Transformers Short Story

Sentinel Prime

Rose watched the Prime as he rested on the raised medical berth, screens, and wires that only tell the current bot was alive. Ratchet stood at Optimus's side as the predecessor looked over his mentor with a firm frown planted on his face plates. Rose leaned over the railing to glimpse a better look at the Prime's frame; he was older than Optimus; granted that was expected, but for someone involved in a million-year war, he looked surprisingly intact. According to Optimus and Ratchet bots involved in the war had small ingrains in their coding which helped protect them from potential code blockers or EM-Field distortion but the Sentinal's form was painfully bare. Optimus stepped forward, glancing at the humans crowding the walkway with a muted expression. Rose nodded at the Secretary of State as she watched curiously next to Lennox from the glass windows of Rose's own office. The Secretary met her nod with a sharp confirmation of her own, turning back to view the scene below them. Optimus stepped closer still, lightly hovering his servo over the Prime's spark. He sighed deeply before retracting his chest plates, the sound echoing throughout the silent base. A light blue shadow rained down on the deactivated bot and a slim key-shaped item floated out of Optimus's chest and hovered over Sentinal; ringing softly as it called out to the previous bearer. The key spun slowly, making a wide arc before it shot down into the Prime with a brutal bang as the key pierced his spark. A strong whirring whined out from the bot's chest cavity and the key designated itself once more, returning safely to its current Prime's spark with a cheerful ping. Rose waited with bated breath as Ratchet moved his scanners over Sentinal's frame, aiming the more powerful rays over the Prime's spark. The scan beeped once before falling quiet again, throwing the base into silence as everyone waited for movement from the grounded bot. After a few minutes, Optimus moved away, watching his mentor as he retreated to the far corner as if allowing the bot space. Rose glanced between the two, noting the blue lighting zigzagging throughout Sentinal's frame and back to his spark which glowed with a fever. Sentinal suddenly gasped, drawing earth through his frame with a rattling shake. He threw his optics open and stumbled from the berth, his EM-Field casting out powerfully as he boomed, "Stay back...I will harm you!" He whirled his forearms into guns and pointed them at the walkway, targeting the unfamiliar life forms watching him curiously. He swung away from the glass case with a huff before recalibrating his guns on the human woman watching from the rails. The gun smoked as he powered the charge up, determined to scare the lifeform off but she merely smiled in response, as if amused by his presence. Sentinal snarled, the sound crashing harshly around the base, "How dare you! Do you know who I am creature?" Rose winced at the heat emitting from his gun, deflecting her eyes in a respectful gesture to the leader in front of her, Gold Line's training egging her on, "Sentinal Prime...it is an honor, I apologize for the rude awakening my Prime but it was needed I assure you." Sentina's optics recycled and he pinned his ear fins to his helm, turning his confused gaze away to alight them on his predecessor with barely concealed relief, "Optimus...good, I am in safe servos...my ship! What has become of my ship and...the relics?" Optimus let a small smile grace his face plates, "The relics and your ship were placed under security...which this planet's- Earth's government has gladly provided." The Prime turned the information over to his processor before eyeing Rose in distrust, "Humans...and you are confident these lifeforms have adequate security?" Rose glanced at Optimus, who answered in her silence, "Yes, Sentinal they are under good care." Sentinal ex-vented harshly before retracting his guns, shaking the tension from his frame. Rose studied the Prime intently, noting how the Prime had weld marks in place of his retracted guns; these were recent ads. Optimus glanced at the spot Rose was measuring but seemingly ignored it for now, "Sentinal, Cybertron has fallen...this planet is our home now." Sentinal's optics spun, searching Optimu's face before nodding slightly, "I assumed as much." Rose wrinkled her nose, his field didn't even shift with surprise or indignation at the news; as if he'd heard it before. Rose opened her bond with her creators hesitantly, "We need to talk about our... visitor." Optimus sent her a quizzingly look but bowed out of the room, leaving the Secretary and XO to handle the Prime's standard briefing. They turned the corner and Rose stopped, racking her brain for the right words to say, "Are you sure this is the same Sentinal?" Optimus bristled slightly at her questioning tone, "I do not know of any other Prime we sent away." Rose glanced down at her clenched hands, "I'm just...this is not the Sentinal I remember...look...did you see the weldings on his arms? Those are recent builds and the fact that they contain weapon mods...did you also notice his field? He didn't even react when you told him about Cybertron...I don't like this Optimus." Her creators shared a look and Ratchet shrugged, his optics never leaving Optimus's face plates as he stated tentatively, "She's not wrong." Optimus's plating rattled softly as he breathed in deeply, "I assure you this is Sentinal Prime...war changes everyone, need I remind you?...as for his reaction, I believe Sentinal had no hope for Cybertron when he left...he's practical or perhaps the Matrix told him as such when they reunited briefly." Rose eyed his chest plates with a nonplussed look, "The Matrix speaks only to its bearer and potential Primacy candidate...not even past Primes are able to communicate with the twelve unless they die." Optimus narrowed his optics, "Where did you learn this." Rose clamped her mouth shut before stating carefully, "Gold Line." Ratchet recycled his optics in sudden understanding, "The Matrix...it's spoken to you hasn't it?" Rose dragged a hand down her face, suddenly tired, "Perhaps...I just think we need to be careful...he may have "good intentions" but I don't have to remind you that Megatrono-Megatron once started with the same goal." Optimus clenched his denta at the jib but let it slide, meeting Ratchet's stern look with his own serious expression, "Whatever his intentions, he is a Prime and I have a sworn duty to accept him until I can not." Rose shrugged, her thoughts still spinning around her head, "Be careful." Optimus glanced at Ratchet before meeting Rose's imploring gaze, "I will be."