None could ever bear the loss of Hot Shot for none ever thought they would lose him. It was like a bad dream to all that none could wake from. It was hard on the humans who knew him for so long. It was hard on Override who was now his secret widow . . . but mostly on Optimus for he had lost his only child . . . his only family . . . the rest were dead . . . they have been dead for so long.
Optimus was so depressed as a day passed . . . a week . . . a month, since Hot Shot had passed away. Sure Unicron was now dead with him, but Optimus did not care. Optimus would have rather had Hot Shot live the rest of his life with Unicron inside him and live than just die to get rid of him. It wasn't a good enough happiness that Unicron was dead and gone to the autobots.
The autobots tried to move on with everything like Hot Shot's death had never happened, but they couldn't. It was too hard. She knew it would take her at least a year or more to get over him . . . but she couldn't now matter how hard she tried. She tried to push her space bridge project to help her forget her deceased love Hot Shot.
It seemed to work for a while, but as soon as she saw Optimus Prime her old feelings came back for Hot Shot. She wondered if they should have told him. She wondered what would have happened. Would everything have been better of they had?
She was so confused and her spark so broken and down. She could not bear looking at Optimus for long knowing all the time he was the father of her departed husband. Optimus knew that Override couldn't bear to be around him that long and so he wondered why, but grief was so high over him and it clouded his mind from all else. He soon took back command of cybertron and let Jetfire lead his part of the space bridge project.
All could tell he was not in his right state of mind and so all feared of him doing something drastic . . . soon. He was so depressed because of his only son's death that he ceased to walk umong his people anymore. He would just lock himself inside and want to have nothing to do with the outside. He wanted to dwell in the darkness to match how he felt inside.
He knew the leader of the autobots should not act like this, but he had no choice. No one was perfect. He showed that even the highest of commanders cared and could hurt as much as a civilian. Optimus hurt all inside for so many reasons.
#1 He had lost his beloved wife Elita One in one instant, but then again . . . he was given her last gift to him . . . her son, Hot Shot. #2 Optimus carelessly let Hot Shot die and not do anything about it. #3 Optimus felt so much that he could have done something about it, but could he really have changed the outcome if he hadn't have given the matrix to Hot Shot so he could use it upon himself to kill Unicron and himself? Optimus was so sad and ever mourned his son.
All knew how bad it was for Optimus to be like this. They feared he was to remain this way till the grief eventually overwhelmed him and killed him. None knew when Optimus would get over Hot Shot's death. Jetifire remembered how hard it was for him to get over his death when he thought he lost him in the fire when Hot Shot was but 2,000. It took Optimus well over 5,000 years, but he knew that Optimus was never fully done mourning his child.
After he found out he was alive again he was so happy. Jetfire remembered the look on Optimus' face. He knew it would be a look that he would never see again. He was right.
The high council wished for Optimus to cease his mourning but Optimus heeded them not. He would listen to no one. Not even his closest friends or advisers. No one.
Override at least tried to work out her mourning. She pushed herself so hard after Hot Shot's death that all knew it was not good for her. Smokescreen had offered to help her, but she wanted no help. She wanted to do everything herself . . . she always wanted something to do so that it would keep her mind away from the thought of Hot Shot.
Lori was the only one who knew why she was acting the way she was and so she confronted her after seeing her push herself over and over to not think of her husband.
"Big sis," said Lori looking up at Override.
Override placed a crate on top of another and caught her breath. She looked at Lori and sighed and said-
"What is it little sister?"
"You need to stop this," said Lori.
"I . . . I can't," said Override turning her head from her.
"But you must. You can't just push yourself to forget Hot Shot," said Lori.
"I have to," sighed Override as her optics swelled, but she soon wiped them away. "It's all I can do to keep myself from thinking of him."
"But it's not right," said Lori. "You could hurt yourself."
"Heh," laughed Override shaking her head. "Lori I am in my prime. I can't hurt myself this soon."
"But you will soon enough," said Lori trying to get her to stop.
"You know what's funny," smiled Override placing another crate down. "Me and Hot Shot were only married for about three months . . . we only got to spend small moments together only about three times . . . it was not enough and I knew this, but Hot Shot insisted that we do . . . we loved each other so much . . . I loved him so much . . . and now I can't forget him for what he did to me."
"What did he do?" asked Lori.
"He made me love him," smiled Override at remembering him.
She soon snapped out of it and got back to work.
"I need to get back to work now."
"Override, wait," tired Lori.
Before Override left her she bowed her head and said-
"I can't even find myself to look at Optimus . . . what makes you think I can bring myself to tell him? . . . I can never . . . what would it matter anyway?"
Override then left Lori and ever Lori was concerned for her big sister.
"Oh Override," sighed Lori bowing her head in sadness that Override would never tell.
How could Lori get Override to tell everyone? There was no possible way. Lori then left Override back to her work. Now ever Override pushed herself harder and harder to work off her memories of him.
Optimus sat in his dark room and his optics were ever gazing down at what he had in his hand. They were dark . . . like his thoughts. Everything was dark. His life . . . everything.
What could stop him from doing it? Nothing really, or no one. Not now and not ever. Would this be the only way to ease his pain . . . to let it just . . . pass away?
These were Optimus' thoughts as he gazed down through the darkness he was engulfed in to look at what he held in his hands . . . his blaster.
Override lifted crate after crate just ignoring the pain she caused upon herself. Smokescreen hated seeing her like this. he knew a beautiful femme such as she should not strain herself so hard. He had told her on numerous occasion to stop, but she ignored him taking no advice since she was the leader of the team.
"Override you need to stop this," said Smokescreen watching her place heavy crate after heavy crate on one another.
"I can't," said Override grabbing another one and picking it up, but harder this time since her knees began to ache and give way.
"You must!" said Smokescreen coming to her. "If you do not you could overload yourself and I do not want to see you hurt yourself."
"Thanks Smokescreen, but I'm not going to stop," smiled Override straining herself to pick another one up.
Her heavy grunts of lifting and hard pushing of work got louder and longer as she kept placing crates upon another.
"Then I shall make you!" said Smokescreen steeping before her so she could not put the crate down upon the others.
"Get out of my way Smokescreen!" said Override her anger rising and her grasp on the crate beginning to slip as her body began to overload.
"I can't!" said Smokescreen. "Now put the crate down NOW!"
"I will no-!!" a sharp jolt of pain traveled throughout Override's body making her instantly drop the crate.
Override had never felt such a pain before. She knew what it was like to overload she had pushed herself too long in a race once and did it, but this was a different kind of pain that was new to her. It hurt though and this she feared what it was. It soon happened again and she let out a yelp as it did so.
Smokescreen noticed this unknown pain so he caught Override before she fell to the floor and knew he had to get her to Red Alert.
"Red Alert, Red Alert!!" cried Smokescreen bringing Override to him in his arms.
"My Primus, what happened to Override?!" gasped Red Alert looking at Smokescreen.
"She's hurting Red Alert. Help her!" said Smokescreen placing her gently in Red Alert's arms.
"I'll do what I can," said Red Alert taking her inside the medical bay.
Jetfire and the others found out about Override and so thought she had overloaded herself. They rushed to the medical bay and wondered how bad her overload was. They found her team already waiting to see what was wrong with her. Jetfire and the others knew this would happen one day, but not this soon.
Lori had not gone back to earth yet and so she was there as well. She waited nervously with the others wanting to know how bad her big sister was hurt.
"This is all my fault," she said to herelf. "She wouldn't have done this if everyone knew. It was because of that stupid secret I kept for her that she's in this awful condition!"
"Don't worry Lori," smiled Wingsaber. "I'm sure Override will be alright."
Lori just looked up at him and then toughed out a smile saying-
"Yea, I I'm sure . . . she will be."
But deep down inside Lori knew something was wrong with her. It wasn't because of an overload either. It was something deeper inside her. Something more that perhaps Override herself didn't know of.
Optimus clicked his gun and held it before his face, his mind running through so many thoughts . . . dreams . . . memories. So much darkness were in them. So much agony. So much pain and sorrow.
He could end this all so quick. Starscream did it and so why couldn't he? It would be so much easier. So very much better.
Would everyone else understand though? That was Prime's worry. What would they say when he was gone? What would future generations think of him?
Would they say he was running from all his pain and fears? Would they call him weak? Starscream was not weak he just wanted to be with them . . . and so does Optimus. He promised to not let Elita see Hot Shot yet . . . she did not want to . . . but he had no choice.
He loved them both so much. They were all he had. They were all he wanted. They were all he needed.
He needed his family there with him so bad. He could not continue to live like this anymore. Optimus placed the blaster to his head wondering how easy it would be to just pull the trigger and end everything . . . is it that easy? Will you feel anything at all before the end? What would happen?
It was just so easy to let go.
Red Alert had found Override's problem and so gave her something to help her ease the pain. Red Alert let everyone come in to see Override as she rested on a bed.
"How is she Red Alert?" asked Jetfire.
"She's fine," sighed Red Alert looking at his clip board and her stats. "But it seems we didn't know Override as well as we thought."
"What?" everyone was confused.
Lori looked at Override and saw her optics be cast down. She looked so sad. Did she tell Red Alert so he could tell the others?
"Can you stop speaking in riddles buddy?" chuckled Jetfire to Red Alert.
Red Alert grumbled low in his throat at no one getting what he was saying. He then lowered his clipboard, sighed, and said-
"Override's pregnant."
All had nothing to say at that. Their mouths were wide open, but there came no gasps or sighs from any. Override just covered her mouth and began to cry. Lori couldn't exactly tell if Override wanted this.
Lori couldn't tell if she was happy about this surprise or saddened by it, but if so why? Red Alert straightened and looked at the crying Override. It was his duty to ask questions no matter how distraught they were and so he did.
"Override . . . was the father Hot Shot?"
Override couldn't help but choke on her tears and let out cries of sadness as she shook her head replying 'yes'. Red Alert assumed so and so he left Override cry out her pain. As she began to calm down she just toughed out words to say.
"I thought . . . I could forget Hot Shot," she cried her tears like earth waterfalls. "I tried to push myself to wok so much so I couldn't remember him, but now . . . I shall never forget him . . . for what he has given . . . me."
Yes all were surprised, but more than that they were happy for her. She was going to be a mother, but it looked as if she didn't want this. All knew she really just wanted to forget Hot Shot and how much she loved him, but their child was an expression of their love and every time she would feel or, when it was born, look at it she would always remember how much she loved Hot Shot. She could never forget any part of Hot Shot now for a part of him resided in her as they spoke.
Jetfire had then remembered Optimus Prime and so he quickly turned and made his way to where Optimus was to tell him the good news. He ran as fast as he could to get to Optimus and when he had he halted as he saw Optimus in that dark room. Jetfire had to catch his breath as he looked at his commander with his back turned to him.
"Optimus, sir!" smiled Jetfire just wanting to blurt out the news.
"Why do you bother me Jetfire?" sighed Optimus with an almost dead voice barely turning his head to Jetfire and ever holding his blaster so tightly.
"But Optimus-!" started Jetfire.
"I do not care what you have to tell me Jetfire. Now leave me!" shot Optimus wanting to be left alone.
"But Override . . . she's pregnant . . . and with Hot Shot's child!" cried Jetfire so excited for Optimus.
At that Optimus' optics widened and he dropped the blaster to the ground as he stood and turned to Jetfire in shock. Jetfire just smiled as he said-
"Optimus, you're going to be a grandfather!"
Optimus couldn't even gasp but his lips did tremble as his spark began to come back to life again. Jetfire just smiled showing they way out and saying-
"Well come on!"
Optimus then came out with Jetfire and headed straight to Override. All paused their congrats as Optimus Prime stepped in the room. Override looked at Optimus' shocked/surprised/joyful/saddened face and ever this made her sad. She was forced to look at him now, after all he was going to be the grandfather of her future child. Optimus slowly stepped closer to her with his hands trembling with disbelief and fear of it not being true.
"Override," he managed to gasp out. "Is this true."
"Yes . . . yes it is Optimus," she gaged as tears began to fall once more.
"Oh don't cry," said Optimus ever so soft as he took her in his arms to try and comfort her. "I am not mad at you."
"But I should have told you!" she cried looking into his optics.
"I'm . . . sort of glad you hadn't," smiled Optimus knowing it was true . . . a piece of Hot Shot still lived . . . and it rested inside Override now. "Thank-you for giving me my joy back Override."
"He was my joy too, sir," sniffed Override leaning her head on Optimus' large arm.
"I know," smiled Optimus. "Everything is well now."
"How long has she been pregnant Red Alert?' asked Smokescreen.
"About . . . five months," said Red Alert checking.
"That means we got seven other months to get ready for this baby!" said Jetfire.
"Well we better get to work!" smiled Evac.
"So that was why she was so late that one time," pondered Jetfire calculating the month she got pregnant.
"No wonder," chuckled Wingsaber quietly.
"Come on guys we got work to do for the little Prime on the way," smiled Jetfire.
"I got the cradle!" pointed Wingsaber.
"I'll help with ya big sis," smiled Lori.
Override looked down at Lori and smiled.
"Thank-you Lori . . . for keeping my secret," she smiled.
"Hey, I'd never tell," winked Lori. "I'm good like that."
"My secret had to come out one way or the other," sighed Override as she looked down and placed a soft hand on her belly. "And now this little one has blown it for me."
All laughed at that. They were glad Override was carrying Hot Shot's child. At least there was still something of him left to remember. Now Optimus would not be alone any more.
He had another little Prime on the way to join the family. Now he vowed to protect his grandson or granddaughter no matter what. Perhaps he could do right by them than with Hot Shot. Perhaps it would all be better now.