?
"Well, besides weapons information, what else did you want to know?" Optimus rumbled with a small smirk, looking down at him.
"Well... why I'm not allowed to know your weapons information," Will hazarded the question. "The yelling always starts before I can ask."
The bot took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. That silence sounded rather like he wasn't going to get an answer on that either. Well...
"Sorry-" Will started somewhat irritably.
"No," Optimus stated quickly, interrupting him. "No I will gladly answer that question, I simply do not know how best to begin." he finished quietly.
"From the beginning?" Will asked curiously.
"But whose beginning?" the bot snorted quietly. "My beginning, the beginning of our own weapons, Cybertron's beginning..."
Will watched in shock as Optimus trailed off, looking up at the stars with what could only be called an ancient look in his optics.
"I suppose," Optimus murmured quietly, still looking up at the stars, "I suppose that the easiest way to answer that question, would be to tell you how our weapons function." He brought his cannon online again, looking down at it as his hand folded away and the gun appeared.
Which Will thought was kind of cool, actually.
"Our weapons are integrated into our own life systems," Optimus rumbled quietly, looking at the cannon with saddened optics. That was a shock to Will. "The power of destruction joined with our very minds."
"But... why!?" Will choked.
"To control it," Optimus rumbled softly, lifting his hand... cannon and examining it idly. "In order to control and fire this cannon, I need to control the power ratios, I need to know precisely what it is doing. If I did not pay attention to it, monitor each and every last shot, the power would feed back into my own systems and I would be vaporized."
Once again, Will was rather let-down that he hadn't saved sliding down his tree. He had to content himself with simply sitting and staring at the bot.
"So I suppose then, that is one of the main reasons that I will not simply disconnect this cannon and hand it to you," Optimus rumbled softly. "Because not only would I have to connect it directly to your own brain to control it, but your people, in this time, are alive simply because your weapons are equalized. You have remained alive because your planet lives in fear of it's own 'second-strike' capabilities."
Optimus withdrew the cannon back into his arm again, bringing his hand back.
"So basically," Will stated quietly, looking at the bot. "You guys believe that the second we gain your weapons technology..."
"Then the status quo on your world will change," Optimus rumbled quietly. "Humans and Auto-bots are very much alike in our abilities for compassion and destruction. I do not want your world to self-destruct."
"What makes you so sure our planet would self-destruct?" Will asked rather petulantly.
"Because in three hundred and forty vorn, I have spent fully half of my life observing races and cultures," Optimus rumbled irritably. "I watched my own home planet tear itself apart in the throes of war. Travelled to several planets to watch their cultures."
Will stared at the bot for a long moment.
Optimus looked down at him gravely.
"I am the older, with wisdom that I would gladly pass to another, wisdom that I would gladly forget or never possess if it meant I could have my home back." he rumbled softly.
They sat in silence for a long few minutes after that.
Well... when you put it that way. Holy fuck.
Hang on... three hundred and forty vorn. He hadn't said years. He said vorn.
"How long is a vorn?" Will asked quietly.
"Approximately eighty-six of your years," Optimus rumbled with a shrug.
Will slumped against his tree, crunching his way through those numbers.
Eighty six years, times three hundred and forty vorn...
"Fuck," Will stated softly. Optimus looked down at him curiously. "Here I was thinking you were probably around my age or something." Will stated in a shocked tone.
"Comparatively?" Optimus snorted. "I am, but age does not matter as much to us, with the provision that I continue to repair parts that break down, and have a source of energon to keep me running, I could feasibly live forever."
"Then why..." Will whispered.
"Most of us do not want to," Optimus rumbled quietly, looking down at Will. "After a time, it is possible to simply become weary of living, of watching others die. Please understand, Major, I am Prime, of the caste of leadership, and yet I have failed. My home is gone, torn asunder by war, a fate I do not wish upon any world."
"How the hell am I supposed to yell at you now!?" Will demanded in a choked tone.
"We could simply discuss matters, rather than yell at each other," Optimus rumbled placidly.
Will couldn't hold back the snort of laughter.
"We should probably return to base before your men come to the conclusion that I have offlined you," Optimus rumbled calmly, standing and folding into his truck form.
"Yeah, probably," Will nodded, climbing into the bot's cab. "Hey Prime?" he asked calmly.
"Major?"
"Thanks."
(OPOV)
::. Optimus Prime?.::
The signal was encrypted, a familiar encryption at that, it had him jolting out of his half-stasis faster than scraplets in your berth. Ratchet and Ironhide stared at him in shock as he transformed in a flash, fairly running out of the hangar and out of the EM field.
::. Baroness Arcee!?.:: Optimus sent incredulously.
::. How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?.:: the femme demanded. But Optimus could feel her smile. The simple statement alone had proven her identity.
::. I would be remiss in not acknowledging your titles.:: he sent calmly.
::. Well stop it, now where are we supposed to land in this place? I don't see any docks!.:: Arcee sent irritably.
::. The native race upon this planet are still primitive, they have not acheived true space-flight as yet.:: Optimus sent consolingly. He turned toward the hangar again. "MAJOR!" he thundered.
"What's happening!? Who's hurt!?" the Major bellowed, running toward him in a panic.
"Calm yourself, Major," Optimus rumbled placatingly. "More of our kind have arrived, they are requesting landing co-ordinates!"
"Oh..." the Major muttered, he shook his head somewhat. "Well, are they splashing down or do they want to land on the ground?" the man shouted.
::. Arcee, do you wish a water landing, or grounding?.:: Optimus sent calmly.
::. May as well hit the water.:: Arcee sent with a distasteful note in her voice.
::. A moment.:: "Water!" Optimus called back. The major promptly bellowed out a string of co-ordinates, just offshore from the island.
"Major?" Optimus rumbled in amusement, the man continuing to walk toward him.
"This place doesn't exist anyway! Four comets landing in the Bermuda triangle?" the major called back cheerfully. Optimus snorted. ::. I promise to you, Arcee, we will see the salts cleaned from your frames and your armour properly tended to once we are together again.:: Optimus sent gently, relaying the co-ordinates.
::. SALT!?.:: Arcee squawked indignantly. ::. Oh you are Primus damned lucky I like you so much, or we'd just pass this place by!.::
Optimus shook his head wryly and sent the co-ordinates, shortly after, he watched with a barely discernable smile on his face as four meteors entered the atmosphere, landing close to the shore, but far enough away that their final descent was slowed by the comparatively gentle water.
::. Optimus!?.:: Ironhide sent irritably.
::. Arcee.:: Optimus sent simply, transforming and driving to the water's edge. Paying no mind to his armour, he fairly ran toward the tracking beacon, sealing his venting systems from the salt water. Ratchet hated it when he did that.
Two of the humans' miles out, he finally caught sight of the four comets, only just beginning to transform.
::. Do not transform.:: he sent immediately, the compressed bots froze. ::. Please, allow me to remove you from the water, minimize the contact between your protoforms and the salts of this planet's oceans.::
::. See?.:: Arcee's voice stated gently, obviously talking to one of their number. Optimus smiled somewhat, reaching out with hands and cables, gathering the four bots close to himself. Then, a surprise.
In the four pods, the sense of six sparks. Two were concealing their identities, one with a sense of fear, the other obviously intending to surprise him with his identity. But they were accompanying Arcee, and no Decepticon could hope to deceive the femme. The journey back was somewhat slower, encoumbered as he was with the four pods, but eventually, air touched first his ear finials, then his optics were clear, giving him view of the shore, and just enough time to duck beneath the water again, narrowly missing the wrench aimed at his helm. He idly caught the wrench with a cable, subspacing it before emerging again.
"If you wish that wrench returned to you, you shall have to get it yourself," he rumbled aloud, walking toward Medic and Weapons Master. There was a grouping of humans along the shoreline now, watching with awestruck expressions as he strode out of the waters.
::. Ratchet's here?.:: Arcee sent in amusement ::. Of course he is, who else would aim a wrench at you?.::
"Shall we get away from the sand?" Optimus rumbled calmly, striding toward the solid ground as Ratchet scowled at the water.
::. Sand?.:: A stranger's voice asked curiously.
::. Powdered stone.:: Optimus sent calmly.
::. Eeewwww...:: a second voice grimaced. Optimus almost smiled, gently setting the four pods on the solid ground and standing back.
"It is now safe to transform," he rumbled calmly, glancing over his shoulder at Ratchet.
The medic was still scowling at the water, very obviously debating whether to retrieve his wrench, or accept that he had 'lost' it.
Optimus turned back to the bots as the first transformed, garnering the fascination of the humans gathering around his pedes.
Arcee split herself immediately from her trine-mates, striding to him and offering her arm formally.
"Gladly do I greet thee, Optimus Prime," she stated formally. Optimus gently wound a finger around her arm, accepting her greeting before gathering the femme in his hands in the accepted hug between their sizes.
"Gladly do I greet thee, Arcee," he rumbled quietly.
"I grieve with you, Optimus, the loss of your bonded," she added softly, stroking a gentle hand up the plating of his wrist.
Optimus nodded quietly in thanks, of course the femme would know of her sister femme's offlining.
They separated and he rose to his full height to greet the other newcomers.
"Chromia, Flareup," he rumbled calmly, nodding to them.
"You may transform," Arcee added regally to her companions.
One split apart immedately, two bots immediately shoving each other away and groaning as they finally regained their bipedal forms. Optimus hid his amusement at the antics at what were obviously a pair of sibling twins. Younglings at that, Arcee had always had a habit of picking up and sheltering younglings. They finally seemed to notice him, standing still and nodding respectfully to him. Young as they were, they already had Auto-bot insignias etched into their frames, their primary functions as yet undefined.
"Prime," the first stated respectfully, bowing to him, the incorrect bow, of course, but Optimus was not one to quibble over such things, especially with younglings.
"That's the wrong bow you dolt!" the second immediately scolded his twin, whacking him and executing a different bow. Both were wrong. Arcee shot him an exasperated look, which Optimus acknowledged with a sympathetic one. Twins were always difficult.
"Skids and Mudflap," she stated with the patience of Primus himself. Optimus nodded.
The third rapidly transformed, smirking at him.
"Prime!" he grinned unrepentantly.
"Sideswipe, it is good to see that you have survived," Optimus acknowledged the bot with a nod.
"To you maybe, HAYA HATCHET!" Sideswipe bellowed. Ratchet turned around, and proved the possibility that his scowl could in fact, become darker.
"Oh great," Ratchet grumbled. "And this was such a lovely, peaceful planet..." the medic promptly began stomping past the group, headed back to his work area.
Optimus idly reached into his subspace and retrieved Ratchet's wrench, passing it to Sideswipe along with a look that plainly stated 'just this once.'
After all, as much as he wanted to, a Prime simply could not be seen childishly throwing wrenches at his senior officers. Sideswipe grinned at him, surreptiously retrieving the wrench. He promptly took a few quiet steps after Ratchet and hurled the wrench after him, courteously making it appear as though he had had it in his own subspace. It landed squarely against the back of his helm.
"SIDESWIPE!" Ratchet roared, spinning and immediately going after the predator. Sideswipe was hooting with laughter as he took off, running from the medic.
Some things never changed.
Optimus turned to look worriedly at the final bot, he hadn't transformed yet, his insignias hidden and a soft tone of fear resonating from the pod.
::. Please show compassion for him.:: Arcee sent softly, Optimus glanced at her worriedly. ::. I retrieved him from Shockwave's stronghold in Rheon, just before we escaped.:: she added quietly.
Optimus nodded in immediate understanding, the bot had been through great trauma if he had been a prisoner of Shockwave, a buzz of anger flashed through his spark at the mere thought of the sadistic Decepticon 'scientist'. Optimus knelt, laying a gentle hand on the pod.
"You are safe here," he rumbled gently. The bot hesitantly began to transform, finally straightening into a bipedal form.
"He is Technician Jolt," Arcee murmured gently, the bot nodded, seeming unable to raise his optics to meet the Prime's. A single glance and Optimus understood why.
His markings had been obscured, Decepticon brands covering his designations. A force-marked slave.
∂Gladly do I greet you, Technician Jolt∂ Optimus rumbled gently, speaking in common, the soldiers did not need to hear ∂Please meet my optics.∂
Hesitantly, Jolt looked up at him. Optimus' spark flared with compassion for the bot, he was barely more than a youngling still, but there was little hope left in the bot's deadened optics. Scars riddled his frame, his joints showing all evidence of being haphazardly put back together. There was fear in those optics, and the Prime in him knew why.
∂I will not force you to remove your marks∂ Optimus informed the young bot gently. ∂Gladly will I return your marks to you, but only when you are ready.∂
It was a true gift to him, to see the hope flare up in the bot's optics again. Jolt was on his knees the next second, baring his spark chamber.
"Gladly do I respect and give my deference and service to Optimus Prime." Jolt choked out. Optimus reached out and gently laid a hand on the bot's helm.
"Gladly do I hear you, Auto-bot Technician Jolt," he rumbled calmly.
Then, off to the side, the screeching sound of badly abused metal.
"You scrapping slagger!" Mudflap's voice shouted. "You were supposed to do that if Jolt needed the distraction to escape! Not if the Prime accepted him!"
Optimus turned to see the two twins punching at each other, Mudflap's arm still dangling from Skids' hand.
The soldiers were staring around themselves in absolute shock.
Optimus rolled his optics, acknowledging Arcee's exasperated look and strode to the twins, idly picking the two of them up by their still-present scruffbars and tucking them under each arm. They froze in shock, staring at him as he tolerantly carried them to the hangar.
"Ratchet!" he called out patiently. "You can continue taking out your ire on Sideswipe later, the twins already need attending to! Ironhide, please finish the introductions."
(IPOV)
Ironhide smirked as the Prime proved without a doubt, without even knowing he was proving anything, that he was a damned good leader.
Not that he was going to tell that youngling rip he was a damn good leader. Nope, he was gonna call Optimus what he was. A youngling rip of a Prime, and a real pain in the aft to protect. Ironhide grinned at Arcee, the femme smiling at the awestruck young bot still kneeling on the ground, watching as his newly accepted Prime carried the twins to be taken care of by the medic.
"See?" she murmured gently, reaching out and lightly touching Jolt's shoulder.
"He... he didn't even..." Jolt whispered in an awestruck tone.
Ironhide looked patiently at the bot.
"Didn't?" he prompted the bot.
"He didn't even take offence of his marks being defiled," the bot whispered in shock, a hand reaching automatically to touch the scar that had evidently been an auto-bot insignia.
Ironhide chuckled and lightly picked the bot up, settling him on his feet.
"C'mon then youngling, let's get you guys introduced, the twins'll find out who the humans are later, now then. Will!" Ironhide called out with a broad grin, reaching down and offering his hands to the Major.
"How's he supposed to greet these beautiful ladies way up there?" Jacobs called out cheerfully.
"I like him," Flareup trilled with a broad grin, looking at Arcee.
"You like everybody that calls you pretty," Chromia teased her with a grin. Flare lightly shoved Chromia, the three femmes chuckling softly. Arcee knelt down somewhat, easily bringing herself to the human's level.
"Gladly do I greet you, how may I call you?" she asked gently.
"Major William Lennox, call me Will," Will grinned at her.
"Will, this is she who designated herself Arcee," Ironhide rumbled proudly. "Her sisters, Chromia and Flareup. They're some of the best field marshals out there. And this youngling rip!" Ironhide shot an arm out and caught Sideswipe around the neck struts, messing with the smaller bot's helm.
"Designation Sideswipe, Predator - quit it 'Hide! You're gonna scratch my paint!" Sideswipe protested loudly.
"Your paint needs a few scratches," Ironhide rumbled with a laugh. "Keeps that puffed up ego of yours at bay."
"My ego is precisely the level it should be at," Sideswipe huffed, giving his head a toss. "And it is thus, because I. Am awesome."
"See what I mean?" Ironhide rumbled to Will with a grin. "C'mon you lot, let's get them salts off your frames."
"Baths!" Chromia trilled gleefully, immediately whizzing down the path the Prime had taken. Will jogged beside Ironhide as the bots laughingly followed the femme.
"She who designated herself Arcee?" the man asked curiously.
"Yep," Ironhide nodded cheerfully, the femme had a pit of a lot of respect on his scoreboard, she didn't take no scrap.
"What was her name before that?"
"She didn't have one," Ironhide shrugged, glancing down at the human.
"She grew up without a name!?" Will demanded.
"No, she onlined and designated herself, rather than another designating her name," Ironhide rumbled. Sometimes these humans were like hatchlings with their lack of knowledge.
"How does that work?" Will asked incredulously.
"That's her story to tell," Ironhide rumbled with a snort. "Don't hold your breath waitin' for the story though, Cee don't like tellin' her stories."
"Okay?" Will muttered. Ironhide looked down at him. The human looked grumpy. Ironhide idly let loose a belch, releasing the gasses that had been building up in his fuel chamber, running after the youngling rip of a Prime tended to do that to him.
"You don't tell somebot elses' story, Will. That's rude." Ironhide rumbled patiently. Jolt walked silently beside him, giving every appearance of a shy bot.
At least, until he got into the hangar and caught sight of communications central.
"Sweet Primus!" Jolt almost shouted. Will jumped and stared at the bot.
"What Jolt?" Ironhide rumbled innocently.
Jolt pointed to the massive number of computers lining the catwalks.
"Please can I play with it please?" he practically begged, his optics lit with a spark of life again.
"What, the chin up bar?" Ironhide teased the mech.
"Major Lennox," Optimus rumbled patiently, throwing a midly stern look at Ironhide. "It would be of great advantage should Technician Jolt be allowed access to the computer banks."
"Yeah, go ahead man," Will grinned, waving Jolt to communications central.
Jolt strode carefully over, watching the humans warily.
They stared at each other for a moment.
"So... uh..." the head tech started.
Jolt looked at him worriedly.
"Do you use wireless to hook up, or did you want me to clear a port for a hardline?" the tech asked curiously.
Jolt grinned and glanced around, looking for a place to sit.
Habitually, Prime was the only bot that willingly went to communications central, and he generally stood.
"Coming through," Optimus rumbled the next moment, carrying one of the benches Ironhide had built. He stepped over one of the human embankments and settled the bench in a good spot for a technician. Close enough for a bit of cable work, far enough that he'd never have to move short of going to stretch his servos or grab some recharge.
Jolt was watching the Prime in awe again, shocked that a Prime would even be seen carrying a bench.
"I would suggest that you see to the salts on your frame, before you set up permanent residence," Ironhide rumbled with a smirk.
The little bot fairly scrambling to the wash bay, then back to his bench with a bright grin was a sight to do a spark good.
Ironhide looked around and nodded, stuff was settled already. The newcomers were likely to grab a good recharge before the real catching up happened.
That was good. Ironhide shrugged into his alt mode and idled over to his spot. The newcomers were gonna recharge. That gave him plenty of time to sort his processors out.
Because in that group, was the femme he had never thought he would see again.
Yes, I know that technically, in the Cannon Arcee probably isn't a Baroness. But I mean come on, nothing wrong with a little advancement in the world right? :D