A Prime Destiny Fulfilled

Chapter 7

Driving away from the town, Optimus had decided to pick a side road instead of a main road to lessen the chance of being found by the agents and Lockdown. There was silence within the cab as the shock of what had happened was still fresh in the minds of the humans, and the loss of a friend was raw and painful. Optimus did not know Lucas very well, but he had observed Lucas to be a strange human, though he doubted that Lucas would have meant harm, even if he was the one to have contacted the agents regarding his location. Optimus understood that some people can make foolish decisions that can and will harm others.

While driving, Optimus was wondering where his autobots were. They had been forced to separate a long time ago in order to keep themselves from being in one spot and an easier target, and Optimus knew that Saphira was somewhere in the country as well. He only knew the ping of the bracelet she had been given was within the state of Wyoming, and he did not know if she was even still there. Though as long as one of the autobots were with her, Optimus would hope that she is safe.

However, while his bond with Saphira felt strained, he could feel she was weak. Something was wrong on her end, and Optimus guessed that Saphira might actually be sick. But he would not be able to know how sick she was, only based on the weakness he could feel. But that did not stop him from trying to reach through the bond to bring her the warmth and love she has been missing for so long. He just hoped that Saphira has not lost hope regarding their relationship.

Sometimes I cannot help but regret meeting Saphira. While the girl has been brave and willing to assist us autobots, it was never her war to begin with. She has almost died before, she has been hurt and went through losing our sparkling in the worst way possible. I know I still love her, but sometimes that is how I feel.

Now Optimus had more humans to protect. While he knew that if Cade had not found Optimus, this would not have happened. But he felt like he had unintentionally drawn these humans into this war and destroyed their lives. He was not sure if the humans will want to remain with him or not, but given what has happened, he felt obligated to protect them to the best of his ability. After all, this world has changed a lot since he arrived on Earth.

Tessa had been crying since leaving the town, as she was feeling extreme guilt for leaving Lucas behind. Her eyes were red and cheeks were stained as she turned her head to look at Cade. "Lucas, we just left him."

Cade placed his hand on Tessa's shoulder gently, squeezing to try and reassure her, knowing the guilt she was feeling as he too felt guilty. "He's gone."

Optimus had no words to say at this time, knowing that nothing he could say would be able to bring their friend back. He knew the feeling a little too well when it came to losing friends and family, so allowing these humans to grieve would be important. But he also knew that they might not have a lot of time to grieve for their friend, given the stakes were already high. But he kept that to himself, knowing it was a bad time to tell them.

After several hours of driving, and the sun was starting to set, they spot an abandoned gas station ahead of them. Cade leaned forward as he looked at it and shrugged a little. "Optimus, if you wouldn't mind, we might be able to take shelter here at that old gas station. There might be food and water we can use, and maybe other stuff."

"That might be ideal. I also need to think on our next move, Cade." Optimus pulled over to the side of the road, stopping near the old gas station as the humans open the doors to climb out. Once the humans were out, Optimus transformed, surprising the three humans. He punched the ground out of frustration of the events of the day and looked at the three humans sympathetically. "My deepest sympathies for the loss of your friend. Stay here until I'm sure we weren't followed. I also need to clear my mind for the next move. We are all targets now."