Chapter Text
Jack, freshly home from another shift at the restaurant, got on his computer. Arcee had already gone back to the base for the night.
After logging on, he saw he had a notification calling him to the special chat room Raf and Ratchet had created for the human kids. It was unhackable; not the government or even the Decepticons could hack into it. They could discuss whatever they wanted in there.
JackAttack: Hey guys. Sorry for not responding sooner, just got home.
Two responses immediately appeared.
MetalRoxFOREVER: You left us waiting for a whole stinking five minutes?!? Unforgivable!
FutureAstronaut: Don't worry, it's cool.
MetalRoxFOREVER: Okay, Raf, you invited us here. What's on your mind?
FutureAstronaut: ... Well, I've been thinking a lot lately about how Jack got kidnapped by Soundwave.
Jack sighed. He knew Soundwave hadn't meant anything by it, and it had ultimately ended with him becoming their spy... But it still wasn't Jack's favorite memory.
JackAttack: Why have you been thinking about it?
MetalRoxFOREVER: Jack, you were abducted by an alien. Why haven't YOU been thinking about it?
FutureAstronaut: What if another Decepticon tries to kidnap one of us? Or all of us?
Jack paused. Now that Leonidas, Soundwave, and Knock Out were on their side, he'd been seeing the Decepticons as less of a threat. He'd forgotten that Starscream was more likely to try something crazy to try and get back at the Autobots.
Miko clearly hadn't thought about that either, as she didn't respond for a moment.
Raf sent another message.
FutureAstronaut: I've been thinking about making us each some sort of distress signal to wear on our wrists. It wouldn't have to be super complicated, just something that can let Ratchet, Optimus, or any 'Bot know that we need help.
JackAttack: That's probably a good idea. I don't know what Starscream might try next to try and get to Optimus; we might actually be his next targets. Plus, if Silas is with the Decepticons now...
FutureAstronaut: About that... A few days after I got off being grounded, Soundwave sent Ratchet a message. Shockwave decided to use Silas as his new... test subject. Ratchet wouldn't tell me what exactly Shockwave did to him... but...
Raf didn't elaborate. Jack wasn't sure he wanted him to.
JackAttack: Okay, well, the distress buttons are a good idea. You wanna pitch it to Optimus and Ratchet at the base tomorrow?
MetalRoxFOREVER: WHAT? Raf, I thought you agreed to watch the grand finale of Kitsune Academia with me and Rosita! You're not bailing!
Jack winced. He had nothing against anime, but he wasn't a huge fan. Miko, who never failed to surprise him, had tried to get the boys into the romantic/adventure/horror series... to very little success. Unfortunately for Raf, his older sister Rosita had gotten into it when Miko put it on the TV at Raf's house once.
FutureAstronaut: Oh, right, sorry Miko. Maybe I could take a raincheck...?
MetalRoxFOREVER: あなたは私を裏切りました、友よ！あなたに宣戦布告します！
FutureAstronaut: Has cometido un error tonto, mi amiga. ¡Te inclinarás ante mí!
Jack sighed, knowing that those two likely weren't going to talk about anything else tonight. Making a note to bring up the tracking devices with Optimus tomorrow, he picked up the French textbook he'd been studying.
- - - -
"... Soundwave believes that Shockwave knows there is a mole aboard the Nemesis."
Ratchet turned from his work station to eye Leonidas, a twinge of fear in his optics.
"It was only a matter of time." The dark purple mech almost growled. "You know as well as I that Shockwave is as paranoid as he is logical."
"A dangerous combination." Ratchet agreed. "What do you think should be done?"
"We will inform Prime, later. For now, Soundwave is going to maintain radio silence unless something urgent occurs. Shockwave will likely be listening for any outgoing messages, especially encrypted ones. The only reason Soundwave was able to send a final message at all was because Shockwave was... busy with C.Y.L.A.S."
Both mechs were silent. There was no love lost between the Autobots and the maniac who'd tried to turn himself Cybertronian. But if the horror stories about Shockwave's work were true... No sentient being deserved such a grisly fate.
"Where is Optimus, anyway?" Ratchet tried to change the subject.
Leonidas smirked. "I think he's off with Elita-One somewhere else in the base. It's been centuries since they've been together, after all..."
It only took Ratchet a nano-second to realize what he meant. To the former Decepticon's surprise, the medic let out a short laugh.
"I'm not sure what surprised me more the day he ascended: that Orion Pax had become a Prime, or that he and Elita-One had gotten together. Did you know I once had to reattach his jaw because Elita punched him in the face plate?"
"No, no, I was there." He corrected. "What really happened was that one of the lower-ranking miners had made a crude comment about her. She heard it, and was walking towards him. Orion Pax had been visiting me at the mine that day. He heard the comment, too, and was about to tell the mech off. He accidentally got in Elita's way just as she swung..."
Ratchet burst out laughing. "So THAT'S what happened! I only ever heard bits and pieces of the story..."
"The miners laughed about it for megacycles." Leonidas agreed, fighting back laughter of his own. "It was the only time I ever heard Darkwing laugh."
"I'll admit," Ratchet asked, "I was surprised that Darkwing never became a Decepticon."
"He wanted to." Leonidas frowned. "He didn't realize that Megatron and D-16 had been one in the same. When he did, it was when he was at my feet begging to be a Decepticon."
"Did you kill him?" Ratchet asked, his optics dead serious.
"No. I told him to go shove a welding torch in his exhaust pipe. Then I had Soundwave throw him out the airlock. Last I heard, he was a neutral working with Lockdown."
"Now there's a pairing no one would have expected." The doctor commented as he returned to his work.
Before the conversation could continue, Bulkhead ran into the main room. If he'd been human, his face would have been bright red.
"Bulkhead." Leonidas noted his distress. "What happened?"
"I, uh, I was looking for 'Bee... and I kind of walked in on Optimus and Elita..."
He was too embarrassed to continue... an emotion that grew as Leonidas and Ratchet started laughing themselves sick.
- - - -
"When was the last time we did this?" The pink Impala asked as she drove alongside the blue, red, and silver semi.
"I believe," he answered, "it was during a lull in the fighting. Somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy... on a planet with sparkling sand and a thirty-hour night."
"I remember." Her voice grew warmer as she perused the memory file. "The sunset there was beautiful."
"I also remember you laughing at me when I accidentally drove through a puddle and sank up to my windshield."
She laughed. "I had warned you to stay out of it!"
They were driving down a road near a town far from Jasper, in the state of Ohio. It was growing later in the day, with the sun beginning to touch the horizon. It's light stained the sky pink and blue, with the clouds appearing light orange.
"I will never get tired of seeing that." Elita-One sighed. "This planet is like Cybertron, in a way. Always moving, always changing."
"Indeed." He agreed. Then sighed. "But I still long for the day we can return home..."
He'd never told anyone of the events that happened between the moment D-16 shot him and the moment he returned to the surface. In truth, he was barely conscious for most of that time. But he could never forget...
He was still awake. He didn't know how, but he doubted he would be for much longer. Dee's shot had just barely missed his Spark... but he was losing too much Energon. His arm was gone.
And he was falling. He didn't know if he'd be alive when he inevitably hit something...
It surprised him that he hadn't hit something yet. Cybertron was always moving, always transforming. The interior of the planet held thousands of constantly moving parts. Surely he should have struck something by now...
From the center of the planet came a bright, blue light. It hit Orion Pax, illuminating the dark around him. As it shined on him, the pain he felt throughout his chassis seemed to melt away.
Normally he'd be curious about such a thing, but at that moment he was simply relieved that the pain was gone. He relaxed, and barely noticed when the light began to pull him further down.
Towards the very center of the planet. The heart of Cybertron.
His optics were still closed, but he knew when he'd reached the heart. The blue light seemed to completely engulf him. A voice spoke in his audial.
It was Alpha Trion.
"Orion Pax." He spoke. Somehow, Orion felt the Spark of every one of the original Primes surrounding him.
"Your noble sacrifice for the greater good," Alpha Trion continued, "has proven you worthy in the eyes of Primus. He entrusts in you the future of Cybertron. And, the Matrix of Leadership!"
His chassis involuntarily opened up, and something was installed right next to his T-Cog. Somehow, it felt as though it had always belonged there.
His body began to transform. His arm and the hole in his chest repaired themselves, his other arm and legs became bigger. His helm changed, adding on a battle mask.
He felt alive, stronger than he ever had. Like Cybertron itself was giving him life.
"Arise," Alpha Trion commanded. "Optimus Prime."
His optics opened. He felt an incredible burst of power come from beneath him. Primus gave him one last gift, and sent him flying back up to the surface.
"That day will come." Elita-One's voice startled him from his memories.
"Yes." He agreed. If he'd been in robot mode, he'd have smirked. "Because you are better than me in every way, yes?"
She laughed. "You will never let me live that down, will you?"
The drove a bit further, beginning to come across a human town.
"Optimus?" Elita sounded curious. "What's a 'drive-in theater'?"
The Prime looked at the sign she'd read off of. It was advertising a showing of several romantic human films, starting in ten minutes.
"Bumblebee told me about them." He explained. "He has suggested I visit one for a while. Shall we take his suggestion?"
Elita-One paused, then sped up. "Race you there!"
She was surprised as he had been at how short human films were. The romantic films the drive-in showed were decently entertaining (although he wasn't sure why so many human couples seemed to meet by crashing into each other).
In the end, though, the films didn't matter. He was with Elita-One again.
That was more than enough.
- - - -
"Ratchet, I swear, it was here when I was doing inventory!"
"Ep, ep!" Ratchet shushed the Wrecker. "If you'd done your job properly, then we wouldn't have to search the base for it!"
Bulkhead tried not to growl. He knew the Phase Shifter had been there...
As the two mechs searched the base, Smokescreen walked by. Ratchet's optics locked on the 'Bot. He was looking a little TOO innocent.
"Oh, hey!" The young mech said when he saw them both looking at him. "What's up?"
Ratchet, confused, looking at the ceiling. "There's nothing up there..."
"Uh, it's a human expression." Bulkhead explained.
Ratchet fixed Smokescreen with a glare, and got right back to the point.
"The Phase Shifter has disappeared from our vault. Do you know where it is?"
"Uh... no?"
"Primus, you're a worse liar than Prime." Bulkhead shook his helm. "What'd you do with it?"
Smokescreen winced, knowing he'd been caught.
"Okay," he began, slowly wilting under Ratchet's withering gaze. "First of all, it was ALL Bumblebee's idea. He talked me into it..."
"Ratchet!"
Arcee ran up, looking both angry and amused.
"Can it wait, Arcee?" The medic sighed.
He then noticed Smokescreen's servo was clapped over his faceplate, and he was shaking with suppressed laughter.
"On second thought," he amended, "lead the way."
The yelling coming from Bumblebee's quarters made it clear where they were headed.
It took every ounce of self-control Ratchet had not to burst out laughing. Even then, a snort slipped out.
Bumblebee, the Phase Shifter in his servo, stood to the side. It was hard to recognize him at first: his frame was bright pink (a lighter shade than even Elita-One's paint job) with tiny yellow dots scattered throughout. Knock Out was trapped in the wall, with his face, the top of his chassis and his right arm poking out. The rest of him was hidden by the wall (which Ratchet guessed was the wall that led into Knock Out's quarters).
"You glitch!" Knock Out was yelling. "Ratchet, help! Those Pitspawn trapped me in my own wall!"
"Technically," Smokescreen pointed out, "it's Bumblebee's wall."
Knock Out started yelling louder.
Bulkhead was cackling at Bee's new look. Arcee finally lost her personal battle and started laughing just as hard as the Wrecker.
"I didn't choose to get new paint. Knock Out painted me while I was recharging!" Bumblebee toned.
"No I didn't!" Knock Out protested. "If I paint someone, it looks good! Not.... whatever that is." He used his free hand to gesture at Bumblebee's new appearance.
"Then who...?" Bee began to tone. Then he paused.
Slowly, everyone looked to Smokescreen.
The silver-and-blue 'Bot was already running down the hall.
"Could someone please get me out of the wall?" Knock Out asked politely, sharing a smirk with Bumblebee. "My pink friend and I need to discuss something..."
- - - -
Optimus Prime, Elita-One, and Leonidas (who'd just returned from an Energon scouting mission) stood looking at the wall of the vault.
Smokescreen had been painted an vivid, unappealing shade of orange, and was stuck inside the wall to the vault.
"Do I wish to know?" The Prime asked, not bothering to hide his bewilderment.
"No." Smokescreen sheepishly said. "Could someone find Ratchet? I think he hid the Phase Shifter..."