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English
Series:
Part 12 of Worlds Apart
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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-05
Completed:
2013-03-23
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43,339
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10/10
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37
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3,506

Much More than Meets the Eye

Summary:

Twelfth in the Worlds Apart series:  A Decepticon attack against a function attended by Lacey and Ianto officially brings Torchwood into the war between the factions, and Ianto is forced to confront terrifying memories.

Chapter 1: Prologue: Father and Child

Notes:

Well, here it is, the story I’ve been waiting to write ever since seeing the first live-action Transformers movie in 2007, and to some degree, since I first got into Torchwood, nearly two years ago.  This is the real point of origin for the entire Worlds Apart series.  I want to alert you to a nickname that NEST has for Optimus, used by the individual soldiers at varying times in the story.  In the movies, they call him ‘Big Buddha,’ which is evidently his call sign (and doesn’t it suit him?) and ‘Big Man’ (courtesy of Epps), but in this story, the younger soldiers call him ‘Papa Bot,’ which is even more fitting than Big Buddha.  I cannot take credit for that:  it was originated by the amazing EpsilonPax and her writing partner, Bumbee, who graciously gave me permission to use it.  Go, check out their stories, if you aren’t familiar with them:  they are so worth your time. 

Chapter Text

Disclaimer:  All things Transformers (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jazz, Hot Rod, Ratchet, Jolt, Elita One, the Arcee triplets, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, Will Lennox and his family, Bobby Epps and his family, Skids and Mudflaps, Megatron, Starscream, Barricade, NEST, John Keller, Tom Banachek and Reginald Simmons) belong to Hasbro and/or Michael Bay.  Everything Torchwood (Captain Jack Harkness, Dr. Owen Harper, Suzie Costello, Toshiko Sato, Rhys Williams, Ianto Jones, the Torchwood Institute itself) belongs to Russell T. Davies, the BBC and Starz Studios to some degree.  Lacey Keller Harkness, her daughter Corinna, her mother and her sisters, along with Caitlin Banachek, on the other hand, are mine.  I'm not making money from these stories (helpful as that might be); my payment comes from giving the characters I love so very much even a little bit of happiness.

Much More than Meets the Eye

Prologue

Father and Child

 

Mojave Desert

2006

He stood tall, staring up at the night sky as the ‘comets' plunged to earth.  Eight more of his Autobots were arriving on Earth ... eight more members of his clan were joining him on their new home.  He had no idea which eight were arriving, but hoped with his whole spark that his remaining sparkling was among them.  Occasionally, he would look across the vast desert where he and his diminutive human allies waited for the newcomers.   The Mojave Desert, this was called, and Optimus Prime was continuously awed by how alive this planet was.

Bumblebee activated their internal comm, asking, ‘Do you believe that Rodi is with them?'  Optimus settled a hand on his youngest sparkling's shoulder.  Aside from his chosen little brother, very few humans knew that Bumblebee was his youngling, and that would remain the case for his own protection.  Even after so long, his spark wept when he remembered his precious femmeling's lifeless shell in his arms, and he was determined that would not happen again.  Never again.  He lost Sunburst.  He lost Elita.  He nearly lost both Bumblebee and Hot Rod, and by Primus, if he could protect his remaining children with his silence, he would do so!

"I hope so, little one.  Your older brother will be quite amused to discover that you two now have an ‘uncle' many vorns younger than yourselves," Optimus replied and Bumblebee chirped in amusement.  As of yet, he hadn't met Captain Jack Harkness, the young human director of NEST's sister agency, Torchwood, but Optimus mentioned him quite frequently.  And to a being as ancient as Optimus Prime, or even young Bumblebee (who was activated long before the pyramids of Egypt were built), Jack was very young, even at a hundred seventy.

"Especially since that ‘uncle' is also Mikaela's grandfather," Bumblebee observed.  Optimus was too old and too battle-hardened to show his surprise, and his youngest sparkling continued, "Mikaela wanted me to know, even though I'm remaining as Sam's guardian.  Their relationship is still very new, my sire, and she isn't ready to tell him.  I cannot blame her, particularly when you consider that Jack is more than a hundred years old, but looks like he's no more than thirty-five or forty.  Still, she feels guilty about keeping this from Sam.  I reassured her that I have much experience in keeping secrets.  This secret will be easy to keep."

Optimus said nothing for several moments as the first protoform unfolded from the pod.  Bumblebee added, "I'll explain further, my sire," and ended their conversation.  This was Jolt, a young mech who, from what Optimus was told, was a capable field medic.  Another protoform unfolded, and a quick hail on the internal comm informed him that Sideswipe was now on planet, and Optimus felt for the young front-liner.  He was uncertain where his twin Sunstreaker was, but he was sure that he wasn't deactivated.  Thinking of his spark ache when he lost his own brother, regardless of how power-mad he was by then, Optimus could only hope that Sideswipe was correct.  But if he was wrong ... if he was wrong, then he wouldn't be functioning.  So Sunstreaker was still alive, somewhere.  He had to be.

The Arcee triplets were next to approach, and he greeted them gravely, explaining that the most pertinent information about their new home could be found on the World Wide Web.  He cautioned them, however, about the sites they accessed.  There were some things he wasn't quite ready to discuss with his new troops.  As the triplets connected to the internet, another two protoforms emerged from their pods ... arguing.  Optimus would have rolled his optics, as he'd seen Major Lennox do when he was exasperated, but he was still Prime.  And here were the younger twins, Skids and Mudflap, who spent as much time fighting each other as they did the Decepticons.  On his shoulder, Major Lennox cleared his throat and asked, "Uhm, Optimus?  I don't understand a word of Cybertronian, but that sounds like arguing to me.  Are those two enemies or brothers?  You gotta admit, that line gets blurred sometimes."

"Those are the younger twins, Major, Skids and Mudflap," Optimus replied, trying (and largely succeeding) to keep the exasperation out of his voice.  The young major, admirably, did not respond aside from a rather telling ‘ah.'  The time Optimus spent on the World Wide Web informed him that most humans who behaved as Skids and Mudflap were called ‘class clowns.'  However, that same research told him that said humans often behaved that was deliberately.  Optimus wasn't sure which was worse.

"They're also called ‘the idiot twins,' Lennox.  I doubt if I need to explain the reasoning for that," Ironhide said gruffly.  Optimus virtuously restrained from laughing (he did not snicker and he did not chortle.  Primes did not snicker or chortle, they showed their amusement in other ways).  Ironhide added, "And unless my optics are malfunctioning, Prime, your older sparkling is emerging from his pod."  To his credit, the older soldier didn't refer to Hot Rod as his first-sparked; then again, he wouldn't.  He was there when Sunburst was murdered by her uncle and when a spark-shattered Optimus and Elita returned their beautiful little femmeling to the All-Spark ... he was always there for Optimus.  Primus willing, he always would be.

"You wouldn't have to worry about malfunctioning optics if you would come in when you were supposed to," Ratchet sniped, and Optimus simply ignored them, to say nothing of the chuckles that reached his audios from the humans.  His focus was entirely on the approaching Hot Rod.  It had been so long since he saw his older mechling ... further, they didn't part on the best of terms, with Optimus recovering from one of his near-deactivation experience and Hot Rod reeling from guilt and horror.

As Hot Rod approached him, Optimus was uncertain if he should be relieved or disappointed when his youngling said, "Hot Rod reporting to Earth, sir."  Hot Rod reporting to Earth, sir.  Nothing came through on the internal comms, and Bumblebee chirped at him anxiously.  Very well.  Commander to soldier, it was, then.  It seemed that Hot Rod still hadn't forgiven Optimus or himself for that long-ago battle with Megatron.  Optimus would honor his mechling's wishes.  He only hoped that Hot Rod didn't take his still-strong resentment out on his younger brother.  Brothers should stand together.  Optimus had no more chances with Megatron; he wouldn't let the same thing happen to Hot Rod and Bumblebee.

TBC