Post by Lady1Venus on Dec 4, 2008 19:52:46 GMT -5
Author’s Notes: Again I’ve come with a new story. This one is like episode form with a twist. Each chapter will have a summary to go with it so you’ll know what to expect. But just like regular chapters, they all will work in together. This was an idea a got while at work one day. It just sorta popped in my head, suddenly. ‘What if I made a story dealing with the Autobots venture as a human? More particular Rodimus Prime. Well here is what my idea turned into. There will be flashbacks and references to the original Autobots who perished in the ‘86 movie. According to the 3rd season, the Transformers are in the year 2006 that is where my story goes. I will also bring in other scenes from other episodes in Season 3
Chapter Summary: While being human and resting at the home of Victor Drath’s girlfriend, Rodimus Prime meets another woman in the episode “Only Human”. The woman knows just as much about the Autobots as Spike and his family does. But why does she? What if she was the one who helped in getting the Autobots back into their true bodies?
New Prospective On Life
Rodimus Prime sat on the sofa, resting. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d have a day like this one. Even before he became Prime, he never thought anything could get as strange as they were. Here he was sitting in a human’s house, resting on their sofa and to top it off he was human also. Him, Arcee, Springer and Ultra Magnus were turned to human from a man named Victor Drath. But why did Drath separate them from their bodies and what did he want with the bodies? The only answer he could come up with was to make the Autobots look evil, like that hasn’t been done before.
He remembered a time when Perpector told him about an incident that happened with the Autobots. The Decepticons tricked the humans into thinking they were the good guys and the Autobots were the bad guys. The Autobots then were banished from Earth. And they even almost destroyed the Autobots except the Autobots were somehow able to break control of being thrust into the sun and made their way back to Earth and cleared their names.
“Is there anything more I can get you?”
Rodimus looked up at the sound. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had forgotten that he was in the house of the woman who was beside Drath when they were transferred. She was sitting beside him, wrapping up his arm that had been shot at when he tried to break into Drath’s house.
“Why are you being helpful?” he asked.
“Because I hate to see a handsome man injured.”
She knew who the man was but she didn’t want him to know that just yet. She quickly got up. A few minutes later she brought him a cup a coffee.
“What’s this?” he asked. He took the coffee and smelt it.
“It’s breakfast dummy,” she answered.
He took a quick sip, knowing it was hot. He had seen Daniel drink something like it before and knew it was hot. He scrunched his eyes in distaste. “It smells better than it tastes.”
She took a deep breath. “We’ve met before, haven’t we? I recognize the look in your eyes. You’re that Autobot leader.”
Rodimus looked at the woman and jumped up, dropping the cup on the carpeted floor.
“For heaven’s sake, take it easy.” She tried to force him to sit back down. But he slightly shoved her hands aside and walked to the window.
“Does Drath know I’m here?” he asked, saddened. He had hoped she wouldn’t figure him out.
She walked up to him and wrapped her arm around his. “No, he’s been totally occupied with business.”
“Can you get me into his house?” He turned to her.
“I’ll help you anyway I can but first you need some food. You may still have a mind of a robot but you are human. Human bodies…”
“I know. Humans can’t survive without food. I’m actually surprised you’d be willing to help me.”
“I don’t like what Drath did to you,” she answered. She pulled on his arm and he willingly moved to sit back on the sofa. “But it’s nice to know that you survived that transfer. Your bodies were not supposed to turn into living tissue.”
“Well that explains why they are chasing us.” A slight noise interrupted him. “I guess I do have all human functions.”
The woman slightly chuckled. “I’ll get you some food.”
She looked up as the door opened up. At first the woman thought it was the men who were chasing the Autobot leader but when she heard the leader give a slight sigh of relief she knew it wasn’t. It was another woman.
“Sorry Michelle for being…” the woman turned and stopped as she closed the door. “…Late.”
Michelle, or whom Rodimus believed that was her name, stood from the sofa and walked over the other woman. “That’s alright Lilly. Why don’t you keep our guest company while I get some food for him? Drath is up to his old tricks again.”
Lilly placed an armful of bags on the floor and then her hands were sitting on her hips. “Michelle, why can’t you get the clue to get away from him?”
“Lilly,” Michelle sighed. “Let’s not start this again, especially in front of the man.”
Before the argument was to go further, Michelle turned and walked towards the kitchen. Lilly walked over to the sofa and sat in one of the chairs near the sofa.
“So what type of tricks has Drath done to you?” Lilly wasn’t expecting the response that she was about to receive. She was expecting that Drath tried to kill him and how she knew the mobster.
“I am the Autobot leader, Rodimus Prime. Drath has turned me and three of my friends into humans and from what your friend has told me, our true bodies are ok and that we were not meant to survive the transfer.”
Lilly’s eyes widened in shock. “Autobot leader? Oh my god. I’ll be right back.”
Lilly got up and left the room. When she entered the kitchen she had the look of don’t cross with me.
“Michelle!” she said sternly.
Michelle turned at the sound.
“How could you do that? How could let Drath do that to the Autobots?”
“I had no choice!” Michelle snapped.
“Had no choice, ya right!”
-
Rodimus looked up as heard Lilly yell out Michelle’s name. Too curious as to what she was angry about he got up and went to investigate. When he was close enough to the kitchen, he was able to hear everything that was heard.
“Lilly you know what Drath does when I don’t obey him.”
“And you know how much I love those robots. I have been around the Autobots ever since I was little. Optimus Prime took me in when my parents were killed by a Decepticon attack.”
“Look I had no idea that he was about try and destroy the Autobots.”
“That’s not the point. The point is, Drath is your boyfriend who has abused you. And I have been trying to tell you to get away from him.”
“Why don’t you understand,” Michelle said angrily. “If I was to leave Drath, he would hunt me down and kill me.”
“You could ask the Autobots for protection,” Lilly countered.
“Look, will you drop it already!” Michelle snapped. She threw the plate she held, across the room. It smashed against the opposite wall, making the room go silent. Neither of the two women said another word.
Rodimus stood silent as well, almost barely breathing. He couldn’t believe what he just saw or heard. The woman known as Lilly knew the Autobots from the time she was a kid.
Michelle was the first to break the silence. “Lilly,” she said with a calm and cold voice. “I have been patient with you but you have finally gone too far. I want you to pack your belongings and I want you out. Take the Autobot with you.”
Michelle turned, walking towards a door that would lead her outside. She opened the door, revealing a beautiful yard with a pool. She stopped just before shutting the door. “When I get back, you better not be here.” With that she slammed the door.
Lilly watched with wild eyes as the blinds on the door vibrated back and fourth. She watched until the blinds stopped moving before she moved to leave the room, planning on leaving the shattered plate on the floor. When she turned she saw the Autobot leader standing at the doorway with a confused look in his eyes.
“That could have gone better,” he said, breaking the eerie silence.
“Ever since she met Victor, she hasn’t been the same as she was.”
“You met Optimus Prime?” Rodimus wanted to change the subject as he saw that her eyes were beginning to brim with tears.
“He saved my life and when it was confirmed that my parents were killed, he took me in and allowed me to stay at the Ark until I was able to live on my own. I have been on my own for the past six years. When I left, Optimus left for Cybertron and I haven’t seen him since.
“I was really upset the day I heard he died when the Decepticons had their last major attack and Autobot city was almost demolish. And now you have his spirit and his Matrix of leadership.”
“You know a lot about the Autobots.”
“One learns a lot when they live with them for fifteen years.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lilly was about to walk by him when she stopped and looked at him. “For what?”
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to leave.”
Lilly snorted. “Don’t worry. Her making me leave was bound to happen. I have not supported her relationship with Victor and she knows it.”
“My question for you is how did you come to live here?”
“Come and I’ll tell you.” She left the room, knowing that the Autobot leader would be behind her. When she reached her room, she began to grab what small amount of clothes she had. She placed the clothing in a suitcase.
“What about the other things?” Rodimus asked.
“They aren’t really mine. Michelle allowed me to use them. They had belonged to her sister before she left.” Lilly sat on the bed. “Now the reason why I know Michelle.”
“I did ask that.” Rodimus sat beside her.
“After I moved away from the Ark, I met Michelle. Her and I became fast friends. But when I started to have some rough times, I was going to go back to stay with Autobots again but then the attack happened. I was so upset when Optimus was killed and then Michelle took me in. That is when I found out that she was sleeping with a mobster.”
“And you have never liked the idea of her being with the man.”
“Exactly. Did you want something to eat before we leave?”
“If I heard it correctly, she wants you to take me with you.”
“I have never seen her that angry.”
-
As soon as the two had a bite to eat, they left Michelle’s. The two climbed into Lilly’s SUV and before they went too far, she stopped at the bank to take some money out. When she was done, they drove in silence until Lilly came to a motel that looked quite nice. Before seeing about a room, she checked around the building and saw there was a nice size pool, with a handful of children playing and their parents. Not far from the pool there was a couple of seater swings and other patio furniture surrounded around the pool.
Satisfied of the back, she decided to walk into the building. She noticed there was a door leading into the building from the pool area. The two walked in and right in front of her…well actually side of her, was the reception desk. She quickly looked around the room and saw that it was a simple room with a couple of chairs.
She walked over to the desk; Rodimus stayed behind and looked around. He felt out of place but he knew no one would recognize him.
“Excuse me,” Lilly said. “But I was wondering if you have a vacant room?”
“Yes we do. We have a few rooms left. Would you like one?” One lady said. She had a nice cheery voice and smile.
“Well actually I would like to see one of the rooms before I say if I want one. I like to see the room I’m going to rent before taking it to make sure that it’s not a shit hole.”
The woman behind the counter was taken aback by the comment. “Can you wait a moment?” She watched as Lilly nodded before quickly disappearing from behind the counter.
Lilly walked over to Rodimus. “If the room is as nice as the rest of the building, I’ll be staying. Did you want to stay here too?”
“I need to stop Drath and get back into my own body and that is if it’s possible.”
“It should be. If Drath was able to transfer you to a body, he’d be able to reverse the effect. You may need to stop Drath but do you have any idea how?”
Rodimus lowered his head. “No.”
“Ok. I’ll get a room for the two us and then we’ll work on getting you back in your own body.”
“You would help us?” Rodimus looked at the woman.
“Why not? I was raised by the Autobots. And to me, you’re my family. Heck you are the all the family I got. And just because I never really met you, doesn’t make us any less of family. You may not be Optimus but you hold the Matrix.”
Rodimus looked past Lilly. “I think the woman you were talking to, just got her manager.”
Lilly turned to see the manager walking towards her.
“I was just informed that you would like to see one of our vacant rooms before deciding if you’re going to take it.”
“Yes. I was taught at a young age to always make sure that I’m treated well and not to stay in a place that looked a little run down. So far I like what I see, but I would like to see the room.”
The manager nodded. “What would room would you like to see?”
“I want a room with two beds please.”
The manager nodded again. “Follow me.”
The three humans walked outside on to the patio and walked away from the pool. Just on the other side of the pool, there was a two-story building. Both floors were lined with rooms. The manager walked up a set of stairs and once getting to the top, he stopped at the first door.
Lilly first walked in, checking out the room. The room had two beds, a dresser with a TV on top of it. The smell of the room, smelt like fresh paint and the beds looked freshly made. Two chairs were on either side of a door, which led to the bathroom.
Lilly walked over to the bathroom and looked in. When she turned back to the manager, she had a smile.
“We’ll take the room. But I’ll have to pay by the day. We do not how long we’ll be needing to stay.”
“Of course. It’s 90 per night.”
Lilly pulled out her wallet and handed the manager the right amount of change.
“If you would come with me to fill out the necessary papers and give you a key to the room,” the manager said as he left the room.
“Why don’t you stay here? It’s probably safest for you here. No one will try to find you here.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I need to try and get a hold of my friends.”
“I’ll do what I can.” Lilly turned to do what was needed to have the room.
When she returned she noticed that Rodimus was watching a TV program.
“What are you watching?” she asked.
Rodimus turned. “Just a news report on the attack a few days ago.”
“I’m sure Victor Drath was involved.”
“He was. We had received anonymous tip about Drath being involved and when we went to investigate we fell into a trap.”
“Chances are Michelle sent the tip to you guys.”
Rodimus stood up from the bed, anger in his eyes and punched the blankets. “If none of this would have happened…”
Lilly walked over and placed a comforting hand on the scared man. Though he was an Autobot leader, normally, he wasn’t in a position that he knew and had no idea in how to get out. And that most of all scared the hell out of him.
“You didn’t know that you were being led into a trap,” she said in comfort.
“That’s not the point. I would have been able to contact my friends and give them the heads up.”
“I know that. But there will always be a time when you guys will not be able to contact the other and this is one of those times.”
Rodimus looked at the comforting hand and then the face the hand belong to. He had forgotten that she knew much on the Autobots.
“I don’t know why but I feel like I can trust you. You claim to have been raised by Autobots, but I don’t know you. You know things about the Autobots that not a lot of humans do. Perhaps it’s because you knew Optimus Prime and the matrix will react to what he knew.”
“Well for starters there have only been four other humans who have really gotten to know you guys. Spike, his father Sparkplug, his wife Carly and the kid they have. Can’t remember his name.
Rodimus’s eyes widened. She knew the Witwicky’s. “His name is Daniel.”
“I haven’t seen him since he was real small.”
“When was it that you left the Ark?”
“Six years ago, in 2000.”
“That was the year I came to Earth.”
The two of them looked at each other for a moment before both of their eyes widened in realization. They had met before.
“You are Hot Rod,” she gasped.
“Was, you mean,” he sighed.
“I remember meeting you but it wasn’t very long. You arrived the day before I left.”
“And not long after that, Metroplex was completed and I was stationed there.”
“Metroplex, that is Autobot city?” she watched as he nodded. “I never realized.”
“Neither did I. Now I know you’re telling the truth.”
Lilly slightly smiled. “I figured you didn’t quite believe me. But now you know that I am…”
“I need to find Drath and find out if there is a way to get back in my body.”
“I can help you break into Drath’s office at his mansion.”
“I can’t let you do that. It’s too dangerous. He’s a dangerous man.”
“Rodimus, I am not going to let you go there alone. Besides how are you going to get there? Chances are he’s planning on doing something with your bodies and we need to stop him before he damages the Autobots reputation.”
Rodimus sighed. He knew many humans but none were as stubborn as she was, well except for the exception of Spike. He sometimes was a pain in the neck but he always meant well. He had known the Autobots ever since they were revealed and that was the day when Optimus and Megatron were reborn from being offline for four million years.
He looked at the woman in front of him and remembered the day he met her. It was only briefly but it did mean a lot to him. It was the first time he was on the planet and didn’t know anything. It was the very first time he ever met Optimus Prime but had heard a lot about his reputation.
Flashback
Hot Rod walked into the main area of the Ark. He saw Optimus Prime, Ironhide and two humans. Well he figured they were humans as the Earth was populated with them.
“About time you made it.”
He turned and saw Kup coming up behind him. He had known Kup for a many years but never really talked to him much.
At the sound of Kup’s voice, Optimus Prime and Ironhide turned. The humans were also looking at him.
Hot Rod stood at attention. “Reporting for duty sir,” he saluted.
“At ease,” Optimus said. “You are on Earth now. I haven’t been much into military salutes in a long while.”
Hot Rod took a relax position. “I’m Hot Rod. I am here from my platoon leader to assist and help maintain an Autobot presence.”
“Who is your platoon leader?” one of the humans asked.
Hot Rod wasn’t sure how to answer.
Optimus noticed Hot Rod seemed a little uncomfortable. “Hot Rod, I would like you to meet two very special humans and good friends. This is Spike; he has been with us from the very start. And this is Lilly, she has been living with us for a while now.”
“Please to meet you,” Spike said.
Hot Rod watched the one known as Lilly jump down from one of the Autobot seats and made her way towards him. She climbed up on to one of the computers.
“You’re kinda cute,” she said. “Oh and don’t mind Spike’s question. He’s always into questions. Of course he isn’t the only one as his young son is always asking too many questions. Oh and Earth is a nice place to live and it’s always nice to meet another Autobot.”
“Thank you, I think,” Hot Rod said.
He watched as the woman turned away from him. “Optimus, is everything ready for me for tomorrow?”
“Yes. And if it’s not too much trouble, I would like to drive you to your new home.”
“Is there anyway you can get all the Autobots?”
“For what reason?” Optimus asked.
“I want to say something and I would like to say it once.”
Optimus Prime turned from what he was doing and walked over to Teletran 1. “All Autobots,” he said into a speaker. “Report to the main area at once. This is not a drill or a Decepticon attack. Lilly would like to talk to everyone.”
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking,” Hot Rod said. “But why did you say it that way?”
“Ya have much to learn,” Ironhide said. “For one thing, ya don’t have to call him sir. And secondly he said that so no one would come running in here, alarmed.”
After a few minutes of silent, Autobots began to enter the room. When everyone was in, Hot Rod was amazed at how many were actually on Earth.
“Guys,” Lilly said. “I just want to say that I am so glad that I have gotten to know you. You were all great while I tried my best to continue on life. You all treated me with kindness and made me feel like part of the team…family.”
“You wanted us here to tell us that,” Gears grumbled.
Lilly chuckled. “I will miss all of you and hopefully will be able to once in awhile visit or you guys visit me but I know that stopping the Decepticons take presidency over that.”
Grimlock walked over to the woman and picked her up. “Me Grimlock say that we Dinobots will make sure to visit Lilly.”
“That will be nice. If it weren’t for you guys, I don’t know what my life would have ended up being. I probably would have been killed too or would have been placed in a foster home.”
“Well if that is the case,” Hound said. “We need to give you a farewell party.”
End Flashback
“Rodimus is something wrong?” Lilly asked.
Rodimus looked at the woman, bringing himself out of his thoughts. “Sorry. I was just thinking back to the day I actually met you. It was the final day you were staying at the Ark. I only saw you for a few minutes. But how could I have forgotten who you are.”
“You were so nervous that day, I think a few things were left out of your data banks. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I saw you so briefly myself that I don’t even remember really meeting you.”
“Well for one thing. I don’t look like that anymore. When I took the Matrix, I grew in size and my alt mode is different too.”
“Why don’t we get some rest and food and then see about getting into Drath’s mansion tomorrow.”
-
When the sun began to peer through the window of the room, it woke the two occupants. The woman was the first rise before she looked at her friend in the next bed. She smiled as she watched as her friend was trying to block at the rising sun.
Lilly never seen an Autobot turn away from the sun and guessed that it was due to the fact that Rodimus wasn’t used to such light. Normally, being a robot, he would be able to look towards the sun and not worry about damaging his optics. But a human eye can be damaged.
“Why don’t you turn away from the sun and that way you can allow your eyes to adjust to the light?”
“I’m so use to seeing the sun, I forget that the light hurts human eyes.” He turned away from he window, facing the woman.
“I figured that is what the problem was. Once your eyes are comfortable to the light, we will head out. In the meantime, I will go and freshen up. Then we’ll head out to get some breakfast.”
When Lilly came out of the bathroom, she saw Rodimus was ready to go. When she knew she had Rodimus’s attention, she watched as he got up from the bed and walked to the door of the room. He opened the door and waited while Lilly grabbed her purse and keys. The two made their way across the lot where the pool was and towards the diner that was within the motel.
While the two ate breakfast, Lilly didn’t want to eat in silent.
“How’s your breakfast?”
“I’ve never tasted anything like it,” he said. “It definitely tastes better than coffee.”
“I agree with you there. I have never like coffee or tea. Mind you I have the occasional drink but I only like to drink on special occasions.”
“What are you drinking?”
“It’s apple juice. I always drink apple juice with my breakfast. You have something heavy on your mind,” Lilly turned serious.
Rodimus looked up from his breakfast. “How can you tell?”
“Your voice sounds unsure. You sound like you have disappointed someone.”
Rodimus lowered his head. “I suppose I have. I feel I don’t live up to Optimus Prime’s reputation. He was well known and liked and I feel like I let him down when I do something as fall into a trap.”
Lilly reached over the table, placing a gentle hand on Rodimus’s clenched fist.
“No one can blame you for not seeing the trap. I think Optimus Prime would be proud of you. It is always hard to become someone when you have no role model. Look at me.” She waited until he looked at her before continuing.
“I lost my parents. How do you think the Autobots felt when they took in a small child who had just started school or when I was no longer a little girl? Mind you, lucky for them, Carly was around and she was able to help cope with the new changes. But when she wasn’t around, Optimus Prime had to pick up the slack. And it was not an easy job for him. Actually none of them at it easy with me, but we all survived and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
“He told me himself, during the trip out here, he would not have changed the learning experience for anything. It had helped him to give a better understanding towards humans, especially women. And when I was young it didn’t help when Megatron had found out about me and he tried to use me in many attempts to get Energon but of course always failed.”
“How did he fail?”
“Megatron never realized it until after about the tenth time in using me that you never take something precious away from Optimus Prime. Take his men, take his pride but never, never take the ones he love. Always seeing me on Megatron’s leash always pissed Optimus Prime off. The last time was when Megatron realized it, Optimus Prime almost destroyed Megatron and from that day, Megatron never used me.”
“Are you telling me that Optimus Prime had a dark side?”
“Everybody does at one point or another. Perhaps what you are really afraid of was that you blame yourself for his death.”
Rodimus almost chocked on his food. He coughed a few times, causing Lilly to move her hands. When his coughing fit subsided. Lilly decided that it was time to end the conversation and finish eating before they had attracted any more people who had already stopped and looked at them. When they left the restaurant, they walked to a nearby bench, which was secluded from where people were starting to gather around the pool.
Lilly continued when they were seated. “To answer your question before you ask it. Last night after you fell asleep, I called Spike. I didn’t tell him that you are human at the moment but I did ask him what happened when Optimus Prime died. He told me that you got in the way and Megatron used you as a shield, preventing Optimus from firing his gun, which in turn caused Megatron to make the fatal blow.”
Rodimus leaned forward, placing his hands around his head. “I was foolish and stupid. I shouldn’t have gotten in the way. He even ordered me to back away but I didn’t listen. It’s my fault that I have the Matrix, my fault that the Autobots lost the greatest leader they ever had.”
Lilly wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. “Don’t blame yourself. If you hadn’t interfered, Megatron would have used something else. Either way, the end result would still be the same. The only thing that would have happened was the battle would have been longer and more Autobots would have died.”
Rodimus looked at Lilly. “I have never met a human quite like you.”
Lilly smiled. “You’ve said that yesterday. Now let’s get going to Drath’s and get you back to being the Autobot leader. The Autobots need you and you need the Matrix.”
“Lead the way,” he said.
-
The two quietly had entered Drath’s home and were doing well, until they entered his office, only to find a trap. The two had only been in the room a moment before the door quickly closed and restraints were wrapped around the two. Suddenly bright sunlight shone through a window and Lilly gasped. Before her very eyes, were Michelle standing beside Drath.
From the corner of the room a masked man appeared.
“Snake pointed out a problem,” Drath said, moving away from the window and pressed a button on his computer screen. “With eliminating only the four of you, namely the entire Autobots who might be tempted to vengeance. I believe in solutions not problems. You can watch the destruction of Metroplex before you die.”
He looked at Rodimus then Lilly. He walked over to her, giving a slight grip to her chin. “It’s a shame about you my dear. You have the stupidity of befriending this man.”
“You leave her alone,” Rodimus hissed, struggling with his restraints.
Victor turned to the Autobot leader. “Oh don’t worry, I won’t be harming her, as of yet. It will give me great pleasure for the two of you to suffer.”
The mob boss moved away from the two and sat at his desk. He wanted to watch for himself as their own men would destroy the Autobots or at least they think it was their men.
They watched for several minutes when suddenly one of the vehicles took off, taking a hostage with him. Rodimus smiled as he saw Ultra Magnus, tied, run into the vehicle who was being piloted by Springer. He was manoeuvring his own body.
Victor slammed his fist down on the desk before picking up a radio transmitter. “Forget the Autobot, you have enough explosives in the other Autobots to waste Autobot City.”
Lilly and Rodimus realized their restraints accidentally let go. Rodimus was the first to act, he quickly swung around, slamming the two men that held him into each other, knocking them out. He jumped out of the way as Lilly had done the same but he didn’t stop. He jumped up to Drath, ready to strike him down.
“It won’t do any good. Your friends are already in grave danger.”
“Rodimus!”
He looked up to see Lilly holding a gun.
“Go.” She tossed him her keys. “Take my car. The last time I was visited with Wheeljack, before he died, and the Dinobots, Wheeljack installed a device so I could get to the Ark at good time without being on the road too long. I’ll handle these two.”
Rodimus didn’t really want to leave Lilly with the mob boss and his girlfriend but getting to his friends was important. He moved away from Victor and ran out the door.
“Now it’s you, me and the this gun. One move and you’ll be having your trial in the hospital. Michelle, I tried to help you to get away from him but you wouldn’t listen now you’ll be going to jail with attempted murder on two accounts.”
Lilly looked around but couldn’t see any sign of the masked man.
-
Rodimus sighed in relief. He was back with his friends and Perceptor, who traveled with them back to Drath’s mansion, was making provisions of getting the four Autobots back in their own bodies. As Rodimus waited, he saw the cops arrive. He smiled, as he knew Victor Drath was going to go to jail on multiple accounts. He turned to see Lilly standing in the doorway.
“Soon you’ll be back in your body.”
Rodimus stood and walked over to the woman. “And I have you to thank for it.”
“Why? What did I do? I may have helped you get here but it was your friends that stopped the attack on Metroplex.”
“That maybe so but now I have a little more to look forward to at being leader of the Autobots. I was starting to feel run down and I have only been leader for a year.”
“Well I should go and give my statement. You should be with your friends.”
“They are your friends too.”
“I know but…” she leaned her head down.
Rodimus gently placed his hand under her chin and lifting so that he could look in your eyes. “This may be the last time I will look at a human at this level and I want to remember this.”
Before Lilly could ask what he was talking about, he leaned forward, lightly touching his lips to hers. Lilly’s eyes widened before closing and pushed herself closer to him, causing their lips to lock. Rodimus moved away, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek.
“You’re one of a kind.” He slowly began to move his hand away from her cheek and began to back up away from her.
Lilly opened her eyes and saw that he was moving away from her. With quick action, she swung her arms up, locking them behind his neck before placing her lips on his. When she allowed him to move away, the two looked at each other.
A single tear slid from her eye and was caught quickly by his thumb. “I really need to go.” Rodimus couldn’t understand why he kissed her but it surprised him more when she returned the kiss.
“I know and I need to make my statement.”
“Rodimus,” Perceptor called from the other room. “We’re ready.”
“I’m on my way.” He quickly turned away from Lilly and walked away.
When he was gone, she left the area to make her statement. She entered the office of Victor Drath’s and saw as Michelle and Drath were being handcuffed and having their rights said out.
The police chief looked at her. “And you are?”
Lilly looked at him before answering. “I am Lilly Merald. I have been with Rodimus Prime for the past twenty-four hours.”
“Good. I need to get a statement from you of this account,” the chief answered. “You are the one I’m looking for.”
“Ask your questions,” Lilly said.
“Well to start off, when did you meet up with Rodimus Prime?” he asked.
“I was living with Michelle, Victor’s girlfriend, and when I arrived he was there. From there an argument broke out between her and myself and then she kicked me out telling me to take Rodimus Prime with me. I have been with him since.”
“And what did you from there?”
“When we left her home, I looked for a nice Motel to stay at as I don’t have a place to stay. We settled in for the night at East Side Inn. When we woke this morning, we had breakfast and then proceeded to here where we were ambushed and Mr. Drath confessed his plans in destroying all the Autobots.”
“And how was he going to do that?”
“Well to begin off at, he tricked the Autobots into coming here, where he captured them and then transferred their minds to human bodies, which weren’t suppose to come to life. Once the Autobots bodies were no longer alive, he hotwired them to be controlled from the inside. From there, he had his men load up many explosives into the bodies and then send them into Autobot City where the explosives would detonate.”
“Is there anything else you can tell us?”
“Just that I would do anything to help the Autobots as I was raised by them for fifteen years. Other than that, I don’t think so. I mean there’s no sense in explaining to you what we ate or what we did to pass the time away as we waited for daylight.”
“So you are the adopted Autobot. I’ve heard a bit about you but wondered if I would ever get the chance to meet you. Thank you Miss Merald. Are you wanting to press charges for the assault on yourself?”
“damn straight, I am. The men who held me had a gun and I don’t like having a gun pressed into my back.”
“Thank you. You may leave. I believe the Autobots are done the transfer.”
Lilly nodded, turned and left the room. On her way out, she saw Michelle was being escorted outside. Moments later, Lilly saw the Autobots walk into the room. She heard Perceptor say something about his adventure but didn’t here what his answer was. She looked up and gasped.
Rodimus Prime was nothing like what he used to be, at least from what she could remember of the few moments of seeing him.
“Well hello, Lilly,” Perceptor said.
“It’s been awhile, Perceptor,” Lilly smiled, looking at him for a moment.
“It has been awhile.”
“Lilly? Is that my main lady, Lilly?” Blaster asked from behind. He pushed himself forward. “Hey Lilly! It’s nice to see my sis.”
Lilly chuckled. “You never change.”
“You know each other?” Springer asked, confused. He wasn’t the only one. He looked at Ultra Magnus and he was just as buffled.
Perceptor looked at the green triple changer. “Autobots meet Lillian but everyone calls her Lilly. Years ago, during a Decepticon attack, there was a family trapped between the crossfire. Lilly’s parents and older brother were killed but Lilly survived, thanks to Optimus Prime and Ironhide. Taking matters into his own hands, Optimus Prime took her in and between all of us we raised her. When Optimus and the others left for Cybertron and you were stationed here, Lilly had decided to leave the Ark and start her own life.”
“That was six years ago,” Lilly finished.
“So this is the girl,” Ultra Magnus said, understanding. “Is the one Grimlock keeps ranting about.”
During the whole conversation, Lilly and Rodimus stared at each other. Even though it had only been twenty-four hours since they met, a bond was created between the two. A bond Rodimus was starting feel attracted to her.
“Where are you staying, Lilly?” Perceptor asked.
His question forced her to break contact with Rodimus. “Wh…oh. I don’t have a place. Last year I was laid off from my job, pay cuts. Shortly there afterwards I moved in with Michelle. It took a little time but I did manage to get back on my feet. Last night, Michelle threw me out because of her involvement with Drath. Rodimus was also there too. At the moment I have no place except for the Motel I stayed at.”
Springer scratched his head. “How did we miss you when we came in? We were still human.”
“I didn’t want to get in the way. Besides if Perceptor saw me, he would have stopped and talked and that would have delayed the transfer process.”
“That is true. I haven’t seen you since before the battle with the Decepticons,” Perceptor said.
“Why don’t you stay with us?” Rodimus offered getting back to where Lilly was staying. “I’m sure the Dinobots would love having you around. Not to mention the other Autobots that have missed you.”
“Well I wouldn’t want to impose,” she said.
“Nonsense,” Arcee said with a smile. “It would be nice to have someone to talk to that isn’t male.”
Lilly chuckled. “You guys travel back and fourth from Cybertron and here. I don’t think I could handle that. I just need a few days and I’ll have another place. It won’t take me long to find an apartment.”
“I don’t think I would be able to relax if you lived in an apartment. At least let us find you a place,” Rodimus said.
Lilly cocked her head. “Is that you talking or the once grand leader behind the Matrix. Because that’s sounds a lot like Optimus. He was like a father to me.”
Rodimus smiled. “Perhaps a little bit of both. Lilly, may I introduce you to Arcee, Springer and Ultra Magnus.”
“It’s nice to you meet you. I’m Lilly Merald, adopted into the Autobots.”
The six Autobots and Lilly walked outside just in time to see the police put Drath in the cruiser.
“Let’s go home,” Rodimus said as he watched Michelle disappear into the car. “Why don’t I give Lilly a drive back to her hotel?”
“Rodimus, you don’t have to do that. I do have my SUV here. I can drive.”
Rodimus sighed. She was a very stubborn woman. “Then will you at least let us escort you to the hotel.”
Lilly smiled. “That I don’t mind. Perceptor. Blaster. Would you guys like a ride?”
Blaster knelt to the woman. “You bet.”
Lilly walked to her car. When she began to climb in, Rodimus commanded. “Autobots! Transform.”
Blaster quickly shrunk his size and landed in the front seat, Perceptor did the same. When Lilly revved her engine and pulled out, Rodimus was right on her tail. She could tell Arcee and Ultra Magnus were behind him and Spring took to the air.
She felt safe, knowing she was with the Autobots again. But she wasn’t sure if she could get the courage to see the others. So much had happened and she lost a lot of her old friends. Optimus, Ironhide, Huffer. That was just to name a few. She knew many others lost their lives and she knew which ones too. But she also knew that was war. She still had many other friends who survived like the Arialbots and the Dinobots.
Along the way as Blaster had his music going and Perceptor gabbing away, she kept thinking about the kiss her and Rodimus shared. What did the kiss mean? Why did she kiss back and just as passionate? Why did he kiss her? Was it just an experience or was it something more? There were too many questions for her. Her questions, she knew were going to be left unanswered, at least for a while. Deciding that racking her brain around the kiss wasn’t the answer, she allowed her mind to drift off it and concentrate on Perceptor and what he was saying.
Chapter Summary: While being human and resting at the home of Victor Drath’s girlfriend, Rodimus Prime meets another woman in the episode “Only Human”. The woman knows just as much about the Autobots as Spike and his family does. But why does she? What if she was the one who helped in getting the Autobots back into their true bodies?
New Prospective On Life
Rodimus Prime sat on the sofa, resting. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d have a day like this one. Even before he became Prime, he never thought anything could get as strange as they were. Here he was sitting in a human’s house, resting on their sofa and to top it off he was human also. Him, Arcee, Springer and Ultra Magnus were turned to human from a man named Victor Drath. But why did Drath separate them from their bodies and what did he want with the bodies? The only answer he could come up with was to make the Autobots look evil, like that hasn’t been done before.
He remembered a time when Perpector told him about an incident that happened with the Autobots. The Decepticons tricked the humans into thinking they were the good guys and the Autobots were the bad guys. The Autobots then were banished from Earth. And they even almost destroyed the Autobots except the Autobots were somehow able to break control of being thrust into the sun and made their way back to Earth and cleared their names.
“Is there anything more I can get you?”
Rodimus looked up at the sound. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had forgotten that he was in the house of the woman who was beside Drath when they were transferred. She was sitting beside him, wrapping up his arm that had been shot at when he tried to break into Drath’s house.
“Why are you being helpful?” he asked.
“Because I hate to see a handsome man injured.”
She knew who the man was but she didn’t want him to know that just yet. She quickly got up. A few minutes later she brought him a cup a coffee.
“What’s this?” he asked. He took the coffee and smelt it.
“It’s breakfast dummy,” she answered.
He took a quick sip, knowing it was hot. He had seen Daniel drink something like it before and knew it was hot. He scrunched his eyes in distaste. “It smells better than it tastes.”
She took a deep breath. “We’ve met before, haven’t we? I recognize the look in your eyes. You’re that Autobot leader.”
Rodimus looked at the woman and jumped up, dropping the cup on the carpeted floor.
“For heaven’s sake, take it easy.” She tried to force him to sit back down. But he slightly shoved her hands aside and walked to the window.
“Does Drath know I’m here?” he asked, saddened. He had hoped she wouldn’t figure him out.
She walked up to him and wrapped her arm around his. “No, he’s been totally occupied with business.”
“Can you get me into his house?” He turned to her.
“I’ll help you anyway I can but first you need some food. You may still have a mind of a robot but you are human. Human bodies…”
“I know. Humans can’t survive without food. I’m actually surprised you’d be willing to help me.”
“I don’t like what Drath did to you,” she answered. She pulled on his arm and he willingly moved to sit back on the sofa. “But it’s nice to know that you survived that transfer. Your bodies were not supposed to turn into living tissue.”
“Well that explains why they are chasing us.” A slight noise interrupted him. “I guess I do have all human functions.”
The woman slightly chuckled. “I’ll get you some food.”
She looked up as the door opened up. At first the woman thought it was the men who were chasing the Autobot leader but when she heard the leader give a slight sigh of relief she knew it wasn’t. It was another woman.
“Sorry Michelle for being…” the woman turned and stopped as she closed the door. “…Late.”
Michelle, or whom Rodimus believed that was her name, stood from the sofa and walked over the other woman. “That’s alright Lilly. Why don’t you keep our guest company while I get some food for him? Drath is up to his old tricks again.”
Lilly placed an armful of bags on the floor and then her hands were sitting on her hips. “Michelle, why can’t you get the clue to get away from him?”
“Lilly,” Michelle sighed. “Let’s not start this again, especially in front of the man.”
Before the argument was to go further, Michelle turned and walked towards the kitchen. Lilly walked over to the sofa and sat in one of the chairs near the sofa.
“So what type of tricks has Drath done to you?” Lilly wasn’t expecting the response that she was about to receive. She was expecting that Drath tried to kill him and how she knew the mobster.
“I am the Autobot leader, Rodimus Prime. Drath has turned me and three of my friends into humans and from what your friend has told me, our true bodies are ok and that we were not meant to survive the transfer.”
Lilly’s eyes widened in shock. “Autobot leader? Oh my god. I’ll be right back.”
Lilly got up and left the room. When she entered the kitchen she had the look of don’t cross with me.
“Michelle!” she said sternly.
Michelle turned at the sound.
“How could you do that? How could let Drath do that to the Autobots?”
“I had no choice!” Michelle snapped.
“Had no choice, ya right!”
-
Rodimus looked up as heard Lilly yell out Michelle’s name. Too curious as to what she was angry about he got up and went to investigate. When he was close enough to the kitchen, he was able to hear everything that was heard.
“Lilly you know what Drath does when I don’t obey him.”
“And you know how much I love those robots. I have been around the Autobots ever since I was little. Optimus Prime took me in when my parents were killed by a Decepticon attack.”
“Look I had no idea that he was about try and destroy the Autobots.”
“That’s not the point. The point is, Drath is your boyfriend who has abused you. And I have been trying to tell you to get away from him.”
“Why don’t you understand,” Michelle said angrily. “If I was to leave Drath, he would hunt me down and kill me.”
“You could ask the Autobots for protection,” Lilly countered.
“Look, will you drop it already!” Michelle snapped. She threw the plate she held, across the room. It smashed against the opposite wall, making the room go silent. Neither of the two women said another word.
Rodimus stood silent as well, almost barely breathing. He couldn’t believe what he just saw or heard. The woman known as Lilly knew the Autobots from the time she was a kid.
Michelle was the first to break the silence. “Lilly,” she said with a calm and cold voice. “I have been patient with you but you have finally gone too far. I want you to pack your belongings and I want you out. Take the Autobot with you.”
Michelle turned, walking towards a door that would lead her outside. She opened the door, revealing a beautiful yard with a pool. She stopped just before shutting the door. “When I get back, you better not be here.” With that she slammed the door.
Lilly watched with wild eyes as the blinds on the door vibrated back and fourth. She watched until the blinds stopped moving before she moved to leave the room, planning on leaving the shattered plate on the floor. When she turned she saw the Autobot leader standing at the doorway with a confused look in his eyes.
“That could have gone better,” he said, breaking the eerie silence.
“Ever since she met Victor, she hasn’t been the same as she was.”
“You met Optimus Prime?” Rodimus wanted to change the subject as he saw that her eyes were beginning to brim with tears.
“He saved my life and when it was confirmed that my parents were killed, he took me in and allowed me to stay at the Ark until I was able to live on my own. I have been on my own for the past six years. When I left, Optimus left for Cybertron and I haven’t seen him since.
“I was really upset the day I heard he died when the Decepticons had their last major attack and Autobot city was almost demolish. And now you have his spirit and his Matrix of leadership.”
“You know a lot about the Autobots.”
“One learns a lot when they live with them for fifteen years.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lilly was about to walk by him when she stopped and looked at him. “For what?”
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to leave.”
Lilly snorted. “Don’t worry. Her making me leave was bound to happen. I have not supported her relationship with Victor and she knows it.”
“My question for you is how did you come to live here?”
“Come and I’ll tell you.” She left the room, knowing that the Autobot leader would be behind her. When she reached her room, she began to grab what small amount of clothes she had. She placed the clothing in a suitcase.
“What about the other things?” Rodimus asked.
“They aren’t really mine. Michelle allowed me to use them. They had belonged to her sister before she left.” Lilly sat on the bed. “Now the reason why I know Michelle.”
“I did ask that.” Rodimus sat beside her.
“After I moved away from the Ark, I met Michelle. Her and I became fast friends. But when I started to have some rough times, I was going to go back to stay with Autobots again but then the attack happened. I was so upset when Optimus was killed and then Michelle took me in. That is when I found out that she was sleeping with a mobster.”
“And you have never liked the idea of her being with the man.”
“Exactly. Did you want something to eat before we leave?”
“If I heard it correctly, she wants you to take me with you.”
“I have never seen her that angry.”
-
As soon as the two had a bite to eat, they left Michelle’s. The two climbed into Lilly’s SUV and before they went too far, she stopped at the bank to take some money out. When she was done, they drove in silence until Lilly came to a motel that looked quite nice. Before seeing about a room, she checked around the building and saw there was a nice size pool, with a handful of children playing and their parents. Not far from the pool there was a couple of seater swings and other patio furniture surrounded around the pool.
Satisfied of the back, she decided to walk into the building. She noticed there was a door leading into the building from the pool area. The two walked in and right in front of her…well actually side of her, was the reception desk. She quickly looked around the room and saw that it was a simple room with a couple of chairs.
She walked over to the desk; Rodimus stayed behind and looked around. He felt out of place but he knew no one would recognize him.
“Excuse me,” Lilly said. “But I was wondering if you have a vacant room?”
“Yes we do. We have a few rooms left. Would you like one?” One lady said. She had a nice cheery voice and smile.
“Well actually I would like to see one of the rooms before I say if I want one. I like to see the room I’m going to rent before taking it to make sure that it’s not a shit hole.”
The woman behind the counter was taken aback by the comment. “Can you wait a moment?” She watched as Lilly nodded before quickly disappearing from behind the counter.
Lilly walked over to Rodimus. “If the room is as nice as the rest of the building, I’ll be staying. Did you want to stay here too?”
“I need to stop Drath and get back into my own body and that is if it’s possible.”
“It should be. If Drath was able to transfer you to a body, he’d be able to reverse the effect. You may need to stop Drath but do you have any idea how?”
Rodimus lowered his head. “No.”
“Ok. I’ll get a room for the two us and then we’ll work on getting you back in your own body.”
“You would help us?” Rodimus looked at the woman.
“Why not? I was raised by the Autobots. And to me, you’re my family. Heck you are the all the family I got. And just because I never really met you, doesn’t make us any less of family. You may not be Optimus but you hold the Matrix.”
Rodimus looked past Lilly. “I think the woman you were talking to, just got her manager.”
Lilly turned to see the manager walking towards her.
“I was just informed that you would like to see one of our vacant rooms before deciding if you’re going to take it.”
“Yes. I was taught at a young age to always make sure that I’m treated well and not to stay in a place that looked a little run down. So far I like what I see, but I would like to see the room.”
The manager nodded. “What would room would you like to see?”
“I want a room with two beds please.”
The manager nodded again. “Follow me.”
The three humans walked outside on to the patio and walked away from the pool. Just on the other side of the pool, there was a two-story building. Both floors were lined with rooms. The manager walked up a set of stairs and once getting to the top, he stopped at the first door.
Lilly first walked in, checking out the room. The room had two beds, a dresser with a TV on top of it. The smell of the room, smelt like fresh paint and the beds looked freshly made. Two chairs were on either side of a door, which led to the bathroom.
Lilly walked over to the bathroom and looked in. When she turned back to the manager, she had a smile.
“We’ll take the room. But I’ll have to pay by the day. We do not how long we’ll be needing to stay.”
“Of course. It’s 90 per night.”
Lilly pulled out her wallet and handed the manager the right amount of change.
“If you would come with me to fill out the necessary papers and give you a key to the room,” the manager said as he left the room.
“Why don’t you stay here? It’s probably safest for you here. No one will try to find you here.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I need to try and get a hold of my friends.”
“I’ll do what I can.” Lilly turned to do what was needed to have the room.
When she returned she noticed that Rodimus was watching a TV program.
“What are you watching?” she asked.
Rodimus turned. “Just a news report on the attack a few days ago.”
“I’m sure Victor Drath was involved.”
“He was. We had received anonymous tip about Drath being involved and when we went to investigate we fell into a trap.”
“Chances are Michelle sent the tip to you guys.”
Rodimus stood up from the bed, anger in his eyes and punched the blankets. “If none of this would have happened…”
Lilly walked over and placed a comforting hand on the scared man. Though he was an Autobot leader, normally, he wasn’t in a position that he knew and had no idea in how to get out. And that most of all scared the hell out of him.
“You didn’t know that you were being led into a trap,” she said in comfort.
“That’s not the point. I would have been able to contact my friends and give them the heads up.”
“I know that. But there will always be a time when you guys will not be able to contact the other and this is one of those times.”
Rodimus looked at the comforting hand and then the face the hand belong to. He had forgotten that she knew much on the Autobots.
“I don’t know why but I feel like I can trust you. You claim to have been raised by Autobots, but I don’t know you. You know things about the Autobots that not a lot of humans do. Perhaps it’s because you knew Optimus Prime and the matrix will react to what he knew.”
“Well for starters there have only been four other humans who have really gotten to know you guys. Spike, his father Sparkplug, his wife Carly and the kid they have. Can’t remember his name.
Rodimus’s eyes widened. She knew the Witwicky’s. “His name is Daniel.”
“I haven’t seen him since he was real small.”
“When was it that you left the Ark?”
“Six years ago, in 2000.”
“That was the year I came to Earth.”
The two of them looked at each other for a moment before both of their eyes widened in realization. They had met before.
“You are Hot Rod,” she gasped.
“Was, you mean,” he sighed.
“I remember meeting you but it wasn’t very long. You arrived the day before I left.”
“And not long after that, Metroplex was completed and I was stationed there.”
“Metroplex, that is Autobot city?” she watched as he nodded. “I never realized.”
“Neither did I. Now I know you’re telling the truth.”
Lilly slightly smiled. “I figured you didn’t quite believe me. But now you know that I am…”
“I need to find Drath and find out if there is a way to get back in my body.”
“I can help you break into Drath’s office at his mansion.”
“I can’t let you do that. It’s too dangerous. He’s a dangerous man.”
“Rodimus, I am not going to let you go there alone. Besides how are you going to get there? Chances are he’s planning on doing something with your bodies and we need to stop him before he damages the Autobots reputation.”
Rodimus sighed. He knew many humans but none were as stubborn as she was, well except for the exception of Spike. He sometimes was a pain in the neck but he always meant well. He had known the Autobots ever since they were revealed and that was the day when Optimus and Megatron were reborn from being offline for four million years.
He looked at the woman in front of him and remembered the day he met her. It was only briefly but it did mean a lot to him. It was the first time he was on the planet and didn’t know anything. It was the very first time he ever met Optimus Prime but had heard a lot about his reputation.
Flashback
Hot Rod walked into the main area of the Ark. He saw Optimus Prime, Ironhide and two humans. Well he figured they were humans as the Earth was populated with them.
“About time you made it.”
He turned and saw Kup coming up behind him. He had known Kup for a many years but never really talked to him much.
At the sound of Kup’s voice, Optimus Prime and Ironhide turned. The humans were also looking at him.
Hot Rod stood at attention. “Reporting for duty sir,” he saluted.
“At ease,” Optimus said. “You are on Earth now. I haven’t been much into military salutes in a long while.”
Hot Rod took a relax position. “I’m Hot Rod. I am here from my platoon leader to assist and help maintain an Autobot presence.”
“Who is your platoon leader?” one of the humans asked.
Hot Rod wasn’t sure how to answer.
Optimus noticed Hot Rod seemed a little uncomfortable. “Hot Rod, I would like you to meet two very special humans and good friends. This is Spike; he has been with us from the very start. And this is Lilly, she has been living with us for a while now.”
“Please to meet you,” Spike said.
Hot Rod watched the one known as Lilly jump down from one of the Autobot seats and made her way towards him. She climbed up on to one of the computers.
“You’re kinda cute,” she said. “Oh and don’t mind Spike’s question. He’s always into questions. Of course he isn’t the only one as his young son is always asking too many questions. Oh and Earth is a nice place to live and it’s always nice to meet another Autobot.”
“Thank you, I think,” Hot Rod said.
He watched as the woman turned away from him. “Optimus, is everything ready for me for tomorrow?”
“Yes. And if it’s not too much trouble, I would like to drive you to your new home.”
“Is there anyway you can get all the Autobots?”
“For what reason?” Optimus asked.
“I want to say something and I would like to say it once.”
Optimus Prime turned from what he was doing and walked over to Teletran 1. “All Autobots,” he said into a speaker. “Report to the main area at once. This is not a drill or a Decepticon attack. Lilly would like to talk to everyone.”
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking,” Hot Rod said. “But why did you say it that way?”
“Ya have much to learn,” Ironhide said. “For one thing, ya don’t have to call him sir. And secondly he said that so no one would come running in here, alarmed.”
After a few minutes of silent, Autobots began to enter the room. When everyone was in, Hot Rod was amazed at how many were actually on Earth.
“Guys,” Lilly said. “I just want to say that I am so glad that I have gotten to know you. You were all great while I tried my best to continue on life. You all treated me with kindness and made me feel like part of the team…family.”
“You wanted us here to tell us that,” Gears grumbled.
Lilly chuckled. “I will miss all of you and hopefully will be able to once in awhile visit or you guys visit me but I know that stopping the Decepticons take presidency over that.”
Grimlock walked over to the woman and picked her up. “Me Grimlock say that we Dinobots will make sure to visit Lilly.”
“That will be nice. If it weren’t for you guys, I don’t know what my life would have ended up being. I probably would have been killed too or would have been placed in a foster home.”
“Well if that is the case,” Hound said. “We need to give you a farewell party.”
End Flashback
“Rodimus is something wrong?” Lilly asked.
Rodimus looked at the woman, bringing himself out of his thoughts. “Sorry. I was just thinking back to the day I actually met you. It was the final day you were staying at the Ark. I only saw you for a few minutes. But how could I have forgotten who you are.”
“You were so nervous that day, I think a few things were left out of your data banks. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I saw you so briefly myself that I don’t even remember really meeting you.”
“Well for one thing. I don’t look like that anymore. When I took the Matrix, I grew in size and my alt mode is different too.”
“Why don’t we get some rest and food and then see about getting into Drath’s mansion tomorrow.”
-
When the sun began to peer through the window of the room, it woke the two occupants. The woman was the first rise before she looked at her friend in the next bed. She smiled as she watched as her friend was trying to block at the rising sun.
Lilly never seen an Autobot turn away from the sun and guessed that it was due to the fact that Rodimus wasn’t used to such light. Normally, being a robot, he would be able to look towards the sun and not worry about damaging his optics. But a human eye can be damaged.
“Why don’t you turn away from the sun and that way you can allow your eyes to adjust to the light?”
“I’m so use to seeing the sun, I forget that the light hurts human eyes.” He turned away from he window, facing the woman.
“I figured that is what the problem was. Once your eyes are comfortable to the light, we will head out. In the meantime, I will go and freshen up. Then we’ll head out to get some breakfast.”
When Lilly came out of the bathroom, she saw Rodimus was ready to go. When she knew she had Rodimus’s attention, she watched as he got up from the bed and walked to the door of the room. He opened the door and waited while Lilly grabbed her purse and keys. The two made their way across the lot where the pool was and towards the diner that was within the motel.
While the two ate breakfast, Lilly didn’t want to eat in silent.
“How’s your breakfast?”
“I’ve never tasted anything like it,” he said. “It definitely tastes better than coffee.”
“I agree with you there. I have never like coffee or tea. Mind you I have the occasional drink but I only like to drink on special occasions.”
“What are you drinking?”
“It’s apple juice. I always drink apple juice with my breakfast. You have something heavy on your mind,” Lilly turned serious.
Rodimus looked up from his breakfast. “How can you tell?”
“Your voice sounds unsure. You sound like you have disappointed someone.”
Rodimus lowered his head. “I suppose I have. I feel I don’t live up to Optimus Prime’s reputation. He was well known and liked and I feel like I let him down when I do something as fall into a trap.”
Lilly reached over the table, placing a gentle hand on Rodimus’s clenched fist.
“No one can blame you for not seeing the trap. I think Optimus Prime would be proud of you. It is always hard to become someone when you have no role model. Look at me.” She waited until he looked at her before continuing.
“I lost my parents. How do you think the Autobots felt when they took in a small child who had just started school or when I was no longer a little girl? Mind you, lucky for them, Carly was around and she was able to help cope with the new changes. But when she wasn’t around, Optimus Prime had to pick up the slack. And it was not an easy job for him. Actually none of them at it easy with me, but we all survived and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
“He told me himself, during the trip out here, he would not have changed the learning experience for anything. It had helped him to give a better understanding towards humans, especially women. And when I was young it didn’t help when Megatron had found out about me and he tried to use me in many attempts to get Energon but of course always failed.”
“How did he fail?”
“Megatron never realized it until after about the tenth time in using me that you never take something precious away from Optimus Prime. Take his men, take his pride but never, never take the ones he love. Always seeing me on Megatron’s leash always pissed Optimus Prime off. The last time was when Megatron realized it, Optimus Prime almost destroyed Megatron and from that day, Megatron never used me.”
“Are you telling me that Optimus Prime had a dark side?”
“Everybody does at one point or another. Perhaps what you are really afraid of was that you blame yourself for his death.”
Rodimus almost chocked on his food. He coughed a few times, causing Lilly to move her hands. When his coughing fit subsided. Lilly decided that it was time to end the conversation and finish eating before they had attracted any more people who had already stopped and looked at them. When they left the restaurant, they walked to a nearby bench, which was secluded from where people were starting to gather around the pool.
Lilly continued when they were seated. “To answer your question before you ask it. Last night after you fell asleep, I called Spike. I didn’t tell him that you are human at the moment but I did ask him what happened when Optimus Prime died. He told me that you got in the way and Megatron used you as a shield, preventing Optimus from firing his gun, which in turn caused Megatron to make the fatal blow.”
Rodimus leaned forward, placing his hands around his head. “I was foolish and stupid. I shouldn’t have gotten in the way. He even ordered me to back away but I didn’t listen. It’s my fault that I have the Matrix, my fault that the Autobots lost the greatest leader they ever had.”
Lilly wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. “Don’t blame yourself. If you hadn’t interfered, Megatron would have used something else. Either way, the end result would still be the same. The only thing that would have happened was the battle would have been longer and more Autobots would have died.”
Rodimus looked at Lilly. “I have never met a human quite like you.”
Lilly smiled. “You’ve said that yesterday. Now let’s get going to Drath’s and get you back to being the Autobot leader. The Autobots need you and you need the Matrix.”
“Lead the way,” he said.
-
The two quietly had entered Drath’s home and were doing well, until they entered his office, only to find a trap. The two had only been in the room a moment before the door quickly closed and restraints were wrapped around the two. Suddenly bright sunlight shone through a window and Lilly gasped. Before her very eyes, were Michelle standing beside Drath.
From the corner of the room a masked man appeared.
“Snake pointed out a problem,” Drath said, moving away from the window and pressed a button on his computer screen. “With eliminating only the four of you, namely the entire Autobots who might be tempted to vengeance. I believe in solutions not problems. You can watch the destruction of Metroplex before you die.”
He looked at Rodimus then Lilly. He walked over to her, giving a slight grip to her chin. “It’s a shame about you my dear. You have the stupidity of befriending this man.”
“You leave her alone,” Rodimus hissed, struggling with his restraints.
Victor turned to the Autobot leader. “Oh don’t worry, I won’t be harming her, as of yet. It will give me great pleasure for the two of you to suffer.”
The mob boss moved away from the two and sat at his desk. He wanted to watch for himself as their own men would destroy the Autobots or at least they think it was their men.
They watched for several minutes when suddenly one of the vehicles took off, taking a hostage with him. Rodimus smiled as he saw Ultra Magnus, tied, run into the vehicle who was being piloted by Springer. He was manoeuvring his own body.
Victor slammed his fist down on the desk before picking up a radio transmitter. “Forget the Autobot, you have enough explosives in the other Autobots to waste Autobot City.”
Lilly and Rodimus realized their restraints accidentally let go. Rodimus was the first to act, he quickly swung around, slamming the two men that held him into each other, knocking them out. He jumped out of the way as Lilly had done the same but he didn’t stop. He jumped up to Drath, ready to strike him down.
“It won’t do any good. Your friends are already in grave danger.”
“Rodimus!”
He looked up to see Lilly holding a gun.
“Go.” She tossed him her keys. “Take my car. The last time I was visited with Wheeljack, before he died, and the Dinobots, Wheeljack installed a device so I could get to the Ark at good time without being on the road too long. I’ll handle these two.”
Rodimus didn’t really want to leave Lilly with the mob boss and his girlfriend but getting to his friends was important. He moved away from Victor and ran out the door.
“Now it’s you, me and the this gun. One move and you’ll be having your trial in the hospital. Michelle, I tried to help you to get away from him but you wouldn’t listen now you’ll be going to jail with attempted murder on two accounts.”
Lilly looked around but couldn’t see any sign of the masked man.
-
Rodimus sighed in relief. He was back with his friends and Perceptor, who traveled with them back to Drath’s mansion, was making provisions of getting the four Autobots back in their own bodies. As Rodimus waited, he saw the cops arrive. He smiled, as he knew Victor Drath was going to go to jail on multiple accounts. He turned to see Lilly standing in the doorway.
“Soon you’ll be back in your body.”
Rodimus stood and walked over to the woman. “And I have you to thank for it.”
“Why? What did I do? I may have helped you get here but it was your friends that stopped the attack on Metroplex.”
“That maybe so but now I have a little more to look forward to at being leader of the Autobots. I was starting to feel run down and I have only been leader for a year.”
“Well I should go and give my statement. You should be with your friends.”
“They are your friends too.”
“I know but…” she leaned her head down.
Rodimus gently placed his hand under her chin and lifting so that he could look in your eyes. “This may be the last time I will look at a human at this level and I want to remember this.”
Before Lilly could ask what he was talking about, he leaned forward, lightly touching his lips to hers. Lilly’s eyes widened before closing and pushed herself closer to him, causing their lips to lock. Rodimus moved away, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek.
“You’re one of a kind.” He slowly began to move his hand away from her cheek and began to back up away from her.
Lilly opened her eyes and saw that he was moving away from her. With quick action, she swung her arms up, locking them behind his neck before placing her lips on his. When she allowed him to move away, the two looked at each other.
A single tear slid from her eye and was caught quickly by his thumb. “I really need to go.” Rodimus couldn’t understand why he kissed her but it surprised him more when she returned the kiss.
“I know and I need to make my statement.”
“Rodimus,” Perceptor called from the other room. “We’re ready.”
“I’m on my way.” He quickly turned away from Lilly and walked away.
When he was gone, she left the area to make her statement. She entered the office of Victor Drath’s and saw as Michelle and Drath were being handcuffed and having their rights said out.
The police chief looked at her. “And you are?”
Lilly looked at him before answering. “I am Lilly Merald. I have been with Rodimus Prime for the past twenty-four hours.”
“Good. I need to get a statement from you of this account,” the chief answered. “You are the one I’m looking for.”
“Ask your questions,” Lilly said.
“Well to start off, when did you meet up with Rodimus Prime?” he asked.
“I was living with Michelle, Victor’s girlfriend, and when I arrived he was there. From there an argument broke out between her and myself and then she kicked me out telling me to take Rodimus Prime with me. I have been with him since.”
“And what did you from there?”
“When we left her home, I looked for a nice Motel to stay at as I don’t have a place to stay. We settled in for the night at East Side Inn. When we woke this morning, we had breakfast and then proceeded to here where we were ambushed and Mr. Drath confessed his plans in destroying all the Autobots.”
“And how was he going to do that?”
“Well to begin off at, he tricked the Autobots into coming here, where he captured them and then transferred their minds to human bodies, which weren’t suppose to come to life. Once the Autobots bodies were no longer alive, he hotwired them to be controlled from the inside. From there, he had his men load up many explosives into the bodies and then send them into Autobot City where the explosives would detonate.”
“Is there anything else you can tell us?”
“Just that I would do anything to help the Autobots as I was raised by them for fifteen years. Other than that, I don’t think so. I mean there’s no sense in explaining to you what we ate or what we did to pass the time away as we waited for daylight.”
“So you are the adopted Autobot. I’ve heard a bit about you but wondered if I would ever get the chance to meet you. Thank you Miss Merald. Are you wanting to press charges for the assault on yourself?”
“damn straight, I am. The men who held me had a gun and I don’t like having a gun pressed into my back.”
“Thank you. You may leave. I believe the Autobots are done the transfer.”
Lilly nodded, turned and left the room. On her way out, she saw Michelle was being escorted outside. Moments later, Lilly saw the Autobots walk into the room. She heard Perceptor say something about his adventure but didn’t here what his answer was. She looked up and gasped.
Rodimus Prime was nothing like what he used to be, at least from what she could remember of the few moments of seeing him.
“Well hello, Lilly,” Perceptor said.
“It’s been awhile, Perceptor,” Lilly smiled, looking at him for a moment.
“It has been awhile.”
“Lilly? Is that my main lady, Lilly?” Blaster asked from behind. He pushed himself forward. “Hey Lilly! It’s nice to see my sis.”
Lilly chuckled. “You never change.”
“You know each other?” Springer asked, confused. He wasn’t the only one. He looked at Ultra Magnus and he was just as buffled.
Perceptor looked at the green triple changer. “Autobots meet Lillian but everyone calls her Lilly. Years ago, during a Decepticon attack, there was a family trapped between the crossfire. Lilly’s parents and older brother were killed but Lilly survived, thanks to Optimus Prime and Ironhide. Taking matters into his own hands, Optimus Prime took her in and between all of us we raised her. When Optimus and the others left for Cybertron and you were stationed here, Lilly had decided to leave the Ark and start her own life.”
“That was six years ago,” Lilly finished.
“So this is the girl,” Ultra Magnus said, understanding. “Is the one Grimlock keeps ranting about.”
During the whole conversation, Lilly and Rodimus stared at each other. Even though it had only been twenty-four hours since they met, a bond was created between the two. A bond Rodimus was starting feel attracted to her.
“Where are you staying, Lilly?” Perceptor asked.
His question forced her to break contact with Rodimus. “Wh…oh. I don’t have a place. Last year I was laid off from my job, pay cuts. Shortly there afterwards I moved in with Michelle. It took a little time but I did manage to get back on my feet. Last night, Michelle threw me out because of her involvement with Drath. Rodimus was also there too. At the moment I have no place except for the Motel I stayed at.”
Springer scratched his head. “How did we miss you when we came in? We were still human.”
“I didn’t want to get in the way. Besides if Perceptor saw me, he would have stopped and talked and that would have delayed the transfer process.”
“That is true. I haven’t seen you since before the battle with the Decepticons,” Perceptor said.
“Why don’t you stay with us?” Rodimus offered getting back to where Lilly was staying. “I’m sure the Dinobots would love having you around. Not to mention the other Autobots that have missed you.”
“Well I wouldn’t want to impose,” she said.
“Nonsense,” Arcee said with a smile. “It would be nice to have someone to talk to that isn’t male.”
Lilly chuckled. “You guys travel back and fourth from Cybertron and here. I don’t think I could handle that. I just need a few days and I’ll have another place. It won’t take me long to find an apartment.”
“I don’t think I would be able to relax if you lived in an apartment. At least let us find you a place,” Rodimus said.
Lilly cocked her head. “Is that you talking or the once grand leader behind the Matrix. Because that’s sounds a lot like Optimus. He was like a father to me.”
Rodimus smiled. “Perhaps a little bit of both. Lilly, may I introduce you to Arcee, Springer and Ultra Magnus.”
“It’s nice to you meet you. I’m Lilly Merald, adopted into the Autobots.”
The six Autobots and Lilly walked outside just in time to see the police put Drath in the cruiser.
“Let’s go home,” Rodimus said as he watched Michelle disappear into the car. “Why don’t I give Lilly a drive back to her hotel?”
“Rodimus, you don’t have to do that. I do have my SUV here. I can drive.”
Rodimus sighed. She was a very stubborn woman. “Then will you at least let us escort you to the hotel.”
Lilly smiled. “That I don’t mind. Perceptor. Blaster. Would you guys like a ride?”
Blaster knelt to the woman. “You bet.”
Lilly walked to her car. When she began to climb in, Rodimus commanded. “Autobots! Transform.”
Blaster quickly shrunk his size and landed in the front seat, Perceptor did the same. When Lilly revved her engine and pulled out, Rodimus was right on her tail. She could tell Arcee and Ultra Magnus were behind him and Spring took to the air.
She felt safe, knowing she was with the Autobots again. But she wasn’t sure if she could get the courage to see the others. So much had happened and she lost a lot of her old friends. Optimus, Ironhide, Huffer. That was just to name a few. She knew many others lost their lives and she knew which ones too. But she also knew that was war. She still had many other friends who survived like the Arialbots and the Dinobots.
Along the way as Blaster had his music going and Perceptor gabbing away, she kept thinking about the kiss her and Rodimus shared. What did the kiss mean? Why did she kiss back and just as passionate? Why did he kiss her? Was it just an experience or was it something more? There were too many questions for her. Her questions, she knew were going to be left unanswered, at least for a while. Deciding that racking her brain around the kiss wasn’t the answer, she allowed her mind to drift off it and concentrate on Perceptor and what he was saying.