Author's Note: Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic or added it to their favorites and alerts! Your encouragement keeps me writing! :) Also, with apologies to Notre Dame, I confess that in this case life inspired art. (Google "Sunbelievable paint" after you've read this.) ;) Hope you enjoy!
Hunted
I knew something was different before I even went to sleep. Optimus had bled this weird mix of almost manic happiness, fear, and worry into the bond for hours. Compared to how...centered he usually was, it left me feeling really off-balance myself.
I admit I was kind of nervous about what might happen during our dream and so it took me a long time to finally drop off. He was waiting for me at the end of the flight deck as usual.
"Samuel," he said in greeting.
Samuel? I just looked at him, deeply disturbed. "Where'd that come from?"
His wry amusement was so familiar it was comforting, and I wrapped myself up in it. He sensed that, of course, and his affection deepened, too. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"You are a Prime," he said, apparently in answer. "I have not shown you the respect you deserve."
"Not really, but um...okay?" This was really getting bizarre.
"You have done something remarkable, brother, something that aeons of war and loss could not accomplish. You have humbled me."
Before I could think of a response to that, he shocked me by dropping to one knee and bowing his head. "As Hunter to Hunted, I come before you. My people are starving and will die out entirely without the All Spark, and I cannot replenish the All Spark without endangering you. As a race, you have done nothing deserving of this fate. I can see no other way and feel that one with more wisdom than I has guided me to this path, but this is still your choice. I ask your permission to place your life and the life of your entire kind in jeopardy. This is not something I do lightly..."
"I know," I interrupted him, finally recovering from my surprise. The sheer weight of the moment, the significance of it, left me almost breathless. I was the human Prime, yes, but was I really qualified to do this? Was anybody? Did I have the right to speak for the whole of humanity? My brother Primes seemed to think so, but it was still a lot to deal with. Talk about a conversation bomb! I didn't think he'd had any left. Guess I should have known better.
I looked at my kneeling brother and realized this was another way I complemented him. Even if I wasn't exactly a leader in the human world, somebody had to help him shoulder the responsibility of this decision since Optimus clearly couldn't on his own. It was paralyzing him, and I could lighten that load.
I knelt in front of him, placing one hand on his shoulder and touching my forehead to his helm. "Yes, Optimus. Orion." Choosing my words carefully, I said, "As the voice of the Hunted to the Hunter, I give you permission to put this world in danger and to let fate, dictated by humanity's choices, decide the outcome. And for what it's worth," I added, wrapping him up in a hug of the heart, "I think you're doing the right thing."
He lifted his head, his spark embracing me right back. "Good. We move forward as kin, as brothers. I have a few tasks for the Human Prime if we are to minimize the risk to your race."
"I'm in," I agreed, starting to overcome my shock. "Just don't ever, ever, call me 'Samuel' again. You seriously made my hair stand on end. It means I'm in trouble. No, scratch that, trouble is like Decepticons or even Megatron. You calling me 'Samuel' is a lot worse. It's like my mom using my middle name. It means I'm in really, really deep slag."
His amusement rolled across the bond to fill my own heart. "Agreed, Sam."
...
Hunter
"Major Lennox," I said as soon as he entered the Autobot hangar. "I require some of your time this morning."
"Sure," he answered. "How urgent is it?"
"Urgent."
He glanced at a corporal stationed at ops and nodded. With that simple gesture, his schedule was cleared. I transformed into my alt-form and he climbed in through my open door.
"Well?" he demanded once we were out on the road.
"You are aware that the Autobots do not share our technology with alien races."
He snorted. "Yeah, kind of noticed that."
"Your race is no longer alien."
He froze, sat up a little straighter, and then narrowed his eyes at my steering wheel. "If this is Sam's idea of a prank..."
"I assure you, Major Lennox, that this is entirely Sam's idea, and it is not a prank. You are aware of our bond and its significance."
"Yeah? You're brothers because of it."
"Yes. And you are blood-bound to Sam."
He sat back, letting his breath out in a gust. While this definitely wasn't a prank, it was rather amusing to see him stunned speechless like this. "You are blood-related," I added, just to be clear. "You are kin with him, even if you and Sam are hundredth cousins. And he is kin to me."
"It took you this long to realize that, big guy?"
I rocked slightly on my axels in embarrassment. "It took recent events to bring that fact into its proper perspective. I trust Sam. It is his wish that I share our technology with humanity."
"You've been arguing about this all summer, haven't you," he guessed. "Ever since you first started talking with me about building a solar harvester that could be moved off-world."
"We've discussed it," I admitted. "I am prepared to share with humanity all the technology necessary to build the harvester. I will continue to withhold any unrelated weapons technology."
He eyed me warily. "Just like that?"
"No. I have my own terms and conditions."
He grimaced ever so slightly. "Of course."
"I trust you, Iron Will," I reminded him. "However, any Cybertronian technology I release will eventually end up in the hands of those who would kill indiscriminately. I am fully aware of this. I wish to share our technology in a way that will reduce the risk involved. Sector 7 successfully introduced numerous advancements under the guise of human innovation. I believe I should follow suit."
"Whoa!" he said, sitting bolt upright again. "You mean you're not giving it to us? To NEST?"
"That is a detail that must be decided between you and me before I contact your superiors. I am inclined to give you, NEST, and the US military the first use of our most dangerous technology. Then it will be shared under a pre-set parameter determined by its destructive potential. The most sensitive information will only be shared with those Sam called the 'nuclear club.' Any nation that has responsibly handled nuclear technology - be it for energy production or military purposes - will have access to that same information. I cannot 'play favorites' and complete my objective of keeping Earth's sovereign powers in balance."
He clearly wasn't happy, though he seemed to understand. "And the non-sensitive stuff?"
"That will be released piecemeal under the guise of civilian human invention. For this, I will require corporations that can research, develop, and market the technology we need to build the harvester."
"Hold on a second," he blurted out. "You're going to use civilians? Corporations?"
"Sector 7..."
"Sold their souls! Optimus, come on!"
"Will," I sternly said, and he visibly forced himself to calm down. "Those are the terms. Do you believe your military will agree to them?"
He frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe? Probably not all of them. I mean, civilians..."
"Sam will handle the civilian aspect."
Will half-laughed. "You're going to trust a kid with finding honest corporations? That's practically an oxymoron."
"The Human Prime will find a way if this is fate," I reminded him. "We will proceed, though it will necessarily be a slow journey. Before we can know all the technologies we will require, we must have a basic design of the harvester. Some things will be necessary regardless. The first priority is improving solar energy production. If we are to use your resources to build our solar harvester, we are not going to destroy your world's environment in the process. Even the paint on our finishes functions astronomically more efficiently than the most advanced solar cells here on Earth. Getting that technology into general use must come first. That will be followed by upgrading battery and other energy storage. We will also need vastly improved metallurgy and ore refining."
Will frowned thoughtfully. "This isn't going to happen in Sam's lifetime."
His words touched a chord of grief in my spark. "I know."
"So why...?"
"I have long fought a losing war."
He nodded grimly, understanding as one soldier to another that there are some things you cannot surrender to. Two of them were fear and despair. "At least Earth will get something out of it," he finally said.
The next several weeks and months were spent arguing with virtually everyone but my brother. My Autobots objected to sharing our technology at all. US military leaders argued against sharing the technology with their fellow nations and with civilians. US civil government leaders argued against sharing our technology with their own military and about our intellectual property rights. Sam stood with me through it all and we together began the first, most basic steps of putting our plan into action because, despite their many protests, everyone involved wanted this to happen too much to walk away. The humans saw how much there was to be gained, and we Autobots knew our very survival depended on it.
When I was confident that we would successfully beat out the necessary treaties, charters, and contracts, I requested permission to make yet another transmission to the stars. It was approved a week later.
I went alone to the proving grounds and stood under the sun for a long time, reviewing in my processors all the reasons I was here and what I would need of my friends and fellow warriors. In the end, I decided that there was one truth they needed to know, one that would guide them even if my life was as brief as my brother's.
Lifting my face to that nourishing sun, I declared, "I am Optimus Prime, destroyer of worlds and hunter for my kin. I send this message to any Autobots en route to Earth: if time has already claimed me before you arrive, know that the humans honored us with courage and wisdom that belies their youth. They truly are worthy to stand with us. Stand with them as kin and brothers, always.".