Optimus Prime awoke from the first nightmare-free night with a sense of purpose. A germ of an idea was beginning to grow in his mind. He let it develop on its own as he attended to business. He even stopped by Magnus' office for a brief chat. While they only made small talk, Ultra Magnus was amazed at the difference in his friend. Optimus seemed a lot happier than he had been in a long time. He was not quite out of the woods yet, so to speak, but he was well on his way to recovery. 'Hot Rod must be a miracle worker!' he thought to himself. He had never known what to do when Optimus got into one of his moods. He had stayed away out of fear of making things worse. He was also surprised at the topic of conversation – Optimus eventually broached the topic of Rodimus Prime. Magnus told Optimus all that he could – the young Autobot had been rash and hasty to act, and severely lacked in patience and discipline, but he had nonetheless made a fine leader, better than Magnus himself had been. Optimus had seemed pleased by what he'd been told.
Optimus returned to his office, taking care of some paperwork (the pile was a lot smaller today – maybe he should delegate to Magnus more often) as he turned over Magnus' words in his head. Finally, as if coming to a decision, he activated his comm. line and summoned Hot Rod.
Hot Rod entered the office warily, unsure what awaited him. Optimus offered him a seat, and he took it a bit hesitantly, wondering what this was all about. Surely he wasn't in trouble again…?
His surprise and confusion grew as Optimus took the chair next to him on the other side of the desk and turned it to face him. Whatever this was about, it seemed that Optimus wanted to discuss it as equals, without the desk and the power it signified, in the way.
Optimus Prime fixed the younger robot with a direct gaze, and while it made Hot Rod uncomfortable, he did not shy away from it. “Roddy, you've given me a lot to think about. There's something that needs to be done. In fact, I should have done it long ago. If I hadn't been so distracted by my own problems, I would have seen it sooner.” Hot Rod did not speak, but his optics conveyed a questioning look. “You said something to me last night that got me thinking. You said that we were a team. I see now why we were having so many problems – we were trying to get along together with an imbalance of power. I was bossy and demanding, and you were rebellious and resentful. I think we make better friends than father and son, don't you think?” Roddy nodded dumbly, still not seeing where this was heading.
“I've never told you how proud I am of you, Roddy. You've accomplished more in a short few years than I have in millennia. A lot of it is sheer genius – I would have never thought of creating the EDC so that the humans could have a hand in their own protection. And you knew exactly how to handle Galvatron.” He leaned closer. “How do you do it, Roddy? I've become accustomed to anticipating Megatron's actions. At times it seemed that I understood him better than a lot of my Autobot friends. But Galvatron is simply insane. There seems to be no method to his madness. It's precisely that random factor that worries me. I have no idea how to handle him.”
Hot Rod laughed. “Believe me, with him you have to expect the unexpected. He's crazier than the entire population of Webworld put together, but there is occasionally a slyness that can take you by surprise. One time he nearly had me convinced that he had an 'ultimate weapon' that would destroy the Earth, when all he had was a dummy detonator. A bald-faced bluff like that is the work of a sharp mechanoid. But then again, he also saves us a lot of time by beating up on his own troops.”
Optimus nodded sagely. “I really value your opinions, Roddy. You have a different perspective on things that can be refreshing. You don't have a problem telling me where I've gone wrong. Most of the others just accept my decisions at face value. The Autobots have to constantly evolve to avoid extinction. I've lost that ability, but you can help me get it back. Think about it, Roddy. Have you really been able to go back to being Hot Rod? As much as you despised it, doesn't a part of you miss being Rodimus Prime? Don't you miss being the bearer of the Matrix?”
“No!” Roddy cried, leaping up and upsetting the chair. “I don't ever want that again!”
Optimus watched the display of temper calmly. “You're not fooling anyone, Roddy. Not me, and not yourself. Last night I felt the Matrix reaching for you, and you were mentally reaching for it in return. The loss of the Matrix has left you hollow, and you've been trying to distract yourself with crazy behavior that has gotten you in trouble again and again. You have to accept your destiny, as I have mine. You are the Chosen One, Roddy. You are Rodimus Prime. I've told you that everything happens for a reason. At the time, I didn't understand what had happened between myself and Phantasma, but now it's clear. You were meant to be created. Primus ensured that that would happen, one way or another.”
Hot Rod faced Optimus, trembling with a mixture of emotions – anger, fear, uncertainty. Optimus stood and gently helped his friend into his chair once more. “Just hear me out, Hot Rod. You won't be alone this time. I'll be here to guide you. You'll be my second-in-command. We'll be a team. I'll give you stability and teach you patience, and you can help me be innovative. This job is just too big for one person. I need someone to help me keep my sanity.” He shuddered as he thought of how close he had come to the void. “I can't handle this alone.”
Optimus let that sink in for a moment, then continued. “I knew from the first moment that I saw you that you were the Chosen One. The Matrix sensed it within you. You actually look a bit like Primus, which I think is more than a coincidence. I never told you about your future because it was too soon. I knew that events would unfold as they were meant to, and I was not to interfere. As I was dying, I sensed that you were still not ready to confront your destiny. That is why I passed the Matrix along to Ultra Magnus. I knew that he would at least be a capable leader until you were ready to assume your role as the Chosen One. You were always meant to be Rodimus Prime.”
Roddy thought it over as his best he could. His mind was churning, and it was difficult to catch a coherent thought. He was not Rodimus! He never wanted to be Rodimus again! But a little voice spoke up from within. Was that really true? Was it Rodimus that he hated, or the experiences that Rodimus had had? With Optimus around, he needn't feel self-doubt, or loneliness. Perhaps he could do things right this time. They could do it, as a team.
He mentally reached out to the Matrix, and it responded, extending mental tendrils toward him, beckoning to him. Telling him to embrace his destiny. He hesitantly approached the Autobot leader and pressed his hand against Prime's chestplate. He could feel the Matrix thrumming with energy. Optimus, as always, was right. This was his destiny, and there was no running from it. Prime slowly opened his chest compartment and removed the Matrix. It glowed softly, recognizing the two Chosen Ones, the only two that could harness its energy. It was already beginning to fill since the Hate Plague. As if in a trance, Hot Rod took the Matrix and placed it within himself. A great feeling of peace stole over him as his body expanded to become Rodimus Prime. This was how it was meant to be.
Optimus Prime's optics beamed a smile at his new second-in-command. “Welcome back, Rodimus Prime.” Rodimus moved to salute his superior, but Optimus caught him up in a bear hug. Roddy was too startled to do anything but hug back. “I'm so proud of you,” his father whispered, and Roddy finally felt worthy of that pride. Worthy of being a Prime.
Optimus drew back and nodded in approval at the change. “Now that you've fully accepted the Matrix and your identity as Rodimus Prime, you will not revert back to Hot Rod, even when you are separated from the Matrix. The change has become permanent. The only thing fighting it before was your own desire to hold on to Hot Rod.”
'So that's it,' Rodimus thought to himself. He had always wondered why he reverted back to Hot Rod without the Matrix, when Optimus stayed the same. He had always thought that it was due to something that Alpha Trion had done.
A sly smile stole over Roddy's face, and Optimus braced himself. 'Here we go….'
“So,” Roddy smirked, “does this mean that I've been spared from the armory?”
“Only if you behave yourself,” Optimus warned.
“And my rank is effective immediately?”
“Yessss…” Optimus was already wondering what he had gotten himself into.
“Good!” Roddy exclaimed. “Then my first order is for you to take a vacation. Scat! Shoo! Get going!”
“Sheesh, Roddy! Let's take this one thing at a time. I'll go after you're settled in your position, okay?”
“I'll hold you to that,” Rodimus warned. “My second action will be to find you a femme. 'Cuz Primus knows you need to get 'some'.”
“Roddy!” Optimus exclaimed, shocked. “Honestly! I do not need to get 'some', as you so crudely put it. Besides, I need some more time to heal. Alita and I were like one person, and getting over her loss will take some time.”
“Okay, but when you're done, I'll start throwing the girls your way!”
Optimus groaned. Was it too late to take the Matrix back?
“Lighten up, Op!” Roddy laughed. “We're going to make a great team!”