As Optimus arrived back to the center of Iacon the Jones, Kicker's father, and mother, raced to meet Optimus.
Kicker's mother spoke first, "Did you find him? We've looked all over New Iacon, but we can't find any sign of him." The franticness in her voice was barely being contained.
Optimus kneeled to the ground and revealed Kicker unharmed. Kicker's mother gasped and threw her arms around him.
"Thank God you're all right!" She exclaimed as she hugged him. Kicker's father ruffled Kicker's hair and looked back at Optimus and said a simple, "Thank you."
Optimus nodded and, giving the family space, walked back to where Omega Supreme was docked. He thought about what had occurred with Kicker, the strange coincident that someone, a human child no less, had an innate ability to hear and understand Primus. A feat that most Primes had trouble with.
The way Kicker spoke and understood with such ease both impressed him and left him in bewilderment. A human shouldn't be able to understand the life giver's words. The main issue being that the boy was not cybertronian, but also that those who are gifted enough to sense the will of Primus must then be ordained by him to even be able to glimpse at what he is trying to say. Then, after many cycles of study, and learning would a Prime begin to understand Optimus hadn't had the chance to spend any time learning or meditating on the lessons the Primes learned in order to converse with the life giver. He had been all too busy fighting a war the properly attend to his softer duties as a Prime.
When Optimus got to the bay doors his lieutenant, Hot Shot, met him. "Is the kid, ok?" Hot Shot was looking over Prime's shoulder as he asked. Optimus was so focused on his own thoughts that he didn't hear his officer's voice. Hot Shot stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. "Optimus, what is it?" the concern was palpable in his filtered voice box.
Optimus looked to him and, slowly, his situational awareness came back. Optimus scanned the garage then asked, "Where is Ultra Magnus?"
Hotshot straightened and said, "He is in the control room upstairs, with Ironhide and Blur. Optimus, what is going on with you? I've never seen you so," Hotshot had to think before he spoke, he'd never seen Optimus be anything but calm and collected. "shaken."
Optimus began walking to the control room and motioned for Hotshot to follow, "I'll explain everything soon."
Once Optimus and Hotshot entered the control room the voices of Ultra Magnus and Ironhide became clearer. They were talking about repairs being made for Omega Supreme, calculating how much energon it would take to finish the much-needed new plasma cell.
"I hate to say it Ultra Magnus, but I don't think we will have enough energon. Even if we reduce the energon consumption in other sectors our mines in the omega fields don't produce enough raw energon to recover our depleted reserves." Ironhide shook his head slowly, trying to think of some other way for them to find energon more easily.
Ultra Magnus was leaning over the holo-table in the center of the room listening to Ironhide and watching the projections of their energon usage play out over different simulations. He noticed Optimus had entered the room and stood upright, "Optimus." Ultra Magnus moved to greet his brother-in-arms with an extended hand. Optimus shook it warmly, but the thoughts of Kicker's revelation showed on his face. "Hello, old friend. Hotshot, please shut the door, we have much to discuss."
The doors sealed behind Optimus and Hotshot, the sound of the machinery in the walls "vvvrrring" into position and then stopping. Optimus waited for the other bots in the room to settle, then he related the events that had occurred in the hours before.
"I have been to the core of Primus, and he has spoken."
Optimus addressed the others with a great deal of suspense, as if he were not quite sure of the facts that were coming from his own mouth. His eyes were focused on the holo-table in front of him as he spoke. There were a few gasps from the other bots in the room, but each knew better than to interrupt Optimus.
He relayed how Kicker had been missing and after an hour of searching he had abruptly felt as if someone was calling to him. Prime told them about how he found Kicker and learned that Kicker could clearly hear and understand Primus.
When he had caught the others up to speed there was a long moment of silence as the other bots internalized what their indomitable leader had witnessed.
Ultra Magnus began the enquiry, "Where is the boy now?"
"With his parents, I returned him to them as soon as we resurfaced." Optimus replied.
Hotshot asked next, "How is it possible that a human, a child no less, is able to hear the words of an Ancient?"
Optimus shook his head, "I asked myself that same question, I can only think that direct exposure to the energy held within the core of Primus and perhaps even the will of Primus himself has allowed Kicker to gain this ability."
"That may be as close to the truth that we can get without asking Primus directly." stated Ultra Magnus.
The conversation went on like this into the long hours of the night with seemingly no end to the amount of questions being asked. There was no way for the answer to come with simply hypothesizing about how Kicker had developed the ability to communicate with Primus. Optimus ended the meeting with few words, but they were enough. The bots present at the meeting knew that what they had heard was not to be shared unless it was under the direst situation. Optimus needed answers, so we turned to one of the smartest bots he could think to ask.
When Optimus entered the new medical ward, he had expected to see his close confidant Ratchet tending to those wounded during a mining operation or perhaps a bot who had overextended his motors. Not the loud chaos that was unfolding before him. Ratchet was yelling at a younger bot, whom Optimus soon recognized to be Bulkhead, and pointing to a sparking pile of destroyed medical equipment.
There were a few human technical scientists nearby, whom had been working to create more efficient equipment to help curb the current energon shortage. There were only three humans standing near the arguing bots, but each had an expression of anger on their faces. As Optimus walked closer to the argument the bots noticed his approach. They gave each other another hard glare before turning to greet Optimus.
"Optimus please finalize my request to ban Bulkhead from any facility with any sort of sensitive equipment in it." Ratchet gestured to the sparking pile of scrap, "He is a danger to my sanity and to the medical divisions already short supply of working equipment."
"How was I supposed to know it was gonna break that easily? I barely touched the doohickey and it just fell apart." Bulkhead tried to defend himself, which resulted in Ratchet and him bickering again.
Optimus raised both hands in surrender and slowly waved the conversation down. "Alright you two, enough. Ratchet, may I have a word?" Optimus's tone silenced the squabbling Autobots and prompted an immediate response from Ratchet.
"Of course, Optimus, Kaite please see to it that the equipment that was damage is replaced to the best of our ability." Ratchet said to the young blond woman who had been frowning at Bulkhead. She nodded to him and began organizing the other aids to resolve the issue at hand. Bulkhead grumbled an apology as he helped the human scientists clean up the mess he made.
Satisfied with the scene he was leaving behind Ratchet began walking with Optimus back to his office. After walking down several corridors they finally stopped at a door labeled "Chief Medical Officer" then in smaller print beneath it, "Ratchet." Ratchet typed several patterns into the keypad to the right of the door frame and the barrier that sealed the room lifted and the door opened. The two bots entered a large room, in the center was a sizeable desk covered in holo-cubes and parts to machines that aided in the processes of healing an injured bot.
Ratchet cleared the guest chair that sat across from his own an offered it to Optimus who graciously accepted. With both bots now comfortable Ratchet spoke, "Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
Optimus related the events of that morning again not leaving a detail out. Ratchet listened intently and asked questions only after Optimus had finished speaking. They discussed the mornings events for hours and tried to think through every conceivable reason a human would gain the ability to understand the core of their world.
"I need to examine this child if we are to understand the changes that have taken place in his body. Something has caused him to develop these abilities and the key to understanding that is to understand him." Ratchet concluded.
Optimus nodded, "There are a few things I need to take care of before we approach his family, and you will need time to prepare the proper equipment and team. When can you have everything ready?"
"It will take time to calibrate Cryptonian technology to be able to properly scan a human subject, but I believe I can have it done by next week." Ratchet was already running calculations in his mind preparing for the changes he was going to have to make.
"Then I will speak to the boy's parents and prepare them for what's coming. They will need to give us permission to evaluate Kicker." Optimus stood and said his goodbyes to Ratchet.
As he was leaving the medical ward, he noted that Bulkhead had left and the mess that had been there before was completely cleaned up. Optimus smiled slightly, happy with the way humans and Autobots were able to work together. He then shifted his thoughts to his responsibilities to Cybertron and the new alliance that had been formed with the Decepticons and transformed to drive to his next duty as leader.