Maelstrom Chapter 31
Conversations in the Kitchen: Chapter 2
Author's note: This story is part of a LONG series called Maelstrom. It is strictly Gen. 1 - sorry, but that was all that was out when I started writing back in the late 1980's. It began as a fan-publication so the first chapters are in the form of a comic book! If you have not read the nine original Maelstrom Comics and the preceding text stories, I strongly suggest you do. This is a complex universe. They can be found at http// illmatar. deviantart. com (I have put double spaces between the URL here or FF . Net eats the link.) The comics and art which accompanies this series are there...and believe me I am a better artist than writer.
Most chapters of this series contain strong language and violence. Rated M for adult themes! Really! Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Critiques adored! This scene contains strong language, violence, and sex. Rated M for adult themes!
Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Story and OC characters are mine. Critiques adored!
Maelstrom 31
Conversations in the Kitchen
Chapter 2
Getting to Know Everything About you
Part A
"A football game?" Rodimus asked incredulously, looking up from the teleporter.
Magnus arched an eyebrow sarcastically and tossed the football up and down in one hand. "Yeah," he said. "Unless, of course, you aren't up to it....Prime." Magnus managed not to crack a smile, but Rodimus still sensed the word "Winnebago" doing a merry dance somewhere behind those glinting two-toned eyes.
It's his revenge for the whole "Uncle" thing, Rodimus thought with an inner chuckle of his own. He looked at the teleporter and sighed. They had just sent en empty cereal box across the room with it. Apparently, even though everything looked fine, there were still a few adjustments to make. In other words, it was a good thing the box had been empty before they'd sent it, because it was in no shape to hold cereal now. Rodimus shuddered, thinking how easily they could end up a twisted, unrecognizable lump when they tried the thing on themselves. A football game suddenly seemed a very attractive option to taking the damned mechanism apart again.
"You're on," Rodi said with a wicked grin. "You in angel?" he asked Lancer, who was glaring at the teleporter as if she could intimidate it into behaving better.
"What? Delicate little me in with all you big tough men? I might break a nail!" Lancer simpered.
"Ah," said Magnus, "so you're in." Rodimus laughed.
Lancer stood and stretched languorously....and swiped the ball from Magnus as he tossed it.
"Right," she said, grinning. Magnus made a grab for the ball and she ran off, laughing. Magnus gave chase.
"Magnus! Lancer! Not in the house!" Carly shouted from the living room. She knew full well it was a waste of breath, but feeling the need to anyway. She gave Rodi an accusatory stare as he strolled casually past her. "And here I thought you two were more settled than our bunch!" Carly groused.
"No. Just sneakier about it," Rodimus said as he headed for the door. He was in no hurry, knowing it would be a good while before anyone calmed down enough to actually play a game. He waited in the yard, and watched Springer and Hot Rod goof around until Lancer skipped back and tossed him the ball. He had given the boys a little pre-game instruction while they waited for the chase to end, and they were both a little nervous about what he'd talked them into doing. Neither of them was really sure how he'd managed to do that....he was very hard to say no to. Magnus thundered to a halt next to them a few seconds later and gave Lancer an evil look. She batted her eyes at him.
"She's worse than Hot Rod!" Magnus growled under his breath. Then he gave Rodimus a sharp questioning look, "Hey! How DID I catch her the other day?" He glared at Lancer again, and she gave him a vapid smile.
"Err...Ancient Chinese secret!" said Rodimus, throwing the ball at Magnus. "Tag! You're it! Jump him guys!" There was an immediate pile on which took Magnus completely by surprise - not because he didn't have warning, but because Springer and Hot Rod would dare..... He resisted for an instant, even though all four of them jumped him. Their combined weight didn't do it, but Rodi and Lancer's strategic assault on his balance DID. The heap toppled.
"Timber!" Rodimus yelled as they went down.
"UMMMPPPHH!" Magnus said.
"HAH!" Lancer gloated. "Vengeance is mine!" She had somehow managed to land on top of the heap, and was glad to have payback for her undignified welcome to this dimension.
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The free-for-all which followed was less of a game than a friendly brawl with only the occasional passing glance towards the rules. It was a bright, warm day with a few random clouds. Arcee talked Foul Play into joining in, although the Decepticon expressed amazement that Hot Rod even wanted to move, let alone play football. She was still sore from the morning's trials and the game did not look any less bruising. It was supposed to be flag football, but Foul Play lost count of all the times they ended up in a heap - why did she always seem to end up tangled up in Hot Rod? No matter where she positioned herself, somehow she always ended up where he did, no matter how many times she vowed that the latest stomach-clenching collision would be the last. The one time she nearly succeeded in escaping unscathed she inexplicably got bumped hard sideways by Lancer at the same instant Rodimus was delivering a similar blow to his twin. Hot Rod's body hit her full in the chest and they toppled like a pair of felled trees. They both had the wind knocked out of them, and didn't get up very fast, resulting in some very confusing cat-calls from the others. Foul Play decided Hot Rod was cute when he blushed.
Rodimus and Magnus seemed to have a competition going to see who could dish out and/or take the most punishment and went after each other even when it wasn't strictly necessary - why else would they tackle each other when Arcee had the ball? There was some mention of 'teams" but Foul Play quickly realized that she couldn't keep up with the changing alliances...it was worse than being at home.
Lancer and Rodimus seemed to be using the game as an excuse to either embarrass each other or flirt with each other...not to mention gang up on everyone else in turn. Their better coordination made it hard to get revenge on them after they found a way to trip someone up, although Magnus and Springer did manage to catch Rodi between them at one point. They both acted so pleased with themselves, as though they'd planned the whole thing in advance, but it looked more like a lucky accident to Foul Play. Lancer laughed and laughed though, and Rodimus sought revenge on her before turning that devilish grin on Springer and Magnus. Foul Play couldn't decide who was the most amazed, Magnus or the rest of them, when Rodimus managed to catch him off-balance enough to topple him...again. No one laughed out loud though, because Magnus also took revenge on those who snickered at his down-fall. A few seconds lying flattened under his weight and you were very sorry you even thought about laughing. Except Lancer and Rodimus - of course, they laughed with impunity, and their audacity still amazed Foul Play. She still didn't understand them though. One minute they'd be insulting and teasing each other, the next Springer was calling foul for delay of game when they choose to stay on the ground kissing. Of course, he and Arcee were not to be outdone and were caught doing the same shortly after. It all made Foul Play's head spin, although it was still better than dwelling on her recent reactions to Hot Rod.
By the time the game ended, they were all hot, sweaty, and whatever reservations and awkwardness remained had been ground into the mud. Even Marissa had joined in at the end, but her "interference" rapidly dissolved what little structure the game had in the first place, and Magnus (not unexpectedly) called it quits after a few minutes of having her in the game. Spike and Carly watched agog from the sidelines, and muttered about what Op would owe them for laundry bills and yard work. They also had a few choice remarks about the maturity levels of their charges, especially one City Commander and a supposed Prime who were so covered in mud and grass stains that they were nearly unrecognizable. They were all heading for the house when Spike came from around the back with the garden hose. He didn't say a word, but something in his feral smile told them all it was pay-back time.
"Incoming!" Rodimus shouted with a laugh, and the chilly water hit their overheated bodies the next instant. Everyone yelped. There was a general good-natured round of cursing and vows of vengeance on Spike who was still grinning like a wolf as he hosed the mud off of them before they got one inch closer to Carly's carpet. She stood behind him, cheering him on, and directing his aim to where it was most needed. She had a real eye for mud apparently because no one escaped a very thorough drenching. After a few minutes though, the Witwicky couple got a little power crazy and the "mud" became ever more imaginary. Rodimus and Magnus exchanged a silent glance and Spike suddenly found his hose under Magnus' control, and his arms pinned by Rodimus who was inexplicably behind him. Rodimus ducked his head and laughed at Spike futile struggling. Magnus smiled ever so slightly and just aimed the hose for a second.
"Magnus! Don't do it!" Spike said, not that he thought he really had a prayer.
The dripping City Commander didn't say anything, but the smile widened a little, and Spike got a lovely head on view as the water arced towards him. Not forgetting the cheer-leader, Magnus relished Carly's shriek as he gave her a similar drenching. She stood there with the same look on her face Lancer had worn when Springer had dumped her coffee on her. Even Magnus seemed slightly cowed for a split second, or so Carly thought, and then the water hit her again. Her second shriek was a perfect twin of the first. Magnus smiled to himself. Nailing a Decepticon had never been as satisfying.
Most of the group opted to head straight for the pool since they were dripping anyway, although Marissa and Lancer decided they'd better help with dinner to prevent Carly from having a terminal melt-down. She was so incensed they could practically see the water drying off of her as steam. (She was laughing about it too, but she would never dream of encouraging such behavior by letting it show.) Even Spike felt it prudent to avoid his wife until she regained her composure, and he joined the others in the pool.
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"You're trouble on the battle-field, aren't you?" Magnus asked Rodimus. They were both in the pool. Magnus was standing on the bottom; Rodimus was floating on the inner-tube.
Rodi smiled by way of answer, "I'm a trouble-maker pretty much everywhere I go." He nodded at Hot Rod. "Who better for it? Nowadays, I just make sure most of the trouble I cause is directed at the bad guys."
Magnus snorted, and smiled. "No one's ever been able to knock me down like that before," he said with grudging admiration.
"You've never been a squishy before," Rodimus reminded him, "I'm sure I'd have to work a bit harder at it if you were in robot form."
"A bit," Magnus said with an evil smile, but he wasn't completely satisfied with that answer. He glanced over to where Hot Rod and Foul Play were commiserating over their bruises - it seemed to be all they talked about the last few days - and then glanced back at Rodimus. His nephew's older twin seemed to have fallen asleep in those few seconds, and Magnus frowned.
The guests still seemed to be sleeping an awful lot, and he often wondered why they were still so exhausted. He didn't know that Rodimus and Lancer were feeling rather more relaxed here than they did at home. The problems they faced still weighed on their minds, but at least they didn't have to be on constant guard while they were here. Uninterrupted sleep was something of a luxury, especially to Rodimus, and he was taking full advantage while he could. Unfortunately, Rodimus was no longer a person who could safely afford to let his guard down. He dozed comfortably....until the sun came out from behind the clouds and hit him full in the face.
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"Feeling better Carly?" Lancer asked, as she and Marissa helped her cut vegetables for dinner.
"Hmmph," Carly said. Then she grinned, "Oh, I was never that mad, but I couldn't let Magnus know that; we have enough trouble already!"
"I think he knows, Carly," Marissa said.
"Probably," Carly agreed, "but it's the principle of the thing."
"Uh-huh," said Lancer, and the three of them grinned foolishly at each other.
"So," Carly said, "Marissa told me that she and Magnus are a couple in your dimension as well. Is that true?"
"Oh, very true. I have never known Captain Fairborne to miss once she's set her sights on something," Lancer smirked.
"Ohh, she went after him, did she?" Marissa snickered.
"Like a shark. The poor guy never stood a chance!"
"He can shift back and forth like Rodimus does?" Carly wanted to know.
"Yeah." Lancer confirmed.
"All of the shape-shifting going on must get confusing," Marissa noted, "although I suppose the Autobots are used to it."
"Yeah, well, most of them don't even know Rodimus can do it, and even fewer know Magnus can," Lancer said quietly.
"Really? Why? Do they have a problem with the whole human/Autobot relationship thing, or what?" Marissa asked curiously.
"That's part of it, but a very small part of it. Neither Rodi or Magnus have ever cared that much about popular opinion. It's mostly security, especially for the kids. They have inherited our enemies, and are therefore closely guarded secrets."
"Hmm, I never thought of that. You're right, Rodimus' children would be very tempting targets, wouldn't they?"
Lancer smiled, and had a brief mental war with herself. Her good side lost. "Yes," she said, pausing for drama, "and Magnus' too."
There was a moment of silence, the first part of which involved Carly and Marissa nearly missing the implications of that statement, and the second part involving the stilling of hands, and the widening of eyes. Lancer waited, and counted seconds.
"WHAT?" the two women said in unison.
"Fifteen!" Lancer crowed gleefully.
"MAGNUS' WHAT?" Carly said. Marissa had apparently lost her voice as her mouth was working uselessly. She looked rather like a stranded carp.
"Why, his children," Lancer said sweetly. "They hadn't been born yet when we left, but they may very well be by the time we get home. Marissa is carrying twin boys. She's only seven months along, but she's miserably huge. The doctors think they will probably have to take them early or she just might burst at the seams. It's OK though, because they are both over five pounds each already. Poor Marissa. The only thing that makes me feel worse than how tired she must feel right now, is thinking about how tired she will be with two of Magnus' babies on the loose. I know my little Hot Rod clones keep me busy enough, and I had enough sense to space mine five years!"
"I need to sit down," Marissa said. And she did - right there on the floor. "Twins?" she asked meekly from there on the tile.
"Yup," Lancer said, gloating. "Oh, don't worry Marissa. Your twin has everything well in...err..hand. She's currently seeing to it that he's suffering every bit as much as she is, and he, in turn, is taking it out on the Autobots. Rodimus has never had less discipline problems, except, of course, when I was pregnant with Alex. Optimus says all of this baby-making is good for well behaved troops."
Carly laughed, but Marissa remained in shock. "Oh, come on Marissa! It's not as though it's you that's pregnant!" Carly snickered.
"I know, but the very thought of having an Autobot's child! My mind can't accept it!" Marissa breathed. She staunchly refused to respond to Carly and Lancer's merciless teasing, and remained seated on the floor for quite a while.
That was why, when it happened, Marissa's first and clearest impression was something horrible was happening to Lancer's feet.
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Neither Carly nor Marissa noticed at first when Lancer fell silent and stiffened. They were still going rather loudly back and forth about Marissa's response to her twin's pregnancy. Carly never could decide what attracted her attention first; the low, continuous growl which was so at odds with their laughter, or the sudden flare of light. Marissa knew it was the feet. She stared, too overwhelmed and horrified to make a sound.
"Lancer...?" Carly asked, as Lancer's paring knife hit the counter. Then Carly started screaming. Marissa shuddered to her feet and backed against the counter when the tail fell to the floor and slithered over her leg like a warm dry snake.
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Springer was the first to notice something was up with Rodimus. Magnus seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, Arcee was sun-bathing, and Hot Rod and Foul Play were having a contest over who had the biggest bruise. Hot Rod's twin had been sleeping comfortably on the raft, but now he looked like he was having convulsions. His teeth were bared, and his hands clenched the thick rubber of the inner-tube so hard Springer feared it might burst. This was a matter of great concern to Springer since he rather liked the inner tube. He figured Rodimus was having a bad dream, and that it made total sense to just wake him up.
"Hey, Rodimus!" Springer shouted cheerfully.
Magnus turned curiously, took in the situation with the instantaneous insight of one who had similar dreams, and tried to shout a warning at Springer. He remembered in a sick flash of the warnings Rodimus had given them on that first, confusing evening to be careful around them when they slept. Inside the house, they could all hear Carly start screaming. An instant later, there was a horrendous snarl, and a monster with a vague resemblance to Lancer came through the nearest window. Springer's head jerked around with the rest of them at the sound, but his hand was already in motion. If anything Magnus' shout, and Lancer's sudden, shocking appearance lent more force to his hand than he would have normally used.
Lancer launched herself from the side of the pool, and was airborne when Springer's hand made hard contact with her dreaming mate. Rodi's response to being touched during a nightmare was as violent and intense as ever. His hand lashed out with the entire force of all his torture-fueled hate - but it encountered only air. Lancer's dive drove her and Springer to the bottom of the pool, but at least they would both live to blame each other for the bruises. Rodimus was much deeper asleep than usual though...he had let himself get far too relaxed, and now was deeper into his dream than he'd been since long before he could shape-shift from human to robot. His dreaming mind sought to make things as close to what he was remembering as it could. In the middle of Spike's pool, the horror-ridden young man shifted into a horror-ridden Autobot Commander.
"Get out of the pool!" Magnus roared, glad that even Foul Play and Spike responded to his voice as if they'd been doing it their whole lives. Pure terror lent them all a grace they weren't normally capable of as the inner-tube was crushed under Rodimus' suddenly inhuman weight. The water level rose violently and flooded over the sides with a roar.
Spike's first thought (as he struggled to stay upright in the tidal wave) was that Rodimus was playing some kind of sick prank, and was damaging the pool as a result. He was incensed at the damage being done to his property. Then he got a good look at Rodi's face and realized this was no joke, but a deadly serious problem. Whatever was happening to Rodi was obviously no fun at all for the Autobot, and Spike feared for his sanity. He quit worrying about his pool and panicked over the safety of his family. He could hear Danny wailing from inside and located Carly quickly since she was still screaming from where she stood in the doorway. He ran to her side and could only pray that the Autobot in the pool didn't take his aggression out on their home.
Arcee shrieked as well - overwhelmed by shock and fear. She looked frantically for her mate and wasn't comforted much when Lancer dragged a stunned Springer out of the pool by force (he had hit his head slightly on the bottom). Hot Rod and Foul Play clung to each other and gawked. Foul Play's stunned mind could only stare at both Rodimus and the transformed Lancer and wonder what else could possibly happen to her and if she could take it without going quite, quite insane. Not, that she would ever dream of admitting she was frightened. Afraid of an Autobot? Hah! Just please please please don't let him turn those flaring green optics this way! At least she understood how Rodi and Magnus suddenly allied themselves...they had way too much in common. Hot Rod didn't know what he intended to do if Rodimus became violent, but he was determined Foul Play wasn't going to be hurt by that menacing looking robot. Err...
Lancer got her hands under Springer's arm pits and her tail around his body. Her taloned heels clamped onto the side of the pool and she snarled in frustration as she tried to lift his weight, especially when the water receded and she no longer had its support to aid her. Magnus rushed to help her - his mind too overloaded to really look at her until they got Springer out of the pool. It wasn't until Springer was safely on the side, and that barbed tail unwound itself, that Magnus thought to question what was happening to her. Lancer's attention was totally on Rodimus, and little wonder. Magnus recognized that blank, unseeing look only too well, and felt real terror. He knew his own violent flashbacks were dangerous enough when he was with his fellow Autobots...if Rodimus started fighting here, in this frail human dwelling, with no one of like size to control him..... Why did he have to be so damned BIG? It gave Magnus a whole new respect for the humans who worked and fought with Transformers on a regular basis.
Magnus stared at what he saw as the only slim hope they might have and shuddered. Lancer had undergone a transformation of her own, and looked none too sane herself. The horns, and the taloned nails on her hands and feet appeared wicked enough to mere flesh, but what good would they be against forty feet of traumatized Autobot? Rodimus' optics were green and insane, but as yet he was utterly still. The look on his face was that of absolute hatred, transforming it into an alien visage which had not the slightest resemblance to their Hot Rod. He made no noise, although from his expression he should have been ranting.
The others were also making comparisons to Magnus and his flashbacks - it was the only real reference point they had, and they could only wonder what could have inspired the hate-filled expression on a face they were so used to seeing smile nearly incessantly.
Lancer was silent herself as she jumped down into the pool which now contained no more than three feet of water. She rushed up to Rodimus (he took no apparent notice) and laid her hands on his immobile leg. There was a flare of white energy where she touched him that matched the equally white glow in her eyes. She shut them, and rested her head against his cold metal body-shell. No one moved or breathed for a long moment.
Hot Rod clutched Foul Play protectively near the edge of the pool. Arcee had her eyes on Springer, but she was afraid running to him would set Rodimus off. Spike and Carly stared from the doorway, and Magnus grasped Springer firmly - wondering if he could move the triple-changer fast enough if Rodimus did start to thrash. Marissa (once she decided she wasn't hallucinating) let her training take over and pulled Hot Rod and Foul Play further away from Rodimus (not that she thought a few more yards would help much.) Marissa knew a flashback when she saw one, and she already knew Rodimus was prone to them, so the fact he was flashing wasn't what stunned her. Even the fact that he was in robot form didn't bother her as much as the others because she was used to dealing with 'Bots and 'Cons. (His size was, ironically, making the biggest impression on the humanized Transformers who were used to being that size, not confronting it as humans.) Marissa (and the other two humans) was far more disconcerted by Lancer's gruesome appearance. Her training covered flashbacks, and it covered berserk Transformers, but white-eyed demon women hadn't been included in EDC's courses.
Suddenly, Lancer opened her glowing eyes, and drew back slightly. Rodimus' locked limbs sagged slightly, and then his body shifted back to human as he collapsed. He curled up around himself in the shallow water, and Lancer wrapped her arms and tail protectively around him. They didn't move. People started picking themselves up slowly from around the sides. Foul Play wrenched herself away from Hot Rod's grasp, and tried to convince herself that she hadn't been frightened, and hadn't been very glad he'd been there to hold her. Unlike the Decepticon, Hot Rod stared at his twin and acknowledged the cold fear which curled around inside him. He knew enough of Magnus' history to know what it took to cause such a reaction and couldn't imagine himself ever experiencing anything that harsh and coming out of it in any way sane. It was one of the things he respected most about his uncle.
Arcee ran to Springer's side and held him while he coughed up the water he'd swallowed when Lancer tackled him. Springer was a bit bruised and scraped up, but he whispered reassurances to Arcee that he was fine. Arcee wasn't very reassured - this was completely outside her experience and she was feeling very off-balance. It was not a feeling she welcomed. Magnus briefly checked to be sure that everyone was basically unhurt, and then stepped down into the pool. Marissa came running to the side of the pool - her instinctive reaction was to help the couple in the water - but she stopped short at the edge, uncertain whether or not it was best to disturb them now.
Magnus had only taken a few steps towards Lancer and Rodimus when Lancer's head suddenly snapped up. Her eyes were still glowing white, and she growled softly at him, baring long fangs. Magnus stopped. He wasn't afraid, but the warrior in him had a healthy respect for the claws she had grasped so carefully around her mate's shoulders, and he didn't want to upset her more than she was. Right now, she seemed more like a cornered animal than the woman they'd come to know, and he respected the warning she was giving him. He kept his eyes locked on hers (knowing that if she were about to spring, he'd get his warning there) and waited.
Rodi's eyes suddenly snapped open, and the trembling abruptly ceased. In that instant, he regained total control over himself, and touched Lancer's hand soothingly to let her know he was back. It wasn't until he did that that Lancer took her feral stare off of Magnus and began exhibiting more normal emotion. The demonic traits vanished, but she reinstated her embrace around Rodimus. This time, Rodimus returned the comfort - something his mate seemed to need to regain control of herself. Finally, they straightened.
"Was anyone hurt?" Rodimus asked fearfully.
"YES!" Arcee said, slightly hysterically, "Springer got hurt!"
Lancer looked over at the slight contusions on Springer's forehead. "He'll live," she growled. She made no effort to conceal the changes in her voice - that cat was well out of the bag - she was just glad that a few scrapes had been the worst of it. Rodimus had already been shifting to Autobot form as he'd thrown that punch, and Lancer knew he was capable of killing in his sleep even as a full-human. If the blow had landed it might well have taken Springer's head right off his shoulders.
"Well," Rodimus said to Magnus with an embarrassed smile, "your flashbacks are noisier, but mine win because they are messier!" He waved a hand to indicated the flooded yard, and the twisted glass from Carly's violated kitchen window.
"You are impossible Rodimus. You are completely impossible," Magnus growled in disgusted relief. He too, was counting them all lucky. "I'll consider myself recovered on the day I can joke about something like that, but you could have warned us we might suddenly be facing you as a robot you know!"
"I didn't know. I've never shifted mid-dream before."
"Great!" Spike snapped. "You're sleeping outside from now on! What would have happened if you did that in the house?!" The man sounded completely overwrought.
"That's not a bad idea," Rodimus said seriously. He was disturbed by this new development, and wondered if anyone would ever be truly safe around him.
"Oh, don't start pulling that shit, Rodimus. That was my line remember?" Lancer snarled. "It wouldn't have happened at all if Springer had kept his hands off. That's what we should have told them! How did you manage to fall asleep out here anyway?"
"I don't know...I guess its just been too long since I felt this safe." Rodi confessed, shame-faced.
"You did," Magnus said.
"What?" Rodimus asked.
"You did warn us. The first night you arrived you warned us not to bother you when you were sleeping. Some of us just forgot," Magnus said, leveling his eyes at Springer.
"I should have known better anyway," Springer said, sober for once. "I know better than to mess with you when you're having similar problems," he told his commanding officer. "I don't know why I thought Rodi here would be any different." Lancer snorted sardonically.
"That's not important. I shouldn't have let myself fall asleep. I can't imagine what I was thinking," Rodimus said, making no effort to hide his very acute embarrassment and disgust with himself.
Lancer snarled under her breath, and Rodimus threw her a sharp glance. Aren't you down yet? he sent with concern. She sighed, and nodded at him, visibly shaking off the last of her panic-induced anger. His flashbacks were always as emotionally upsetting for her as they were for him, and this time it was coupled with her concern over his unexpected transformation. Lancer was having a hard time calming down. She wasn't too thrilled about the way Marissa was studying her either.
"Are you sure you're both OK?" the EDC Captain asked sincerely. She was looking Lancer over for cuts, knowing the young woman had gone through glass to get to her flashing mate, but there were no wounds apparent.
Lancer nodded. "We're old-hands at this Marissa, although he's never switched forms before."
"So...um..." Marissa paused awkwardly, unsure how to continue tactfully, "Your transformation is not unexpected, I take it." In spite of everything else, Lancer's transformation had the full-humans the most spooked, although the others found it eerie too. Somehow it was easier to accept shape-shifting from Rodimus, who they knew wasn't human, than from one of their own. The demonic aspect didn't help either.
Lancer sighed, and Rodi took her hand in support. "Yeah, well. Let's just say I'm not like other girls."
"We knew that already," Magnus said. "After all, you're mated to Hot Rodimus over there." Rodimus stuck his tongue out at Magnus. "See what I mean," Magnus went on without missing a beat. "Maybe you should tell us everything." This last sentence was uttered without a trace of humor, although it wasn't quite up to threat-level yet.
Rodimus and Lancer shared another long glance, during which Marissa was positive they were discussing the matter. Lancer seemed resistant at first, but she finally nodded at her mate who gave her an encouraging smile. Carly finally recovered her wits enough to suggest they all go inside to calm down and talk about it. She could sense a long story a mile off. No one said anything about the mess in the yard...they didn't want to deal with it at the moment. Spike could only hope the local sewers could handle the brief flood sloshing its way down the street from his decimated lawn. The only up-side to the mess that he could see was that Optimus would pay for the damages. Perhaps THIS mess wasn't really the fault of Optimus' own people, but Spike knew that after all the other wild stories Op wouldn't ask too many questions about this particular expense. He chanted his "Op owes me" litany to himself. Even if it wasn't technically accurate, it gave Spike comfort in times of stress.
When they went into the kitchen, the first thing any of them noticed was that the window hadn't been shattered - it had been melted.
"Oh I can't WAIT to hear the explanation for this one," Springer said, flopping down in his chair. The chair creaked in protest, and there were puddles all over Carly's floor since no one had thought to dry off. For once, Carly didn't notice. Most of the others followed suit, although Hot Rod lurked by the door for a while, staring at his twin. Lancer and Rodi sat on their counter.
Continued in Part B