Optimus was being congratulated on all sides. The Holo-Droid glared. It couldn\u2019t fathom how a mech that was weak could beat it at something it knew as well as its opponent. Optimus then took notice. \u201cWell?\u201d hissed the Holo-Droid. \u201cWhat are you waiting for? Order my destruction and be done with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want answers first,\u201d snarled Optimus. \u201cWho were you trying to reach?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the past weeks were any indication,\u201d replied an elder woman\u2019s voice, \u201cI\u2019d say it was trying to reach me.\u201d A femme then appeared. She wore white armor with a helmet style shaped like a Fleet Admiral\u2019s hat. She had wings and the Autobot symbol emblazoned proudly on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFleet Admiral Flashpoint!\u201d yelped Optimus. \u201cHow long were you watching?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince your duplicate came back online,\u201d replied Flashpoint. \u201cThat thing was mobilizing us to a set of coordinates near your current position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat coordinates were you given?!\u201d gulped Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSouthern Imperia,\u201d answered the Holo-droid. \u201cSpecifically, Robotropolis!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRobotropolis?\u201d asked Flashpoint. \u201cThe home of that unsavory human that keeps fighting a blue hedgehog?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were gonna murder him with the Autobot fleet?!\u201d growled Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo!\u201d insisted the Holo-Droid. \u201cWe\u2019re not gonna MURDER anyone! We\u2019re going to HELP Sonic save this planet from a certain cyclops!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026An ultimatum,\u201d realized Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBingo!\u201d confirmed the Holo-Droid. \u201cWe issue a very specific statement! Eggman drops his vendetta against Sonic and does everything in his power to get Shockwave under lock and key, or we level Robotropolis with the Autobot fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?!\u201d yelped Flashpoint. \u201cThis is outrageous! I see no reason to\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWould you think for a second?!\u201d snapped the Holo-Droid. \u201cThis is a chance to fix this! No more having to deal with two problems! No more Sonic being distracted by Eggman\u2019s schemes! No more Shockwave and Metal Sonic! Sonic, here, claims that he\u2019s doing it for the people, when, truth be told, they\u2019re comfortable with Eggman attacking and couldn\u2019t care less! Sonic is a hero, a living part of mythology with power to inspire and go beyond limits! But, time and again, he gets squandered by the people he cares about! Well, it\u2019s about time to correct this mistake! Eggman had succeeded a while ago by making the people numb to his schemes! He\u2019s proven to be the first successful villain, so it\u2019s up to us to help Sonic be a hero and save this planet!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYOU INSULTING, PATRONIZING PIECE OF SCRAP!\u201d roared Sonic. \u201cHOW DARE YOU!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?!\u201d yelped the Holo-Droid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have a lot of gall,\u201d snarled Sonic, trembling with rage, \u201cto say that the people of this planet became numb to Eggman! You have a lot of nerve saying they couldn\u2019t care less about their lives being trampled on by Eggman\u2019s machines! You dare tell me that the people I protect don\u2019t care about being saved?! Every day, I have to hear stories about Eggman ripping an entire village in Mazuri apart, a hole blown into Chun-nan\u2019s mountainside, and ancient tombs in Shamar being robbed! I fight to make sure Eggman doesn\u2019t cause that tragedy every day, that he has to think about the lives he\u2019s ruined, even for a brief time! I have to live with the fact that I can\u2019t be everywhere at once while a madman causes untold suffering! That\u2019s why I save people, to show that one being is more than enough to stand up to evil! Nothing enrages me more than some hunk of junk telling me my sacrifices aren\u2019t worth it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have never seen Sonic so mad!\u201d Tails whispered to Shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan you blame him?\u201d muttered Shadow. \u201cHe was just told that people don\u2019t care about good things, that people only care about themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHolo-Droid,\u201d interjected Optimus, \u201cyou want to save this planet? You want to show the world that Sonic and the Autobots are more than titans that visit rarely and just listen to prayer, not doing anything? In the end, all you\u2019re doing is threatening people if you don\u2019t get your way. You\u2019re trading Mobius\u2019 self-imposed sanctions for your own! That\u2019s not Sentinel Prime\u2019s example, that\u2019s Zeta Prime\u2019s example! The example of a despot, not a hero!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSlag it all!\u201d dismissed the Holo-Droid. \u201cWe have to do this! Look at what Eggman\u2019s constantly doing! Having to put up with two problems and rebuild again and again and again and again and nothing ever changes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWrong!\u201d argued Optimus. \u201cWe WILL win through eventually. We do so by convincing people we\u2019re right, by winning hearts and minds! We don\u2019t force people to think as we do, and we sure as the Pit don\u2019t point a gun to their heads saying accept or die!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSlag it! We have to do this!\u201d insisted the Holo-Droid. \u201cWe have to\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFleet Admiral Flashpoint, broadcast an order to stand down!\u201d ordered Optimus. \u201cNo action is to be taken!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt once, Sir,\u201d obliged Flashpoint as she released a breath. The Holo-Droid glared again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe will never stop, he will never cease, Eggman will never change,\u201d it insisted, \u201cunless WE make him change!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Teletraan 1, fry him!\u201d commanded Optimus. The Holo-Droid\u2019s image faded as the endo-skeleton sparked. It fell and made a crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPrimus, that\u2019s a creepy cuss!\u201d gulped Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFleet Admiral, you deserve explanations,\u201d sighed Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, and I want details,\u201d insisted Flashpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEveryone, whatever logs were made surrounding this unfortunate mess I put us into,\u201d directed Optimus, \u201cgive them to her so she can have the facts as well as our views.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Autobots and their allies told Flashpoint everything. Flashpoint had her staff confirm the logs. When she got the entire story, Flashpoint sighed. \u201cWell,\u201d she stammered. \u201cThis\u2026I\u2026You understand, this is a lot to take in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can certainly go over the Holo-Droid\u2019s systems and find the problem,\u201d assured Ratchet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith all due respect,\u201d sighed Optimus, \u201cyou won\u2019t find a single fault. It was doing exactly as programmed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPrime, it reached into my chest and squeezed my spark like a stress toy!\u201d protested Bumblebee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Holo-Droid was based off of my memories and mental patterns,\u201d answered Optimus. \u201cIt\u2019s more than likely that if I hadn\u2019t gone on this journey, I\u2019d be doing what the Holo-droid did, even going so far as to get the Autobot fleet here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPrime, I don\u2019t buy it,\u201d remarked Vector. \u201cHow many times did you save this planet? You\u2019re far from evil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI believe the phrase, where you\u2019re from, is that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions,\u201d observed Flashpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTake it from a veteran of her caliber,\u201d confirmed Ironhide. \u201cEven I can tell you that the funny thing about morality is that you can justify anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, in the name of a greater good, but it\u2019s a matter of where you draw the line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not particularly happy about what I\u2019ve discovered about myself,\u201d sighed Optimus. \u201cBut, I\u2019ve got some people willing to give me a swift kick in the aft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat I would like to know is how the Holo-Droid deleted the various Emergency Shut-down protocols you and Teletraan installed!\u201d snapped Tails. \u201cYou guys buried them in its programming! It shouldn\u2019t have found them!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOptimus\u2019 invention, Optimus\u2019 memory patterns,\u201d remarked Ratchet. \u201cThe funny thing about exact duplicates is that you and the duplicate know everything about each other, including where one would logically put things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, that\u2019s it?\u201d rasped Shadow. \u201cYou went from one side of the planet to another just to find some witch who told you to get your act together?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, I think this whole journey has ensured he won\u2019t turn evil,\u201d replied Sira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do you figure?\u201d asked Cliffjumper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, when the Holo-Droid went nuts,\u201d supplied Amy, \u201cwhat happened? We rose to the occasion. We tried to protect ourselves and our friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOptimus,\u201d remarked Sira, \u201cyou should be proud of your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, I don\u2019t think any bot is capable of being prouder,\u201d assured Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, if there\u2019s nothing else,\u201d interjected Flashpoint, \u201cI promised my grandchildren I\u2019d take them to Six Lasers Over Cybertron.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, I LOVED that when I was a sparkling!\u201d cheered Bumblebee. \u201cThere\u2019s the Space Slide, the Galaxy Coaster, the Plasma Curve, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCorporal,\u201d interrupted Flashpoint, \u201cdon\u2019t make me hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGive your grandchildren my best wishes,\u201d bid Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWill do,\u201d replied Flashpoint. \u201cFleet Admiral Flashpoint, out.\u201d She ended the transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After things settled down, Sira, Natalie, and Trema were given a tour of the base with Amy as their guide. They were granted access a while ago. \u201cAnd this is Optimus\u2019 office,\u201d revealed Amy. \u201cLet\u2019s see if he\u2019s in there.\u201d She rang the chime. No one responded. \u201cHuh?\u201d muttered Amy. \u201cTeletraan, is Optimus in his office?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, he\u2019s on the ship,\u201d replied Teletraan as his avatar popped up on a view screen nearby. \u201cHe and Ratchet were checking over my link to the Ark<\/em>\u2019s functions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre they on the bridge?\u201d asked Sira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, Ratchet beamed down back to the Med-bay while Optimus went to the cargo hold,\u201d explained Teletraan. \u201cHe\u2019s busy playing on his flute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHis flute?\u201d quizzed Amy. Meanwhile, Optimus was playing a snatch of music from Star Trek<\/em>. It was from Lessons<\/em>. He and Elita usually played a duet of the song with Elita on the piano. When he ended, he could swear he heard a piano version of what he played. Back on Mobius, Blackarachnia was playing a portable piano after she thought she heard Optimus playing the flute. As she played on Mobius, Optimus joined in at the right time and the song played on. No words were needed to show their thoughts on the other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Optimus was being congratulated on all sides. The Holo-Droid glared. It couldn\u2019t fathom how a mech that was weak could beat it at something it knew as well as its opponent. Optimus then took notice. \u201cWell?\u201d hissed the Holo-Droid. \u201cWhat are you waiting for? Order my destruction and be done with it.\u201d \u201cI want answers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,227],"tags":[146,337],"class_list":["post-1271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transformers-mobian-chronicles","category-transformers-mobian-chronicles-arc-3-orions-journey","tag-sonic","tag-transformers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1272,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions\/1272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}