Okay really quick:
~This is comm to comm speech~ however
~This is speech over a Bond~
I WILL cover what exactly happened to Strike/Harry's magic at some point, and I have decided to stop mentioning the Time Measurements in the Author's notes. Hopefully y'all know them or if not can come back to check them in the previous chapters. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate as I do!
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~Ratchet to Optimus~
Optimus straightened up immediately at the comm. He had known klicks after the twins had barreled into Ratchet's domain about Protocol 9-8-3 going into effect. Two mega-cycles later- eight earth days- and this was the first sign of contact from any of the three bots that had locked down Ratchet's section of the med bay.
Which meant whatever had been discussed in that time was important.
~Optimus here. Report Ratchet.~
Ratchet went silent for a nano-klick before he spoke again ~Protocol 9-8-3 is still in effect, but has been loosened. I need you to come to med bay. Everything will be explained then.~
Optimus went still. For the Protocol to only be loosened meant that it was still in full effect, but new bots had to be brought in and up to speed. Whatever had Sunstreaker barreling into base and careening into Ratchet's med bay had to be big.
~On my way.~
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Shadowstrike was picked up as soon as Ratchet called to the first of the bots- Optimus Prime- and immediately cradled into Sideswipe's chassis. He was not bundled into Side's Sparkling Chamber, but Sideswipe still backed closer to the wall where no bot could get behind him. Shadowstrike was then cradled in such a way that he was entirely shielded, and could not see, while Side's other arm was left loose and ready to attack or defend.
Shadowstrike was unable to see it, but he could sense as Sunstreaker moved in front of Sideswipe, and lowered his center of gravity to almost-but-not-quite crouch in front of the two of them.
Sunstreaker's servos were free and slightly curved ready to lash out or defend against any threat. Prepared to drop his swords out of subspace while his stance would allow him a wide range of movement for whatever would happen. He knew Optimus would offline before he harmed a sparkling of course, but the twins could no more help the defensive protective reactions then Earth could help that the grass was green or the sky was blue.
What they knew to be truth had nothing to do with what their subroutines-what the humans would call instincts- demanded of them.
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Optimus was permitted into the med bay and went still. Ratchet was the one to let him in while the twins were the furthest from the door as they could be. Their armor was bristling and rattling lightly in a very clear nonverbal Cybertronian warning that was mimicked by the low toned rumbling of their engines and the white tinge that was bleeding into the outer edges of their optics.
Optimus had no idea what had set them off, but he was experienced enough to see they were shielding something between them and it was his entrance that had caused the reaction- a reaction that was a part of a subroutine and thus done without any thought.
He stopped moving immediately.
The next step was slowly lowering himself to a sitting position as he kept his optics on the twins and lifted his arms to cross them at the wrist in front of his body.
Ratchet rechecked the room for security purposes before the soundproofing-which had been shut off to open the door- was turned back on while this was happening.
The twins went still blinking and staring at Optimus who had immediately placed himself in a vulnerable position and crossed his wrists in a nonverbal Cybertronian promise of nonviolence.
When Ratchet came back from ensuring the room was secure, he placed himself in his chair and waited.
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Shadowstrike was very curious. He could feel how protective-wary the twins were about Optimus knowing about him, but he could also sense how much his Guardians trusted the mech, that they wanted to tell him, and how they were trying to work around their instincts (the new data in his head called them 'subroutines') to allow him close.
The moment the mech sat down and crossed his wrists, the twins settled a little, their instincts calming enough that they could straighten up out of their defensive positions.
Curious-Happy-Safe.
Shadowstrike projected these feelings and the utter confidence he had in the twins to keep him safe. He figured it could only help them at this point.
It took a few minutes more, but the twins eventually shifted forward, towards their leader, taking Shadowstrike with them.
Sunny stopped first, venting deeply before he spoke "When I was out…I found something…that shouldn't have been possible."
Optimus tilted his helm in question, making no other movements and keeping his wrists crossed as he waited for the golden mech to expand on his words. "What did you find?"
It took the mech another klick or two before he very slowly, and deliberately moved slightly to the side exposing Sideswipe's left side to Optimus without moving from in front of his twin.
Optimus turned his optics to what he could see of the red twin. His left servo was curled over his spark and he was clearly displaying signs Optimus recognized as protective programing though he wasn't sure what would be causing it. He made a low thrumming noise in his throat, a sound no human would have been able to hear, but all Cybertronians would recognize as a sign of curiosity.
What Optimus had not expected was a soft, higher pitched thrum to be returned. A kind of noise he had not heard in…mega-vorns. In fact, the last time he had heard that particular pitched thrum had been when he was raising a little mech on Cybertron who would go on to be one of his best and brightest in Bumblebee.
He went utterly, and completely still, his vents stalling even as his processor threatened to crash.
The twins went utterly still in turn and Sunstreaker was back in front of his twin immediately, his armor bristling protectively even as Optimus sat frozen on the floor.
"You found—" Optimus gasped before he stopped "It is a—" he began again before his glossa seemed to grow too heavy in his mouth-plates, and he could not bring himself to voice what he thought the sound may have come from.
It couldn't be possible. They had died- all of them- in a terrible accident not planned by either side of the war.
Except Sunstreaker slowly- so achingly slowly- moved back to the side. And equally slowly, both the twins' optics burning into Optimus as if they were weighing his spark, Sideswipe first lowers his servo and then uncurls it.
Optimus sways.
It is like watching a flower of Earth bloom. The little one uncurls slow and so, so graceful though the mech-ling is unaware yet that he is so. The wings on the midnight-blue and silver seeker lift from his back-plates and unfurl like pedals reaching for the sun, large and one day to be powerful. And then the little mech's helm lifts up and Optimus gets his first look at the mech's optics and oh—
Green.
Emeralds and the forest, the colors of life and rebirth on this planet.
Optimus feels like Primus himself has a grip on his spark and for an instant he wonders if this is what the organics feel like when they have stayed under water too long and they can't breathe—
Or perhaps this is the feeling of hope. So fragile and yet one of the most…stubborn and powerful feelings any being can feel next to love, and a feeling Optimus has not truly felt since his days on Cybertron when the war was still young—
Optimus' processor stalls and crashes and the large mech goes tumbling to the ground. In the last fraction of a second that his mind is still functioning before the crash all Optimus can think is that he is glad he had already been sitting on the floor.
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DO YOU GUYS KNOW HOW PROUD I AM OF THAT LAST BIT RIGHT THERE?! Optimus' reaction is beautiful and I love how it came out. Hopefully the others will work as beautifully with me.