Chapter 3
"Hi Ratchet!"
"Wonderful."
Sundance grinned, crouching in the shadow of the berth closest to him that wasn't occupied by tools and instruments. She tilted her head, calculating how much strength she'd need and what angle was just right...She wiggled back a step, tensed her legs, and jumped. Her claws clattered on the metal of the berth and she slid a ways before she came to a stop. He said, "Shouldn't you be pestering Optimus?"
"He's in recharge." Sundance gave a little shake, trying to loosen the armor that was pulled tight around her body, "I didn't want to wake him up..."
"So you came here instead."
Sundance tilted her head, settling down on the cold metal. She watched him as he worked on something, back to her. The artificial light gleamed off his yellow armor, making the color seem even brighter. They also outlined his scars...everyone has scars. The grin disappeared. She started, "Hey Ratchet...do you have stories?"
He paused.
"Daddy says that you're the best medic here, better than himself, and that you've save a lot of lives. Just like Optimus and 'Hide."
"Sparkling," he started, "there is more to the war than 'heroism and victory'."
"I know..." She lowered her voice, arching her neck to look down at her own red claws, the same color of her mother's armor. She couldn't help but wonder if someday she'd be taking part.
She could see it-her third frame was big and powerful, with sharp claws and thick fangs. She would have more plates of armor that could expand and contract to make movement so much easier, and her wings...they would carry her into battle. She would soar above them all and hunt them like a true predator. A warrior. She would be a warrior. And she would make a difference, just like her mother.
"Battle is not full of glory," he kept on, "yes, we save lives, but we lose them, too."
"But if we remember them," Sundance said quietly, "and never forget...they'll live on."
He put down what he was working on and turned to her, hands on his hips. He sent her a look she couldn't quite read. When he spoke again, his voice was unusually soft, "Which one of your creators told you that?"
"Daddy. He said that he's lost mechs that were like brothers to him, and that he never forgets them, and that's how he keeps them alive."
Silently, the medic lowered his hand and opened it, palm up. Sundance smiled and jumped up, bounding over to him. She held on as he raised her up to his shoulder, where she climbed down and settled. Ratchet turned back to his work. She let the silence linger, entertaining herself by watching him work.
He moved differently than Ironhide when he worked. His hands were quicker, but they moved smoother. Ironhide took his time, often turning his work over to check and recheck for mistakes or missing pieces. Ratchet only paused every once and a while.
Unexpectedly, he spoke, "Have you seen your second frame?"
She vented sharply, "No. They wouldn't let me...but you've seen it. Tell me what it looks like, Ratchet! Please!"
He chuckled, "It's red."
She squinted her optics at him, "Like I had no idea it was red before..."
Sundance opened her jaws to say something else when her creators tugged on her spark, effectively drawing her attention away. It was then that she realized just how close they both were. She pushed herself up and scrambled down his arm with a happy squeal, optics bright and a huge smile spreading across her face. Ratchet's fingers slipped around her body before he managed to get a hold of her and set her safely on the floor. She took off without another word, singing as she rushed down the halls and towards the hangar.
Her little legs carried her quickly. She ducked and dodged between big autobot feet, passing Optimus and Jazz on the way. Her spark soared when she turned into the hangar and actually heard their voices. Flashes of deep blue and rose red drew her optics, and she nearly hurled her body at them before they even finished transforming.
She landed right in her femme creator's hands and sprung up to her shoulder where she climbed over and slid into the warm spot beside her throat cables. Sundance nuzzled into her mother and squeezed her spark as tight as she could with her love. Before Demona could raise her hands to touch her, she was gone, leaping over to Jolt next.
She stood up on her rear legs and wrapped her arms around as much of his cheek as she could, stretching her neck to look him in the eye, "I missed you, daddy!"
Again, before he could react, she darted away. She dropped around his neck and appeared on his other shoulder, squinting at a completely new mech, "I haven't seen you before..."
He looked shocked out of his processors, but the look faded and turned into one of softness, "What's your designation, little one?"
"I'm Sundance! This is my daddy," she dropped her head and nosed a plate of that beautiful blue armor. "And this is my momma!" She ran over his shoulders again like she was going to jump back, but he moved too quick for her and soon he was lifting her into the air in front of him. Although he didn't have lip plates like her mother and Optimus and Ironhide and Jetfire, she could see the soft smile in his optics. He warned gently, "Careful, Sundance."
"I'm just so excited you're finally back!" She grinned at him. Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet stepped inside then. Ratchet raised an optic ridge, "We are too...I can promise you there hasn't been a dull or quiet moment since you left."
Jolt laughed. He brought her closer to his chest and held her there with one hand. Sundance curled her tail around his fingers and laid down, head propped up on a plate of his chest armor. She shuttered her optics, listening to the hum of his spark, and slipped into recharge with a smile in her face, safe and happy in their arms again.
Sorry it's late...lot of crap happened today, and none of it was good...
I'll answer reviews tomorrow. Love to the readers.
Demona and her family and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.
