The Way Humans Are
A/N - Thank you for all the reviews. This is actually my first Transformers Fan Fiction. I didn't mention that because I wanted to see what the reviews would be. I want to thank all of those who have reviewed, you made my day!
Part 2
Sam woke to an empty hanger and a chilly breeze. He coughed slightly as he pushed the covers away and reached under the bed for his tennis shoes. He didn't like to walk across the metal, it was too cold and he slept in socks because he hated to have cold feet. There was nothing worse than cold feet!
He was pulling on his sweat shirt as he ran the stairs to ground level. He didn't mind being up so high, but it did make him rather nervous; what with all the jumping and the fun stuff that went along with defeating Megatron - he shivered - yeah, it was not a good thing to be up so high.
Jumping the last step, Sam made his way over to the building that would house Lennox and his crew. It wasn't at all finished, but Sam knew that he would be able to find some food there, and then he planned to go searching for Bumblebee and Optimus. Only Bee would take off without informing him when at the base, after all, with all the other Mechs around, Sam was in safe hands.
The crazy sounds of tires skidding across the pavement had Sam turning before he could even think about it. Not far behind him was a Yellow Lamborghini and a Red Lambo following the yellow close behind. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. And they were in the middle of one of their all out races. Which was a horrible thing to be around. All honking horns, skidding tires, the smell of burnt rubber…Sam started to run.
The Lambo's streaked wildly across pavement. Bumping into each other, cursing at the other about paint jobs and Ratchet being pissed if they got too banged up. Sideswipe was having an amazing time, if a car could smile, he would be, with his tongue lolling out drooling as he did so. Sunstreaker would be growling and looking determined to win.
Neither saw Sam till it was too late.
Sam wasn't fast enough to get out of the way as Sideswipe came at him, he let out a scared yell and raised his hands to try and defend himself. Not that it would have worked against the car. Sideswipe was fast though, despite his joking around, he took the protection of Sam very seriously. He transformed in a moment and came to a stop with both his hands covering a crouching Sam.
There were several moments of silence, then Sunstreaker began to worry; "Oh shit, oh shit, Optimus Prime is going to be so pissed at us," he murmured. Sideswipe gave him the finger as he transformed back into the red Lambo.
Sam thought he was suffering from a heart attack. That had been close, very close. He wasn't so much worried about Optimus, as he was about Bumblebee. That Mech could be such a worry wart. He'd probably be dragged to get scanned by Ratchet, then Bumblebee would follow him all day. A sudden coughing fit had Sam to his knees. It just had to be the stress.
"What is going on over here?" that booming voice was that of Optimus Prime, who stood over the three with hands on his hips. Looking like a very disappointed mother when her children trooped into the house with muddy feet and clothing.
"It was my fault, Optimus," Sam finally stood; "I was in their way," he finished lamely. Optimus bent down to see Sam at a better angle.
"Sam," he said with much fondness in his mechanical voice, "Our Races aren't so very different. We want our freedom like the humans, we want equality like the humans, we want to live in peace, like the humans. However," and here he held up a finger to make a point; "We are bigger, we weigh more in this gravity, and can easily kill you just by tripping. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker know this and should be more careful when they know humans are around," it was a careful admonishment for Sam. He felt a bit embarrassed, but Optimus was right.
Sam nodded his head in understanding. He saw it now, how the other Mechs tended to be in their car forms more than their Mech forms. How Bumblebee would be loud so that the others could hear and know that Sam was around. He also saw why Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were always admonished when their play got too rough for him to be around. That usually had Bumblebee cradling him against his chest and shielding Sam with his shoulder. But, Sam tended to ignore that. Bumblebee was a young Mech, or so he had been told, and needed to learn his job on his own. Or with Optimus' help.
Optimus surprised Sam by picking him up in one huge palm; he gave - what Sam considered a glower - at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker; "I am sure that Ratchet needs some help with repairs to Punch, why don't you go and see if he needs you to fetch anything for him," and with that Optimus turned to take a few steps towards the human's building and put Sam back onto the ground.
"I'll see you later Sam, Bumblebee will be here shortly,"
Sam nodded and gave a wave before disappearing into the building. He heard the resounding steps of Optimus turning to the other area's of the base that needed to be built. It was coming along just fine, Sam knew that in a few months the team for Nest would be housed here and there would be more people for him to be around. Not that he minded Mechs at all.
* * *
Ratchet was not happy at all. He glared at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker who had been made to tell Ratchet the whole thing, including their endangering Sam. Bumblebee had heard and as soon as Sam had come up, he had transformed, beeped at the Lambo's - who had taken their alt form now to help hand over tools - and had sped from the garage in search of his Person of Protection. Or POP, as Bumblebee had shortened it down to.
"I suppose that you two are still sparklings and must be treated like said sparklings. If I was my Mother, you'd be in heaps more trouble than just helping me, I am sure Optimus will take care of this situation himself sooner or later," he rattled on, mumbling about such punishments as he had gotten as a child. Cleaning up grease, standing in time out, listening to his Mother's lectures.
Of course, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker weren't listening. They had grown bored and distracted as they helped to work on Punch who watched them all very closely.
"What about painting?" Punch finally chose to speak up. Ratchet looked up from a loose bolt to give Punch a curious - for a Mech- look.
"Painting?"
"You just said it yourself, the out side walls of this building need paint. Grey is, of course, the best," Punch said in a matter of fact tone, "It reminds me of Cybertron. It was very grey there, and golden, but mostly grey," Punch explained. Soon he ran out of words and became silent once more.
Ratchet grinned and turned to the twin Lambo's who were chatting behind him; "Right, the outside walls are looking dingy and this is our home so we cannot let things look so horrible…" he pointed to a pile of Mech sized paint cans and Mech sized brushes that had been laid in a corner of the large hanger - "Go paint the outside walls, up, down, up, down," he ordered.
"Who are you? Mr. Miagi?" Sideswipe muttered. Sunstreaker punched his twin in the arm and motioned with his head at the painting supplies. Best to just get it over with.
* * *
"I'm fine Bee! You can put me down now!" Sam cried out hurriedly. Bee hadn't let Sam get a word of greeting out before he had lifted Sam to his chest and started to pet and scan the human. Sam wiggled but Bee held tight, not enough to hurt, but enough to keep Sam in place while his scans did the work.
"Bee, let me down!" Sam tried to order. The key word here being 'tried'. Which didn't work seeing as how Bee just shook his head.
"I'm all right Bee," Sam tried again. Bee gave him a look that Sam knew rather well and he subsided. Bee would win this argument. No doubts about that. When the scans were done, Bee didn't let Sam go as he had suspected.
"Bee, what's wrong?" Sam asked. The green words shone on the leather padding of Bee's fingers and Sam read them aloud.
"The Scans came out wrong, you are sick," Sam looked back up at Bee.
"No," he said, "I'm not sick Bee," he protested. Bee just shook his head. Now on his feet, he strode back to the garage Sam had come from that morning. Sam sighed, he'd have to be tortured by Ratchet before Bee was happy. The things he did for his best friend. Really. He should get a reward for this!
* * *
Optimus and Ironhide were checking the perimeter beacons when they caught site of two familiar looking robots slapping grey paint on the outside wall. Ironhide chuckled.
"Well, looks like someone is doing your job," he teased. Optimus shook his head.
"I was at a bit of a loss, I suppose I shall have to give them a lecture and more chores to do," Optimus replied.
"Well, we do have three more hangers to be built and painted," Ironhide suggested. Optimus nodded.
"Dully noted," he acknowledged and added it to the internal chore list he kept. He'd send the chore list to the Lambo's after they were done with the task Ratchet had set them.
* * *