Chapter 11: Expositions

Jonathan went upstairs to find out what Katherine and her son are talking about.

"Honey, is everything alright?" He asked. "Jonathan, come inside," Katherine told her husband. Jonathan went inside his stepson's bedroom before he joined Anthony and his mother to find out what's going on. "Anthony told me that he made friends with a giant robot like the ones you told me on our first date," Katherine said to Jonathan. "What? No way, are you serious?" Jonathan asked his wife. "Yes, John. It's true; I befriended a giant robot from Cybertron and his name is Orion Eclipse." Anthony said, feeling guilty for not telling the truth.

"Orion? Like the poor guy you helped out in the woods?" Jonathan paused before he realized that his stepson was keeping secrets from him. "Wait. You've been hiding the truth this whole time? Why didn't you tell me about your friend and what he actually is?" He asked. "Because I was afraid you wouldn't believe me and that you and mom would get mad at me for sneaking out of the hotel just to hang out with a friend," Anthony replied.

Jonathan Dave Carter and Katherine Carter looked at their son in bewilderment before they decided to tell him that they had actually seen the Transformers themselves.

"Anthony? You're mother and I have been wanting to tell you this but we've actually seen these giant robots. We knew that this day would come: that we would tell you the truth." Jonathan said.

And so, the parents explain to Anthony about the Transformers and how Jonathan actually used to work for the special agent, William Fowler, who was friends with the Autobots and their leader, Optimus Prime at Jasper, Nevada before Jonathan eventually quit his job at working for the military and returned to his old job as a machinist because of how Megatron caused a lot of damage to Jasper when he planned to take over Earth. To prove that they've seen the Transformers themselves, Jonathan and Katherine showed Anthony some photographs of Optimus Prime as well as any other Cybertronians who didn't appear in their vehicle modes.

Jonathan then has a flashback to a few years ago when he was working with Agent Fowler and Jonathan got to see the Autobots and Optimus Prime first the first time but also gain trust from the Autobots to keep their secret safe even before some photographs of the Autobots were taken for safekeeping

After telling their son their secret, Anthony decided to share his secret with his parents as he tells them about Orion Eclipse and how he and Anthony discovered a giant sword in the stone before they encountered Ratchet, Ironhide, and Hot Rod and were awed by the presence of Optimus Prime's spirit as well as the spirits of the Thirteen Original Primes who appeared in a bright light that came from the sword when Ironhide touched it.

"So, now that you've told me your secret and I've told you mine about giant robots, what now?" Anthony asked his parents.

"Well, I do believe that I still have Agent Fowler's email. I could just send him an email message and ask him about the Autobots and where they are keeping your friend. Hopefully, William could contact them from our planet to theirs." said Jonathan.

"Where do you supposed that those metal giants took Orion to?" Anthony asked his mom.

"Probably to their home base for questioning, since they think he's a Decepticon like the one that blew Jasper to ruin with alien technology," Katherine replied.

"I'm still mad about what the Autobots did to attack Orion Eclipse...all because he had that symbol on his chest that makes him look 'evil' like these Decepticons you've said!" Anthony said angrily.

"Calm down, Anthony. Just take a deep breath and let it all go." Katherine reassured her son.

Anthony took a deep breath and sighed in frustration before he asked, "Why is it that after a war is over, people still hold hateful grudges towards their enemies?"

"War is sometimes hard to let go of, Anthony...and it's very hard for everybody to forgive someone, especially if they're a group of people that are considered the enemy," Jonathan told his step-son. "When Megatron threatened to transform our world into his own empire, Optimus had to destroy the Omega Lock to save Earth and all of humanity. But the Autobots had to go through so many difficult levels to revive their home planet of Cybertron due to it being poisoned by Dark Energon which was used by Megatron himself," he said.

"Makes me wonder, whatever happened to that evil, tyrannical Decepticon warlord?" Anthony asked.

"No one knows for certain. But from what I've heard, Megatron had been killed by one of Optimus' scouts named, Bumblebee. Then the Decepticons had lost their military might due to the loss of their leader." Jonathan explained.

"And yet from what the spirit of Optimus Prime told me, they have rallied to a new leader but he didn't explain in further detail about it. He never even told us his name." Anthony said.

"Well, whoever this new Decepticon warlord is if he's worse than Megatron," Katherine began, "Then let's hope we do NOT have a Decepticon invasion on our planet. But if what Optimus Prime said about your friend, Orion, being some sort of beacon of hope for the Autobots is true...then perhaps Orion Eclipse is destined to be an unexpected hero." she finished.

Meanwhile, back on Cybertron, Orion Eclipse was finished with his studies when he suddenly began to feel sleepy. He goes to Ironhide and asks him if Ultra Magnus can give him a bedroom to recharge his energy. Ironhide tells Orion that the Autobots do have an empty room and so the old Autobot leads the young Transformer to his chambers where he opens the door which slides open for Orion Eclipse to enter. He's relieved to see that his new room isn't another prison cell, but it's just a nice room that is suitable for a guest.

"Here is your room, Orion," said Ironhide.

"Thanks, Ironhide. I'm glad that it's not another prison cell," the young bot said. "I promise that you won't wake up in another prison box. Ultra Magnus has made you a guest in our base and if you need anything, just ask." Ironhide told Orion Eclipse.

"Thank you, again." Orion appreciated his host. "You're welcome, son," Ironhide replied.

"So what's going to happen by tomorrow?" Orion Eclipse asked. "By tomorrow, we are going to be teaching you how to fight and to protect yourself, and then we're going to help you get your own vehicle mode so that you can transform into whatever vehicle you prefer," Ironhide told Orion.

"I think I should get some sleep, now." Orion Eclipse replied as he yawned and stretched out his arms. "Goodnight, Orion Eclipse," Ironhide said to Orion with a pleasant grin.

"Goodnight," said Orion before laying down on his berth.

Ironhide closed the door to Orion's chamber before he went to join the Autobots as they discuss what to do to find Doomsayer and his New Decepticons while also talking about who is worthy to wield the Sword of Primus and become the next Prime. Orion Eclipse was used to sleeping without any blankets as he laid down on his bed and he was also so used to sleeping on floors. The young robot was starting to feel homesick as he cannot help but remember the calming breeze in Idaho where he spent the rest of his days living inside of his cave up in the mountains. Orion wished that he could see some wildlife again and that he could be able to explore through a grove of trees again. Yet he cannot understand the technology of Cybertron and now he wished that he could know how to ride a spaceship just so he can go back to Earth where he considered being his home.

Orion Eclipse closed his optics shut before he finally went to sleep as he went in stasis mode. The young robot slept for five hours and while he was sleeping, he heard a female voice echoing in his head. "I love you, my little spark of light." the voice sounded warm, calming, and sweet like honey. Then Orion Eclipse began to hear that same voice humming a gentle lullaby to him as if he were a baby sparkling yet he couldn't help but feel soothed by that sound in his head.

When the song ended, Orion suddenly began to hear and feel himself crying in his sleep as if he didn't want that lullaby to end. When the young robot felt his tears, it was enough to wake him up from his sleep. Orion Eclipse wiped the tears off his eyes as he was starting to feel sad, lonely, and confused before he heard someone knocking on his door.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" a male voice said.

"Uh...yeah? Who's outside my room?" Orion asked. "Just me, Bumblebee." the yellow Autobot replied. Bumblebee opened the door to Orion Eclipse's room before he checked on him to see if he's alright. "You sounded like you were crying. Were you having a bad dream?" he asked. "It felt like a bad dream. But it wasn't." Orion Eclipse replied. "Well, what was it about?" Bumblebee asked.

"I'm not sure. But I heard a female voice...speaking to me as if I were a baby...and then she began to sing me a lullaby and when that song ended, I felt sad and then I started crying in my sleep for some reason." Orion explained.

"Could it be the voice of your mother?" Bumblebee asked out if curiosity. Orion Eclipse paused before he wiped another tear from his optic. "I don't know if I even had a mother...I don't even remember who or what my family was like." He said sadly.

Bumblebee looked at Orion sympathetically before he said to him, "I am sorry to hear about that. Some of us are born or made on Cybertron. Some of us are either orphaned or born and raised by a family." He told the young bot.

"Bee? Are the Autobots considered family to you?" Orion Eclipse asked the yellow Autobot lieutenant.

"Well, in a way, they are like a family to me. Optimus Prime for example was considered to be like a father figure to us Autobots...and I even considered him to be my father-figure." Bumblebee responded.

"Does Optimus Prime have a family of his own?" Orion Eclipse asked.

Bumblebee paused before he replied, "We don't usually talk about Optimus' family, but...he did had a family of his own. Ariel was the name of Orion Pax's girlfriend, or sparkmate or conjunx-endura as we refer to it, before she became known as Elita-One when Orion Pax became Optimus Prime."

"Optimus is married?" Orion Eclipse asked.

"In a way, he was. Both Optimus and Elita were together and they even had a daughter before they had to depart from each other because of the Great War on Cybertron." Bumblebee explained. "Prime had to say goodbye to his sparkmate and his daughter before they left when Megatron used Dark Energon to poison our planet to its core. Elita promised Optimus that she would keep their daughter safe. But even now, both Elita-One and Altair Comet are long presumed dead." He said.

"Altair Comet? Is that the name of Optimus Prime's daughter?" Orion Eclipse asked. "How old was she back when she and her mom had to evacuate the whole planet of Cybertron?"

"She was only a sparkling, about 17 years old in human years, if you will." Bumblebee answered. "Ohh...I'm so sorry." Orion said sympathetically.