TG 'verse. Prime's compound in Iacon. Life.
"Yes, it was a touching speech. But my valet could do the same thing," said Ananias Worther dismissively. "As long as those things last, their programming probably gets very complex."
"What about the tears?" His aid frowned up at him, her blue eyes troubled. "Sir, he was crying."
"You don't know that. Remember, you can't always judge alien races by human standards. Especially when they're not even real living beings."
"He sure looked alive to me."
"Sari, you've got to stop anthropomorphizing the Cybertronians. They're big robots that were made a long time ago for some purpose that's been forgotten, but are now doing a very good job of defending our frontier. They're made in factories, from nuts and bolts and circuits. They aren't people."
"Yes, sir," she murmured, lowering her gaze so that he couldn't see the protest in it. Rodimus Prime had seemed human when he'd delivered that impassioned speech the day before.
Worther fell silent then till it was time to give his name to the Prime's chipper looking secretary. They were told to go right in.
Sari ran into her boss's back as he stopped abruptly several paces inside the door.
She gasped softly and murmured a quick apology, then noticed what he was looking at and froze with her eyes wide with wonder and amazement.
Rodimus Prime was sitting in the chair behind his desk, but he was asleep. Curled in his arms was a smaller robot who bore a strong resemblance to him, and this little one was holding some sort of furry pink toy. The Autobot leader's grasp on the little one was protective, and the look on his face, even as he slept.... Sari had seldom seen that much affection and that much worry on a sleeping face.
Then Worther was grabbing her arm and hustling her out of the room, his expression flustered and confused.
"Sir," she said in her soft way, once they'd left the outer office and were standing in the corridor again. "I think you're wrong."
Worther just gave her a troubled look, then looked down at the flimsy sheet that held his list of demands that he wanted met before his people would consider any contributions to the war effort and began to tear it into small pieces as he walked back toward his assigned quarters. He didn't want the private audience anymore. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to look Rodimus Prime in the eye after this.
* * *
Rodimus blinked as Panacea gently rapped on his helm with a finger tip, then straightened with alarm. "I missed a meeting!"
"Huh?" She paused in the act of setting down two mugs of warmed energon and looked at him quizzically. "Is that why you slept in here last night?"
"No... I just fell asleep after that last meeting, while I was trying to write that report." He freed an arm from Oriana 2 so that he could rub his face. "Man... I still have to go see Red Alert and Sideswipe."
"Don't worry, they won't notice that you're late." She sank into Springer's usual seat. "They somehow managed to bond, and that, mixed with losing Sunstreaker, has them both out of it. Who were you supposed to be meeting?"
Rodimus stared and blinked for a moment, thinking of how a bonding funk would feel mixed with a broken bond. Then he winced. "Worther."
It was Panacea's turn to blink. "...And he let you sleep through it? We'd better check and see if our zealous priest's been paying visits."
"Yeah." Rodimus frowned and paged the human dignitary, then spoke to his aid for a moment before disconnecting and shaking his head slowly. "That was weird."
"What did she say?"
"That Ambassador Worther looks forward to seeing me in the next session." He grinned down at his daughter as she woke and stretched, then told her furby good morning as it too opened its eyes and looked around.
"Shhhh," it told him in a hushed voice.
"I'm awake." Oriana 2 giggled at her pet, which twitched its ears and babbled at her happily in furbish.
Panacea was silent with surprise for a moment, but then shrugged. "Huh. Thank Primus for small miracles. Here, drink your breakfast."
"Don't I get a kiss first?"
"No. Drink your breakfast."
"Yes, dear."
"I'll 'yes dear' you...."
"What about the tears?" His aid frowned up at him, her blue eyes troubled. "Sir, he was crying."
"You don't know that. Remember, you can't always judge alien races by human standards. Especially when they're not even real living beings."
"He sure looked alive to me."
"Sari, you've got to stop anthropomorphizing the Cybertronians. They're big robots that were made a long time ago for some purpose that's been forgotten, but are now doing a very good job of defending our frontier. They're made in factories, from nuts and bolts and circuits. They aren't people."
"Yes, sir," she murmured, lowering her gaze so that he couldn't see the protest in it. Rodimus Prime had seemed human when he'd delivered that impassioned speech the day before.
Worther fell silent then till it was time to give his name to the Prime's chipper looking secretary. They were told to go right in.
Sari ran into her boss's back as he stopped abruptly several paces inside the door.
She gasped softly and murmured a quick apology, then noticed what he was looking at and froze with her eyes wide with wonder and amazement.
Rodimus Prime was sitting in the chair behind his desk, but he was asleep. Curled in his arms was a smaller robot who bore a strong resemblance to him, and this little one was holding some sort of furry pink toy. The Autobot leader's grasp on the little one was protective, and the look on his face, even as he slept.... Sari had seldom seen that much affection and that much worry on a sleeping face.
Then Worther was grabbing her arm and hustling her out of the room, his expression flustered and confused.
"Sir," she said in her soft way, once they'd left the outer office and were standing in the corridor again. "I think you're wrong."
Worther just gave her a troubled look, then looked down at the flimsy sheet that held his list of demands that he wanted met before his people would consider any contributions to the war effort and began to tear it into small pieces as he walked back toward his assigned quarters. He didn't want the private audience anymore. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to look Rodimus Prime in the eye after this.
* * *
Rodimus blinked as Panacea gently rapped on his helm with a finger tip, then straightened with alarm. "I missed a meeting!"
"Huh?" She paused in the act of setting down two mugs of warmed energon and looked at him quizzically. "Is that why you slept in here last night?"
"No... I just fell asleep after that last meeting, while I was trying to write that report." He freed an arm from Oriana 2 so that he could rub his face. "Man... I still have to go see Red Alert and Sideswipe."
"Don't worry, they won't notice that you're late." She sank into Springer's usual seat. "They somehow managed to bond, and that, mixed with losing Sunstreaker, has them both out of it. Who were you supposed to be meeting?"
Rodimus stared and blinked for a moment, thinking of how a bonding funk would feel mixed with a broken bond. Then he winced. "Worther."
It was Panacea's turn to blink. "...And he let you sleep through it? We'd better check and see if our zealous priest's been paying visits."
"Yeah." Rodimus frowned and paged the human dignitary, then spoke to his aid for a moment before disconnecting and shaking his head slowly. "That was weird."
"What did she say?"
"That Ambassador Worther looks forward to seeing me in the next session." He grinned down at his daughter as she woke and stretched, then told her furby good morning as it too opened its eyes and looked around.
"Shhhh," it told him in a hushed voice.
"I'm awake." Oriana 2 giggled at her pet, which twitched its ears and babbled at her happily in furbish.
Panacea was silent with surprise for a moment, but then shrugged. "Huh. Thank Primus for small miracles. Here, drink your breakfast."
"Don't I get a kiss first?"
"No. Drink your breakfast."
"Yes, dear."
"I'll 'yes dear' you...."