(c< Copyright 1998 Melissa McCook Melody Silver/Golden Eighth Note Ltd. TRANSFORMERS ™ are property of Hasbro, Inc. Used without permission. THIS STORY IS NOT FOR SALE OR PUBLICATION. IN NO WAY IS THIS INTENDED AS AN ACT OF PLAGARISM OR OF COPYRIGHT VIOLATION.
"Happy Birthday, Optimus!" the Autobots chimed in chorus, and by doing so, left their illustrious leader in a rare moment of speechlessness. Optimus knew, as did all the other Autobots, that members of their race didn't really have 'birthdays', as was the humans' custom, but an enterprising Spike and his girlfriend Carly had done some research on the sly, and they had discovered that approximately four and a half million years ago, Optimus's spark had first come online. Carly had cooked up the idea and mentioned it to Spike, who found the idea interesting--and a great deal of fun. Both the human teens loved introducing the Autobots to Earth customs, and most of the Autobots found the nuances of Earthlings a fascinating study. So, with a minimal amount of coaxing on their part for permission, Carly and Spike found themselves delving into Teletran-1's databanks while Optimus was otherwise occupied. The stalwart leader had never guessed, which made his surprise all the greater.
Optimus surveyed his grinning troops, then cast his brilliant sapphire gaze on the two humans he was sure were the culprits. "I really don't know what to say--I've never experienced a "birthday" before. It's an interesting sensation, to be sure--four and a half million years, hmmm." He put a hand to his chin in a trademark gesture of thought. "I certainly don't feel that old."
The group burst into laughter, and Ironhide, Optimus's country cousin, gave his commander a hearty tap on the shoulder. "Y' don't look a day over three million, Prahme," he chuckled, which elicited more laughter from those assembled.
"Well, in honor of your spark-day," Perceptor said, coming forward to speak for the rest of the Autobots, "we wish to present you with a token of our best felicitations."
"What Perceptor is trying to say, Prime," Spike broke in, "is that we have something for you that we think shows our appreciation." He turned to Carly, who was holding one end of a red ribbon sash, the bright satin as wide as her own hand. The sash was tied to a large square shape about as tall as the girl herself was, and Optimus realized he hadn't seen that on his way through the control room an hour before.
Carly began to tug on the sash, a grin on her face from ear to ear. "A very special present," she added, and the sides of the box fell away to reveal a large square dotted with standing figures. On closer inspection, most of the Autobots recognized the black-and-white chequered board from human games of skill, but what made everyone draw awed breaths were the playing pieces.
Two armies faced each other like warriors frozen in time, staring at each other from across the battlefield of black and white. One with sapphire blue eyes, the other with ruby red, the lines of pawns, rooks, queens and kings faced their opposing teams, silently awaiting the time for the battle to begin. For what made these pieces special was that they were made in the image of the Autobot and Decepticon forces, nearly exact to the smallest detail. Optimus stood tall and proud, his rifle at the ready as king of the Autobot side, and everyone shuddered as they gazed at a Megatron rendered harmless by a Cybertroinian artisan. Optimus breathed a small sigh as he picked up the queen, the familiar shapes and curves of his beloved Aleeta-1 cold and heavy in his steel hand, but the Decepticon queen was a female he didn't recognize.
Ultra-Magnus was the knight for the Autobots, and he grinned proudly as he turned over the chessman in his hands. Perceptor was the bishop, and flanking the entourage on either side were Jazz and Ironhide, playing their parts as rooks. Included in the ranks of the pawns were Kup and Springer, Arcee, Blurr and HotRod, and each in turn admired the craftmanship that had reproduced them so faithfully. On the Decepticon side, Megatron stood flanked by Soundwave as his knight, the traitorous Starscream as the bishop--although Ironhide remarked in a biting aside that Starscream should have been the queen--and Thundercracker and Skywarp as rooks. The Decepticon pawns, seeming to snarl a challenge across the board, were comprised of all the Constructicons, Rumble and Frenzy, and included Ravage, Laserbeak and RatBat. "This is magnificent, everyone." Optimus grinned behind his faceplate. "Thank you all very much. Now all I have to do is learn how to play." *But when do I ever get a spare moment?* he wondered, as his friends went into the other room to celebrate, but the celebration was short-lived.
"Optimus!" Bumblebee ran into the control room as the birthday guests filed out, but they all stopped and lsitened to the small yellow Autobot, who was clearly out of breath. "Decepticon activity in sector four oh nine!"
"The new power station?" Kup asked, his voice grave and gravelly.
"Looks that way," Bumblebee's face was grim.
Springer punched a metal fist into the opposite palm. "We've been waiting for Megatron to make a move on that blasted thing for over a month now, and now he finally decides to. His timing sure is lousy."
Suddenly there was a mass movement to battle stations, and Optimus dropped the cover over the chessboard and followed along behind his troops, his powerful voice commanding, directing, instructing. Consequently, Optimus' duties as designated Autobot Leader and holder of the Prime did not allow for such leisure pursuits as chess, although he wished for the millionth time it did not have to be so.
"I just don't feel right about it, 'Magnus," Rodimus said to his second-in-command as they took the lift up to the second floor of Metroplex monolith. The building had been repaired since the battle for Autobot City, but Rodimus had refrained from going here just for the reasons he was about to explain to 'Magnus. "I really don't know if I can do it."
'Magnus fixed the young leader with his wide, blue gaze. "I know you'd rather be anyplace else but here--however, it is a task that you must complete." The lift chimed, and the two Autobots exited and turned down a familiar corridor. "Besides, it might help."
The Prince Prime shook his head sadly. "Primus, I wish this was over with."
Hurting for Rodimus, 'Magnus opened a long-unused door into a dusty, dark office on the second floor. "Here we are," he breathed in the stillness, dust sifting through the air at the robot's footfalls.
"It's just the way he left it," Rodimus said softly, trying desperately to dampen the pain and grief he felt at the sight of the empty office. 'Magnus and his young commander began the heart-wrenching task of sorting through Prime's papers and boxing up his office to be put into storage, but 'Magnus stopped at a small, choked noise from Rodimus.
"What is it?" 'Magnus asked, and gasped as Rodimus answered by removing a dust-blanketed cover to a chequered board. The Autobot and Decepticon chessmen stood at the ready, waiting to play a game that had all too often turned out to be a deadly one, and now it had turned Rodimus cold, like the lifeless HotRod pawn on the gameboard.
For a long, long moment, Rodimus and 'Magnus looked at each other, and with a heavy sigh, Rodimus took up the Optimus Prime king and laid it gently on its side.
*THE END*
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