"Thank you, it is nice to meet you too. You can call me...Pax".
"..mus"
"..ptimus?"
"OPTIMUS PRIME!"
The sudden noise jolted him out of his thoughts as he was forced down to see his stealth commander glaring at him with her arms crossed. " Primus, it's like you're not even here anymore, were you even listening to me?". He forced himself back into focus as he tried to recall the conversation he had just been having before he got lost in his memories. " I apologize, Arcee. I did not intend to lose focus ". She huffed while rolling her optics. " Primus, what has gotten into you lately? What could possibly be distracting you so much that you can't listen to simple battle plans?- ". ' I don't know, maybe the fact that we're in a war that I'm forced to fight in, leading a team of bots who only care about fighting and saving their own af-' He thought. " Honestly, you are our leader! You are supposed to listen to your team and take responsibility but I may as well be trying to teach coding schematics to a youngling!".
Ratchet had been listening while keeping an eye on the computers. Bulkhead and Bumblebee had been out on a mission to scout a possible energon mine when the argument started. He silently agreed that Optimus had been distracted lately but very much disagreed with how Arcee was approaching it. He understood her stress, but she was starting to take it a bit too far, even by his standards. Ratchet took a glance to his side, he could see the children watching from the railing. He could tell that Jack and Raf seemed a little distressed while Miko was silently placing bets on who would lose it first.
" We have been fighting YOUR war for millennia and all you have to show for it- " she was cut off, "MY war?". She paused before she looked him straight in the optics " Yes, YOUR war. There are only a few of us left now because of a tiff between YOU and YOUR friend-" "I...am not doing this right now! Arcee stand down you are dismissed from your duties for today and I suggest that you take a drive ".
They stared at each other, the silence was as deafening as the tension in the air was suffocating. By now Ratchet had fully turned around and was watching the two intently, surprised at the words of Arcee and even more surprised at the response from his leader. The children stood up straight and tense, not knowing what to do and Ratchet so desperately wished the other two guardians were here to take them home. He would do so himself to shelter the kids but to also step away himself from the conflict, but he would not feel any better not knowing if those two would be okay by themselves, as well as the two other members who were still on their mission and in need of a possible ground bridge soon.
The two fighting bots continued to stare at each other before Optimus relented. He simply turned around without a word...but that wasn't enough for Arcee. " Oh... so that's how it is. One of your teammates speaks out and they are dismissed. Primus forbid anyone speak up against the great Optimus Prime! You are just as responsible for this war as much as he is!"
" Arcee...maybe you should stop?... " Jack finally spoke up. The kids were getting too uncomfortable at this point and some of the things she was saying were getting out of hand. That distraction was enough to drag Arcee out of her rant remembering that the kids were still there. She vented softly and turned around to apologize to Optimus before realizing that he had already left. She stared at the spot that her leader had momentarily been standing in before turning and walking over to the kids.
" So...what was that about? " " Miko! " Jack scolded before quickly turning back to Arcee. " Sorry, is... everything okay? ". Arcee looked at him, offering a comforting smile before replying " Yeah... I'm sorry you kids had to see that, I shouldn't have lashed out at him like that... ". Raf thought for a moment before speaking up " Is... Is Optimus okay? He seems a little different lately... " She thought for a moment before reassuring them, " Yeah, I'm sure a little space will do him some good ". Rachet, who was now powering up the ground bridge for the other two guardians, turned to them. " He has been distracted lately, I will check on him once he has had time to cool down. Now, since it is getting late, as soon as your guardians get here it is time to go home. It is still a school night after all ". The trio were still worried but felt slightly better and agreed.
Once the kids packed up and the team had a chance to refuel, they set off toward their respective homes, leaving Ratchet by himself in the middle of the silo. He deeply venting, closing his optics and slightly shaking his head.
" Optimus... what is happening with you?... "
YOU ARE READING
Freedom At What Cost?
Fanfic"I have...grown very, very tired old friend. This war has taken its toll on me as well as every bot involved." 'I was not given a choice...I had to take on the burden of responsibility for millions of lives and the destruction of our planet. I...I n...
