Prime Apologies

[Optimus Prime]

OOC: This takes place in day 3 after DZ3.

Optimus Prime is on light duties after receiving repairs. He's turned this into an opportunity to work on his axe. He's set up a small working bench in a relatively secluded part of the tunnels.

The head has been detached from the handle, granting Optimus access to the weapon's energy emitter and power cell. At the moment he's holding a specialized key bit into the head, making minute adjustments.

[Rodimus Prime]

It's taken awhile for Rodimus to find some free time. He really doesn't want to be viewed as a staff medic, but with the level of injuries they've been taken in the recent battles, it's been a matter of 'every capable hand.' Still, he's managed to find a moment to himself, and has spent it generally wandering the sprawling tunnels they call 'base', checking up on others.

Rodimus's own repairs are not complete, although at this point the only thing that stands out visibly is his lack of an outer coat of paint. That doesn't apply to everywhere - face is still silver, hands are still orange, pipes are still chrome. His back is still painted in most areas, especially where his spoiler usually covers his back. The spoiler itself is currently missing.

It's taken awhile to figure out where the other Prime has holed up, but Rodimus is heading there now, currently moving along in robot mode. His heavy footfalls can be heard clearly before he can be seen, but he can be seen not long after. "Good afternoon, Optimus," he greets, but once in the general area he just quietly leans against the wall and watches the young Prime, waiting to see how the other reacts, to get a feel for how to proceed.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus appears to be focused on his work, only turning when Rodimus offers his greeting.

"Hello, sir." He says, before placing his project on the table.

Huh, okay, he's just standing there.

"Was.. there something you needed me for?"

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus shakes his head, raising his hands to indicate a negative. "No... no, no, no, not that." He pauses, then shifts his weight more to his left foot. "I just wanted to check up on how you were doing, is all."

Then he pauses, sighs, and looks towards the floor. "And apologize for having shot you."

[Optimus Prime]

Aww, Rodimus is personally checking up on anyone who took da--oh. I see.

Optimus gets up, not bothering to hide his wincing as he does so. "It still hurts, but nothing I wouldn't let stop me from battling if it came to it." Not that it would, but hey, who knows what the Decepticons might do next. He looks Rodimus directly to meet him in the optics, regardless of where Rodimus himself might be looking. "As for the other thing... you did what you had to do. It's not as if the other Rodimus Prime gave you options. If taking that shot was necessary to stop him, I understand."

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus actually is checking up on anyone who took damage - or at least looking in on them. However, yes, there are other things involved in Optimus's case as well.

Rodimus forces a weak smile and nods. "Good. I'm glad to hear that you do." Because frankly, if Rodimus had that particular incident to do over, he'd have done things exactly the same way. He regrets the need to make such a choice, but he still feels the right choice was made.

"We can't let the Decepticons think they can bring us to a complete halt every time one of ours is endangered," Rodimus adds, now looking directly at Optimus, "but still... I regret that the decision had to be made at all. That was... your first real battle with us, after all."

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus chuckles quietly. "I know I don't have the experience that you, or many others have, Rodimus," he says, "But one thing I've learned is that you don't get a 'practice' first battle to get used to the idea.

"One thing we were taught--one thing I believe in--is that we have to all do our part, play our role." He decides not to dive right into the 'all cogs in the Autobot machine' line. "And that was the role I was handed. Should the situation come up again... I'll understand."

He extends a hand.

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus Prime grins and grasps the hand, giving it a firm shake. He chuckles lightly. "To be honest, I don't even remember my first battl-" then he cuts himself off and considers. "Well, okay. My first battle was against Galvatron inside of Unicron. But I can't remember Hot Rod's first battle."

He goes back to leaning against the wall as he considers the youthful Prime before him - and yet, in a manner of speaking, Rodimus himself is only ten years old. He was just 'born' old. "From what I've heard, though, you performed pretty well out there, over all. You seem to be adapting well, too."

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus looks very confused. "Uh, okay." He doesn't know why we are talking about this other guy.

"Well, thank you. That red jet with the little gun-bot kind of threw me, figuratively and literally. I was just doing my part. But Rodimus, sir... I'm confused. Who's Hot Rod?"

"...and for that matter, have you heard of someone called Optronix?"

Weird, Hot Rod has parts that sound like Rodimus' own name, Optronix could almost be Optimus, and then there is this Galvatron guy who has the same 'surname' as Megatron. There must be a very finite number of Cybertronian names out there in the multiverse.

[Rodimus Prime]

"Red jet with a little gun-bot?" Rodimus asks, now sharply interested. He frowns and looks towards the ceiling, expression distant for a moment. It couldn't be... could it? "Secondary color gray, the 'gun-bot'' in blue?" he asks for clarification.

Then he smiles faintly. "Hot Rod. That's... kind of tricky. The easy way of saying it is that I am, or was, Hot Rod, but that's... not quite accurate. Hot Rod was, erm, the raw material that the Matrix used to make me from. I have his memories. If I lose it, I revert to him, but I'm not... not quite him, and he's not exactly me. We've got traits in common, but we've also got some differences, too."

"'Optronix', though, I don't really know. You'll have to ask around for that." Sadly, Mirage has not made an entry on his reality in the database!

[Firebolt]

The echoes of some voices in the tunnels are enough to draw the attention of Firebolt, who was walking through the tunnels quite alone upon not finding anyone around for most of the time. Upon coming closer to the echoes, she sees the two Primes chatting, and freezes.

"Whoa, authority figures," she mutters quietly, and stands, staring for a good moment. She shakes herself out of the stupor and then shuffles over a bit nervously, waving upon getting a bit closer. "'Lo guys, hope I'm not interrupting anything."

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus is made visibly uncomfortable by the explanation Rodimus offers. It's as if a sacrifice has to be made in order for there to be a Prime! It'll take some time to get used to the idea.

And then Firebolt shows up. "Hello, uh, Firebolt." He says to the Autobot. "And I'm... I don't have any rank in this world. I'm just another soldier."

[Rodimus Prime]

In one reality, Orion Pax had to die for Optimus Prime to be born. In another, Optronix had to be remade into Optimus Prime. And then there was Rodimus Prime's own origin...

...Really, the theory that a sacrifice has to be made in order for there to be a Prime holds some merit.

"Hey, Zippy," Rodimus greets Firebolt with a smile. He waves her over. "You're not interrupting anything. Come join us!" He gestures towards a nearby overturned crate, one large enough for her to use as a seat. "Good to see you're doing all right," he adds before turning back towards Optimus.

"You're red Decepticon jet with the 'gunbot' sounds familiar," he notes, despite the fact that Optimus didn't bother to answer his question about color. He pulls out a datapad from subspace, activates it, then turns it around to show Optimus (and Firebolt) a picture of Misfire. "I don't suppose he looked anything like this?"

[Firebolt]

"Aw you've got the name that says you've got rank. I'll take that," she says as she waves her hand a bit in a dismissing manner. "You've got more rank than I'll ever have anyway!" She's amused by this for some reason that probably isn't clear to anyone else but herself.

"Heh, not like I was doin' much out there," she laughs as she plops down onto the crate. When she's shown the picture, she eyes it carefully, even though she doesn't know who it is. Maybe he'll show up some time and she'll at least know who he looked like.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus points at the screen--"Yeah. That's him. Well, the big one anyway. I don't know who the gun-bot was. Seemed to be a bit unfamiliar when it came to using him. Perhaps they aren't used to working with each other..."

He turned to Firebolt. "As for rank--trust me. It's not everything. So, uh. Why did you get the nickname, 'Zippy'?"