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Birth - Chapter 6: Symbol

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"Oi!" a mech's voice growled. "Get up! You're not here for a recharge!"

Hot Rod's eyes automatically switched themselves online. He was not surprised to see the lime green mech in his field of vision, but he was annoyed that he was starting to see static and no longer his HUD. Shaking his head slightly, he sat up and stared at the mech. How dare he interrupt his sleep? He wanted nothing more than to bash him in for it, but the way he was looking at him made him think otherwise.

"Who are you anyway?" Hot Rod asked a little rudely without realising it.

The lime coloured mech shot him a glare, but his facial features softened a little when he saw Hot Rod's curiosity. He shook his head as he took out a tray full of tools that Hot Rod had never even seen before in his life. He had seen human tools that Tracy had used to fix him up, even recalling their names. But never had he seen tools like these ones. It was strange, but unique at the same time.

"My name is Ratchet," the mech said. "I'm the Chief Medical Officer of the Autobots. I am what humans would call a physician or a doctor. I repair injuries, give examinations to my patients, the usual on what you would expect a doctor would do."

Hot Rod nodded. He had heard of doctors, but he hadn't a clue on what they did. If Tracy had known about a doctor, why didn't she ask him to take her to a hospital when she had gotten sick with the flu? It was the only mystery he didn't understand at all. He vented a sigh, swinging his legs over the berth and stared into nothingness. There was nothing but bad memories on what had transpired not too long ago. Why did she have to die and he had to be on his own? Why?

"Kid?"

The young mech blinked in surprise when Ratchet waved a hand in front of his face. He turned his head slightly, fighting back tears of dismay. He couldn't afford to let Ratchet know of his pain. What could he do to fix his problem anyway?

"Yes?" he asked quietly.

"Are you alright?" Ratchet asked. "You looked like you'd just seen Unicron himself."

Hot Rod chewed his bottom lip, saying nothing in particular.

"Well, whatever is on your processor, kid, I'm sure you'll talk about it when you're ready." Ratchet then moved out of Hot Rod's line of vision and he heard clattering noises, but he paid no heed to them. He didn't even notice that Ratchet had grabbed a needle filled with a pink fluid until he saw him at the last second.

Out of his natural instinct, Hot Rod immediately rolled off the berth, fled to the other side of the room and backed himself into a corner, optics wide with anger and hostility. Ratchet was just standing there with mouth agape slightly. To Hot Rod, he had moved as naturally as he had usually done when he had to flee from a petrol station before he was noticed by humans. But to Ratchet, the youngling had moved so fast that he was out of his reach before he could bat an optic.

"What are you doing over there, kid?" Ratchet questioned when he finally appeared to regain his composure. "I was just going to inject you with antibiotics. It's what I usually do when it comes to examinations."

"You were the one who knocked me out with that needle," Hot Rod hissed angrily. "How can I trust your word? Sideswipe tricked me by distracting me long enough for you and Optimus to knock me down and stick the needle into me. You're just like everyone else! For all you know, you're going to inject me with something that will kill me from the inside out!"

Then Ratchet did something Hot Rod did not expect him to do.

He laughed.

The laugh was deep, almost in tone with Optimus' deep booming voice, but not as deep as he thought it sounded. Hot Rod clenched his fists in frustration, not understanding why Ratchet was laughing at him. What had he done to deserve it? He emitted a low growl, a growl that would've sent any human running. But not Ratchet. No, the lime green mech was still laughing at him.

"Stop it!" Hot Rod almost screamed.

"I apologise," Ratchet said once he had heard Hot Rod. "I was not laughing at you; I was laughing at the fact that you remind me of someone."

Hot Rod blinked in surprise, his shoulders lowering, his optics widening, and his posture relaxing somewhat. What did Ratchet mean when he said that Hot Rod reminded him of someone? He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, no longer as annoyed as he felt just then.

Ratchet petted the berth. "Come on, let's get this examination over and done with, and then you can go."

Sighing, Hot Rod returned to the berth, sat down, and kept his optics on Ratchet's hands the whole time he was looking for something on his elbow pit. Finally, Ratchet found what he was looking for: a small cap that even Hot Rod didn't know existed. Carefully, Ratchet removed the cap to reveal a tiny port, and inserted the needle's sharp end into his arm. Hot Rod winced a little, hissing quietly as the fluid disappeared into his body. Much to his surprise, he didn't go to sleep like he expected himself to.

Ratchet chuckled. "Like I said, it's just antibiotics to stop you from getting sick," he explained. "Now, I need you to lie down. I need to perform a complete scan of your chassis."

"My what?" Hot Rod asked.

"Your body," Ratchet corrected. "Sorry, I guess you are not used to hearing our terms."

Hot Rod shook his head.

"Just lie down and I'll do the rest."

The young mech complied as he lay down on the berth, head looking up at the ceiling as Ratchet pulled out what he called a scanner. He hooked two cables to the sides of Hot Rod's head, and two on top of his chest plates. As soon as Ratchet switched on the scanner, Hot Rod emitted a giggle as the tingling sensation overwhelmed his sense of touch.

"Guess someone is a little ticklish," Ratchet snorted.

The scanning took a bit longer than Hot Rod wanted. Now he understood why Sideswipe and Bumblebee were always a bit nervous when they spoke about maintenance exams. They were not a lot of fun, especially when he heard how they probed you from within your body. Hot Rod rolled his optics, hoping that Ratchet didn't do it.

"Scan's complete," Ratchet finally said, interrupting Hot Rod's train of thought.

Hot Rod sat up, trying to get a peek at the scanner, but Ratchet moved away and turned his back on him. It felt like an anxious wait to him, and Hot Rod hoped that he didn't find anything wrong with him other than the fact that his sensors and scanners were offline.

"Well," the elder said, turning to face Hot Rod, "I can find nothing wrong with you physically that would cause any problems to you. However, from what I've found, it appears that your scanners, sensors, and optic sensors are damaged. I can fix them with just a few adjustments, but you'll have to wait a few days before I am able to."

"In that case," Hot Rod snorted, "can you switch my weapon systems back online? I feel a bit uneasy without them."

"I can," Ratchet said, "but in a nano-klik. My scanner picked up something on your body that is strangely familiar to me."

"Is it... bad?" Hot Rod asked nervously.

Ratchet shook his head. "No, it's just producing a spike in your energy waves, nothing serious." Using the scanner to pinpoint the spike, Ratchet raised an optic ridge as he traced it to the right side of Hot Rod's head. He lowered the scanner against his side and got a closer look at what it had found. It was tiny, about the size of his pinkie servo, but it certainly was something he had seen in the past.

"By the Allspark!" he gasped, dropping the scanner in shock.

"What?" Hot Rod cried. "What is it?"

"You... you bear the mark of the Dynasty!" Ratchet whispered.

"The Dynasty?" Hot Rod asked, his fear rising. "What's the Dynasty?"

But Ratchet wasn't listening to Hot Rod's sudden rise in panic. He turned, ran to a nearby wall, pressed a button and spoke in Cybertronian, making it impossible for Hot Rod to understand what was going on. However, he recognised the answerer on the other side of the microphone: Optimus Prime.

When Ratchet had finished speaking, he raced into his office for a brief moment, and came back with what Hot Rod noticed was a mirror. Ratchet placed the mirror against the young mech's head and lined it with his field of vision, and then Hot Rod realised what he was talking about. There, lined up perfectly in his line of sight was an alien symbol that he could somehow translate without realising it: Chosen One.

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Sideswipe was pacing outside the Med Bay, his wheeled feet skated back and forth, left and right. In between his movements, he would often stop, glance at the door, and then continue with his anxious pacing. He had heard Ratchet's exclamation, but the rest was drowned out by Hot Rod's frantic cries, Ratchet's communication to Optimus Prime, and the clashing of metal against metal. He suddenly felt his energon soar as though it sensed a battle taking place and he wanted to be part of it. His bloodlust continued to pour through him, but he willed it into silence.

Bumblebee was leaning against a wall behind him, watching his anxious pacing and Sideswipe wondered if the yellow Autobot sensed his need to fight. The silver mech emitted a quiet sigh as he clenched his fists and returned to his pacing. He had only paced for several minutes before he heard the pounding footsteps of Optimus Prime heading towards the Med Bay.

Sideswipe stopped and glanced up as Optimus raced down the corridors at surprising speed, despite his huge size. The Autobot commander almost ran into Sideswipe, but luckily Sideswipe leapt aside so swiftly that Optimus didn't get a chance to bat an optic shutter.

"What's going on, Optimus?" Sideswipe demanded once he was clear of Optimus' swift gallop. "I heard Ratchet demanding your presence, and the next thing I know I'm hearing the sound of fighting."

"That's what I'm here to find out," Optimus replied gravely.

"Let us come with you, Optimus," Bumblebee begged. "Hot Rod is our responsibility and it is our job to make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

"Very well," Optimus said quietly. "Follow me, but do not seduce Hot Rod unless Ratchet says so."

Sideswipe nodded as he and Bumblebee followed their commander into the Med Bay. As the doors opened up to let them in, Sideswipe thought his jaw had hit the ground. There was Hot Rod struggling to get out of the grip of Ratchet. The flamed youngling was spitting and cursing out words that even Sideswipe could not understand, while Ratchet was trying to calm him down by telling him that everything was alright and nothing was going to harm him. However, Hot Rod appeared to not be listening as his audio-splitting cursing continued.

From what Sideswipe could see around the room, the entire Med Bay was a complete mess. The berth had been toppled over, tools were scattered on the floor, and the entire walls were splattered with energon droplets as though someone had injured themselves.

"Thank goodness you got here on time, Optimus," Ratchet cried when his gaze settled onto the three mechs. "Help me seduce him! He's not listening to me."

"Tell us what to do," Sideswipe demanded.

"I need all three of you to hold him down while I knock him out with an aesthetic," Ratchet explained. "It's the only way to make him calm down."

"But what got him upset in the first place?" Bumblebee asked.

"It was the symbol," the old mech answered.

"The symbol?" Sideswipe questioned.

"No time for explanations! Help me now or I'll make you clean up the mess the kid made!"

Optimus emitted a chuckle as Sideswipe dropped his jaw and folded his arms across his chest for a second. Bumblebee lightly slapped Sideswipe across the back of the head to get him out of his foul mood. Sideswipe turned and headbutted him a little roughly before he leapt forward and grabbed Hot Rod from behind, pinning his arms behind his back and twisting it slightly to not hurt him, but to cause him enough discomfort to make him whimper.

The youngling let out a cry as though Sideswipe had hurt him, but the silver mech didn't let go nor did he lessen the pressure he had applied to him. Immediately, Hot Rod went down on his knees and bent his back slightly, gritting his dental plates together. Sideswipe then raised a hand and pressed a single servo into the back of Hot Rod's neck. Hot Rod let off a gasp before he slumped forward onto the floor into an unconscious state.

Sideswipe picked himself up off the floor and glanced up at the others, his smirk growing when he saw their jaws had dropped slightly at what he had done. Brushing himself off, he then turned and shot a glare at Ratchet. "Not all conflicts can be solved by knocking someone out with a needle," he growled.

"Younglings," Ratchet huffed as he and Optimus put the berth back on its stand and Sideswipe and Bumblebee had placed the unconscious form of Hot Rod.

"So what does this symbol have to do with Hot Rod?" Optimus asked. "You were quite frantic when you told me what you had discovered the symbol of the Dynasty on Hot Rod's head."

"That's the thing, Optimus," Ratchet explained as he picked up some of his tools and placed them back on the tray. "I don't know what it means. When Hot Rod saw the symbol, he freaked out and went out of control as though he saw a ghost from his past. Look at this."

He gently tilted Hot Rod's head to reveal the symbol. Optimus bent forward to have a better look at it and then he raised an optic ridge. "It's different compared to my own," Optimus replied.

"Yes, that's why I have no idea what it translates to. The only thing I can read is the first half of it."

"What does the first half say?" Bumblebee asked.

"It means "chosen one" I believe," Ratchet replied. "Optimus' is different compared to this one because each symbol in our language translates our true name. We changed our names to suit the human tongue on this planet."

"So what do you suppose the true name of the kid is?" Sideswipe asked as he looked down upon Hot Rod. He felt nothing but sympathy for the youngling. Ever since he had been found by them, there had been nothing but Pit for him right from the start. Now his life was going to get even worse now that they have found out he bore the symbol of the Dynasty.

"It's right in his name," Ratchet answered. "His true name is... Rodimus."

"Rodimus?" Optimus asked, his optics widening in surprise. "But that name has only been prescribed in the ancient texts left on the Allspark Cube before it was destroyed."

"Which means," said Ratchet sombrely, "our new friend, Hot Rod, is the 'Chosen One' of an ancient prophecy."

Sideswipe chewed his bottom lip, bowing his head slightly. How could he have not seen this sooner? No wonder why the Decepticons wanted him dead. He gave a quiet growl and turned to leave, no one stopped him as he left. Anger boiled inside his tank, churning and swirling as though it made it feel nauseous and giving him a system upset. But it was not the discomfort that bothered him. No, his task of protecting Hot Rod had become far more serious than he wanted it to. He was going to have to watch Hot Rod with every optic, audio, and olfactory sensor on high alert.

------------------------------------

Hot Rod's world was spinning when he came back from his dreamless state. He groaned in pain as he grabbed his head and sat up. He was not surprised when he was pushed back down by a flame coloured hand. His optics switched themselves online and he found Optimus looking down upon him with his wise optics. Hot Rod glanced around the room but saw no sign of Ratchet, Sideswipe, or Bumblebee in the room.

"We were worried about you, Hot Rod," Optimus said softly. "Do you remember what happened?"

Hot Rod nodded. "Yes," he answered. "I remember seeing the symbol on the side of my head, its translation, and then I freaked out. Next thing I know, Sideswipe grabs me from behind and I was knocked unconscious."

Optimus glanced around, his optics shooting from left to right as though he was checking for something. He then took out a chair and pulled it closer towards the berth, he sat down and leaned a bit closer towards Hot Rod. "Young one," he said, his tone grave, "I believe what Ratchet has discovered is the symbol of the Dynasty of Primes."

"What's the Dynasty of Primes?" Hot Rod asked.

"The Dynasty of Primes is a group of seven Primes that were created by the Allspark Cube. They ruled Cybertron and protected the Allspark. Whenever the Allspark ran out of energy, they would build a Star Harvester and re-energize the cube. However, the Primes had one rule: Never destroy a sun that has life in its system. But one of their own betrayed this rule and attempted to harvest the Sun in this solar system by using the legendary key called the Matrix of Leadership. The six other Primes fought back by stealing the Matrix back and sealed it away by making a tomb from their own bodies.

"The betrayer's name was never spoken, lost in the ancient texts, forever he was known as The Fallen. The Fallen once again decided to harvest the Sun again and extinguish the life forms on the planet. But he couldn't when the threat of the Last Prime still lived. Eventually, the Last Prime was killed at the hands of his mortal enemy in a desperate attempt to save a human's life. It was the quick thinking of the same young human who went on a hunt to find the Matrix and bring the Last Prime back to life. In the Autobots' darkest hour, the boy found the Matrix, but it was not without a sacrifice.

"The boy, despite all the odds against him, raced towards the Last Prime's body, but the mortal enemy of the Last Prime blasted him. The boy's body flew through the air and landed in a broken heap beside the body of the Last Prime. But, he was not dead. Instead, the Dynasty of Primes came to him and approved of his self-sacrificing need to save the Last Prime. Using their powers, they brought him back to life and healed his wounds. As the Matrix reformatted itself, the boy picked it up and stabbed it into the Last Prime's spark, re-energizing his spark and bringing him to life."

"What happened after that?" Hot Rod asked eagerly.

"Well," continued Optimus, "the Last Prime was still weak from having just come back from the brink of death, and The Fallen teleported down from the sky and grabbed the Matrix to reactivate the Star Harvester. Weakened, the Last Prime could not help but watch as The Fallen turned on the Star Harvester. It appeared that all hope was lost when an old Seeker by the name of Jetfire pulled his spark from out his chest, killing himself to redeem for all the horrible things he had done in the past. The medic of the Autobots ordered a young mech to connect his cables to the Last Prime and the body of Jetfire. With a spark of pure blue energy, the parts of Jetfire connected to the Last Prime, giving him tremendous power and the ability to fly.

"As swiftly as the transformation had come, the Last Prime shot up into sky and destroyed the Star Harvester with a blast from his cannon. It was a two on one battle. The Last Prime vs. The Fallen and his mortal enemy. The Last Prime knew that he had to finish them quickly before things got worse. He grabbed his mortal enemy's gun and blasted him in the face. The Last Prime then used his back cannons and sent him hurtling through a wall of mud and sand. He then turned to The Fallen, ripped off his crown, and pushed his hand through his chest to grab his spark, and crushed it with his bare hands, extinguishing the life of the one who had betrayed his brothers."

"So the Last Prime avenged his brothers?" Hot Rod asked.

"Indeed he did," Optimus said.

"What happened to the body of The Fallen?"

"The Fallen's body was thrown into a volcano. Because he had committed crimes that were against life, he didn't deserve the same kind as most Decepticons did."

"And the Last Prime? What happened to him?"

"He sits before you this very day, waiting for his body to rust away while he continues to thrive for his people."

"You're the Last Prime?" Hot Rod gasped. "Wow! You must've been really amazing when you destroyed the Star Harvester."

Optimus smiled and gently petted Hot Rod's head. "You are special, Hot Rod. What we have found out from the symbol on your head is that you have a true name like we do. It was in your name all along."

"My true name?"

"Your true name is Rodimus. In our language, it means 'Chosen One.' Your name is part of an ancient prophecy that was mentioned in the texts on the Allspark Cube."

Hot Rod frowned. He had not heard anything like this before. Tracy had always said he was special, but he'd thought she was kidding around with him. Now he understood what she meant when she called him super special a long time ago. It hurt to think about it, but he swallowed his nervousness and straightened his posture.

"What happens now?" he asked softly.

"Now that we know what you really are, we must tread lightly and not reveal that you are part of the Dynasty of Primes to everyone. If we do, everyone will assume that you are here to replace me. Until you decide what to do to help us, you will be watched over by Sideswipe and Bumblebee. If you wish to help us in this war, then you will receive training from our officers."

"Well, I guess you know what my answer will be. I want to help in any way I possibly can. Please?"

Optimus vented a deep sigh. "Very well, but I must discuss this with my officers," he said. "We cannot approve of someone who doesn't have a service record."

"Why can't you just make me one?" Hot Rod asked.

"We could, but it would take weeks to make, and you must reveal everything about yourself."

Hot Rod sighed. "Alright, I guess I can do that."

Optimus blinked. "Are you sure? If you want something to be confidential, then you may wish that if you want."

"Yeah, yeah, like whatever," Hot Rod joked.

The Autobot commander chuckled, but stopped when Sideswipe skated into the room. He glanced from Hot Rod to Optimus, and then back at Hot Rod again, his optics squinting slightly as though he was expecting him to do something reckless at any moment. Hot Rod looked away, not wishing to make further eye contact with him anymore.

As though he sensed the tension, Optimus stood up. "I will ensure that Prowl will talk with you when you are ready," he said. When he received no response from the young mech he then turned and left the room, leaving Hot Rod alone with the silver mech.

Hot Rod sighed and looked at Sideswipe, expecting him to be angry with him. But Sideswipe didn't appear to be upset or annoyed with him. Instead, Sideswipe sat in the chair Optimus had been occupying and started fiddling with his left blade.

The flamed youngling felt a little awkward, but he said nothing to ease his processor. It was better to be quiet and let his thoughts wonder elsewhere. After what had just transpired between him and Optimus, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. All the things he had learned from Tracy still burned within him. How could he tell Sideswipe what he was thinking when all he knew was to be as secretive as possible? He sighed, and turned on his side, letting thoughts drift into the past.
Here's Birth - Symbol!

This obviously took a bit longer to get done because my muse refused to cooperate. I hate it when it goes and takes a vacation right when I need it most. Also, expect to see a poster for this story within months because a friend of mine is helping me to make it. Hopefully it won't take long, but we'll see.

Anyway, hoped you enjoyed reading this. We've still got a long way to go! 8D

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RazorBlastSpirit's avatar
Sweet! Oooh I know who reminds Ratchet of Hot Rod!! :iconimhappyplz: -----> :iconsamwitwickyplz: