The next day they prepared for their departure. Roddy found himself strangely reluctant to leave the planet. The Verderons were such a friendly and giving species, seemingly unconcerned with politics and rank. He vowed to establish a liaison between the Transformers and the Verderons, and also promised to handsomely reward Aree and her lifemate, though they seemed embarrassed by the offer and steadfastly refused.
Optimus bid farewell to his healer with some amount of sorrow and turned to follow his fellow Autobots. Sensing his apprehension, Rodimus and Ratchet tried to be as kind and patient with him as possible. They spent their journey showing Prime holoimages of his closest friends, and used the ship's computer to display Cybertron. Optimus had no trouble recollecting memories and events from the Golden Age, but anything afterward was lost to him.
Rodimus began to feel worry, his old friend, begin to gnaw at him once more. How had something so simple gotten so complicated? Dammit, all he was supposed to do was get Optimus and bring him home! He couldn't let his people see their leader like this. He discussed the situation with Ratchet in stage whispers as Optimus gleefully played a video game. After some digging in the ship's supply room, they came up with an eletro-disrupter like the one Mirage carried, capable of bending photons and rendering its carrier invisible for short periods of time.
Rodimus opened a secure channel to Magnus, who had traveled to Cybertron to await Prime's return. The young Prime requested that Magnus himself meet the shuttle and clear out all nonessential personnel. To get Optimus to cooperate, Roddy told him that they were going to play a game, sneaking him through the corridors. Prime thought it was a great idea! He had trouble smothering his giggles while waiting for his turn to exit the shuttle.
Magnus gazed at Rodimus inquiringly, who shot him a sharp look in return. "Hey, Mags!" Optimus yelled, but Ratchet landed a lucky blind kick that reminded him to be silent. They led the invisible Optimus to his former quarters. The corridors were thankfully mostly deserted, although a sharp-audioed bot glanced around suspiciously when Optimus bumped into a pillar.
Rodimus unlocked Optimus' quarters with a sigh of relief. They hurried in just in time as the electro-disruptor ran out of power. Optimus looked around himself with a look of wonder. Spotting himself in a holoimage on the wall, he said, "Whoa! Is this my place?"
"Yes, this is your room. Listen, Optimus--"
"It's great to see ya again, Mags! Wow, you sure have changed. Wanna go play hoverball?"
"No. Optimus, you have to understand the gravity of the situation... what are you doing?!"
Optimus grinned as he jumped up and down on the recharge berth. "This thing is huge! Remember my old quarters? What a dump! Do I have any roommates?"
Rodimus ground his jaw. Patience. The 'bot has been through a lot lately. "You frequently have a lady friend staying with you."
"Really? A girl? Is it Ariel? I remember she got hurt in the same attack that destroyed my old body. Gosh, I hope she's all right."
"Somebody put this kid on a leash," Ratchet muttered. "Were we ever that young?"
Magnus stifled a chuckle. "Apparently so. It's nice to see some enthusiasm around here, though it does tend to grate a bit."
Ratchet sighed. "Well, I don't need to hang around for this. After being cooped up the shuttle, I need to stretch my servos and then get a full night's recharge. Bring him by the medbay early tomorrow morning so I can give a complete exam."
The younger Prime groaned. "How are we going to get him there without being seen? The electro-disrupter was just barely adequate tonight. There's no way that it will stay powered long enough through an exam."
"How about we borrow Hound's holo-projector? This way we can hide him in full view."
"Brilliant!" Magnus exclaimed. "We'll also need something to disguise his voice. I'm sure we'll come up with something simple."
"Bring it by here tomorrow," Rodimus instructed. "I'll deal with Mr. Second Childhood in the meantime." He grabbed Prime's arm. "C'mon, let's explore a bit. Maybe something in here will jog your memory."
"Good luck," Magnus nodded as he left, Ratchet hot on his heels.
"I'm gonna need it," Roddy sighed.
The next few hours were spent pawing through Prime's possessions. It felt like a violation to Optimus, even though the 'bot was sitting right next to him. They chatted as they worked, and Rodimus learned a whole lot more about the elder Prime's past. Roddy hadn't realized that Optimus had previously been a "lowly" dock worker. That job had been rather menial, but Orion had been studying medicine in the hopes of becoming a doctor. And while Ratchet had completed his studies and eventually attained the rank of Chief Medical Officer, destiny had had different plans for Orion Pax.
They flipped through Prime's holocubes. Optimus did recognize several people, but only through Orion Pax's memories. Nothing after his resurrection as Optimus Prime seemed familiar. Prime seemed awed at the places he'd been and the people he knew. Rodimus narrated as much of Prime's life as he could, using the images as examples. Optimus listened attentively and could repeat information but did not actually recall the events they were discussing.
Rodimus located Prime's personal log behind a hidden wall panel. He had originally come across it upon assuming Prime's title as Autobot leader, but had left it in place out of respect for his predecessor. Optimus, of course, no longer had a clue as to what the password could be. Fortunately, Rodimus had snagged one of Kup's encryption breakers √ a tiny metal rod that overrode passwords and security lockouts. For obvious reasons, the rods were guarded with the utmost protection.
Optimus devoured the log with wide options, gasping out loud at certain places. Roddy felt an irrational anger rising in him. This was someone's life, not a glorified tragic novel! The private logs were supposed to jar Prime's lost memory, but right now they seemed to be some form of cheap entertainment. "Anything familiar in there?" he said with an edge to his voice.
Optimus looked at him. "Not much. Nothing new, anyway." He sounded slightly uncertain, and Roddy realized he was being unnecessarily harsh. The anger was replaced by guilt. Prime was holding up surprisingly well. Roddy was certain if he had lost all his memories of Rodimus Prime and reverted to Hot Rod, he wouldn't be handling the situation nearly as well.
Roddy slapped him on the back. "Let's go to my place. We can play a few games and veg out to some movies."
Optimus beamed. "Sounds great!" Roddy grinned. A little rest from poking at Prime's memories couldn't hurt. Besides, the mind sometimes seemed to work best when presented with distractions.
A few hours later, Rodimus shook his head at the still figure on the floor. The poor 'bot was exhausted, still healing from his wounds, and had slipped into recharge while watching movies from Terrus Prime. Optimus had the right idea, Roddy decided blearily. Sleep now. Worry later.
He awakened the next day feeling remarkably refreshed. He should spend more time just hanging around and relaxing. The new/old Optimus reminded him things about his Hot Rod side that he thought he had forgotten.
After some grumbling, Roddy finally managed to rouse the sleeping lump on the floor. Magnus appeared at the door with Hound's holo-projector. They had some difficulty choosing an appropriate image. Nothing too short or spindly, nothing too aged or weathered. They needed an image to go along with the bot's youthful personality. Prime wanted to resemble his original Orion Pax form, but Magnus nixed that idea immediately. There were only a few people who recalled Orion Pax, but it would only take one to start raising some unwanted questions. They finally decided on a stocky body with red and yellow coloring. A vocal modulator was enough to complete the illusion. Optimus now looked and sounded completely different.
Rodimus and Magnus were both extremely grateful for the camouflage, for Prime gaped like a raw recruit as he was lead through the halls. People cast him the odd look here and there, but no one seemed particularly concerned. Fortunately, the medbay was nearly deserted, and Ratchet ushered his old friend over to a spare berth. He pulled the curtain, and Magnus deactivated the holo-projector, though he left the vocal modulator active, for Optimus did have an easily recognizable voice.
Ratchet ran scan after scan, mumbling to himself as he rearranged his equipment. Optimus even helped him set up and insisted on perusing the data, proving that he wasn't just some dumb kid. Roddy was definitely impressed. Hod Rod had been a decent soldier, but away from the heat of battle, his main interests were racing and having a good time. Orion Pax may have been young and perhaps a bit foolish, but at least he'd held down a job and had aspirations in life.
Finally Ratchet shrugged and said, "Everything checks out physically. Optimus still needs time to heal his remaining wounds, but he's in amazingly good shape for what he's been through. He should be as good as new in a week or so."
"Except for the amnesia," Magnus said pointedly.
Ratchet sighed. "Except for the amnesia. Not much I can do about that, I'm afraid. Since the physical trauma has healed, we'll just have to wait for his memory systems to reassert themselves."
"I was thinking of giving him a tour of the planet, see if anything stirs his memory," Rodimus offered.
"Great idea!" Magnus said a little too heartily. Roddy suppressed a smirk. Clearly Magnus wasn't nearly as fond of his old friend in this incarnation as he was in the past.
Optimus looked a little disappointed. "I guess I'll see you later, Mags."
Magnus now looked guilty. "I have some free time coming up tonight." Rodimus knew he didn't, but he vowed to pick up the slack. "We should get together and talk. Maybe I can help fill in the gaps between your most recent memories and now."
"And while Magnus is being a fuddy-duddy at work, we can be out having fun."
"Sounds great!" Prime still looked a bit hurt but still seemed eager for some sightseeing. He engaged his holo-projector and they headed out to explore.
Roddy found that he was genuinely enjoying himself. Prime's youthful edge began to invigorate instead of irritate him. Optimus was a fount of information from the Golden Age √ virtually a walking history book. In turn, Roddy introduced Optimus to his old favorite haunts. It was fascinating to see what had stayed the same, and what had changed since Prime's youth. The pair enjoyed some fizzy cubes at a popular hangout, then wandered around until they found a hoverball court and indulged in a few games. It had been untold ages since Rodimus had just kicked around doing nothing of importance. Amazing how a fun-filled stress-free day had lifted his mood.
Prime had enjoyed reminiscing about his past (not-so-distant to him), but they were still no closer to fixing his memory. Next, Rodimus walked him through Optimus' office and conference areas. Seeing an unfamiliar face in such high-security areas definitely raised a few optic ridges, but since Rodimus was accompanying the newcomer, no one appeared unduly concerned. Nothing fun had reawakened Prime's memory, and nothing work-related had either.
That night, Magnus met up with the two of them. Rodimus went to go, but Prime asked him to stay. Roddy shrugged mentally and settled back down in his seat. The daily grind could wait for another few hours. They sat around and chatted, sometimes about the Golden Age, sometimes about the war, and sometimes about the Alliance. Optimus seemed to have calmed down since his hyper outburst the day before, and Magnus warmed to his old friend.
They continued in much the same vein for the rest of the week. Rodimus, Ratchet and Magnus each took turns visiting Optimus and trying to spark his memory. They'd all had some good times, but no substantial progress had been made.
During another one of their evening hangouts, Mangus finally announced, "I'd better head back to Earth. Perceptor has been great holding down the fort, but they are starting to fall behind on the backlog of work."
"Earth! That's it!" Roddy exclaimed excitedly.
"What's it?" Magnus looked baffled.
"Earth. Maybe that's just what we need to snap Optimus out of his amnesia. He never visited Earth as Orion Pax, so he won't have any old memories. If anything about Earth sounds familiar, it will be due to Prime's memories."
"I think you may be on to something," Magnus said admiringly. "Good idea, Rodimus! Earth was Prime's second home, so it's bound to jog some memories. I'll take him with me tomorrow."
"I'm coming with you," Roddy said determinedly. Magnus opened his mouth to protest, but Rodimus waved his arm impatiently. "There are a few Circle-related details I'd like to clear up at Metroplex. There's actually not much work waiting for me √ for once √ so I might as well help out over there."
"Where's Earth?" Optimus asked. "It sounds like fun."
"It is," Roddy grinned. "We'll take you with us tomorrow."
The next day, they had boarded a shuttle and were well on their way to Earth before Rodimus had one of those "ohcrap!" moments. Andromeda had returned to Earth shortly after Prime's funeral service, unable to face the memories that she and Optimus had built on Cybertron. And now they were bringing her love back to her... but he had no idea of who he or she was. They had hoped to keep Prime's identity a secret, but since he was coming to Earth, it may be helpful to have Andromeda's assistance. She had already suffered a blow by being kept in the dark about Optimus' death; it was only fair to let her know about his survival before anyone else.
Magnus agreed to take Optimus on a tour of Metroplex while Rodimus went to find Andromeda. After a brief and fruitless search, he discovered her in the dispensary, draining an energon cube and chatting with Nova. Nova stifled a squeal and gripped the chair arms, physically restraining herself from jumping at him with joy. Roddy grinned at her, but something in his appearance appeared rather strained. Nova looked at him questioningly but knew better than to press the issue.
"Andromeda, may I speak to you?" he asked.
Now Andromeda was the one to look surprised and somewhat concerned. She nodded jerkily and stood, almost knocking over her cube. Nova wiggled her fingers in farewell, and Rodimus nodded in return. He took her back to his office, since it was one of the most secure places in Metroplex. She pulled up a chair and gazed at him expectantly.
He hesitated. "Well... it's going to sound a bit clichéd... but I've got good news and bad news."
"I'd like the bad news first."
He sighed. "The bad news is part of the good news, so you'll have to get the good news first. Optimus is alive."
Andromeda gasped, her optics going wide. "Optimus, alive... but how?"
"He was rescued from the shuttle explosion by a group of scavengers and eventually ended up in a medical facility. The natives did a great job of patching him up, and at this point he's just about fully healed."
She narrowed her optics at him. "So what's the bad news?"
"The bad news is that he's lost his memory. He doesn't remember anything about his life as Optimus Prime. He still thinks he's Orion Pax."
"But he's going to get better, right?" Andromeda tried to keep a note of hysteria out of her voice. "You said he was healing."
Roddy sighed. "To be honest, we don't know. He's physically healed, so there's no injury or remaining trauma affecting his mental state. It may be that his mind is still recovering and he'll snap out of it on his own. But so far, nothing has helped him remember the past nine million years."
"That's all right." Andromeda looked determined. "I'm sure we can help him. Just point me in the right direction."
Roddy grinned. Now there was the old Andromeda! "Right this way, milady." He radioed Magnus, asking him to bring their "new friend" to the "meeting place". Magnus knew to bring Optimus to the elder Prime's quarters within Metroplex.
Magnus and Optimus ended up beating them there. Once Andromeda entered the room, Prime deactivated the holo-projector, allowing her to see his true face. She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked ready to cry. "...Optimus...?" she whispered tremulously.
He seemed to smile at her. The expression was rather vague, the way strangers may smile when meeting in a public place. There was no recognition in his expression. "You must be Andromeda. I've heard a lot about you. I do have to say that you look even prettier than in your pictures."
Andromeda looked flustered, rather pleased at the compliment but upset at the lack of recognition. "Um, yes, I am Andromeda, and we've been together for a little while now. I like to think that it's the quality rather than the quantity of time that counts."
"Well, I'll just let you kids get reacquainted," Roddy said with forced cheer as he and Magnus began to back out of the room. Andromeda shot them a nervous gaze. Rodimus couldn't help feeling bad for her. He fervently hoped that meeting with his old girlfriend would snap Optimus out of his amnesiac state.
Andromeda threw herself into her new project with abandon. She had resumed light duty with the security forces, but all her spare time was spent trying to reacquaint Optimus with his past life. People noticed and started to gossip, until Rodimus surreptitiously spread the word that an old friend was visiting to raise her spirits.
Rodimus was pleased to be back on Earth. Earth currently needed much less maintenance than Cybertron, which had been damaged in Unicron's attack and countless millions of years of war. And... well, all right, the fact that Nova was stationed there didn't hurt either. It was great to relax and spend some quality off-duty time with her, especially after the unbelievable stress of the past few months. Nova had let Andromeda stay with her so she wouldn't be alone in her grief. Nova was now spending all her free time with Roddy, but Ani was so wrapped up in reaching out to Optimus that she didn't even seem to notice.
Nova and Andromeda got together one night to hang out in Nova's quarters. Rodimus was off on some sort of official business, and Optimus was off exploring Earth's natural wonders. "So, how's Optimus doing?" Nova asked as she leaned back in her chair, tossing an Energon sweet into her mouth.
Andromeda smiled. "He's fascinated by Earth; just like he always was. Ratchet and First Aid have given him a clean bill of health. He's doing great, just great." She then surprised them both by bursting into tears.
Nova jumped out of her seat, scattering treats everywhere. "Oh! What's wrong?!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to her friend, who was doing her utmost to hide her face and curl up in a ball.
"I don't know what's wrong with me!" Ani wailed. "I should be happy! Optimus is alive; it's more than I ever hoped for. I should be grateful that he's here, and I am; believe me, I am! But... but..."
"It's not the same," Nova said sadly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"No," Andromeda sniffled, "it's not. I've been trying to make the best of it, but I can't help wishing for the old Optimus. I'm so ashamed!"
"Don't be. You have a right to grieve for what you lost."
Andromeda hiccupped slightly and tried to wipe the fluid from her cheeks. "He's nice and funny and all, but he's just not my Optimus. I want him to kiss me and hold me like he used to. I want him to take me to bed. It's like a stranger has taken over his body, and sometimes I just want to scream. But I try to be patient, waiting and hoping he'll come back to me."
Nova patted her back awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Words alone would not make this any better.
Later that night, after Andromeda had fallen into a fatigued recharge mode, Nova visited Rodimus in his quarters and relayed her friend's distress. "What do we do?" she asked, twisting her hands nervously.
Rodimus shrugged. "I don't know. Seems to me we've tried everything." Privately, he had started to wonder if Optimus regaining his memories was a good thing. The elder Prime seemed much more carefree and happy. Just the night before, Rodimus had visited Prime while he was reading more of his journal. Optimus had closed it with a sad look and remarked softly, "I don't want to read this anymore." Clearly the unpleasant experiences were too much, even in written form. If Optimus was enjoying himself, what was the harm in letting him stay the way he was?
He sighed mentally. Optimus had the right to be happy, and it wasn't right to force Prime to be his former self simply for the sake of the Autobot army. But Aree had been quite clear that in suppressing his memories, Optimus was denying a crucial part of himself. His amnesia was clearly hurting those that cared about him, but ultimately he had to heal himself for his own reasons. Roddy pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off a headache. "I don't know if there's anything more that we can do. We can only hope that Optimus will regain his memories in his own time."
"And if he doesn't?"
Rodimus had no answer for that.