Chapter Two

Washing the Topkick

Cassie made her way out onto the driveway, smiling softly, lugging a bucket filled with two sponges, a hose and a type of liquid bought especially by Will for his truck. Dumping them down by the tap, she waited until the water ran warm and then filled up the bucket, pulling the plastic off the new sponges. The sun warmed her face and she sat down with her back pressed against the wall of the house, next to some well managed flowers. Cassie closed her eyes and soaked up the rays, allowing them to soothe her mind.

Whilst waiting for the large bucket to fill, Cassie wondered about the conversation she had with Will a few minutes ago.

"Sure no problem Will, I was scared you were going to have me paint the barn or something." Cassie grinned, placing a hand on her chest in mock relief. Will laughed and pulled out a bucket and hose from under sink.

Accepting them when he offered them to her, Cassie waited until Will had thrown a couple new sponges into the bucket and a bottle of washing up liquid for cars before wondering towards the front door.

"Oh, hey Cass one more thing!" Turing, Cassie saw Will hurry over to her and open the door.

"My truck is government property so..."

"So do not scratch or chip the paintwork right?" Cassie guessed smiling.

Will rubbed the back of his neck, as if he wanted to tell her something but was thinking better of it. "Yeah there's that, but also it has, well, kind of been experimented on. So there are a few, uh, glitches."

"Glitches?" Cassie repeated, confused. "You mean the 'radio turning on and off' kind of glitches?"

Will laughed nervously and after opening the door wide enough for the girl to pass through he bent down and whispered in her ear "Use warm water, ok?"

And with that he winked and closed the door leaving the teen befuddled.

Cassie glanced down at the bucket and reached over to turn the tap off. Clambering to her feet, Cassie attached the hose to the tap and tried to drag the bucket across to the truck. Swearing quietly when it splashed onto her trainers, Cassie grimaced when she saw the amount of mud on the Topkick.

Sighing in annoyance but still determined, Cassie grabbed the hose, turned the tap and directed the hose to one of the wheels. Thankfully the water was warm and she blasted the mud off with ease, watching with satisfaction when shining silver slowly came into view.

"Where the hell did Will go to make you so filthy?" Cassie mused, shaking her head at the thick layer of mud coating the passenger door. Mud had seeped itself into every available crevice, while blades of grass inserted itself into the caked on soil.

To her surprise, the engine gave a soft grunt making the teen pause and stare at the bonnet. Shaking it off, Cassie continued spraying each wheel with the hose until the thicker layers of mud came off. Throwing the hose back towards the tap, Cassie rolled up her sleeves and set to work gently coaxing the dirt off in circular motions. A trick she had learned from Paul, her father's personal assistant. He had told her to never scrub too hard or for too long without rinsing the sponge else the dirt you had taken off before would scratch the paint work.

The smile of success faltered then disappeared when Cassie realized she was probably closer to Paul then to her father, she had never spoken to him about anything other than her grades or plans for the futures, which – to an extent – were barely convocations at all. Tears seeped down unbidden from her eyes onto her cheeks and she sniffed hurriedly. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she composed herself and diligently continued.

Had she been used to the feelings emitted by the Autobots when in vehicle mode, she would have sensed the Topkick's confusion and sympathy.

...

Ironhide watched the child sadly and although he did not know the exact reason for her mood change, he somehow knew it was about her parents. He managed to contain a growl of anger at the treatment of this human child.

Sparklings on Cybertron, even before the war, had been devoted upon and had never gone without anything. Even Annabelle, Will and Sarah's offspring, was loved dearly and always kept happy. Ironhide shuddered to think what treatment had befallen on Cassie when she was Annabelle's age.

Content with the gentle treatment he was receiving, Ironhide relaxed on his axles without thinking. He lowered himself to the ground with a soft hiss like sigh, making Cassie yelp and stumble backwards.

Cassie moved away cautiously and emptied the bucket into the drain under the tap. The soapy and now brown coloured water swirled down the pipes and once the bucket had been checked for any lurking dirt, she filled it up again. Squirting the liquid into rapidly filling bucket, she was surprised when it didn't create any bubbles and then recoiled at the strong nose burning smell that was coming of it.

"Gross gross gross." She muttered, wrinkling her nose. Dragging the bucket over once more to the Topkick, she cocked her head at it curiously. "At least now I know what Will meant by glitches." She thought out loud, gazing at the truck and smiling as it raised itself again. As she made her way over and bent down to rinse the sponge in the liquid, she felt a strong force knock into her backside and push her over forcefully.

Gasping with shock, Cassie hit the floor heavily. Groaning, she rolled onto her back just in time to watch the driver's door close.

"You got to be kidding me..." She said in shock. Sudden inspiration hit her and Cassie rotated quickly on her behind and non-to-gently kicked out at the bumper. Her trainer hit its mark, dragging a surprised grunt out of the Topkick. Cassie poked her tongue out at it and got to her feet, checking herself for cuts. But although the landing hadn't been soft, she was not visibly injured.

Peering into the truck, she frowned when she saw no one inside. "Wonder if Will knows he has a possessed truck?" Cassie laughed and whilst keeping her eye on the doors, she bent over and collected her sponge, ignoring the threatening revving of the engine.

"You're just proving to me you're possessed." She mocked it after a few minutes of the Topkick constantly revving it engine in annoyance every time she came near to it with a sponge. After she said that, the truck stopped moving and making noises and Cassie was free to continue.

She started to work on the bonnet, noting how the added substance in the bucket was making the truck's metal shine. At her small 5"3, Cassie still had trouble cleaning the whole of the hood and before she knew what she was doing Cassie paused in front of it and she asked it "Can you, like, sink again" and she gestured to the ground.

A pause followed but much to Cassie's surprise, the Topkick actually lowered itself with a growl. Grinning, Cassie responded with a laugh and replied, "Thank you very much." Now that it was lower, Cassie could reach the entire bonnet and she smiled with satisfaction.

Half an hour later...

"Nice job Cassie!"

The teen looked up from winding up the hose at Will before regarding Ironhide. She gave it an impish grin before saying, "Yeah I guess I did." She threw the truck a sly wink and laughed when it grunted deeply.

Will looked back and forth between his truck and Cassie amused, happy that Cassie was not scared by Ironhide's behaviour. Although he had not talked outright to the girl – knowing full well it would terrify her – Will had watched Ironhide grumble at her in response to her talk and could feel his happiness of such a gentle washing pour off him. If Sarah or Will wanted him clean, they blasted him with the hose; Ironhide didn't mind, but he preferred it when they had the time to wash him properly.

Will had been slightly worried about how 'Hide would react to Cassie and had watched from the kitchen window but had been relieved at his patience. The incident with the door had made Will laugh and was unavoidable but he was proud of Cassie for getting her own back by kicking him. Although positive Ironhide had felt nothing, he knew it had been a shock for the Weapon Specialist to be put in his place; especially by a thirteen year old girl who was barely a blip of existence when compared to him.

"Dinner is ready, we're having Spaghetti with that bread you and Sarah made." Will added, leaning against the door frame. "It's on the table in the dining room."

He smiled as Cassie grinned happily up at him and as she shoved the hose into the bucket, he motioned to her to leave it there. Trotting over to the door, Cassie managed to untie her sodden shoes and slip off her socks before entering the house with bare feet. Shutting the front door silently, he made his way over to the gleaming Ironhide.

"You look... shiny." Will chuckled, casting his gaze over Ironhide's body, noting the skill that had gone into it. "I had no idea she actually knew what she was doing."

"You thought she was incompetent yet you still allowed her near me?" Ironhide thundered, his voice causing Will to burst into peals of laughter. He clutched his side and rested against the angry truck, his laughter slowly quieting. Wiping his eyes, Will shook his head at the Topkick.

"No, I didn't think she couldn't do the task, I just had no idea she would do it as well as she did. She is the daughter of two exceptionally rich parents you know." He gasped, still chuckling weakly. Ironhide huffed but said nothing.

"We'll drop her home around six ok? See you later 'Hide."

And with that and a final pat on Ironhide's hood, Will walked back into the house. Stopping when he reached the porch, Will turned, a thought entering his head and added, "Do you think Optimus and the others would like a wash as well? We could grab Sam so she wouldn't do it alone; Mikaela is in Spain with her dad."

Ironhide thought it over. "I think it would be entertaining since Optimus is always requesting closer interaction with humans unaware of our true forms." He replied, doing a truck impersonation of a sly grin. Will chuckled and said "I'll make some calls."