The will to believe the truth
Chapter one: What my ears have heard my eyes have not seen.
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I ran tears streaming. I didn't know what to do. I broke out of the main base and started to run, through the snow out into the middle of wherever no where I could find. My knee was popping the whole way but was holding. I slowed and looked back. Ironhide stood by the doors watching me. I shook my head and turned again continuing to run. I didn't know what else to do. I needed to get away to run what was spoken through my head. He said he loved me, but he said he loved whoever she is. I was so confused.
"JO!" Ironhide, I could hear his steps bearing down on me. "Stop..please." I stopped and turned to him. "Take this. Please…Prime will not forgive me if I allow you to Freeze to death." He lowered a black down coat to me. I looked up taking the coat.
"Ironhide…" I couldn't take it anymore I allowed the tears to stream down. "I am so angry."
"Come I have just the thing." He transformed and opened his driver side door for me. I looked back at the base. "I will not tell Prime, come along." I nodded and jumped up inside him. "You are their weapons expert."
"yes." I said with a small voice. "I don't feel like it now though."
"Your heart rate is fast, I will need you to calm yourself if I am to take you to slag carbonated beverage canisters."
"Shoot at pop cans?" I asked.
"Yes it helps me to think..it may help you as well."
"I want to shoot optimus in the eye." I said angrily.
"You do not mean that." He said. I kicked at the floorboard. "Did he say something to hurt you?"
"He said he loved someone named Elita." The truck came to a forceful stop. I leaned forward onto the steering wheel. "Ironhide!"
"My apologies, do you know who Elita is?" He asked.
"He said he loved her."
"Yes, as she has been Missing for many of your earth centuries." He said. "I was happy when he became fond of you, he needed to put away that pointless search."
"That's terrible to say when people love one another."
"My Chromia is lost along with Elita…you do not need to tell me what is terrible about letting go. I am fully aware." I bit my lip.
"Your Chromia?" I said quietly. "Was she your love?"
"Yes." My words seemed to have struck a chord in him. "So please do not be upset with Optimus, he loves you most desperately. I have never seen him so ..out of his spark before."
"Really?" I asked instantly regretting walking out. "What did I do."
"You reacted, you are a female, female humans react hastily." He sighed.
"Excuse me?" I looked down. "Say that one more time."
"You acted hastily, it is normal for a human female, I have studied the behaviors of human females." I blinked and shook my head.
"Thank you Doctor Ironhide for that wonderful explanation of the female psyche." I rolled my eyes.
"You are welcome." He seemed proud of himself. I just shook my head.
"Are you going to take me back?" I asked.
"Of course, after we shoot carbonated beverage canisters." Ironhide pulled around and started for the back shooting range of the base.
"Dear lord…what have I gotten myself into!?" I asked myself allowed.
"Ironhide is my name." He said. I slapped my forehead.
"You just don't get it do you?" I sighed "Just drive Ironhide…just drive." He did, and came to a slow stop at the shooting range. I sighed and jumped down from him and watched him Transform. I walked over to the shed and pulled out my keys unlocking the weapons locker doors. I looked for the two arsenal keys, the one to unlock the guns, the second to unlock the magazines. I pulled out a small glock and grabbed a few magazines.
"Are you ready Jo?" He asked looking out to the cans. I pushed and magazine into the gun and pulled back the top of the gun.
"Yes." I said looking back inside once grabbing a set of headphones to protect my ears. "Let's do this blacky."
"Do not refer to me as blacky." He sighed and shot down a Dr. Pepper can easily.
"Fine." I put my head phones on and looked around I sighed and saw a diet pepsi can. I swallowed and popped off a shot and sent it into the air.
"Not bad." Ironhide scoffed. "You can do better your aim is not precise."
"I am not a machine Ironhide." I reminded him and took a coke can off the top of a small post.
"As I can see my friend." He smiled and took out three miller light bottles sitting upside down on the metal fence at the top of the firing range. I took a steep breathe and sighed holding the gun tightly. I looked to a beer can beside Ironhide knee and one directly in front of me. I pulled the trigger aiming to the side of the bottle. It shattered and ricochet off in the direction of Ironhide and busted the bottle beside him. "Jo!"
"Scared tough guy?" I shook my head and put the gun down.
"No…That's preposterous." He scoffed. "Come …Optimus will want you back at the base."
"Ironhide you are adorable." I said with a smile and returned to the small shed and put the items I had taken back locking up. I sighed quietly putting the headphones back on the hook and pulled the door closed and locked everything back up. "Now will you leave me alone about my shooting abilities?"
"yes." He transformed and opened his door again. "I will attempt to flood my cabin with warmth." I jumped inside and the door closed behind me.
"I feel like an idiot." I said quietly.
"You should not." Ironhide said. "Move to the passenger seat." I did as he asked and clicked my seat belt. Ironhide's hologram appeared. "Optimus loves you." The hologram was firm and steady. "He will speak with you and you two will be fine…you will go on as you always do." I reached over and put my hand on his hologram's shoulder.
"I'm sure Chromia is out there." I said softly.
"Thank you…" he said looking over to me. "I appreciate the sentiment, I however had been moving on myself." I flashed back to the Christmas party.
"Ellena?" I rolled my eyes "Not her…Why her?"
"She is not a Soldier…I like that…It is a change of pace." I put my head in my hands.
"She's still military."
"She is a code breaker…I will never have to fear for her safety." He said as he pulled up to the base. His hologram vanished. I opened the door leaping down into the soft snow.
"Thank you Ironhide." I said. "You've done a lot for me." I turned seeing the semi parked 50 yards away at the gate. "I believe I can take it from here. Oh, and one more thing." He transformed and looked down at me. "Ellena likes chocolates, ask Lennox if he can find you some for her. It would make her very happy."
"Thank you Jo. I will leave you two alone." He stood and turned inside. I sighed looking over to Optimus. I shoved my hands into my coat pockets. Walking up to the semi quietly, I stopped. The doors didn't open. I sighed.
"I am so sorry." I started. "Ironhide put everything into perspective."
"Jo." He spoke, softly at first. "I am the one who is sorry." The door opened and his hologram appeared. Wearing a blue coat similar to mine; he grabbed my hands. "I should have told you about Elita months ago….before I let it get this far." He looked down into my eyes pulling me closer to himself. "I swear to any gods that might hear me that I will die for you, and if I had a choice to live forever or spend however many years are left in your life with you. I would choose to stay with you." I smiled closing my eyes letting it sink in.
"Promise?" I asked. He lifted my left hand with his and I looked down at our rings.
"I already did." He smiled and kissed me. I melted at that and kissed him again. "I will never betray you… I promise you." He pulled me close placing my head on his shoulder. I felt his fingers in my hair.
"Thank you." I said.
"Now get inside." He pointed back to himself as the driver side door opened and we snuck away from the world.
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