Optimus yawned as he headed to the mess hall the next morning. He wasn\u2019t in the best of tempers. He entered the mess hall and saw Blackarachnia, Ratchet, Jazz, Sonic, and Tails already there. \u201cMorning,\u201d mumbled Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, Autobots, I\u2019d say we are all honored,\u201d snarked Blackarachnia. \u201cHis Majesty has decided to grace us with his presence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSpare me, Lieutenant!\u201d snapped Optimus as he grabbed his morning Energon ration. \u201cIt\u2019s turning into one of THOSE days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet me guess, the Council,\u201d mused Ratchet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHot Rod,\u201d guessed Tails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHis mage-phobic friends,\u201d called Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA combination of the three,\u201d revealed Optimus. Ratchet handed him a pair of processor-ache pills. \u201cThank you,\u201d bid Optimus. \u201cHopefully, we can slow Hot Rod down. Kup said he was coming soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKup?\u201d asked Ratchet. He then grinned. \u201cMan, I remember that old-timer. He\u2019s actually a Velocitronian that\u2019s not so reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom what Rodimus told me,\u201d replied Optimus, \u201che\u2019s the one that raised Hot Rod.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood morning!\u201d called Hot Rod\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook out,\u201d mumbled Blackarachnia under her breath. Whether or not Hot Rod heard that was left for debate as he headed straight for the Ration dispenser. He took a sip of Energon and smacked his lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell now,\u201d he mused, \u201cnever thought I\u2019d taste ration Energon before, but, then again, I guess you learn to ignore it while in the trenches, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomething a wuss like you never experienced during the last thousand years of the first war,\u201d muttered Ratchet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Excuse me?\u201d asked Hot Rod as he fixed Ratchet with a glare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou Velocitronians have a history of draft deferrals,\u201d remarked Ratchet. \u201cSo, don\u2019t talk about the trenches like you were there. I doubt you were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Look up Nyon and Ki-Aleta,\u201d hissed Hot Rod. The announcement of a Space Bridge then interrupted the tense moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll get that,\u201d offered Blackarachnia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNah, they\u2019ll want a fresh-faced bot!\u201d replied Hot Rod. \u201cI\u2019LL get that.\u201d He sped off to the command center, leaving the Autobots, Sonic, and Tails to stare at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Fresh-faced?!\u201d growled Blackarachnia. She then turned to Optimus. \u201cI know this is vain of me, but am I\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, sweet-spark, you\u2019re not developing indents on your face,\u201d assured Optimus. \u201cThat\u2019s still centuries away for bots our age, anyways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026You\u2019re right, I\u2019m being paranoid about my age too early,\u201d remarked Blackarachnia as she leaned on Optimus. He just patted her shoulder, causing her to hum happily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hot Rod arrived at the command center and turned to Teletraan. \u201cAll right, let\u2019s see the new bot!\u201d he declared. \u201cTeletraan, if you please!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know, now that I think about it,\u201d mused Teletraan, \u201cI\u2019m gonna enjoy your reaction when you see the bot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Why?\u201d asked Hot Rod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOpening Space Bridge,\u201d reported Teletraan. The portal opened and Hot Rod decided to drop the subject. No sense in dwelling on the unimportant stuff, in his mind. In hindsight, he really SHOULD have dwelt on it. A figure stepped through, then it became crisper as it got nearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Oh no,\u201d groaned Hot Rod as he recognized the figure. An old Transformer came out with a metal cigar in his mouth. His helmet had a small hexagon on it and his face was covered in dents, like Ironhide\u2019s. He was colored teal and he had a wheel on each shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, well, well,\u201d rasped the old mech. \u201cIf it ain\u2019t the young punk!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKup!\u201d moaned Hot Rod. \u201cJust when I thought I would avoid one of THOSE days!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kup made his acquaintance with the Autobots and their Mobian Allies in the conference room an hour later, sans Hot Rod and his Alien Hunt! <\/em>colleagues. \u201cSo, that\u2019s the sitrep, huh?\u201d mused Kup as he heard the story. \u201cI can\u2019t say it ever made much sense, the whole time-travel thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI seem to recall a story where you and Ironhide,\u201d remarked Optimus, \u201chad a time-travel fubar and got your afts handed to you by Vector Prime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t tell you that, I\u2019m sure,\u201d muttered Kup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI told him,\u201d answered Ironhide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, imagine my surprise,\u201d continued Optimus, \u201cwhen Vector Prime allowed this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFuture must be really bad if he\u2019s allowing time travel, despite his views on the subject,\u201d mused Kup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is,\u201d replied Rodimus. It was then Kup got a closer look at Rodimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026That\u2019s a lot of scars for only 50 years,\u201d he rumbled. \u201cI ain\u2019t talking about the physical ones. I can see the mental ones in your optics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026You fell right before my optics,\u201d answered Rodimus. \u201cAs did many of my friends and family. I never took the chance to tell you how much I appreciated you raising me. \u2026I was such a jack-hole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf your Kup was anything like me,\u201d replied Kup, \u201cthen I\u2019m sure he would tell you this: I\u2019ve always known you had potential, Lad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Thanks,\u201d mumbled Rodimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpeaking of other selves,\u201d remarked Kup, \u201cwhere\u2019s your younger self?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd his Alien Hunt!<\/em> friends!\u201d snapped Optimus. \u201cI DID say that ALL Autobots were to assemble here, didn\u2019t I?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hot Rod, Meteorfire, and Cosmos were lurking outside the conference room, listening in on what was said. \u201cLet\u2019s not go into a tizzy,\u201d called Blackarachnia\u2019s voice. \u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh no, they won\u2019t!\u201d Hot Rod muttered under his breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought you said Kup never cared about your goals,\u201d mused Cosmos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPotential for what?\u201d mused Meteorfire. \u201cBeing an Autobot toady? Or being an Autobot hero?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s trying to make me a toady,\u201d hissed Hot Rod. \u201cI\u2019m gonna be a hero!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, in any event, it\u2019s great to have you here,\u201d praised Optimus. \u201cWe need new bots, something awful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnything to help out,\u201d replied Kup as he took out his cigar, pulled a dull crystal out of it, threw it into waste disposal, then put in a bright yellow crystal before he started smoking it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen did you get the Cy-gar?\u201d asked Ironhide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOddly enough, it\u2019s a prescription Cy-gar,\u201d explained Kup. \u201cKeeps me from having flashbacks of my time on Tsiehshi. You know, the planet with Ore-8?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI DO know,\u201d muttered Ironhide grimly as sympathy flashed across his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll\u2026er\u2026ask about that later,\u201d muttered Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSmart kid, he is,\u201d Kup remarked to Ironhide. \u201cNow then, I need quarters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s a good-sized room next to mine and Chromia\u2019s,\u201d offered Ironhide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWreckers forever!\u201d declared Kup. \u201cI\u2019ll take it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet me show you to them, then!\u201d cheered Ironhide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hot Rod pushed Meteorfire and Cosmos against the wall as Ironhide and Kup left the conference room. \u201cYou know,\u201d muttered Kup, \u201cI haven\u2019t seen the young punk since he greeted me in the command center. I\u2019ve got this feeling he\u2019s been avoiding me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re slagging right, I am!\u201d Hot Rod hissed under his breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, we\u2019ll catch him sooner or later,\u201d Ironhide assured Kup. \u201cIn the meantime, after I show you your quarters, I intend to beat you again at Lob.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me, you mean you\u2019re going to lose to me at Lob!\u201d challenged Kup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSounds like age rusted your memory circuits!\u201d answered Ironhide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, it is ON!\u201d declared Kup. As the two old mechs walked down the hall, Hot Rod heard Jazz talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRodimus, I don\u2019t know how you could have treated a nice mech like Kup so badly,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a regret of mine since his death in my timeline,\u201d replied Rodimus. Hot Rod and his friends then strode into the conference room as he cleared his throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell,\u201d snarked Optimus, \u201clook who decides to stroll in! We were just talking about you. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll be pleased to know that Kup is going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s doing no such thing!\u201d snarled Hot Rod. \u201cI want that useless rust-bucket off of this planet!\u201d The Autobots gasped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHot Rod!\u201d admonished Rodimus. \u201cHow can you talk like that about the bot who practically raised us?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou seem to have forgotten how much he held us back!\u201d countered Hot Rod. \u201cKup is nothing more than a relic that needs to retire now! The guy can\u2019t even keep my racing victories straight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt sounds like his priorities are elsewhere,\u201d remarked Blackarachnia. \u201cYou know, somewhere more important than racing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s more important than racing?!\u201d argued Hot Rod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStopping the Decepticon menace and changing the future leap readily to mind,\u201d answered Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d say you need some debugging!\u201d countered Hot Rod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHot Rod, it sounds like you\u2019re just jealous,\u201d mused Jazz. \u201cWhy, having Kup here is like a breath of fresh air.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have to agree with Hot Rod,\u201d remarked Meteorfire. \u201cThere\u2019s just something that rubs my actuators the wrong way about Kup!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeteorfire\u2019s right!\u201d insisted Hot Rod. \u201cJust why is he here?! I\u2019ll tell you why! Optimus, he\u2019s going to slow your war effort down with his ridiculous yarns, leaving us wide open to Decepticon attack!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy, shame on you, Hot Rod!\u201d snapped Rodimus. \u201cJust because of that, I\u2019m going to have you read his service record just to prove how wrong you are about that theory and you ARE going to read it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeanwhile, Kup is here at my behest!\u201d continued Optimus. \u201cAs the commander of this base and this time-zone\u2019s Prime, I insist he stay!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Fine!\u201d growled Hot Rod. \u201cFine, you\u2019re the boss, but you\u2019ll regret it! I\u2019ve always said he was too slow! When are you gonna believe me?! WHEN?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot in my lifetime, I can tell you that,\u201d remarked Optimus. Hot Rod growled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome on!\u201d he said to his friends as he led them out of the conference room.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Optimus yawned as he headed to the mess hall the next morning. He wasn\u2019t in the best of tempers. He entered the mess hall and saw Blackarachnia, Ratchet, Jazz, Sonic, and Tails already there. \u201cMorning,\u201d mumbled Optimus. \u201cWell, Autobots, I\u2019d say we are all honored,\u201d snarked Blackarachnia. \u201cHis Majesty has decided to grace us with […]<\/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":[98,235],"tags":[146,337],"class_list":["post-2888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transformers-mobian-chronicles","category-transformers-mobian-chronicles-arc-11-seconds-of-speed","tag-sonic","tag-transformers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888","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=2888"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2889,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888\/revisions\/2889"}],"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=2888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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