Transformers Prime - Stay

29. Loyalty Reunions

        “Who said I was acting?” Optimus asked carefully, his tone plain, like we hadn’t just kissed.

        But, well, quite frankly, I did. “Don’t try to fool me, Optimus. I know acting when I feel it.”

        “Were you acting?” His question took me a bit off guard, actually. And honestly, I was feeling much better. I couldn’t really pinpoint it, but he’d made me feel much better.

        “Um, yeah,” I told him, if a bit uncertainly. “I mean, unless there’s something else going on in the back of my processor, of course. I wanted to play it up a little, I guess. I mean, really, my first kiss, it’s gotta be special, right?” Didn’t it? I thought that was the point, the goal of it.

        “Of course,” Optimus agreed with a nod. The Prime was always so kind.

        “Optimus?” I called for him carefully, flicking my gaze out to the pond.

        “Yes, Maiden?” He replied gently.

        I took a vent before making optic contact with him again. “Thank you. It means a lot that you’d do that for me.” It really did mean the world to me. Optimus had given me more than I thought I’d have. He’d negated the fear that my first kiss would be with Megatron.

        Optimus draped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to his body, into the nook of his arm. “For all you’re doing for us, it’s nothing . . .” He murmured gently, and he paused before asking his next question. “Are you going to be all right now?”

        I gave him a small smile. “I can act my way through a hurricane, so I’ll be just fine.”

        “Good,” Optimus replied simply, his tone relieved. “The Autobots have another favor to ask you, as you are the only one with access to the Decepticon database.”

        It didn’t surprise me that they needed something, it was just a matter of what, when, where, why and who. The how, well that was me nowadays. “Anything. What is it?”

        “That refugee you directed us towards – Firefly – she had a unit back on Cybertron. Could you get us their names?” Optimus asked carefully, apparently going back to business now that the ‘personal issues’ were taken care of.

        But the news was good The femme I’d talked to earlier was okay and still online. And now the ‘Bots were searching for information on her former unit. Interesting development, to say the least.

        “Sure. What for?” I looked at the Prime curiously as I was trying to piece this all together. Was there something special about these ‘Bots?

        “She believes them to be deceased,” Optimus explained. “And it upsets her quite a bit since she believes that she should not have survived her encounter with Megatron when they saved her.”

        “A sacrificial saving?” It was a bit confusing, but it made some kind of sense. I wasn’t sure what to think of it, even though those words decided to ring through my mind.

        “It would appear so,” Optimus confirmed.

        “I’ll see what I can do,” I told him with a nod. “It shouldn’t be too hard to find them in the database.”

        “One more thing -,” Optimus started, but he never finished. Megatron’s voice forced it’s way through the com link, a one-way signal.

        Somehow, the Decepticon leader actually sounded concerned. “Maiden? Are you alright? Where are you?”

        I nearly winced at the sound of his voice, but nonethless put a finger up to signal to Optimus to be silent as I opened the two-way. Whatever he needed apparently couldn’t wait. Not when I was his ‘loyal follower’. “I went for a outing. After my brush with death I just needed some fresh air and open skies. I’m sorry if I worried you, My Lord.”