(Please see all previous disclaimers)
Deciding it was the only logical and necessary course of action, Optimus approached Wheeljack. "Wheeljack, do you have a time machine?" Optimus asked, not quite sure to believe Ratchet.
"I do indeed, Prime. Just finished repairing it" Jack answered.
"You repaired it?" Optimus asked, a bit confused.
"Yeah, every time it is used, it needs to be repaired after the bot has returned from the past. May I ask what you are trying to understand?" Jack asked, curious.
Optimus sighed. "Ratchet and Aquaformer have mentioned some things about Aquaformer's past. I want verify if they indeed are true" Optimus stated.
Jack merely nodded and set up the device. "Now, you will be pulled back after about 24 earth hours, no matter where you are. Just be careful, you may not like what you find" Jack stated, preparing to send the Prime into the past.
Before too long, Optimus found himself on Cybertron in an unfamiliar citadel and watching a group of bots. He could hear them as they shouted. "Hey look, it's jail bait" came a young Stealth, calling out and encouraging the group.
"Yeah, and a poor jail bait at that" another mech added.
"And with that mech looking form no bot is gonna want that femme" a random femme called out, the group seemingly unconcerned about what they were doing. Optimus couldn't see it, but in the center of the group was a physically beaten and humiliated young Aquaformer who had her voice box turned off so she couldn't alert anyone to what was going on. She just prayed they would soon go so she could at least attempt to get fixed.
Not liking how things sounded, Optimus called out, "just what is going on here?" He asked in his most Prime voice, not realizing the group wouldn't care.
"Nothing that concerns you" Stealth responded as he began to hurt them in seen femme again, this time physically right in front of Optimus.
Optimus didn't like the attitude and grabbed one of the young bots by the scruff of the neck, easily lifting the big youngling off the ground. At that, most of the other young bots scattered, including the one Optimus had lifted up once the youngling was released. Soon, all that was left was a small femme who looked more mech than femme and Steath, who had the young femme by the neck. "This is my turf, I do what I want, stupid bot" Stealth stated, unaware that Optimus wasn't one to just run.
"Drop the bot or I shoot" Optimus stated, pulling out his large weapon. He didn't plan on shooting, but he did want to scare the young mech.
But Stealth wasn't easily intimidated. "Nice, bet it doesn't even work" Stealth said, having no idea that Optimus' drawn weapon had taken down badder bots than this brat.
Optimus took careful aim and blasted the arm of Stealth, the arm that was holding the smaller bot high in the air. Optimus had set his weapon for damage and not destroy, and so Stealth dropped the smaller bot, heading off to nurse his wound.
The small bot was left, crumped on the ground, beaten and "bloodied." Optimus, thinking the young bot was a mech, scooped the small bot up and took the bot to a nearby medic. Low and behold, the nearby medic was indeed Ratchet, a fairly young Ratchet at that. "Medic, I bring a young mech in desperate need of your services" Optimus called out.
Ratchet turned around, stunned to see an adult bot bringing the beaten Aquaformer. "That is no mech, that is a young femme named Aquaformer" Ratchet revealed, "what happened to her?"
Optimus reeled a bit when he realized the small bot was a femme, and would be his mate in the future. "She was surrounded by a bunch of young bots, and I had to fire on one to get him to let go of him…I mean her" Optimus explained. Ratchet shook his helm. "What is wrong, medic?"
Ratchet sighed, "this isn't the first time she's come in with damage like this, but the first time someone could tell me what happened, as for some reason she refuses to" Ratchet stated. Optimus just watched. He had only been gone for less than four hours. He wouldn't be returning to his own time for a bit, but he was going to learn quite a bit, though he had no idea.