Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Taking Cover

The clouds opened up just as the hay barn came into view. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves struggling through sheets of blinding white. The wind roared, causing the sheets of heavy snowflakes to swirl in surreal dances.

Before the snow hit, Jake and Precious had seen the barn, and being the smart mules that they were, they never wavered from where they were going. Their combined sense of self-preservation saving those that they pulled. Straining against the weight of the ice sled, the team worked as one, digging for traction in the rapidly deepening snow. Suddenly, they stopped, their noses touching the side of the barn. The blizzard so thick that the boys couldn't even see it!

Amus and Daniel made their way up the sides of the team. Each keeping a hand along the harness to find their way, reaching the barn side the boys searched for the doors and struggled to open them. Amus then came back to the team and carefully led them in.

After the ice sled had made it all the way in, Amus went over and helped Daniel close the doors to the storm's fury. The interior of the barn became pitch black.

"Do you know if Leman has any lanterns in here?" Amus asked Daniel.

Before he could answer, the barn became illuminated in a strange glow. Taken by surprise, the boys turned around. "Well, the least I could do is give you guys some light!" Bluestreak laughed, he had propped himself up on his arms and turned his headlights on.

Daniel grinned at Amus. "Why didn't we think about that? He is a car too!"

Amus just shrugged. Though he was curious about Bluestreak, he was still a bit unnerved around this alien, but his religion had always taught him to be tolerant, nonjudgmental and helpful to others. He figured that had to include aliens as well.

So with Bluestreak illuminating, the boys unhitched the team and tied them to some beams. Then they threw down a pile of hay to the mules, which began to munch contentedly.

"If you leave your lights on, are you going to drain down like a car?" Daniel asked the gray mech.

He nodded. "Eventually, but it'd take a week or two. Lights don't use much."

"Hey Daniel, I found a lantern over here." Amus exclaimed, looking around the corner in which Leman had his new baler stored.

Daniel jogged over and helped Amus pull the lantern out of the pile. "Little John's got a cell, why don't you call him and get him to tell his Pa that we're in his barn."

"Ok."

As Amus made a few calls, informing the Leman's of where they were, which was then forwarded through the 'Amish teen cell phone network' to their own families; Daniel was looking thoughtfully at the new baler. After which he trotted over to Bluestreak, jumped on his back, looked at a few things, and then going back to the baler.

Amus's cell phone rang. "Hey, it's little John. He said that Pa was thankful that God led us to the cover of his barn. And we could use anything we needed." then he grinned at Daniel. "He said he's got one of his tool kits next to his old baler on the other side of the barn. Doesn't know if it'll be useful."

Now Daniel was in sheer ecstasy! He couldn't think of anything better than being stuck inside because of the storm, and having something he'd never worked on, needing repairs. The elders had always told him that God had blessed him with this gift, and the community had encouraged him, with everyone asking for his help with their balers and welders. Even the older teens let him stick his head under their car's hoods and fix things. The English boys and teachers at the community school he attended had even nicknamed him the 'Amish Grease monkey'.

Before he just jumped on in, he figured he'd better ask for permission, this wasn't just some old baler! "I think I could fix some of those linkages and hydraulics, they match up pretty close with the new baler's" he asked the gray Mech, hoping that the Autobot would let him.

Bluestreak looked at the teen; the boy had the same hopeful look that often crossed Spike's face. Smiling, he figured that the teen couldn't do any more damage than was already done, so why not? "Sure, go for it."

While Daniel happily trotted back and forth from the mech to the new baler, taking parts out, putting parts in, Amus sat down in the front of the sled, popped open one of their remaining beers and looked Bluestreak in the face. "If ya don't mind me asking a few questions, there's a lot've stuff about ya aliens that our elders been wonderin' about."

Bluestreak nodded, humans always seemed more curious, than afraid. Answering their questions had always made it easier to live amongst them.

Leaning back, Amus draped his arms around his legs. "We are taught that God made us and we are to live humble and simple lives to honor him. What about ya?"

Theologies

Before Bluestreak could figure out how to answer the rather strange question, he felt Daniel pat him on his back. "Better warn you, the more Amus drinks, the more into religious debates he'll get. Every party he ends up at becomes a theological discussion."

Amus grinned, then looked in the box they had carried their party supplies in. "My brother, considering we've only got three brewskie's left, neither one of us is even going to get a buzz."

Looking quizzically at Amus, Bluestreak remembered Spike saying something about religious people not drinking alcoholic beverages, Or something to that extent. "If you don't mind me asking, I thought religious people didn't consume beer?"

Both boys started laughing. "Ya, that's what the Englishmen think!" Amus chuckled.

"They also think that Amish are some backwoods, backward, technology-fearing, ignorant community." the other adding, nodding as Amus tossed him a beer.

"None of which is true."

"Yep, even the community of Shipshewana has a website!"

"And their cultural center's got all sorts of interactive videos and such."

"And no one can party like Amish teens!" Amus winked.

"Yep, we can drink those English boys silly." Daniel agreed, lifting his beer.

Bluestreak turned his head, trying to look at Daniel. "But then why are you still using mules? And have no electricity in this barn?"

"Oh that? We can use technology that doesn't interfere with the family. Chores and stuff are done together" Daniel shrugged.

"Yep, at home we have no TVs, Video games, or other stuff. Those are just distractions from family"

"But we've got these sheds by the road, where the electricity runs. We keep our cell phones out there."

"And if we buy a car, we have to park it away from the house."

Daniel took another big gulp. "And unlike the Englishmen's churches, our churches want us to experience life to the fullest, and then decide with an understanding mind – if we want to return and be part of the church, as adults."

"To the fullest!" Amus agreed, lifting his beer in toast.

"Until twenty-one!" Daniel laughed.

These boys were confusing Bluestreak more than explaining anything. But he just accepted the fact that humans were a little odd, and these humans were particularly odd. At least they were very friendly and helpful.

Amus leaned forward. "But ya avoided my first question."

"He won't stop until you answer it." Daniel whispered to him. Finishing his beer, he went back to work on the hydraulics.

"Well, we don't really have a 'God'. Unless you consider Vector Sigma it." Bluestreak answered.

Amus nodded. "So this Vector Sigma is ya creator?"

"I guess so, we build new transformers then he animates them."

"Oh." the boy took another swig, deep in thought. "So he doesn't actually create ya, he puts ya soul in?"

"Something like that."

"So how did ya first begin? Who made the first one?"

"Never thought about it. Don't really know." the Mech shrugged, and then he felt Daniel fall on his aft section. "Oops, forgot you were up there."

"It's ok; I'm wearing 5 layers, so it didn't hurt." Daniel answered, getting back on his feet.

Amus popped another beer. "So if ya don't know who first made ya, no one ever taught ya how to live?"

"Guess so." Bluestreak made sure not to shrug this time.

"The newspapers say ya are at war. Are ya always at war?" the teen asked.

"Pretty much. Ever since I was built."

Amus considered this, then looked up at the Mech. "Maybe ya problem is that ya have no religion, no God. So Satan has free rein over ya lives. He loves war and death."

Bluestreak cocked his head, he'd never really understood the human need for religion, it had always seemed a tad bit illogical to the Transformers. But then again, his species had seemed to always be at war, whereas their species went through cycles of war and peace. Even in the cycles of war, the majority of them were still living in peace. One of these days, he'd have to run this idea past Perceptor.Granted he doubted that they'd ever get the Decepticons to listen to such a crazy theory! A mental picture of Megatron bowing to some human religious symbol passed through his processor, causing him to silently chuckle.

Then Amus patted his arm. "I'll tell the elders that we need to pray for ya. Maybe our God will show ya the way. Maybe that's why he led us to find ya."

Realizing there was no sense arguing about the illogical nature of this, Bluestreak just grinned at the boy. "Thanks, I guess."

"All done, I think." Daniel said, sliding down Bluestreak's shoulder to stand next to Amus. "See if you can move."

Slowly, Bluestreak tested his lower half, then rolled over and sat up, stretching his legs a bit. His linkage felt a little tight, and the hydraulics were very stiff, but he could move now. "You did a pretty good job on me, thanks!" he nodded to Daniel. Whose eyes lit up in pleasure.

They continued to talk, waiting for the storm to pass. The old barn creaking with effort as it protected the rather strange group.