THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! Hope you all got your tissues close by for this one Hope you all don't mind it's a bit long… Roddi has some explaining to do.
Hey, Elita, when are you updating your story Life began?
This station was alive 24-7. Actually there wasn't really a clear day and night rhythm that everybody lived by. Al activities just went on and on. People and robots had their own rhythm.
"Where are we going?" Rodimus asked. Her question about why he was so different now was still playing around in his head. He thought on how to tell her what had happened…
"You're not gonna believe what a fantastic park they have here on the station. It's huge!"
"Is it private?" He wanted to know. "What I have to tell you might …" he tried to find the right words and decided to keep it simple. "… upset you…"
I stopped walking and gave him a curious look. "I could take us to my place."
I could find out what was bothering him by getting into his mind using my own mind – another Azori'jin trick - … but I decided not to because he was my friend.
"That's better," he agreed.
I rented a place not far from the park. It was an apartment with a living-room, a bedroom, bathroom and a balcony. Where a balcony usually is open, this one was closed off by some glass-like material that kept the void of outer space in outer space. Kinda like a little room with a huge window. I could stare at the stars and distant planets for hours.
This apartment was made for larger lifeforms. There were smaller apartments, but I had rented this one cause I was in my larger organic metal form most of the time. I had 'grown' myself to a decent height that fitted right in to my temporary surroundings.
I had furnished my apartment with warm coloured furniture and art and things to decorate it a bit. I even got my hands on several plants. Organic as well as mechanical.
"Nice place," Rodimus said. He hadn't said a lot on our way here and that made me think about all kinds of doom-scenario's. I could sense he was tensed about whatever he was gonna tell me.
"What is it that you need to tell me?" I asked him.
He slowly walked towards the balcony that was closed off from the living-room by a glass sliding door.
"Well, the reason I have matured so fast is because I have the Matrix within me," he said as he looked at the stars, afraid to see my response.
"The Matrix of Leadership?? Why? Did Dad retire?" I feared the answer because of his seriousness.
He turned towards me, he had to see me in the eyes for this one.
"Let me just tell you what happened."
I nodded. "Wanna sit down?"
"Is that couch strong enough for me to sit on?" he checked with me before he sat down on my comfortable looking couch made of normal soft couch material, meaning not made of metal like lots of other things on the station.
"It will hold you."
We sat down.
"Not long after you left we were close to executing an attack against the Decepticons. But they attacked Autobot-city first. Daniel and me caught them hitching a ride on one of our shuttles that was coming back from Moonbase One. They gave us a hell of a pounding that day that lasted through the night. Optimus – who was on Moonbase One – was alerted, but he couldn't be there any earlier than the next morning with several others."
"How did you hold them off for so long?" I asked intrigued.
"That sure took some sacrificing… We tried our very best. But thank Primus Optimus arrived just on time. He took on Megatron and things were going his way even though he was badly hurt. And so was Megatron of course."
I smiled. "Of course!"
"I was convinced Optimus needed my help, so I went out there to take a look. Megatron was on his knees… begging for mercy…"
"Begging for mercy? Megatron?!"
"Yeah, well, only because there was a gun hidden from Optimus' view almost within his reach."
"AH! That coward! Did he get his hands on the gun?" I wanted to know.
"Well yeah… I tried to stop him…"
"You interfered?!" I gave him the 'are-you-insane-look', but at the same time I wasn't really surprised.
"I thought I could stop him from getting that gun. But I couldn't of course. Megatron – though badly wounded – was still too much for me to handle," he admitted. "He grabbed me and used me as a shield to keep Optimus from shooting him. And he shot Prime where it hurt most…" he let out a sigh and let his head and shoulders hang down.
"He did manage to knock Megatron off the ledge near them. He turned the tide of the battle by defeating him. The Decepticons fled."
I didn't say anything. Wasn't sure what to say, I just looked at him with a serious look in my eyes, hoping he was gonna tell me Dad was somehow disabled or whatever and had passed the leadership to him. But why the youngest, wildest Autobot? It didn't make any sense.
"We brought him in to see if he could be fixed. Perceptor tried his very best…" he finally looked me in the eyes. "There was nothing he could do. Optimus passed the Matrix to Ultra Magnus … shortly after … he died."
For a moment I just stared at him, letting the words slowly dawn to me. Than I got up from my couch and passed towards the balcony, opening the doors and stepping out to the window that kept space out. I felt this heavy rock in my stomach, tears burnt in my eyes and I swallowed a lump from my throat.
I felt I had abandoned my Dad when he most needed me… I could have stopped Megatron from shooting… or at least deactivate that blasted gun he used. But I couldn't be sure of that… Dad wouldn't want me to interfere… I think I would have anyway.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry about how that all happened. I know I shouldn't have interfered. But it never crossed my mind it would end the way it did. And because of that he died."
Slowly I turned towards him. He had no idea what an Azori'jin was capable of. What I was capable off. Otherwise he probably would have kept that to himself. Or maybe… no… he would have told me anyway. He's honest.
Through my tears I gave him a faint smile. "I would have interfered as well if I'd been there." The thought of not being there brought more tears to my eyes.
"Really?" He asked me with a soft voice. Everybody else so far had told him what a foolish Autobot he'd been to do that.
"Of course. I would have disabled that gun Megatron had grabbed so he couldn't shoot Dad while using you as a shield."
By saying that she showed him she wouldn't have kept him from interfering too. "You would have assisted me?"
I wiped some tears away. "Of course."
"I thought you'd hate me for …"
I put my hands on his face and looked him in the eyes. "Please don't blame yourself for Dad's death. What if Megatron did get to the gun without you as his shield? Don't you think he would have used his first shot to disarm Dad? I don't think there would have been a way out of that for Dad. I'm sorry to say but you're not giving Megatron enough credit. He's a coward, but he's cunning too."
It seemed like an enormous weight fell off of Rodimus' shoulders as I told him how I saw the situation. Before he actually realized what he was doing he pulled me close and gave me a firm hug.
"Thank you!"
I wanted to hug him back… but he was kinda choking me… He seemed to notice cause he quickly let go.
"Thanks…" I took a deep breath. "I do need to breathe in this organic metal form."
"So… If Dad gave the Matrix to Ultra Magnus, how did you get it?"
