#opitmus robots

[artsybi]

learning that elon musk named his new robot line "optimus" is just forcing me to contend with the fact that he REALLY fucking wants to be skynet even more than i usually have to contend with it.

[searchingforatrail]

Chapter 2 of Shades of Me Chapter 2: In which Megatron does Jack a favor:

Summary: There are many different shades of Optimus Prime. And at some point in their complicated history, Megatron had become familiar with them all. The data droid, the Prime, the fearless, Autobot leader? He had grown accustomed to his former rival's varied existence. But Optimus Prime, the bot who decided to insert himself into the lives of three human children and their families? The mech who has devoted himself to the lives of humans? This is new.

(TW: mention of drug use amongst teenagers, nothing serious)

---

In Jack’s defense, the day had been a shit show.  He had failed a science exam he had actually studied for, had left his wallet in the laundry, so had no lunch money, had been harassed at the drive through by college students with too much time on their hands, and had gotten passed up on another “mission” Fowler had assigned the team on (all thanks to Arcee, actually. According to Wheeljack, she had “mother henned” very badly that morning). And now, he was alone without Raf and Miko for a good week and a half. 

He had made it a point to block them both on social media for that time too. 

So who could blame him for partaking in the number one, run-of-the-mill illegal activity for America’s youth at the time? Besides, it wasn’t like it was meth. It was just weed.  And it had done some good. He actually got along with Vince this time. Sure it took twenty dollars and sworn secrecy (“If you snitch to the cops, you’re fucking dead, Darby”), but they’d managed to speak for five minutes without cursing the shit of each other. A little. So he considered that a win. 

Presently, he nestled himself in between a stack of empty energon crates, making certain that the base was completely empty before he lit his joint. And even if someone did happen to walk in, at least in a base full of robots, no one could smell the scent of weed. Parents on the other hand could.  And he wanted to be as far away from his mother as possible. 

At the first inhale, Jackson Darby was in absolute bliss. He let the smoke work its magic, and felt the tension of the day unfurl within him. Putting his backpack on the ground, he leaned his head on it to make himself a makeshift pillow and let himself drift further and further into relaxation. 

Jack stayed by himself for a good while, letting the smoke work its magic. And for a very long time, it did. 

Until it didn’t.

“I was not aware that humans needed gas to survive.” 

Looming above him, peering into the open space amongst the tower of metal cubes like a scientist looking at a lab sample, was Megatron. Jack nearly choked. For two reasons–one, being caught high as a kite, by Megatron of all beings, was not how Jack wanted to spend his evening. At all. He was already pissed off. No need to add fear to his growing list of emotional grievances. 

Two–where Megatron was, Optimus was sure to follow. Megatron did not casually associate with humans for no reason, and avoided The Base alone at all cost. His appearance, from what Jack could tell, was relaxed, and he had no Decepticon guard accompanying. So that meant Optimus was close by. 

Great. Optimus knew enough about humans to know high schoolers shouldn’t be smoking. And Ratchet would know enough to know they shouldn’t be smoking weed. They might not be able to smell, but Megatron would tell them what he saw. 

 He could already see it–the ridiculous butterfly effect of Megatron telling Optimus, then Optimus telling Ratchet, who would tell Fowler, who would tell his mom. 

He swallowed dryly. The anxiety overriding the calming effects of his joint. That was frustrating. 

“Um.. Is Opti–”

The distant ‘clank’ ‘clank’ against The Base ground had told him everything he needed to know. He’d cataloged the loud, yet gentle footsteps that announced Opitmus’s presence ages ago. And while he would have been glad to talk to Optimus on any other occasion, today was not the day.

According to the schedule, no one was supposed to even be here. They were supposed to be in Cybertron for the week. All of them (“You Organics have The Base for the week, try not to mess it up.” Someone had said–probably Knockout, who’d been “banished” there after he’d been found smuggling things off of The Nemesis” ). 

Why was Megatron, and apparently Optimus, here? 

Megatron continued to look on, unblinking. The red optics taking in Jack’s obvious distress as Optimus grew closer. 

“--I uh–do you have a cockpit or something?” Sober, Jack would never ask Megatron this. He wasn’t like Miko who’d made her rounds through all the Decepticons who could fly. He preferred to stay on the ground, and not in the belly of his former nemesis. 

“No, but I have a small subspace large enough to carry energon cubes.” The stoic visage broke as the words slipped off of Megatron’s derma, as if he were supplying basic information to a doctor. Surprise colored his features. 

“Great. Can I please get in it? Like, now.” Jack stood to his feet and grabbed his bag, stomping the joint out onto the ground, “Like before Optimus comes in point five seconds.” He repeated, with urgency. 

“--And she got kicked out of class, again! Art class! I thought Miko liked art class.” Uptight and pompous as always, the echo of Ratchet’s voice bounced against the base walls. Jack’s heart dropped to his stomach. Of course Ratchet was with Optimus too. 

“I don’t see–” 

“Listen, i’ll clean out your ship for a week, i’ll polish–you or whatever, just please let me in your subspace.” 

The Decepticon had very little time to debate, for Jack had already walked up to him, hand hesitantly touching the metal on his pedes. 

Megatron hesitated. If this child was harmed while under his watch, he had no doubt that Optimus would be the one to throw them into another war without a second thought. He seemed to lose his fabled reason when it came to the human children. And while they had gotten somewhat closer since the treaty, he was not ready to risk Optimus’s wrath simply because he decided to be nice. 

In all honestly, he debated on walking away. He should have walked away. 

But Jack Darby had made an uncharacteristic attempt to bridge the unspoken gap between Decepticon and autobot. Decepticon and human. . And while he was not clearly in control of all of his facilities (a quick scan of his bio signatures had confirmed that), Megatron respected his bravery. And it would not go unrewarded. 

“Very well then,” and seamlessly, he transformed. Jack didn’t hesitate. Like an insect, he crawled onto Megatron, closing the open hatch as he did so. And he did so just in time, for Optimus and Ratchet had arrived. The latter announcing his presence with his usual grumbles and grunts. Megatron bore through it as much as he could, but with an organic within him, it was proving harder than he had thought. 

To say it was uncomfortable was an understatement.  It was nearly unbearable. He fought his own emergency protocols that demanded he expel the alien lifeform harbored inside of him, and the battle of wills was the hardest one he had fought in ages. 

An organic within him, twisting and turning, stowing away while he forced himself to make somewhat civil conversation with Ratchet who questioned why he was trapped in the autobot base, in his vehicle mode,  near the energon storage, and many other questions with the objective to incriminate him.

As usual, Optimus remained silent, letting Ratchet handle all the complaining for him. Oh how Megatron would have loved to silence him. If time couldn’t do it, he certainly had the right to. But that was the old him, he kept reminding himself. He could hate it, but he couldn’t act on it. 

And certainly not with a human larva running it’s fingers within the innermost parts of Megatrons’s frame. 

“Get your hands away from my T-Cog!” He hissed, just as the human’s small fingers retracted 

“What?” Ratchet snapped at him, “Have you lost your mind–wait, don’t answer that. I know you have. The Dark Energon is still messing with your processor. I don’t usually take Starscream seriously, but even he knew you shouldn’t have been messing with that…”

He rolled his optics. He couldn’t answer without giving his organic charge away. So he bore the interrogation until Ratchet stormed off, muttering about Decepticons and their inclinations to energon that did not belong to them. 

“Yes?” Megatron asked as Optimus remained, silent and unmoving. He was unnerving at times. His ex-enemy. His friend. His partner? 

Even for a robot, his stillness was unusual. But Optimus always was, wasn’t he.

“Jack, why are you hiding in Megatron?”  Had Megatron been in his alt mode, he would have gaped at the Prime’s perceptiveness. It was nearly impossible to detect anything past his armor, let alone an organic. Yet he did not feel like giving Optimus the satisfaction of seeing right through him, and instead remained silent as the teenager managed to find his way out of his hull. 

“Megatron, this is not the…wisest thing you've done.” He could tell from his tone that Optimus was less than pleased, though tamed it well underneath his tone. To Megatron’s surprise, it was the organic that came to his defense. 

“OP” Megatron could have rolled his optics at the absurd name, “It wasn’t his fault, I was smo–studying and I wanted a quiet place to do it, and everything around here was loud, you know.” Jack spoke as he kicked the lower hatch open, tossed his backpack out first, and let himself fall to the ground. Megatron whirled into life, frame towering over both Jack and Optimus. Though the latter, not by much. Optimus’s optics widened. 

“What, are you surprised he’s still alive?” He sneered, walking past the Prime, mindful not to step on Jack, “It’s as the fleshing said, he was studying.” He had no reason to stay here. Prime was with his favorite human, and Megatron could return to The Nemesis to get his processor checked for whatever virus had possessed him to harbor a human within his frame. 

He’d come back for what he was looking for later on. 

“I’m surprised you did something kind for him. And I'm surprised you’re willing to lie for him.” 

Jack’s jaw dropped. Megatron stopped as he turned around, glare dangerous. 

“You dare  accuse me of lying?” He snarled. Optimus remained stoic as always. “Jack, we might not be able to smell in the sense that you can. But we have registered scent particles from Earth. We can see them.  Bulkhead had to have a talk to Miko about marijuana last week, and the week before that. We are familiar with it.” He stated plainly. “And now Megatron “smells” of it.”

“Sometimes I forget you guys are super advanced robots,.” Jack says, defeated, “Is there a chance this stays between the three of us?” 

“Absolutely not. However, you get to decide whether we tell your mother or Ratchet first.” 

While Jack debated aloud why he should have told neither of them, Optimus found Megatron’s glare, which had now relented into perplexity. This situation was so absurd to him. 

“ Yes? ” He repeated. Optimus remained still for only a moment longer, before a meek smile crept onto his face plate. 

“What?” Megaton asked, baffled. That was unexpected. 

“Nothing.” And like that, Optimus had once again given Jack his full attention, guiding the boy out of the base and to where he’d presumably find Ratchet. Primus help the poor fleshling , Megatron thought to himself, as he turned back to the space where he’d found the boy, thinking of that smile Optimus left him with. 

And with Optimus gone, he returned to his present task.