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That same sour feeling in his spark had returned.
The Lost Light’s captain stares down at his servos as he leans against the counter in the navigation room. Memories of the past few kliks ran rampant in his processor- looping over and over like they took pleasure in his strife.
How would things have gone if he had done things differently, the mech ponders? If he hadn’t grabbed you and Minimus from the vent below? If he didn’t interrupt Minimus when he was speaking? If he didn’t place the two of you in containment tubes rather than hearing anyone out?
No, Rodimus decides. He could go further than that.
What would have happened if he didn’t hold your hand that day Magnus had spoken to him? If he had let you sleep in your bundle that night? If he hadn’t placed you in the crook of his neck?
What would have happened if he didn’t find you in the desert that day?
That day, just an orbital cycle or two ago. The day the Lost Light made a quick pit stop to earth and Rodimus stepped out to stretch his pedes, only to find you staring at him from behind a cliff rock in the desert he and the others had landed in.
The captain had heard that Earth was a populated planet, so he had intended to make their rest short. They only needed a moment to recalibrate the ship’s navigation settings, after all. But when he discovered just what the planet’s population consisted of, he found himself enchanted.
He caught a glance of your form for just a split second before you pulled yourself back behind the cliff again. Tilting his head curiously, the mech approached the rock formation with a touch of caution. While the reddish-brown plateau towered over you, it only reached the mech’s knees. Giving into his curiosity, the Prime leaned over the cliff, and his optics widened at what he discovered behind.
You.
You were pressed with your back against the closest wall, hoping to minimize your form as much as you could and escape his sights. Unfortunately for you, that was a little impossible, considering that these giant, robotic aliens had the ability to lean over and investigate, much like a human would.
A yellow servo reached out to you, and your stunned form finally decided to make use of the adrenaline running through you and run. You just barely dodge the first grab- you could tell from how the air from the giant’s movement rushed past you and, when you risked a glance backwards, you saw as its fingers curled around nothing. It brought its hand up to its face and unclenched its fist- and after seeing you weren’t there, the sickeningly innocent expression it previously wore was replaced with a confused pout.
You couldn’t worry about that now. You had your goal in sight- a cave built within one of the many rock formations that had littered the desert. Your adrenaline just had to carry you for only a few more moments, and you could hide in there until the titan decided it was bored with you and went on its way.
Speaking of the robot, you noticed that its eyes finally shifted up to you, and the facial features that appeared eerily close to eyebrows perked up in what you recognized as pleasant surprise. You cursed under your breath as you watched it stand from its place behind the cliff and start making its way towards you.
The cave was in your sights. You were almost there. Just a little further and—
You tripped.
The giant’s footsteps trembled the earth beneath you, and it was difficult to keep one’s balance between earth-shaking tremors. Your foot slipped as you tried to both run and balance yourself, and instead, you landed flat on your face into the copper-colored dirt.
Quickly picking yourself up and dusting yourself off, you pressed forwards despite how much your body stung. You were so close. If you endured long enough, this nightmare would be over.
But, little did you know, your nightmare would last for a much longer time than you had been planning.
The shaking behind you stopped, and for a brief moment, you think perhaps the titan had gotten bored earlier than you thought. But you couldn’t be more wrong. You could tell from how a flash of yellow suddenly appeared beneath you, and the air was knocked out of your lungs in an instant. The world shrinked around you, and tears stung your eyes as you were blinded by neon blue light.
The pair of you would never know, but in that moment, you had asked each other the very same question.
“What are you?”
The giant held you in a single hand. You didn’t know what was worse- being stuck in a fist as you were a few moments ago, or laying against the expanse of his open palm as you were now. It brought up its free servo and you leaned away from it as far as you could. Not that the movement changed anything, as the titan still reached out with a single digit and curiously pressed into your stomach.
It poked and prodded all around, squishing different parts of your fleshy body at varying levels of pressures. Rodimus had never felt something like you before. You were a marvel of nature. Were all of earth’s creatures so small and soft? It was a miracle you weren’t carried off by a harsh breeze, how could your kind be the dominant species on this planet?
The mech’s wonder was cut short by a familiar voice. His loyal second in command called out to him from a distance, and as he turned his head to the source of the sound, he saw him standing by the open entrance door to the ship.
“Rodimus!” Ultra Magnus had called. “All systems are nominal. We’re ready to go, just give us the word.”
“Okay! Just a second!” Rodimus yelled back in reply before turning his gaze back to you. If human and Cybertronian frames were at all similar, from your appearance, the captain could tell you looked in rough shape. Why were you out here all alone? Had you no one you could rely on?
That familiar sense of justice began to build within his frame, just as it had many times before in his long existence. He couldn’t just leave a poor creature here on its own- it could die with no one the wiser. He had the ability to change that. To save you.
To be your hero.
Furrowed brows shifting from concern to determination, the mech nods to himself. “Don’t worry, little bud. You’ll be safe with me.”
You couldn’t understand the words that emerged from his vocalizer, but you don’t think they would have reassured you even if you could. Especially with how his digits wrapped around your form once more, and brought you right up to his chest. Then, to your astoundment, the yellow paneling opened itself before you, and you were face to face with countless working parts you couldn’t begin to wrap your head around.
“This won’t be for long, it’s just so that Magnus won’t see you. When we’re in a safe place, I’ll take you right out, okay?”
The captain’s assurances are lost on you. Not only due to the fact that you couldn’t understand him, but because your own objections were louder. You could do nothing but shout and argue and beg as you were brought into the mech’s chassis, falling ungracefully as you refused to grab onto anything once placed inside. You scrambled to the opening, hoping maybe you could get out despite the long fall that awaited you— only for the paneling to shut in your face.
Gears and contraptions and hydraulics were all you could see- the room (could it even be considered that??) only illuminated by translucent cables above with a shimmering pink liquid racing through them. Constant noise filled your ears- what sounded like a roaring engine playing in dissonance with a rhythmic thrum that matched the pulse and soft slosh of the liquids running through the cables. As you uselessly slammed your hands against the front panel you came from, you finally came to the realization you never wanted to admit to.
This giant had trapped you within it, taking you somewhere you couldn’t even see. And you could do nothing to stop it.
Lightly tapping the spot on his chassis where you were placed, Rodimus ex-vented, knowing you were safe. You would be safe, under his constant watch.
And you’d never be alone again.
The sound of a door closing pulls Rodimus out of his memory replay. Megatron enters the navigation room, a stern look across his faceplate. You and Minimus weren’t with him. It was to be expected, but even so, the fact that you chose to stay away from Rodimus made his spark ache even more.
“Rodimus,” the gray mech begins, standing in front of the bot he was addressing, “explain to me what happened.”
For some reason, the request catches the captain off guard. “Really? I would’ve thought that Minimus would’ve filled you in.”
The former warlord shakes his helm. “I left him and the human alone fairly quickly. I didn’t want to impose on time they could use to recover.”
Rodimus purses his dermas. “Right.”
A silence hangs in the air, and Megatron has to gesture with a servo for Rodimus to proceed. The orange mech resets his vocalizer and shifts in his spot uncomfortably.
“This morning I woke up early to take care of some things, and I left the human alone in my habsuite to recharge. When I came back to pick them up, they were gone, and after some investigating I found that they left through the vents. I asked for Magnus’ help to find them, and he told me that he’d let me know once he ran into them, and we’d meet back in my room.
“Time passes and I don’t hear anything, and when I do call, Magnus tells me everything’s fine and shuts off his comm link. That made me suspicious, and I was already anxious, so being hung up on frustrated me. So, I decided to track Magnus’ life signal, and I found him and the human in the navigation room’s vent.” The captain’s gaze falls to the floor. “My… my emotions got the better of me, and… well, you know the rest.”
Megatron is silent as Rodimus recounts his tale. When he finishes, the Prime expects a scolding, or something of that nature. But the next words that leave the co-captain’s mouth catch him off guard.
“Why do you protect the human?”
“What?”
“Why do you protect the human?” Megatron repeats.
“Well… ‘cause they need it,” Rodimus shrugs. “When I first found ‘em, they looked terrified. They were scared and alone in the middle of the desert. No one deserves that. So I took them, ‘cause I knew they would be happier here.”
“Did they ask you to do that?”
“No, but how could they? They can’t communicate- I’ve only heard ‘em make little sounds.”
“That’s where you’re mistaken, Rodimus,” the grey mech waves a hand. “As a species, humans are just as sentient and conscious as us Cybertronians. They may have more primitive technology and aren’t privy to the rest of the universe as we are, but they have their own civilizations. Their own relationships within their societies.”
It had slipped Rodimus' mind that, in his past interstellar travels, Megatron had once visited earth. It was why Optimus was so keen about organics.
“And even if they couldn’t possibly communicate, who are you to decide what to do with another living being’s life?”
Rodimus is taken aback by Megatron’s words. Of all people, the former Decepticon leader was telling him this?
“That- That’s not what I-“
“Rodimus,” Megatron repeats the mech’s name again, grabbing his full attention. “Sometimes, you can get so wrapped up in the idea of something, that it blinds you, and you fail to see the consequences. I know that more than anyone.” He pauses, a somber twinge in his words. “So, that in mind, I ask you, when we meet with Minimus and the human: listen. To both of them. Do you understand?”
The captain is at a loss for words. He can’t even argue, despite how much he loved to do so with Megatron. This was the third time he had been talked down to, but out of all of those times, now is when he saw what they all meant.
“…you’re right,” the orange mech nods after a long while. “I’m sorry.”
“It is not me who you should be apologizing to. That being said, however…” Megatron moves from his spot over to the door- it sliding open in an instant. “Shall we go right our wrongs?”
“I mean, yeah, but how? The human can’t understand any of us, how am I supposed to apologize?”
“Don’t worry. I have something for that.”
————
When you came to, you were greeted by the sight of Minimus’ worried face hanging over you. You squint as your eyes adjust to the light, and the minibot backs away as you slowly sit up.
“Thank goodness,” the mech sighs in relief, “I was worried you’d be in power down for much longer.”
You give him a sympathetic look, hoping to ease his worries by showing you were fine. Well, mostly fine- there was a throbbing headache in the back of your skull. But, with how much had just happened in the past hour? You were grateful a simple headache was the most of your concerns at the moment.
Minimus smiles back, albeit with exhaustion, deciding to descend to sit on his knees. Before you can attempt to figure out how to ask him how long you’ve been out for, both of your attentions are drawn to the sound of the door to the habsuite opening behind you. First steps in Megatron, and Rodimus follows from behind. You stand and step back a few paces- still wary of the bot who was once your captor.
Megatron notices this and brings his hands up passively. He shifts his fingers to signal you to wait, and makes his way across the room. On the far shelf, he digs past stacks of datapads and Cybertronian-sized paper books (they made those?), and removes something he keeps clenched in a fist.
Once he returns to the front of the room, he uncurls his servo and hands something to Rodimus that, from this distance, you weren’t sure what it was. However, he bends down a bit to offer whatever it was to Minimus as well, and you get a much better look at it.
In the minibot’s hands, it was about the size of a dinner plate. But soon enough, tiny seams appeared along the sides, and it shrunk down to the size it appeared as in it did the bigger mechs’ hands. It looked almost like a microchip.
Megatron says something to the two other mechs and brings the chip to his audial. A small slot opens itself within his helm, and the chip is accepted without issue. Hesitantly, the others do the same, and their helms twitch at the odd sensation.
“Hello?”
A voice calls out, and you whip your head around to find the source. It had been ages since you last heard English, so you were eager to see what had made the noise. Maybe you could use it to make other words and—
“Human? Over here?”
‘Human’? How often was it that people in recordings called each other that? Not very, you were quick to deduce- aided by the fact that Megatron waved his servo to you.
“Hm, perhaps it didn’t work. Humans do have a variety of languages on their planet, perhaps you don’t have the right chip.”
You look to the side and see Minimus speaking as he looks up at Megatron.
Minimus.
Speaking English.
“Uh… based on the look on their face, I think you have the right one,” Rodimus says.
Your eyes felt like they were gonna burst out of your head with how wide they were. “H-How… how are you speaking…?” You stammer, but you can’t even finish your sentence.
Rodimus’ own optics widen as you speak too. The gray mech leans over to him, “I told you their noises were more than just chirps.”
“‘Ch-‘Chirps’???” You repeat in a panic. Talk about dehumanizing.
“That’s beside the point, however. There’s more pressing matters to-“
“Wait!” You sputter, interrupting Megatron, “You’re just gonna do… this, and act like everything’s normal? I haven’t properly spoken to anyone in forever! How did you do this?!”
“Upon my interstellar travels, I’ve encountered a variety of different species, each with their own languages. It eventually became clear to me that verbal communication was necessary for my plans at the time, and so the Decepticon scientists developed these language chips for Cybertronians to download, so they can understand alien languages.”
“And you only decided to share this now?” You asked, ignoring the fact that you didn’t know what the hell a ‘Decepticon’ was.
“I haven’t properly met you until just a few moments ago, human,” Megatron shrugs, “I didn’t know what language you spoke. In fact, I’m lucky I got it right on the first try with English.”
Knowing he was frustratingly right, the most you could do in reply was let out an exasperated sigh and run a hand down your face. “Okay. Okay.” Wrapped up in your whirlwind of difficult-to-process emotions, your shock morphs into anger as your eyes lock onto Rodimus. “You!” You storm over to the edge of the work desk, standing at the very end and raising yourself as high as you can to face him.
The captain takes that as a hint to lower himself, apparently, as he bends down before the desk until his face is almost even with yours. The sudden proximity catches you off guard and you stumble backwards, backing up so that you can see more than just his faceplate in front of you. “You- You- look at what you did! Look what you’ve done! You took me from my planet when I didn’t even do anything to you, and you refused to let me go! I was stuck with you all the time and I felt so- so…”
You don’t catch the sideways glances Minimus and Megatron throw to their captain. Your anger fizzles out into a dying ember, and you slowly back up even further. You can’t bear to look at that familiar shade of blue in his optics any longer. Amidst the silence, broken only by your occasional shaky breaths, Rodimus decides to speak.
“I know,” he begins, and the young timbre to his voice throws you off. You don’t know how long these ‘Cybertronians’ lived for, but he sounded just like a young adult- just about your age. “It wasn’t right of me to do that. To do any of that. I was wrapped up in my own ideas when I should’ve tried harder to communicate with you, even without these language chips.”
Finally, you muster up the courage to look back up. Rodimus wears a pained expression, and when he locks eyes with you, he turns his gaze to the desk beneath you. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to forgive me, but I hope I can make it up to you by finally asking you…” his eyes shift up to you, and you’re taken aback slightly.
“What do you want to do?”
You pause for a moment. You couldn’t believe this was real. Maybe this was a trick, or there was a catch. But when you look to Minimus and Megatron to gauge their reactions, they don’t look skeptical at all. Megatron merely stood with his arms crossed, and Minimus looked to you as you looked at him. Maybe, now that there was this new level of communication, things could finally go smoothly.
“…I want to go home,” you decide with confidence.
Rodimus’ expression falters just the smallest bit, but he covers it up quickly. “Then we can do that. I’ll head to the navigation room and we can set a course for earth.”
You nod in acknowledgment- the smile you thought you offered coming out as a hard line instead. The mech is quick to straighten himself out from before the desk and begin to head for the door, until—
“Wait.”
Rodimus turns to look at you again, and it’s only until you see him staring at you that you realize that was your own voice calling out for him. You clear your throat, looking to the other bots in the room. “Can you… give us a minute?” You ask.
Both Megatron and Minimus nod. The gray mech offers his servo to the desk and the minibot steps on without issue. “We’ll make a head start for the navigation room,” Megatron says, bringing Minimus to his shoulder. “Find us there if you need anything.”
Once they left, it was just you and Rodimus. Hesitantly, he steps back over to the desk and decides to take a seat on the chair before it. “Uh, what’s up?”
You wish you could give him a straight answer. Even you were still trying to figure out why you asked him to stay back. Slowly, you stepped back over to the edge of the desk until you were directly under Rodimus’ view.
You gazed up at him and he gazed down at you.
Finally, you spoke. “I’m sorry too,” you found yourself saying. “I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”
The captain blinks. “What? No, you don’t need to apologize,” he insists. “You had all the right to be upset.”
“Yeah, but… I just yelled at you like you weren’t a person too. With your own thoughts and feelings. Even if you are a giant alien I’ve only really spoken to for five minutes, you’re still a person. You aren’t a monster, I know that from the good times we did manage to have. You were just… blinded.”
The Prime tries to think of what to say, but you continue to fill in the silence. “I’m still going home, that’s not changing. But, I do know that it’s going to take a while to get there. I don’t want this trip to be uncomfortable the whole way, so…” you look down at your hand, making sure you really wanted to do this- before sticking it out and offering it as if to shake.
“To starting fresh?”
The mech is taken aback. He brings up his own hand and cautiously brings it before you. The difference in size is palpable. Eventually, he decides to offer just a finger, and you wrap your hand around the tip. “To starting fresh,” he agrees.
And, for the first time since the beginning of the confrontation, Rodimus smiles.