12Alright, alright, good people! This one is a very big surprise for me to write but it has a good reason why. This story is my tribute to Spiristrike's Earthspark Quadrilogy stories! This story is of course AU Earthspark related and I've got granted permission by Spiritstrike to use Rodimus Prime and other characters from her Earthspark universe. I'll also bring some OCs that belongs to me here as well. However, I need to warn you a lot for this story contains dark themes, swearing and violence. This story will also contain both English and Swedish, which I'll do my best to translate over (You'll get the translation on the bottom of every chapter). I'll also rate up to M-rate later in the future for certain reasons.
Also, as you can see below, I'm gonna give you soundtracks on each chapter you read. It's actually an experiment I'm already working on my crossover The Guardians of Midgard but decided to expand it. Since I love music, I found that everything becomes much more alive by listening on the chosen music while reading and I get easily more expressed by my emotions. You're very welcome to try and I would love to see your feedbacks.
Disclaimer: Transformers belong to Hasbro. Earthspark Quadrilogy belongs to Spiritstrike. Some OCs belongs to me however.
Soundtracks:
First scene: Fire Up The Shuttle from Elysium, Ryan Amon
Second scene: I'm Gonna Tell Jesus from Pain & Gain, Steve Jablonsky
Third scene: Cold War from The Amazing Spider-man 2, Hans Zimmer
Fourth and final scene: Your Secret Is Safe from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Atli Örvarsson
Chapter 1 – Hero Of The Day
It was early on the morning when Rodimus got woken up by a call through the com-link. The sound threw him off his berth as the call pierced straight through his sensitive audio receptors and he landed roughly on the floor. His plate nearly cracked by the slam as he groaned from the pain while stars danced in his vision. His processor ached for a while before it eventually cleared away.
"Who the hell…?" he muttered, letting another groan to escape from him as he put a finger on his audio receptor.
::I apologize to wake you up so early, Sir,:: came the serious tone from Prowl, though Rodimus wasn't sure if it was really him. ::But Teletraan-One has just picked up Decepticon activity. We need you here urgently.::
"Yes, yes," Rodimus mumbled while he blinked several times to get his optical systems clear and awake. "I'm on my way."
The young Prime was quick to get up and hurry to take a quick shower in his private shower rack before he walked out from his quarters. He rather jogged through the corridors to the Command Centre where he discovered he wasn't alone. Optimus Prime and Ironhide were standing alongside with Prowl at the large monitor, their gazes were fixed on the screen, though it was Optimus who noticed his approaching presence.
Rodimus hurried towards the monitor, his optics stuck on the several signals that were beeping loudly. Judging by the signal, there were purple twenty Decepticon signals, though strangely they were in an abandoned town. Thank god the Decepticons weren't near any inhabited areas connected to the abandoned town, the bad thing was they seemed to be in a hurry, as if they were trying to find something before the Autobots came to them.
"Anything to report?" he asked, turning his attention to the elders.
"So far, we don't know what they are up to," Prowl began, the serious look was full in suspicion and thoughtful as well. "What concerns us, however, is Teletraan-One detected another signal a couple of hours earlier."
"Another signal?" Rodimus blinked twice.
"Yes," Prowl continued with a nod. "However, we lost it before we could identify it."
Rodimus then turned his gaze to Optimus, who looked extremely thoughtful. He sensed the silence that hung above the tall elder mech like an invisible cloak that made him look more concerned than he'd ever seen before. He narrowed his gaze as if he was struggling to figure out many things at once.
"Whatever those 'Cons are looking for," Ironhide cut in, "we gotta hurry to get there and find out!"
Then suddenly the monitor beeped again, causing the Prime along with the elders to jerk up their shoulders and shoot their optics to the screen. What Rodimus failed to see was how Prowl's optics went wide. There he saw a red signal that seemed to be fleeing from the Decepticons. Then it hit him almost in an instant.
It was the signature of an unidentified Autobot!
Being snapped of his thoughts, Optimus stared seriously before he looked at the young Prime, who looked over his shoulder. But there was an odd look Rodimus noticed directly. The look of his face didn't look any familiar he had seen before. "Prowl, make a quick identification on the signal," Optimus suddenly ordered to Prowl.
"On my way," the black and white SIC answered as he quickly typed several buttons on the desk. But nothing came up which surprised them.
The young Prime instantly noticed something strange about Optimus and Ironhide. Their faces didn't look familiar at all to him. He couldn't read them. None of them spoke a word or moved a muscle cable as their faces remained unreadable. It confused him. Why won't they tell him what was going on?
"Rodimus, go ahead." It was Optimus who broke the silence after a short moment. "I need some time to prepare my Vertex Armour. I'll catch you later once I'm done."
"Of course, Father," Rodimus answered. "I'll gather my men and head there with a shuttle. Ironhide, you come with me too."
"I'm on it!" The old, black mech didn't need to be told twice before he had already hurried away from the Command Centre. The young Prime along with the other elder mechs rushing through the corridors as Rodimus contacted his guardians, Bumblebee and Sideswipe, then Arcee and finally Skyfire and Springer through the com-link.
Everyone was gathered, ready for what was ahead of them once he arrived. The shuttle stood ready with the hatch door open. Ironhide was gathered too, though he'd probably loaded with extra ammo for his plasma cannons just in case there were going to be a tough fight. His guardians along with the byzantine femme and the seekers were waiting for his orders when he cleared his throat.
"Alright, guys," Rodimus said. "We've got twenty Decepticons chasing after an unidentified Autobot. They're under attack and we gotta hurry if we can save him before losing him in their hands!"
"Yes, sir!" None of them didn't need to be told twice as they knew the rule; hurry up and get the hell to the place and kick some Decepticon afts. After he got saved from the Decepticons back on Mars, he had grown mature for his role as a Prime. But still he had a long way to go when it comes to charge despite all the help from the elders and his friends.
Immediately Rodimus and his men hurried into the shuttle with two drones that were the pilots. They activated the system of instruments as the sound of awaking engines roared, igniting the thrusters to blast the shuttle of the ground. Skyfire and Springer had already launched up in their plane forms, flying far ahead before them when they launched after them.
The abandoned town's old buildings were slowly cracking down at collapsing point. The Decepticons scattered around when the shuttle landed around three kilometers away. Black smoke rose from the burning buildings and slowly being consumed by the intensive fire. Luckily there were no humans in the town since it had been abandoned for a long time out on the fields.
"Let's roll, guys!" Rodimus ordered as he was the last one to leave the shuttle just as it was about to lift up again.
Then he ran forward to leap up and transform into his handsome Ford GT car form. His engine roared fiercely as his tyres kicked up dust and sand, followed by the Camaro and the byzantine McLaren that drove fast behind him, and the last ones were the Corvette and the black truck. The team was driving fast but cautiously as they had little idea what will happen next.
::Looks like they haven't detected us yet,:: Sideswipe said through the comlink. ::They're probably very busy -::
Suddenly it snapped off as the team heard a distant screech from tyres and a furious roar from a powerful engine, capturing their attention as Rodimus' proximity sensors detected the first Autobot signal that was being chased by ten Decepticons. Immediately he pushed his accelerator to speed up, driving faster before the others and a cloud of dust blew over them when he followed the signal's coordinates.
As he drove, he came towards the Autobot signal when he spotted ten trucks similar to Ironhide's own but were Cybertronian customized with dark purple bio lights. Then he spotted something that shone like pure glistering silver on the bright sunlight and it drove faster with a fearsome roar.
Who the heck can someone drive that fast?, he thought as he saw how fast the silver light drove by as he accelerated up more speed, trying to push himself. He was lucky to come between the silver light and the Decepticons that were coming straight from behind.
The silver light soon revealed to be a Koenigsegg One:1 which he had never seen before in his young life. The streamlined shape with black and orange patterns made it look like a real racing car that drove faster than he could catch up with despite how much he pushed himself. But he couldn't despite how he came over his limits.
Damnit!, he mentally swore when the Koenigsegg made a sharp spin to turn, its tyres screeching as white smoke billowed from its exhaust.
Then, as the Koenigsegg nearly made a spin of 180-degree, it lifted up sideways and made a volt in the air just as it transformed into an Autobot and he landed gracefully on the ground like a parkour master. The tall and slim Autobot with a broad torso had a blue visor that covered over his light blue optics, flashing brightly by the sunlight. The right arm had a large tattoo shaped like a black tribal dragon trailing down in spiral from the shoulder all way down to the wrist.
Rodimus was amazed. He'd never seen an Autobot like him before, though his amazement nearly made him losing his concentration. Who was he? But then his sensors alerted him for he was about to collide with the stranger! Instantly Rodimus slammed on his brakes, but despite all his attempts, he couldn't stop in time. But much to his shock, the mech flipped over him so gracefully that he was mesmerized.
The young Prime then spun sharply around and transformed up when the stranger swirled his head over his shoulder, the door wings twitching in tension. "Vad i helvete höll du på med, kaa?" he yelled furiously in a strange language Rodimus couldn't understand, though his voice sounded more desperate than frustrated.
"Hey, you!" Rodimus snapped back, completely confused over the stranger's strange language. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Stå inte bara där och glo!" the silver mech barked. "Ska du hjälpa mig eller göra ingenting?!"
Rodimus had no time to speak as the ten Decepticons caught up with them, transforming into their bulky robot forms with fully loaded plasma cannons and fired a storm of bullets. He and the stranger tried to dodge from them, ducking and weaving, but he was transfixed over the stranger. His movements were gracefully swift, the glistering armor blinding his optical system as the time itself dragged on very slow motion.
He could see every single detail on the stranger's body. Then he saw how the mech jumped up in the air, making a spin like a figure skater to then back flipping as every plasma swooshed by him without ever touching him like fire arrows that missed its dancing target. When the stranger landed again, his arms shifted and sliced out his plasma guns, shooting with a furious roar in a spinning dance. Rodimus got so badly distracted that he failed to see incoming bullets reaching towards him.
"Akta dig!" the stranger shouted, he was quick to rush towards him and leapt to throw him down on the ground.
The young Prime yelped when his broad chest pushed him down against the ground that cracked up by their weight. "Thanks, man!" he thanked him awkwardly, only to get a slap on his cheek plate when the mech sat up on his chest. "Ouch!"
"Get going, kid!" the mech yelled but his accent made him sound very strange to Rodimus. He'd grasped his chest underneath his chin, shaking him up and down like a ragdoll before he threw up on his legs, shifting his hands into plasma guns again and shot several shots at once.
"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Rodimus snapped angrily, though he had little time to complain before he, along the stranger, had to dodge a missile that launched out of nowhere. The missile hit the ground and blasted up a large hole into the asphalt. Immediately he converted his hand into his blade as he charged towards a large, one-eyed scarred Decepticon, its blood-red eye stared fiercely at him in the form of a berserker.
The young Prime showed no fear nor hesitation as he ran faster, holding his sword arm on a straight line behind him when the large Decepticon roared out its battle cry and charged to him. Despite its bulky size, it was rather fast on its legs, but not enough as Rodimus had disappeared in front of it. He'd leaped up in the air, roaring as the berserker looked up and the last thing it saw was how the blade pieced through its thick neck.
He threw the head off the body and kicked it away when he suddenly saw Bumblebee and Sideswipe coming towards, Arcee and Ironhide close behind them. Immediately the Corvette transformed up, the wheeling feet skating forward elegantly as Sideswipe leaned down with one of his blades that touched the surface of the asphalt, charging towards his target. The silver mech was quick and swift on his movements when he sliced his blade through his target's body and divided it into two parts.
Bumblebee was quick to fire with his plasma cannon, hitting and missing as he dodged as many as he could. Soon the whole team fought against the remaining Decepticons. Arcee hurried to Rodimus when they suddenly heard Ironhide calling, "Hot Shot!"
"Hot Shot?" Both the Prime and the femme asked, surprised.
"Ironhide!" the stranger called to the old mech. "Du tog din söta tid att komma hit, kaa! Äntligen någon som är proffs!"
Ironhide chuckled, amused over the stranger's attitude. "You haven't changed much, hot-head." He loaded his cannons, rising them up and fired on three Decepticons at once. When it wasn't enough for him, he roared and charged against them. He rose up his right fist, giving a mean right hook to a Decepticon's face that smashed into several pieces before using his cannon and blew the head off the body.
Their cries in agony pieced through every Autobot's audio receptors while they fell down with melting armor and smoke steaming and slowly bled to a painful death. One by one, the enemies fell to the team's victory. Large metal pieces were scattered around, the smell of death spread over the area as the ground was covered in Energon.
The stranger – Hot Shot – ran as fast as he could when he suddenly toppled to the side and rolled for several paces, his body sizzling. A missile had made contact with him. When he finally stopped, he gave a low groan of pain. One of his lower bled down in rivulets of Energon. He sat up, trying to cover the injury with one hand.
"Hang on, Hot Shot!" Sideswipe cried, but he couldn't turn his focus as he was busy fighting against another large Decepticon.
However it was Bumblebee who ran to him, followed by Rodimus and Arcee while they provided coverfire for the stranger. "Are you alright, Shotty?" Bumblebee asked worriedly, kneeling beside him.
"Heh, never better, Bee," Hot Shot gasped when he saw the young bot with the amber and orange flames coming to him. "And I see the kid's coming as well…"
"Don't call me kid!" Rodimus hissed annoyed. "And you better thank me for bringing my team here!"
"Heh! Säger du så, grabb?" Hot Shot huffed in his language again, wiggling up an optic ridge in tease. "Du borde fatta du är rena mögen."
Both Rodimus and Arcee became completely confused, which made the yellow scout snicker. They just stared at him with the widest optics they'd ever done like a couple of younglings getting the biggest surprise in their lives. "What is that language you're talking?" Rodimus inquired rudely, though the stranger seemed not to taking it seriously. He looked rather relaxed much to Rodimus' annoyance.
"Hey! Show respect to him, Rodimus," a voice suddenly interrupted in a sharp tone from Ironhide without warning. They glanced back and spotted the old mech and Sideswipe approaching. "And Hot Shot, you know very well not everybody can understand your Swedish language."
"Swedish?" Arcee asked surprised. She'd never heard about it before since she arrived on Earth several months ago, and was still learning.
"Ja," Hot Shot answered softly to the confused femme, throwing up the visor over his forehead and revealed the lightly blue optics. "Arg!" he groaned out when the burning pain struck like thunder through the leg, forcing him to grasp his grip tighter.
Luckily, Ironhide was quick to stand by his side and he offered his hand to help him up. Unexpectedly, both Sideswipe and Bumblebee helped him to carry up on his injured leg, which surprised Rodimus a lot. Had they known each other? If so, how long time had they known? Then he thought it carefully… the odd look Ironhide had earlier back in base when they tried to identify the signal but got nothing. Suddenly it hit him. Somehow, Ironhide and Optimus knew who the Autobot was without needing to identify the signal!
"Where's your human partner?" Sideswipe suddenly questioned, snapping Rodimus out of his thoughts and looked straight at the injured mech.
As it happened, Hot Shot's optics became wide in horror. "Starscream is looking for her," he answered desperately like he'd become instantly afraid to lose someone very close. Something the young Prime himself knew very well by reading the face plates.
"Is Starscream looking for Ylva?" Bumblebee became horrified.
Ylva?, Rodimus thought. He'd never heard such a name like that before. It sounded very strange and unfamiliar for his young audio receptors. "Where is she, Hot Shot?" He then turned to Hot Shot, now looking so serious that it burned in his optics and made him determined to find the human partner.
"She's gotta be over there," the silver mech pointed to the town. "She's probably hiding somewhere. Arg!"
"Are you sure you can still fight?" The Prime then asked, narrowing his optics.
"Of course, kid… I may be injured but I'm tougher than I look," Hot Shot told to him with a cocky wink. "I can still fight."
Although Rodimus wasn't convinced as he saw the mech limping forward. His injured leg would only slow him down and time wasn't on their side today. He could see that Hot Shot found it difficult to stand on his legs without groaning out in pain. However, he saw a glow in that painful gaze, a flame of stubbornness. He thought through it carefully. Should he take an injured Autobot with them that will either help or put them in danger? It sounded so simple for him to decide but it wasn't that easy. Shall he really take with an Autobot he hardly knew and who had already annoyed him enough?
But at same time, Hot Shot's his partner was out there. He had no choice.
"Alright then," Rodimus sighed. "Ironhide and Bumblebee, you two make sure you cover Hot Shot. Sideswipe, Arcee and I will drive before you."
"Heh, önska dig lycka till, grabb," Hot Shot huffed. "And kid…"
Having enough of the stranger's language, an irritated Rodimus shot a daggered look on him there he transferred his warning. "Stop talking with that language and stop calling me for kid!"
But the mech just laughed, probably to laugh from the pain rather than to tease. "Ja, ja. You gotta hurry now before I start talking again then."
"Arcee, Sideswipe, let's find his partner and save her before Starscream gets to her!" Rodimus ordered, transforming quickly to his vehicle form and drove off.
"Come out, come out, little human insect!"
Warm pants touched the twenty-three year old woman's skin as Ylva held the black and brown Finnish Lapphund with a white stripe on its chest, and a red harness wrapped around its chest. Her clear gray eyes were moving around as she checked around without daring to move her head. Her breaths were slow and silent, breathing slowly while she listened to the loud thuds that were shaking outside her hiding place, groaning gears and the hissing voice that brought chills down her spine. Next to her lay her second dog, a large, old wolf-gray and white Alaskan malamute that was shaking in fear though didn't give any noise.
"Shh… Lugn, Jokke och Kickan," Ylva tried to comfort her dogs in her Swedish mother language.
"Come out, you filthy little insect!" the voice shouted again. "I know you're hiding somewhere!"
The walls started to shake as the being drew closer and closer. Ylva instantly hugged her dog tighter when the roof broke apart and a large clawed hand snapped its way through in an attempt to grab her. The malamute – Jokke – howled a bark, showing his teeth when Starscream spotted the young woman running away and her dogs galloping after her.
She ran through the wall that had a huge crack that size of a door, running as fast as she could from the destroyed building when she suddenly stumbled over and fell on the gravel ground. Jokke stopped on her side when the growling from above was heard. Ylva quickly turned around and scrambled backwards as the angry Starscream leered over her.
"You think you could run away from me?" he hissed, reaching his clawed hand to grab Ylva's legs and lifted her upside down in the air. The dogs barked and howled in panic and ran away to find shelter. She gave a loud cry for help when they suddenly heard spinning tyres that screeched loudly and a Ford GT with amber and orange flames suddenly leapt out of a cloud of dust. It transformed up into Rodimus Prime.
"Put the human down, Starscream!" he roared.
"Well, well, well! Rodimus Prime…" the tall seeker growled, amused to see the young Prime standing bravely. "You're brave to come all alone to face me."
"Hah!" Rodimus huffed cockily. "Long time no see, Screamer. I didn't expect you be here alone either."
"Don't stand there!" the woman shouted angrily, blood dripping down her heart-shaped face. "Do something!"
"Shut up, your little insect!" the SIC snarled at her, spitting on her.
That moment was distraction was all that Rodimus needed, he ran towards him as he ejected his blade in a swift motion and slashed at his hand. Starscream immediately yelped and accidently dropped the human. However, the fall wasn't lethal for the human as she made a spin in the air and landed on her butt clumsily. She ran to hide behind a corner of a badly damaged building there she watched the two Cybertronians. But it was a quick watch. She had to find her dogs.
Rodimus was over the seeker, trying to use his blade while holding the seeker's shoulder with one hand. But Starscream had other plans. He immediately ignited his thrusters as he grabbed the Prime's face and lifted up in the air. He spun like a twister, swinging Rodimus around like a ragdoll while he gave a scream in pain. Before the grip could squeeze his helm, Starscream dropped him from the sky and he tumbled towards the ground. He heard the sound of approaching tyres and then a desperate cry from Arcee. He landed and rolled over the ground for several yards before he stopped, using his hand as a brake until he came to a stop.
"Roddy! Are you alright?" Arcee ran to his side but he gently pushed her away stubbornly as he looked up. Then he heard Starscream's thrusters ignite, and then ear-piecing sonic booms echoed through the sky as nine Decepticons seekers flew in. The SIC transformed into his F22 Raptor form and blasted up a launch to the sky.
At same time, two familiar planes appeared out of nowhere. It was Skyfire and Springer. ::Rodimus, Optimus' on his way:: Skyfire reported before he launched a missile at seeker and made an aerial spin to dodge another missile. ::He'll be here in less than five minutes. I and Springer will take care of the Decepticons up here.::
"Thanks, Skyfire, good luck!" Rodimus gave a quick reply when he suddenly heard roaring engines. He made a quick look over his shoulder to see Sideswipe, Bumblebee, Ironhide and Hot Shot arriving and transformed up directly. But he couldn't speak a word when they suddenly heard a sharp whistle, then barks and howling that sounded not coming far from the Cybertronians.
"That's Ylva's dogs!" Hot Shot exclaimed, although he gave a loud groan by the pain that struck through his injured leg. "Jokke! Kickan!"
"Shotty!"
The Cybertronians turned their heads at the sound of a woman's voice. Immediately Hot Shot stepped forward, though he suddenly fell forward and smashed on the ground. Bumblebee was quick to stand on his side and helped him up on his legs just as the barking and howling drew closer. Ironhide hurried to stand before the team. "Ylva! Where are you?" he shouted.
Nothing except a very loud bang from the sky that exploded, though it was not something the team needed to focus on. The human and her dogs were they're most important goal.
"Ironhide, come with me!" Rodimus ordered. "Arcee, Bumblebee and Sideswipe, you stay with Hot Shot."
"Heh, I'm coming with you, kid," Hot Shot said.
"No, you're not," Rodimus said stubbornly, shaking his head. "You're injured and you barely can walk."
"Pft. You're worse than I thought."
"And you're twice as worse!"
"Stop it, both of you!" It was Arcee who had snapped. "Roddy, we've got to focus now!"
With the femme between them, the mechs glared on each other as Rodimus shot daggers upon the annoying stranger while Hot Shot stared back. Only knowing a short time and already annoyed by each other, both of them felt they had enough of each other. But Arcee was right. They must focus! "Alright… Hot Shot, you better keep moving. We don't have much time," Rodimus demanded to him.
Hot Shot nodded while balancing on his good leg. "Såklart."
Without needing to say, Rodimus transformed along his team transformed into their vehicle forms and drove as fast as they could. He accelerated to speed up when his sensors picked up the fast approaching Koenigsegg that roared furiously and passed by easily. His engine raged in fury as he drove faster and dust kicked up by his spinning tyres, but he still couldn't catch up. But the drive through the town didn't last long before the Koenigsegg transformed up. Despite injured, Hot Shot stood tall and ready.
"Ylva!" he called.
"Shotty!" Her voice wasn't far. Then he heard barks and howling that were coming to him, then he saw his partner running with her dogs galloping before her. The dogs reached him first, followed by their owner that reached out her arms. "Shotty, tack och lov att du är här! Är du oskadd?" She asked worriedly when Hot Shot carried her and the dogs in his hand. He shuddered from the pain.
Then she spotted the other Autobots and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw familiar faces. But none of them managed to speak a word before they were suddenly assaulted from above by missiles that were launched from Starscream. The F22 Raptor, followed by other Decepticons seekers, dived down in the speed of light and launched several missiles towards the team.
Without a thought, Rodimus ran to Hot Shot. "Take cover!" he shouted as he leapt over the mech, who had curled down with his partner and the dogs in his arms, and they rolled over just as the missiles hit the ground and blasted up a large explosion. The shockwaves from the explosion knocked the Autobots off the ground.
The young Prime had his arms wrapped around Hot Shot's shoulders. He gave a loud groan, releasing himself free while his audio receptors gave a beeping sound that pieced through his helm. He couldn't feel anything but pain that ached through his limbs and back and the hammering ache inside his processor.
He thought he saw shooting stars when he heard a loud laughter from above, then the horrible painful grip that tried to tear through his shoulder and he felt him being lifted up in the air. He screamed in agony as Starscream ignited his thrusters to climb higher while holding him tight with one of his bird-like feet. The talons pieced through the metal, although not deep enough to cause severe bleeding.
Slag, Rodimus didn't like how far high above ground he was. He estimated that it must be over hundred meters above the surface of earth. He didn't look down as he'd closed his optics and bit hard on his lip plate to keep himself in control from the pain and the fear. Remember the training, he thought, repeating the thought again and again.
"RELEASE HIM!"
Suddenly he blinked up his optics wide-open as he saw a large figure flying towards them through the clouds. It was Optimus in his Vertex Armour!
The former Autobot Commander's large body gleamed in the sunlight as his thrusters behind his back powered to their maximum, the broad silvery black wings shone even brighter. The battlemask with the blue visor that covered over his optics flashed with such ferocity it only made Starscream shrink back a bit. Starscream remembered the battle between him and Megatron back on Mars. It was a tremendous battle between the titans. Now when he had arrived… that meant huge trouble for the Decepticon SIC.
"Optimus!" Starscream yelped, still holding the young Prime in his grip. "What a big surprise!"
But he didn't have to wait when the former Autobot Commander suddenly was already in front of him. The alarming speed was so fast that it never gave Starscream's sensors time to calculate before the collision between them occurred. The force of the collision was so fierce that it caused him to drop Rodimus.
Optimus clenched his right hand into a fist and smashed it right into Starscream's face, and then he used his left fist and punched him even harder. Metal pieces were cast in the air from the damaged face as Starscream squeaked, though he couldn't use any of his limbs because he fell into a dark blurry sight there he could only see the glimpse of the flashing blue visor. They were spinning in a spiral downward, smoke hissing from Optimus' wings while he punched again and again before he pushed the Decepticon SIC to grab one of the feet with both his hands. Then his wings spread outwards, pulling him out from the spiral and held him still in the air just only less than forty meters above the ground.
With his thrusters pushing fiercely to keep him steady, Optimus roared as he began to swing Starscream around into a violent spin like a twister and let him go. The fall was very fast but the landing was very hard when the seeker smashed into a building that exploded upon contact.
"Decepticons, retreat!" Starscream alerted, trying to burst his damaged thrusters of the ground while fleeing from the flames. It took not long before Optimus watched as some Decepticons fled away, two of them coming down to help their injured SIC despite his protests.
But it was a short time of triumph for the former Autobot Commander when he suddenly heard a cry echoing through the sky, which made him to turn his head over his shoulder.
His optical sensors scanned quickly, detecting a fast falling object that made his spark to jump up under his throat and determination flashed on his optics to save his son before he smash on the ground. The wings spread out as he shot himself through the air at an alarming speed, making him looking like a large eagle when he heard how fast he approached to the desperate cry from the falling Rodimus.
His optics behind the visor went wide open in horror when he watched how his son fell faster than he calculated. "I'm coming for you, my son!" Optimus called, pushing his thrusters over their maximum.
"Father!" Rodimus cried loud enough to be heard on far distance.
The former Autobot Commander reached out his arms just when he collided with Rodimus, wrapping his arms around the young mech. The wings flung around them, trying to stabilize the spinning. Just then they heard loud echoing sounds from explosions that surrounded them and spotted Skyfire appearing out from the clouds, chasing after two Decepticons seekers as he fired some missiles after them. One of them got hit, exploded up into a ball of fire that fell in a spiral while the other one dodged and retreated.
::Good to see you here, Optimus!::, Skyfire called through the com-link. ::The 'Cons are retreating. Scared the slag of Screamer?::
"Don't worry about him," Optimus chuckled through the com-link. "He's done for today."
"Father," a whine came from the young Prime, who embraced him gently around the neck. "Thanks for saving me. Now… can you please put me down?"
Optimus chuckled deeply. "Of course, my son."
"There they are!" came the shout Rodimus and Optimus heard once they landed along with Skyfire and Springer. It came from Bumblebee. First they saw him, Sideswipe and Arcee running to them.
"Where's Ironhide?" was the first thing Optimus requested once the Autobots had approached them and were standing in front of them, frowning aware that his old friend was missing. But the answer didn't take time before he saw the black mech coming with a silver mech he hadn't seen, yet… it made the very core of his spark to pulse faster than ever before.
The silver injured mech was Hot Shot. With help by Ironhide, he limped quickly forward as Ironhide carried him along his side. But that wasn't him Optimus paid mind for. He was looking for someone else. Someone he hadn't seen for a very, very long time.
Then he saw the woman jogging before the limping mech as he heard the sharp barks and the loud howling coming from the two furry dogs that galloped fast to him. Shivers trailed through his spinal column when he saw the clear gray eyes of Ylva. He hadn't seen those eyes since… the day they separated the year just before the great battle in Chicago occurred over two years ago. Without saying a word, he stepped forward, unnoticing the other Autobots that were looking at him with wondering optics.
Immediately Ylva stopped jogging once she saw the giant Autobot walking towards her. He looked different, though the body looked similar except the wings and the unfamiliar battlemask with the blue visor. She stayed still as the thuds from the giant's feet shook the earth below her feet, slowly breathing. Her dogs ran back to her, standing on her side with nervous wiggling tails and whining loudly.
"Ylva Uusitalo? Is it really you?" the deep baritone asked.
She knew it was him.
"Det var aldrig som igår, Masse kära du," she said.
He had missed to hear the beautiful tone that sounded like she was singing out her words. That sweet voice had he missed so much that he would gladly spend a whole day and night just to listen on it. Only to hear the singing voice, though he knew she wasn't singing, it made his spark pulse with joy. He hurried to get closer to her though he made sure he didn't scare the dogs, and then kneeled down in front of them.
Optimus chuckled deeply when he reached his hand and felt the small, gloved hand of Ylva. "Jag har saknat dig mycket, flicka." His Swedish though made him sound very funny because of the melody in his voice didn't fit. He sounded like a total moron.
"Jajaman, kaa," Ylva answered, shaking her head with one raised eyebrow over hearing him sounding like a moron. "Fast du låter fortfarande kasst."
The former Autobot Commander grimaced disappointed, feeling defeated. "I know."
"Ja, ja, whatever…" Ylva folded her arms over her chest.
"Hey, you two know each other?" Both Optimus and Ylva looked straight on the young Prime who was heading to them. His face was surprised, very wondering but very confused. "Father, why haven't you told me about this earlier?"
"Hey, not surprising when we've made a promise to them," Ironhide cut in, surprising him. "And that's something we've kept until now."
"What promise?" Rodimus questioned.
But he didn't get the answer directly when the black mech helped the injured mech to stand on his good leg. "Yeah, and I see you guys got new faces," Hot Shot spoke, though he was talking to Optimus.
"Hot Shot, are you alright with your leg?" Optimus paid mind on the injury on the silver mech's leg. "Ratchet should take a look at it."
"Pft, it's just a flesh wound," Hot Shot huffed cockily but had a pained smirk.
"Aww, stop acting like the Black Knight again," Ylva moaned annoyed, turning around to glare at her partner with her fists on her hips. "You're bloody injured and you gotta let Ratchet fix it, man, or else Masse will drag you all the way to him!"
"Masse?"
All optics turned to Rodimus, but then Optimus, Ironhide, Bumblebee and Sideswipe burst in laughter, causing Rodimus, Arcee, Jetfire and Springer to stare in total confusion. "That's my nickname she's calling me," Optimus chuckled deeply in his voice, rising up his arm to hang it over Rodimus' shoulders.
Rodimus pouted with a huff before he glanced down on the woman and her dogs. "Pardon me Yl…"
"Ylva Uusitalo. That's my name," Ylva introduced herself, tilting her head to one side before she looked down on the malamute and the lapphund that were sitting on either sides of her, panting fast to cool down from the heat. "These are Jokke and Kickan. And that lazy hound so called Hot Shot isn't as badass as he thought to be."
"Hey! För vad, gumman?" Hot Shot snorted, balancing on her good leg when he stumbled and fell forward. He'd landed pretty hard on the ground if Ironhide didn't catch him.
"För att du har varit oschysst nu igen, särskild med honom," she swirled around to shoot daggers at him while she pointed at the young Prime. The silver mech puffed, looking away from optic-contact with his human partner while limping back and forth on his good leg. It was then Rodimus then noticed that Arcee was standing next to him with curious optics.
Like him, she was very wondering and confused, full with curiosity. The byzantine femme kneeled down, her gaze fixed on the furry dogs that rose from their butts and showed awareness for the slim femme, yet none of them gave a bark or howl to alert. They wiggled their curled tails carefully when they tried to step forward just as she reached her hand down on the ground in front of them. Holding her hand still and not making any hastily movements, Arcee observed how the dogs slowly came closer and closer on her.
The dogs sniffed on every inch of her fingers and then they started to lick with friendly wiggling tails. The malamute became talkative with different howling sounds while the lapphund began to bark very excited. She started to run around the fingers in excitement when she jumped up on the hand, squatting down and peed down.
"Kickan!" Ylva yelled sharply, rushing to Arcee and used a hand gesture that told her dog to jump of the hand and come to her. She was quick to kneel down and grab the harness. "I'm so horrible sorry. Kickan has her issue to hold herself when she's excited."
"No, no, no!" Arcee denied, rising up her hand to clean of the yellow pee of her hand. "It's okay. I've never got such a close encounter with human pets before."
"Jokkmokke!" Ylva suddenly yelled again, however this time on her malamute which had run to Optimus' foot and rose up his back leg and peed. The malamute moved instantly away when Optimus shooed him, making grumbling growls as he rose up his foot to clean it off. The other Autobots were chuckling, though Rodimus, Hot Shot and Bumblebee were giggling childishly.
With a mutter, Optimus then glanced down on the malamute with a raised optic ridge. "You haven't changed much, Jokke. Ylva… what brought you here so far from your homeland Sweden?" he then asked.
"Ah… things have changed a lot," Ylva sounded slightly sad, which the former Autobot Commander noticed directly and he worriedly frowned, something that Rodimus noticed. "We've been looking for you, Masse. We've been on the run since the battle in Chicago happened."
"Yeah… We don't have a place to stay, Optimus," Hot Shot interrupted by purpose. "We would be so glad to join your team again."
"I see…" Optimus sighed, the frown deeper in worry.
It made the young Prime to step forward, getting all the attention from every Autobot and surprised the woman. He checked on every corner of his head, receiving all the optic-contacts from everybody before he fixed his optics on the woman. Those clear gray eyes made him to feel wanting to do something. Also he wanted answers to his questions that were waiting. How long had Optimus and the woman along with Hot Shot known each other? What kind of promise had he along with Ironhide made to them?
Rodimus swallowed while thinking through what he shall say. Hot Shot had annoyed him much already but same time he needed medical attention. Ylva Uusitalo however made him to think more carefully. Should he really bring a human to the Autobot Base? What if she suddenly called the government? But at the same time, after hearing her telling herself and her partner had been on the run for a long time, she seemed likely that she can be trusted. Yet he knew he cannot be too certain about it. Trust can be tough to gain sometimes but sometimes you had to trust yourself and learn to trust strangers.
It felt like it took forever for him to think when he finally made his decision. "Then I would gladly to invite you to the team and offer you a place to live in Autobot Base, Ylva Uusitalo and Hot Shot. You two deserve more than enough you'll ever desire. Also, my name is Rodimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."
As if all air had escaped from their lungs, Ylva and Hot Shot stared at him, stunned. None of them spoke a word nor moved a muscle as the silence swept around them. Even the dogs didn't move nor making any noise when Rodimus stepped to stand in front of Hot Shot and offered his hand to shake with. At first, the silver mech didn't speak a word but neither shook directly with his hand, though he knew better. He had many thanks to give to the stranger that helped him to find his partner, and now offering them a place there they can live in safety, and in return he better show respect.
"Thanks… kid," Hot Shot muttered slightly, though he sounded somehow very relieved but didn't show it, although Rodimus could hear the relief in the tone.
"You're very welcome," Rodimus replied. "Now we better hurry back to base and make sure you'll get your leg fixed."
"Ja, ja. Let's hope that the old grumby cat makes a good job," Hot Shot joked.
Oj, oj, oj! What a long start to begin with! I hope what you like so far and I would love to see your feedbacks. For your guys who have no idea about the Vertex Armour Optimus' using, go and read on Spiritstrike's Inherit, the second story of the Earthspark Quadrilogy. However, I highly recommend you to read Birth first before reading it. It's the first story. Oh yes, here's the translation below you. In case you found it too much, please tell me so I'll use less Swedish next time.
Translation:
Vad i helvete höll du på med, kaa? – What the hell are you doing, man? *Kaa is from the Blekingska dialect in the southern Sweden*
Stå inte bara där och glo! – Don't stand there and stare!
Ska du hjälpa mig eller göra ingenting?! – Are you going to help me or do nothing?!
Akta dig! – Watch out!
Du tog din söta tid att komma hit, kaa! Äntligen någon som är proffs! – You took your sweet time to get here, man! Finally somebody who's professional!
Säger du så, grabb? – You're saying so, kid?
Du borde fatta du är rena mögen – You should understand you're real shit
Ja – Yes *I'm gonna use Ja a lot so keep this in mind folks*
Önska dig lycka till, grabb – Wish you good luck, kid
Lugn, Jokke och Kickan – Easy, Jokke and Kickan
Såklart – Of course
Shotty, tack och lov att du är här! Är du oskadd? – Thank goodness you're here! Are you alright?
Det var aldrig som igår, Masse kära du – It was never like yesterday, Masse dear you
Jag har saknat dig mycket, flicka – I've missed you a lot, girl *I'm gonna use flicka a lot so keep it in mind folks*
Jajaman, kaa, fast du låter fortfarande kasst – Oh yeah, man, though you still sounds crappy
För vad, gumman – For what, sweetie *Gumman can also mean old lady but mostly be used as sweetie*
För att du har varit oschysst nu igen, särskild med honom – For you've been unfair now again, especially with him