TF: A New Design

[wildernesstales]

Rating: PG
Series: G1
Pairings: Tracks/Hot Rod(Rodimus)
Summary: Tracks muses on the events surrounding the destruction of Autobot City.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten…
Authors Notes: This is for the tf_rare_pairing 2013 New Beginnings Challenge, prompt 35 – a new design.  And yeah, original titles ftw.
Feedback makes friends.  Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.

When I first saw him, I admit, I didn’t have a very high opinion of this young, brash mech.  Perhaps I was seeing a little of myself in him, which was why I didn’t want to interact with him.  Of course, that prompted all the usual taunts about me being… how did they put it… ah yes, so far up my own aft I wouldn’t know how to socialise properly even if I could.  That and the various taunts about my noble upbringing.  Frag, I think Cliffjumper might have even called me a wannabe Seeker, which he hasn’t done for vorns.

But over time, I got to know him, and yes, love him.  He was different to the mechs I knew, so fresh and eager.  After so many years of war, it was nice to be appreciated again for more than my talents at fighting.

The Decepticons had fled to Cybertron, regaining control of our former home.  But we Autobots had outposts on the moons, watching and waiting for a sign of more activity.  I was stationed on Earth, along with Hot Rod.  And I don’t think I’d ever been happier.

Up until that day when everything changed.

I can still remember it clearly.  We’d spent the morning together, cuddled up on our berth.  Well, technically it was mine, but he spent more time in my berth than in his berth, so it naturally became our berth.  We were both assigned different shifts that day, not that Hot Rod really counted looking after Daniel as a shift.  When he’d met Daniel, there had been an instant connection between them and he’d been a constant part of the boy’s life for the past few years.  He was an obvious choice when Spike and Carly needed someone to babysit.  They’d planned to go fishing before the shuttle landed.  Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl and Brawn were coming to Earth for a supply run.

I felt an unaccountable sense of loss when we parted that morning, as though it was going to be the last time I saw him.  I put it down to being overly sentimental and got on with my day.  I was due to help Kup and some other mechs with road construction around Autobot City.

The next time I saw Hot Rod was him roaring towards Lookout Point as the shuttle was due to arrive.  I couldn’t help but smile, even as he drove through the barricade we’d just set up.  Kup shouted after him, but I don’t think Hot Rod even heard him.  I think we all stopped to watch as the shuttle came into land.  Then all Pit broke loose.  Hot Rod started firing at the shuttle, prompting another curse from Kup.  I was glad Cliffjumper was still on Moonbase 1, else he would have no doubt started calling Hot Rod a traitor.  We couldn’t work out why he was firing until Decepticons flew out.  They’d hijacked the shuttle!

Everything after that was a rush to get in and defend Autobot City.  Mechs were everywhere, injured, leaking energon, but still doing their best.  I took a hit to my shoulder, but I was still able to fire a gun.  And just when we thought the battle was over and the Decepticons would win and take Autobot City, another shuttle appeared.  Optimus Prime and reinforcements had arrived.  It was enough to turn the tide of the battle, and the Decepticons retreated.  But we were left with a disaster zone.  And then the news that none of us Autobots who’d landed on Earth all those years ago wanted to hear… Optimus Prime was dead.  We’d already lost so many; those on the first shuttle, not to mention Wheeljack, Huffer, Windcharger, Mirage, just to name a few.  So many friends lost.  I lost track of Hot Rod through everything, and by the time I’d been repaired, he was no longer on Earth.  Neither were the Decepticons, and there was little more we could do than do our best to repair our city.

When the shuttle came back to Earth, we crowded around, wanting and needing to know who had survived.  Reports had trickled back of Unicron, and mechs being lost.  I (uncharacteristically) pushed my way to the front, worrying about Hot Rod.  Relief flooded my spark as I saw his spoiler in front of me.  But everything else looked different.  He turned around and I could see the difference properly.  He was taller, broader.  He was a Prime.
“Tracks!” Despite the deeper timbre of his voice, there was no mistaking my Hot Rod.  Or the relief and joy in his voice as he pulled me towards him.  I didn’t put up any resistance.  Indeed, with his size and strength now, I’m not sure I would have been able to had I wanted to.  He wrapped his arms around me, and I did the same, content that he was back now, even if he had a new design, he was still the same Hot Rod underneath.  Still my Hot Rod.

Comments

[tainry.livejournal.com]

Yaaaaay! Still his Hot Rod. <3