3 chapters in one night! Woohoo! Bet you all thought I killed off beloved Optimus, huh? Nope, he's back!
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers
Chapter 3: Meet Optimus PrimePhoenix almost fainted.
"You're dead!"
"Am I?" The robot seemed slightly amused, "We'll have to check that."
The robot knelt down, even though he still towered enormously high above her.
"Who are you?" Phoenix asked.
The robot drew himself up to his full height again and stood with an almost regal look.
"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."
"All right, cool. So again I pose the question; who are you?"
The robot, Optimus Prime, took a moment to settle himself on the ground. Phoenix did the same, preparing for a long story. Optimus Prime then proceeded to explain about Autobots and Decepticons and their history right up until the end of the battle on earth.
"But now Starscream is back," he concluded darkly, "And we have no idea what he wants, what he's after…"
Optimus sighed and gazed somewhere beyond her. "I don't believe I heard your name." He said, "And I'm a little unsure of the details of what just happened."
"I'm Phoenix Carole, strange name, I know, but I got it 'cuz my hair looks like fire and well anyways, today…" Phoenix started to tell everything that she could remember, starting from that morning. When she got to the part about her parents, she faltered and drew in a deep, shuddering breath.
"I believe I remember that part." Optimus said softly.
Phoenix nodded curtly and skipped ahead to when she attacked Starscream, and the mysterious stone. She held her palm out for Optimus to see.
"So this is what saved me." Optimus examined it. "I have no idea what it is, but it healed me when you placed your palm on my Spark."
"So it's like some sort of magical powers?"
"Perhaps, but this could also be the key to what Starscream is planning! If you come with me back to the base than we might be able to research it, do tests…"
Optimus looked down noticing the tears streaming down the girls face.
"I'm sorry," he spoke, gently, "But right now, if you have nowhere else to go, it would most likely be safest for you with me."
"I understand." Phoenix made up her mind, "I have no other family, nowhere else to go, and if you don't mind, I'd like to stick with you, Big Guy."
"I would be honoured. After all, I do owe you my life." Optimus bowed his head reverently. "We must hurry, so we may not have time for a proper burial, but perhaps burning would suffice." He hoped he did not sound overly offensive.
Phoenix agreed "But where will we get a fire hot enough?"
It came to her suddenly, like a whisper in her very soul, and she looked down at her palm. It had saved her from Starscream, it had healed Optimus…
"Ok, let's see what this baby can do." She imagined a fire, contained, but large enough and hot enough to burn her- her parents.
She opened her eyes and it was before, cracking in a vicious circle of roaring flames, but it did not spread to any of the forest around it.
Phoenix grinned wickedly, "I'm like a witch."
Optimus watched the display trying to show only mild interest, when really his emotions were running wild. What had this girl become? When he looked down to her again, she was standing very near him, and he saw how in a matte of a few hours, this girl suddenly carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. He felt a fierce urge to protect her, stronger than he'd felt for any other human. He reached out and she stepped lightly into his palm. He stroked her back thoughtfully with his thumb.
"I think I'm ready now." She sniffed, but refused to shed any more tears. She leaned back into the gentle caress of his finger. "Will you put them in for me now?"
Optimus softly picked up the two deceased beings. He mourned the loss for ones so young, and for the one they'd left behind. He placed them cautiously into the fire.
"Good bye Daddy, Mom. I love you so, so much."
Phoenix shook with the effort of holding it all in and collapsed into Optimus's hand. She felt like her eyes had been flooding all day, she couldn't believe that there were still more, but they came and she sobbed loudly, wishing that the pain could be over.
"I'm sorry Little One, I'm so, so sorry…if only I had been faster." Optimus blamed himself for the horrible incident.
Phoenix sat up abruptly. Her tears replaced by a feral, burning anger.
"No!" She said firmly, "It wasn't your fault! It was mine! I woke them up to go look for the stupid noise, and look where it got them! Killed by that – that monsterStarscream! It's me that should be blamed, not you, but still, Starscream, I mean why didn't you kill him?"
"I avoid killing, if possible. Think Phoenix, if I had killed him, I would only be stooping to his level."
"You're right." Phoenix agreed. It was not what her parents would have wanted.
She settled herself in his hand, curling into a tight ball. For many long minutes it was silent. Finally Optimus spoke.
"It was not your fault, Little One…" he whispered.
But his words fell on deaf ears. Phoenix had fallen asleep. Optimus sighed and shifted his body to a more comfortable position. They would have to leave soon. It was a fair distance back to the base and he wanted to get there as soon as he could. He felt that fierce need to protect overtake him again. Soon she would be safe, and he would be there beside her to make sure nothing bad would happen to her again, he vowed. But for now, as the sun sunk lower behind the horizon shooting flashes of pink and gold across the sky, he would just let her sleep.