Metamorphosis: Chapter 22

[wyntir_knight]

Chapter 22


Rodimus came online slowly, each system activating one by one, until he was fully awake. For a moment he forgot where he was, but instead of panic, he felt an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility. He inhaled deeply and moved to stretch but then he froze as he felt a small form on his chest. Opening his optics, he looked down and smiled as he saw Marissa curled up against him. Her hair fell over her face, but beneath it, he could see a small smile pulling at her lips. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically with every breath, causing her hair to flutter softly. Her hands moved and twitched, stroking a seam in his armour, sending delightful shivers through him. He could lie there and watch her for hours, taking in every facet of her. There was a time when he would never have considered being this close to a human, but now, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

He lifted up one hand slowly, and with infinite tenderness he stroked her back with one finger, watching with rapt fascination as she arched into his touch, her lips parting in a small “O”. She was truly beautiful, but there was more to it than that. She radiated a quiet confidence, a powerful spirit, and an abundance of strength. She would have made a potent Autobot.

It was that radiance that had helped him contact the Matrix. Optimus had told him that all he needed to do was relax; but that had proven easier said than done. Had Marissa not arrived, he would have still been struggling to contact the Matrix, and may have done damage to himself in the process. By her presence alone, she had chased away his demons and doubts, allowing him to relax enough to do what he needed to.

It was just too bad that she couldn’t help him interpret what he’d learned. Prima had been surprisingly clear, but there was still so much he didn’t understand. He began to run the dream through his mind, searching for anything he may have missed, a clue or symbol he had overlooked; but all he accomplished was to become more frustrated as the dream seemed to flow away from him, becoming as intangible as a shadow.

“Go to the Heart of Cybertron. You will know what you need to do,” a voice whispered in his mind.

He started at the voice, and the movement disturbed Marissa. She moved slightly in her sleep, brows furrowing. Slowly he brought his hand up and cupped her body gently. She shifted slightly, pressing against him, and he began to run is engine softly to soothe her back to sleep. As long as she was asleep, she was here. Once she woke up, that would all change. But the fact of the matter was that Optimus was the only person who could help him, and Rodimus knew that help would have to be provided in person.

With a sigh of deep regret, he stroked Marissa’s back again, trying to nudge her gently from her sleep.

“Marissa?” he asked softly. “Marissa, you need to wake up.”

She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes, looking up at Rodimus with a smile.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he replied softly.

“And did you get in touch with the Matrix?” she asked as she sat up.

“I did, and I’ll need to talk with Prime – I mean, Optimus, about it,” he replied.

“Of course you do,” she said with a smile. “And I have to get back to base. As soon as you know what’s going on, let me know. Earth Defence will provide you with whatever backup we can.”

“Right … I’ll do that,” Rodimus said slowly.

Gently he picked her up and placed her on the floor. Once again, awkwardness fell like a thick blanket between them, just as it had in Burgundy and Bourbon. He needed to say something, do something. She deserved it, but something kept him from acting. It didn’t matter that both Powerglide and Seaspray had made relationships with organics work. And it didn’t matter that Marissa made him feel invincible. All that mattered was that he was cybernetic and she was organic and that alone seemed like an insurmountable obstacle.

When Rodimus didn’t say anything more, Marissa sighed softly and left the room without a backward glance. After she left, Rodimus shuttered his optics and leaned against the wall heavily. This was making him miserable and there was nothing he could do about it; or at least, there was nothing he was willing to do about it. So instead of acting, instead of chasing after her and telling her exactly how he felt, he threw himself back into his work by opening a communications channel to Optimus.

x-x-x

Rodimus walked into the Prime's office slowly, as if he was treading on sacred ground. After a few paces into the room he stopped cold and glanced around, a lost and forlorn look on his face. A gentle shove from Optimus propelled him toward the desk.

“It's yours now. You may as well get used to it,” Optimus said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I know, but can I take some time to, to – take it all in?” Rodimus asked.

Optimus pushed past Rodimus and sat on the couch.

“Sit,” Optimus said, pointing to the guest chair. “Just relax and we’ll talk.”

“Sorry,” Rodimus said as he sat down. “When I woke up everything felt so right. I knew exactly who I was and what I needed to do. But as soon as I came in here, I just –.” Rodimus stopped with a shake of his head. “It’s like I was a different person this morning.”

“It’s okay, Rodimus. It’ll take time. And it’s not like you’re alone in this,” Optimus said gently. “You have a lot of people supporting you. … Speaking of which, how is Captain Faireborn this morning?”

Rodimus looked away, feeling a blush of embarrassment rise in his optics.

“Uhm … she’s just fine,” Rodimus stammered after a moment.

Optimus’ optics crinkled in a smile. “She’s a good woman and a strong ally. And she cares about you. Don’t ever forget that. I have the feeling that before this is over, we’ll both need as much support as we can get.”

Rodimus sighed and looked to the floor.

“You’re more right than you know,” he said softly. “I was able to relax enough to contact the Matrix last night. The message was … well, it wasn’t good.”

“Go on,” Optimus prompted.

“I met Prima. She told me that Unicron is back, but she also said that … She said that Unicron is a god!” Rodimus exclaimed.

“Okay, start at the beginning. What exactly did she tell you?” Optimus asked.

Rodimus took a deep breath, and after looking at the elder Prime’s calm demeanour, he relaxed.

“She told me the story of Primus and Unicron. She said that they both were gods who fought across the cosmos. Finally Primus trapped them both in planets but that didn’t stop Unicron. He, I mean, Unicron, altered his prison and became the giant Transfomer that attacked Cybertron,” he exlained. “And she said that Primus became our world. He created us to be his soldiers, to defend him when Unicron attacked.”

“Did she tell you how we’re supposed to defeat a god?” Optimus asked.

“No,” Rodimus replied grimly. “All she said was that there are answers at the heart of Cybertron and that the Decepticons are also working against Unicron. She said that we have to stop our civil war and work together or we can never win.”

“That’ll be easier said than done,” Optimus said. “And I’m not sure it would be advisable anyway. The Decepticons are under Galvatron’s rule and I thought you said he worked for Unicron.”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either,” Rodimus sighed. “I think the Matrix was trying to be clear, but I still get the idea that I’m trying to look through mud.”

“Go to the Heart of Cybertron. You will know what to do,” a voice whispered in his mind.

Rodimus started visibly at the voice in his mind, causing Optimus to look over in concern.

“What is it?” Optimus asked.

“I just -- I don't know. I keep hearing this voice in my head,” Rodimus replied in confusion.

“Hmm ... What did it say?” Optimus asked.

“It told me that I'd know what to do,” Rodimus muttered. Then he suddenly stood, sending the chair spinning away wildly. Without a backwards glance he began to pace the room angrily.

“I just don't get it!” he railed. “They want me to do something but won't tell me what! Primus fraggit! Why can't it ever be easy?!”

“Rodimus, calm down,” Optimus said. “The Matrix wasn't more clear because it can't be. We just have to figure this out as best as we can. Now sit down and tell me exactly what happened.”

“I told you!” Rodimus replied petulantly. “There's nothing more to tell.”

“Rodimus!” Optimus snapped. “You need to calm down and you need to stop acting like a spoiled sparklet! The Matrix wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't up to the task. Now sit down!”

Rodimus glared at Optimus momentarily before deflating. He sat heavily into the chair.

“I'm sorry,” he sighed. “I just don't know what to do ... I've told you everything I can think of.”

“It's all right, we'll figure this out,” Optimus said. “There is one thing we can try, but you have to trust me completely.''

“What is it?” Rodimus asked hesitantly.

“The Matrix still calls to me,” Optimus said. “If I could see what you do, then maybe I can help you interpret the message.”

“So you want it back?” Rodimus asked hopefully.

“No!” Optimus said quickly. “No, the Matrix is yours now.”

“Then what?” Rodimus asked.

Optimus sighed and looked away, an embarrassed flush rising in his optics.

“In theory, since we’re both Matrix bearers, we should be compatible enough to allow us to pass on information with our data cables,” Optimus said.

“What?” Rodimus asked incredulously.

“It’s perfectly safe,” Optimus replied quickly. “Elita-One and I have used this method to pass on delicate information.”

“Yeah, but you two are bonded!” Rodimus said as he stood and quickly moved away from Optimus.

Optimus sighed and leaned back into the couch.

“What I’m suggesting is a straight transfer of data. Nothing intimate,” he said.

“Yeah, but it’s just so … It seems kind of creepy!” Rodimus replied.

“Fine, then sit down and tell me everything that happened in your dream exactly as it happened,” Optimus said.

“I … I can’t,” Rodimus sighed, as he sat back down. “I just can’t access it all. Every time I try it’s like something is blocking me. I can remember the big picture, but I’m losing the details.”

“I can help you with that, but you have to trust me,” Optimus said as he reached out to take Rodimus by the shoulder.

“Okay, fine,” Rodimus said, refusing to look at Optimus. “Fine, I trust you. What do I do?”

Optimus sighed and took Rodimus by both shoulders. “Just relax and don’t fight me. And believe me, if there was another way I’d happily take it. But the only other option is to have First Aid run a full scan, and we don’t have that kind of time.”

“I know,” Rodimus replied softly. “I don’t like it, but I won’t fight you.”

With a look of patience and understanding, Optimus allowed his data cables to slip from their housings in his wrists, and he quickly plugged into access points hidden under Rodimus’ helm. The younger Prime stiffened at the contact, but as promised, he did not fight. Instead he allowed full access, removing barriers, lighting pathways, and helping to draw Optimus further into himself. For his part, Optimus kept it as clinical as possible, focusing solely on the voice of the Matrix that sang out to him like a siren in the night. He did his best to ignore the private memories that flitted by, fighting his curiosity when several involving Marissa Faireborn appeared in the corners of his consciousness. Finally, he found what he was looking for. With a trembling hand he stroked the Matrix and was flooded with a clear vision of what Rodimus had experienced.

As soon as he was sure he had all the information he needed, Optimus pulled back, and after removing his data cables, he slumped in the couch.

“Well that was interesting,” he said breathlessly.

“That’s one word for it,” Rodimus grumbled as he stood and began to pace again. “If we can avoid it, I never want to do that again. That was just way too … intimate.”

“I understand,” Optimus replied with a sympathetic chuckle. “But at least now we have a place to start. We'll have to send people to Cybertron to investigate, and I would suggest that you lead that team.”

“Why me?” Rodimus asked, stopping mid stride. “I mean, shouldn't I be here?”

“If the Matrix wanted me to look into this, then it would have given the message to me while I still had it,” Optimus said patiently. “Whatever’s happening on Cybertron, you need to deal with it. In the mean time, I’ll see about finding the Decepticons. ... As much as I hate to say it, we are going to need all the help we can get. And if Megatron is back, then I may be the only person who can convince him to join us.”

“Fine,” Rodimus said. “A small party would be best. … Maybe Kup and Ultra Magnus.”

“I would also suggest Springer and someone from Earth Defence,” Optimus replied. “Captain Faireborn, perhaps? You’ll need someone who can represent Earth’s interests int his, and who can communicate with the EDC.”

“I … guess that’s a good idea,” Rodimus said, doubtfully. “I’ll go tell them the plan … or lack thereof.”

“It’ll be clearer once you get to Cybertron. Trust me, the Matrix may be confusing, but it doesn’t lie,” Optimus said. “Now go let your team know what’s going on, and keep in touch with me on this. We’re both going to need all the support we can get. And don’t forget about those two cubes. I have no idea what they meant, but the bar tender wouldn’t have given them to you if they weren’t important.”

“Right,” Rodimus muttered as he left the office.

As Optimus watched him leave he was filled with an indefinable foreboding. He didn’t know what was in store for them, but he did know that Rodimus was far too young for this burden.