A/N: I unevenly split up Chapter 3- mainly because DA didn't like it all together either.
The next morning, Lori was jolted awake by a sharp knock on the front door. Rubbing her eyes, she shuffled to her living room to answer. She opened the door a little to find her father outside.
"Oh! Morning, dad…" She muffled a wide yawn, internally regretting staying up so late.
"Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty!" Ironhide teased. "Were you still in bed? Humans sleep too much." He looked highly amused by her pajamas and frizzed mess of hair.
"You jolted me awake with your door knock," Lori answered. "Are you coming in?" Ironhide nodded, and Lori opened the door fully. "So is your boss okay with you staying here? I thought about it a lot last night… kinda messed up how well I slept, so that's why I'm so tired." It was true; she'd woken several times in the night, troubled by how different her life was going to be, now that she knew who her father was.
"Don't be losing sleep over me, Lori," Ironhide chided. "Everything's fine. He's okay with it, I just gotta be checking in all the time, and be on standby for when I'm needed. I could be gone for days at a time if a mission calls for it. I also have to be careful coming here since we don't want the Decepticons finding out. It's risky, but I can handle it."
"How complex," Lori commented. "At least you'll be here sometimes." She walked into the kitchen, put coffee on, and started to make herself breakfast. "If I ever get to visit your boss, I have got to get better clothes tailored. The whole 'post-apocalypse-assassin' look might not go over so well."
"He's already seen you, so don't worry," Ironhide assured as he sat down at the kitchen table.
"True enough," Lori muttered.
"So… you have any plans today?" Ironhide asked.
Lori sighed tiredly. "Just another day of job hunting… I might still have lots of money from band gigs, but eventually it's gonna run out. It's not going to be easy with my height and frame… I scare people."
"Job hunting? I haven't had to do that in a long time." Ironhide chuckled softly. "What jobs are you interested in?"
"Most definitely nothing that involves sitting down," Lori replied. "Being still drives me crazy. Firefighting maybe? Anything involving action, really… except I have the sinking feeling nobody would want to hire somebody with my appearance…" The worst part of the modern human society, which Lori hated, was the ridiculous appearance requirements and dress codes. It wasn't her fault she couldn't meet those expectations.
"Appearance isn't everything, Lori," Ironhide remarked.
"Sadly, in this society, it is," Lori explained. "I seriously doubt any respectable company -other than maybe the survival/bug-out store- will want a badass, assassin-type out on the sales floor. If I had the courage and discipline to be in the military, I would do that, but I'm only brave when I'm pissed off… and back to the whole clothing issue, I would need properly-fitting clothing custom-tailored. Ugh, being in a band was so easy!" Every day, she prayed that the forces that drove the band apart would bring it back together; it's all Lori wanted.
Ironhide felt guilty since he was, in a way, responsible for her problems. "For now, let's not worry about the clothing; we'll cross that bridge when we get there. You don't want to go into the military, okay, and you expressed interest in the Fire Department… alright then, we have a start. Let's research what you need to do to become a firefighter." He was thinking of how lengthy the process was when a thought came to him; Barricade's vehicle form was a Police car. "You'd make a pretty intimidating Police officer, would you be interested in the Police Department?" Lori shot him a most startled look.
"Remember I killed three of them?" She asked sadly. "Regardless of the fact that they were off duty and pissed me off, I've still got Police blood on my hands. The only reason I haven't been discovered is because they don't have any records on me, not even fingerprints. If I joined them, they would probably connect the dots…" and she would probably be thrown in prison to rot the rest of her life. Prison was one hell-hole she did not want to visit.
"Let's go with the Fire Department, then," Ironhide decided.
"Now for the hard part… applying and interviews…" Lori muttered.
"Yikes, that'll be fun," Ironhide joked as he leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. "I'm pretty sure you have to be trained as an EMT before you apply to the Fire Academy, so you'll probably have to go to school."
"Oh, joy," Lori muttered sourly. "More school and more taunting and teasing. Could I possibly do it online? Every year I was in school was hell." She could still remember the dictionary of insults she'd been called.
"Hard to say," Ironhide answered. Lori sighed.
"I obviously couldn't skimp out on boot camp to train and all," she speculated, "but I really do not want to be teased. Most of my life I was teased for being rail-thin, and when that changed, I was teased for being muscular. I keep asking myself why my life took this turn… With my band, life was so easy and fun; I had my friends, I had the music, and our fans loved us all dearly. Maybe I'm just afraid of truly growing up…" Sure, she'd lost sleep and the odd acquaintance here and there, but life in a rock band had been the fun kind of hard work.
"If music is you passion, make that your full time job," Ironhide said. "It'll be hard for sure, but you can do anything you put your mind to."
"My band was my full time job," Lori replied wearily. "We were our own roadie crew, with just my truck and a modified trailer. But I took care of, transported, and kept all of our gear. Unfortunately, the music world is cut-throat. Where it's hard to start and keep a band, it's that much easier to break it up. … I just want a job that's easy to get and keep that's also fun." Firefighting wasn't exactly going to be very fun, but it was better than being ogled by drug-abusing freaks.
"This human world is stressful and complicated," Ironhide complained.
"Don't I know it," Lori agreed. "Is it so surprising now why I'm still so tired? Well, aside from the fact I was also up past midnight putting away groceries and moving gear around." And that had actually been a little fun.
"What were you moving?" Ironhide asked. "You could have called me, and I would have been happy to help."
"I was moving all the band gear into one room; so that there would be a spare in the off chance I need it," Lori explained. "And when I mean all the gear, I'm not kidding; I have every guitar, drum, mic, portable amp, stage amp, cable, light, control board, speaker, and frame we ever bought… but I should have called you to help. Roadie boxes are heavy, and I have scratches, scrapes, and a crap load of bruises."
"You're not alone anymore," Ironhide muttered, shaking his head. He got up to look closer at Lori's fresh injuries, only to find they were hardly noticeable. "At least you're tough, though."
"As tough as you, I'd wager," Lori muttered. "But I tellz ya… Roadie boxes do need two people to properly haul them around." She sat down with her breakfast, and then realized she hadn't asked her father if he wanted anything. "I hope you're not hungry… I wasn't even thinking…" She gave a heavy, tired sigh.
"I don't eat human food, so no worries," Ironhide assured.
"Right… I gotta remember that." Lori laughed tiredly.
"It shouldn't be that hard to remember," Ironhide muttered with a shrug.
"Let me wake up some more, and I should remember," Lori replied. She had terrible memory when she was drowsy, but she would never admit it. She blew a wayward lock of hair out of her face. "So… Do you have any plans today?"
"I made sure I could spend all day with you," Ironhide answered. "Of course, I may get called in unexpectedly, but hopefully that won't happen.
"Well, then… what to do…" Lori drummed her fingers on the table, thinking. When a group of fighter jets flew over, an idea came to her. "Ah ha; I've got the perfect idea. There's an airshow going on at the local airport. Let's go to that." She hadn't been to the annual show since her mother had died. "You should invite your boss and friends; I'd love to meet them." She took a long swig of her coffee.
"They can be a handful, but that would be fun," Ironhide said, and then sighed and rolled his eyes. "You should invite Cade; I'm sure you'd like him there as well."
Lori giggled as she sipped her coffee. "I can handle it. Just you wait; you ain't lived till you've seen fighter jets do tricks. … And yes, I do intend to invite Cade." (Ironhide briefly wondered if he should tell Lori he'd been on the receiving end of fancy jet tricks, courtesy of Starscream, but he thought better of it.)
"Then let's go," Ironhide replied. "Just give me a sec to call the others." He stepped out of the room to make his calls, leaving Lori to herself. Lori took a few bites of her food, slightly annoyed with herself for letting it cool.
"I promise not to scare and/or threaten them," she muttered as Ironhide returned.
"No, please do," Ironhide requested. "That'll make our day ten times more fun."
"Daddy, that's mean!" Lori chided with a laugh. Ironhide felt chills at being called Daddy, and joined Lori in her laughter.
"You do whatever you want," he joked.
"You know I will," Lori teased. She quickly finished her breakfast, and cleaned the table up. "Well, now I have to take a shower. Feel free to play with the sound system and game console; I take long showers." Ironhide nodded. "Just don't break anything, okay?" Lori then walked into the bathroom, and a few moments later, thick clouds of steam billowed out of the door's seams. Ironhide stepped over to Lori's entertainments system, briefly admired the complexity, and then made his way to Lori's blade room. There, he was caught up in examining each little detail on every blade, taking up all his free time. Lori casually strolled out the steamy bathroom, wrapped in a towel barely large enough to cover her.
"Ah, now I'm really awake," she purred. "Dad, don't you dare drool on my blades, or I'll smack you." She made sure her tone was teasing, as she wouldn't think of trying to hit her battle-hardened father.
"I don't drool," Ironhide teased back. "Hit me all you want; I can take it. Now get dressed, young lady." He had a hard time sounding stern when he was holding back laughter. Lori giggled as she dashed into her room.
"So what did you friends say about joining us at the airshow?" she asked, voice muffled by her door.
"They're all going to be there," Ironhide answered. "They want to meet you."
"That's great!" Lori chimed. "I'll put on my studded combat boots then!" She only wore studs when she wanted to make an impression; her plain combat boots were great and all, but studs were just that much more dramatic.
"Oh yeah," Ironhide joked with a roll of his eyes. "That'll show 'em." Lori's musical laughter rang through the door.
"I sharpened the studs," Lori explained. "They're like mini-spears on the front of my boots." In fact, the studs were bloodstained still… their victim left sterile for the remainder of his life.
"Nice!" Ironhide praised. "Now you have to promise me to kick someone."
"Only if I get pissed off," Lori warned. She stepped out of her room, dressed in a blue tank top, cutoff jean shorts, and her combat boots, which sported visibly sharp studs.
"Looking good," Ironhide commented. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah," Lori answered, "So, are we taking my truck, or…?"
"We can go in me," Ironhide offered. "That sounds weird out of context… but anyway, it'll save you fuel, plus I've never had a passenger before, so this'll be interesting."
"Okay, sounds good." Lori couldn't help but laugh.
"Then let's go," Ironhide said. Lori happily followed her father outside. There, the two jumped into the cab of the GMC Topkick. It felt strange to be in a different truck after five years of her Baja/Street-legal Raptor, and much stranger than the car she'd been taught to drive in, but Lori supposed she would get used to it; after all, this was her father. Ironhide had just about instantly strapped her in before she could grab the seatbelt.
"Wow, you're quick!" Lori remarked.
"I'm gonna have to keep a little troublemaker like you safe," Ironhide teased.
"Oh, I'm a trouble maker?" Lori barked a laugh.
"If you're related to me, then trouble always finds you," Ironhide replied.
"True enough," Lori muttered. Combined with her height and short temper, she wasn't at all surprised she'd gotten into so many fights. On the way to the airport, Ironhide tuned into a classic rock/metal radio station, and they had a whale of a time singing along to the songs, which included "Paper Sun" by Def Leppard, "Blaze of Glory" by Bon Jovi, and "Rock You like a Hurricane" by the Scorpions. They eventually arrived at the airport, where the airshow was already in full swing, and found parking. Lori jumped out of the cab with a happy giggle.
"I feel like a kid again!" She declared with her arms spread wide like wings. A pair of 1930s biplanes flew over, barrel rolling. Ironhide tensed a bit (the planes sounded so similar to an oncoming airstrike), but he shook it off.
"Come on, the others are already inside," he said, eyes still on the old planes, which had spilt off in opposite directions to volley paintballs at each other.
"They're quick," Lori replied in surprise. The walked into the gate and paid admission, and then looked around. Several different aircraft were parked around the grounds, their metal bodies and glossy paint shining in the sun. Lori's expression was bright and lively, excited to be coming back to a show she'd attended since she was a small child.
"This is pretty cool," Ironhide admitted as he admired the wide variety of aircraft scattered around (he was in fact impressed humans could be so creative when it came to aircraft). There were also new and classic cars and trucks (some of which were raffle prizes, others for sale from the dealership in town), ATVs (also up for raffle and/or sale from the local dealer), and hundreds of booths on the tarmac. Music of all genres blasted from the booths, from rock to hip hop to country, it all blended in to the point individual songs could not be singled out. The event was well attended, with thousands of people milling about. Several aircraft were parked right beside the main runway, awaiting their turn to perform in the sky.
"Mom took me to this show every year," Lori said. "During the years I didn't come, I kept a mental note of who the big air act would be; this year it's the Blue Angels." The 'Angels and Thunderbirds alternated years, but both put on a delightful performance.
"Are they good?" Ironhide asked. He could hear the distinct whine of jet engines from the runway.
"They're stunning, and also quite beautiful," Lori answered. Before Ironhide could ask what they looked like, six F/A-18 Hornets painted dark Navy-blue with gold accents thundered overhead; the jets were flying within 18 inches of each other, the tightest formation Ironhide had ever seen.
"Not bad for humans," Ironhide muttered, impressed. This became an understatement as the jets barrel rolled and lopped as one, the craft in the rear of the formation trailing colored airshow smoke. The tempo for Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" could scarcely be heard over the rest of the music, but it seemed the Blue Angels were performing in synch with the song as they split from their formation to perform solo tricks, such as passing belly-to-belly towards each other, again merely inches apart, flying upside down, and spiraling straight up into the sky to dive back down. Lori knew these tricks had come from years of practice and tragedy, and from the progression of different aircraft the Blue Angels had flown. Many of the tricks she had seen several times, but they were no less amazing as they had been the first time.
"And if you hadn't already noticed, their jets aren't outfitted with guns," Lori pointed out. "Airshow craft are never fitted with weapons, as their sole purpose is to showcase what the craft can do."
"That's a relief," Ironhide said softly as he watched the Blue Angels execute their Fleur de Lis formation split, all six jets trailing smoke. All of a sudden, Ironhide and Lori were in the shade.
"You didn't bring an umbrella?" Ratchet asked from behind them. "Ironhide, she could get sunburned." Ratchet then moved the large umbrella more over Lori, so that she was completely underneath it.
"Hi, Ratchet!" Lori greeted, laughing. Ratchet smiled in reply as a slightly taller figure stepped over from behind the medic.
"Hello, Lori," the figure greeted kindly.
"Hello, uh…" Lori trailed off, not knowing his name.
"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," the figure replied.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Lori said with a courteous dip of her head and a smile. "My father has had only good things to say about you." He's been telling her all kinds of stories about how brave and powerful Optimus was on the way to the airport, and Lori had been nothing less than delighted by all of them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Optimus said, glancing at Ironhide, and then back to Lori. Two other figures came from behind Optimus, one with short, Nordic-blonde hair, the other with longer black hair tied back in a low ponytail.
"Oh, I can see how you've sent people to the hospital," the ponytailed figure commented with a laugh. "That's awesome! The name's Jazz, and this is Bumblebee." Jazz pulled Bumblebee to his side as 'Bee gave a shy wave hello.
"It's great to meet all of you," Lori replied. "And yes, I have sent many people to the hospital. I have a short temper." But it seemed to be getting better around her father; normally, she would be scanning the crowd Terminator-style.
"That's cool," Jazz said with a laugh. A nearby plane caught his eye. "Ooh, look at that one! I'm gonna go check it out!" He ran towards the small plane, pulling Bumblebee with him.
"Primus, those two have a lot of energy…" Ironhide muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Stay hydrated, Lori," Ratchet ordered, handing her a bottle of water. Lori giggled and rolled her eyes.
"Thank you," she said. She turned towards Jazz and Bumblebee. "Don't touch the airplanes! Pilots aren't all that friendly!" She knew some were, but most were quite sensitive about people touching their planes.
"Knowing Jazz, he could probably talk his way into getting a ride," Optimus said, and Ironhide nodded in agreement.
Ratchet, ignoring the conversation, brought out a container of sunblock. "Did you put any of this on?" He asked Lori.
"The airspace around here is closed for the show, so maybe at a later time," Lori told Optimus, and then answered Ratchet. "As for sunblock, no I haven't put any on; I don't burn" She had a few times when she was little, but from her freshman year of high school onward, she'd hadn't sunburned again.
"You can never be too careful," Ratchet warned, and this warranted Ironhide whacking the medic.
"Calm down, Ratch," Ironhide snapped. "She's not some delicate flower. She tough and can take care of herself."
"Thank you, dad," Lori purred with a defiant smile.
Optimus noticed Ironhide's dorky grin at being called "dad," but didn't bring it up. "Lori, when is Barricade going to be here? I do need a word with him." Lori blushed, and she burst out laughing.
"I forgot to call him! Hold on a sec." She whipped out her phone and called Barricade to invite him out. After that, she put her phone away, right next to the discreetly thin pocket knife in her back pocket. "He's on his way; he'll be here in about ten minutes… I woke him up."
"Figures the ex-'Con is still sleeping," Ironhide mumbled. He cleared his throat to speak normally. "Looks like we've got some time to kill then… lead the way, Lori; we'll do what you want to do." Lori grinned at this prospect. She and her mother had had a tradition that she was eager to pick back up. She led the group to a nearby booth promoting the Air Force, and under this tent was what she was looking for.
"First up is the 'Top Gun' character quiz," Lori explained. "If you haven't seen that movie, we're all going to my house to watch it after we're done here."
"We've never seen it," The Autobots admitted together.
"Oh dear," Lori snickered, "this is gonna be fun." The Autobots glanced among each other, unsure of what to make of Lori's giggling. She took the quiz, and was not surprised by the results. "I got Maverick… a hot-shot young fighter pilot good at his trade, if a bit cocky." She grinned and gestured to the screen. Bravely, Optimus stepped up and answered the series of questions related to the movie.
"I got Viper," he said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Jazz had returned to the group with Bumblebee.
"What's that mean?" He asked, having just missed Lori's brief explanation. He took one look at the screen and grinned. He took the quiz, pleased with what he got. "I got Maverick! Sweet, Ironhide got Maverick too, and 'Bee got Goose! Who's you get, Ratch?"
"Iceman…" Ratchet muttered. Lori muffled a giggle.
"What about you, Lori?" Jazz asked. "And why are we taking quizzes?"
"I got Maverick, too," Lori answered. "And as for why, it's just for fun! The characters you got are all major characters in the movie 'Top Gun.' We'll go to my house later and watch it; you guys will really like it. Now; where is Cade?" She looked around, finding him at a karaoke booth. "He's such a dork…"
"I am so challenging that 'Con to karaoke," Jazz remarked happily.
"Aw, he's so cute," Lori cooed. "He's singing Corey Hart's cover of 'Can't Help Falling in Love.' That is just adorable!"
"Let's go over there and cheer him on," Jazz suggested. Barricade looked over, blushed brightly, but kept going. Lori grinned.
"Good idea," she said softly. Jazz let out a teasing cheer while Ratchet brought out a camera.
"Are we gonna blackmail him?" Ironhide asked.
"Oh, yeah," Ratchet answered with a smirk.
"Come on, guys," Lori complained. "You're gonna scare him."
"That's the point," Ironhide teased. Barricade took a big breath on the stage, and stepped toward Lori.
"But I can't help falling in love with you…" he sang slowly, taking Lori's hand with a gentle, lovesick smile. Jazz and Bumblebee's jaws dropped, Optimus raised a brow quizzically, and Ironhide and Ratchet didn't react since they already knew.
"Nice case of bed-head, Cade," Lori teased.
"What…? Oh." Barricade gave a sheepish smile when his hand touched the top of his head.
"This is gonna take some getting used to… hey, Barricade…" Jazz greeted nervously.
"Hey," Barricade greeted back. "I swear I won't attack you guys; Lori would probably kill me if I tried."
"I'd help her with that," Ironhide growled lightly.
"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus said gently. "The rest of you are not to harm Barricade unless he attacks first."
"Yes, sir…" they said reluctantly.
"I wish I could take back all I've done…" Barricade looked down in shame, his smile melting away almost instantly.
"It's never too late to change," Lori assured. "Just don't give them blackmail material." Barricade blushed all over again.
"I'm such a lovesick moron," he complained.
"You are not a moron," Lori scolded. "You're my lovesick sweetheart."
"She's right; it's never too late to change, Barricade," Optimus said.
"I've been changing since she almost hit my holoform with her truck," Barricade muttered. "I guess it served as a good reality check." Lori snickered, remembering his utterly shocked expression at the sight of her Raptor's wide grille mere inches from him.
"And all the bullets and punches weren't?" Ratchet asked, huffing in annoyance.
"Come on, guys, we're at an airshow," Jazz spoke up, sensing the tension in the air and wanting to lighten it up. "Let's try to enjoy ourselves."
"I saw a massage booth near the runway," Barricade suggested after he'd shuddered.
"Let's go," Lori announced. "I need a massage like no tomorrow." She was sore from her late night gear escapade.
"I'm with Lori," Jazz said in agreement. With that, the group followed Barricade to the massage booth. They chatted quietly amongst each other, commenting about the airshow itself; the aircraft, the booths, and how well attended it was.
"So, what's with the bedhead, Cade?" Lori asked. "Surely you can alter your holoform."
"I thought it was normal," Barricade answered innocently.
"That high of a hairdo is not normal, dork," Lori teased. "You remind me of a Stray Cat or the guy in that Taco music video." She'd shown Barricade the groups and the music videos, so he knew what she was talking about.
"Are they always this cutesy together?" Jazz whispered to Ironhide.
"Yeah," Ironhide replied.
"I heard that," Lori said over her shoulder. "Now that I know I'm only half human, I understand why my senses are better than most."
"Chill, Lori, I was just saying this is a weird adjustment for all of us." Jazz was still suspicious of Barricade, Lori could tell.
"Remind me not to let you near the scrapbook my mom made," she muttered. "It's full of photos great for blackmailing."
"You shouldn't have said that…" Optimus warned.
"I know what I'm doing later!" Jazz grinned wildly.
"Oh, damn," Lori hissed. "You are so locked out of my house until I hide the damn thing."
"I specialize in breaking and entering while getting information; it's kinda my job," Jazz teased with a wink.
"I have over 200 blades in my house," Lori warned. "They're all sharp and ready to use. You might want to rethink that."
"Is that a challenge?" Jazz asked.
"It's a warning," Lori growled.
"Lo, you're gonna get angry," Barricade said nervously. "Come on, let's get that massage."
"Knock it off," Optimus snapped, whacking Jazz upside the head.
"I meant no harm," Jaz replied with a shrug. "Jeez, we all need a massage…" Lori found herself giggling at the stoic leader's little attack his teammate.
"I will not tolerate any of my subordinates disrespecting you," Optimus said.
"Okay, you do need a massage…" Lori muttered, eyeing Optimus quizzically. "Maybe a round in a photo booth…" The other Autobots snickered, but when Optimus gave them a sideways glance, they all stood stiffly. This did not sit well with Lori. "You might be leader, but that strict, stoic attitude will not fly, mister. I'll feel bad if you don't laugh at least a little today. Lighten up."
"Good luck getting him to laugh…" Ironhide muttered.
"Don't be too hard on him," Ratchet said gently. "His leadership has kept us all alive."
"Oh, I have ways of lightening people up…" Lori chimed with a mischievous grin.
"I really don't think a trip to the comedy club is gonna work a Prime," Barricade muttered.
"Oh no, this is much more serious," Lori declared. "I've had to cheer up drill sergeants. What I have in mind can make the strictest of people laugh until it hurts." Optimus narrowed his sharp blue eyes at Lori, and Ironhide stood ready to defend his daughter. Lori's grin only got wider. "Cade, are my arsenal of Supersoakers still clean and ready?"
"Um, yeah…" Barricade answered slowly.
"What are Supersoakers?" Jazz and Bumblebee asked at the same time.
"Oh, only the best water guns on the market," Lori explained casually. "One can soak their opponents in one shot. I personally color the water I put into mine, so you know I got you." Suddenly, the rumble of older airplane engines sounded overhead, and the group looked up to see a pair of old, paint-splattered biplanes (the same pair Lori and Ironhide had seen earlier), waging a dogfight with their paintball ammo. The Autobots watched the planes eagerly, until a rather large blob of neon-pink paint landed on Optimus's shoulder. Lori had to clasp her hands over her mouth to avoid bursting out laughing. Optimus looked at the splat of paint on his shoulder, noticed the others trying not to laugh, and briskly wiped the paint off with his hand. He regarded the neon paint for a moment, and then flicked it into Ironhide's face. Ironhide tried to spit the paint out while Optimus smirked and the others laughed. Lori remembered she had several paintball guns in her garage, and a wicked little smile replaced her grin.
"Are you thinking about what I think you're thinking about…?" Jazz whispered to her.
"Oh, yeah," Lori whispered back. "We're gonna have a paintball fight at my place, and we can totally ambush Optimus. Whisper this to the others." Jazz giggled childishly and relayed Lori's message.
"This is gonna be so much fun!" as Jazz went to tell Bumblebee, he found the blonde Autobot already getting a massage. "What the heck? Bee, how are you already getting a massage?" Bumblebee only shrugged innocently.
"Well, he's got the right idea for the moment," Lori mused.
"You're sneaky, Bee." Ironhide laughed.
"Hey, if sneaky works, it works," Bumblebee said.
"Come on you lot." Lori gestured to the massage tent. "Optimus, I can see how tense you are."
"Thing is, he's actually not tense," Jazz joked. "He's always like that."
"Don't worry about him, Lori," Ironhide teased.
"Yeah, forget about him," Jazz said. "I wanna know about you! We're all here for you." Lori blushed at being put on the spot.
"There's not really much to tell," she stammered. "But I betcha 20 bucks says a massage does you leader some good." She whipped out a $20 bill and flashed a grin to hide her nerves. Off stage, she hated being the center of attention. She'd always shared the limelight with her bandmates, which had helped her cope with her slight claustrophobia.
"If we can get him to sit down," Ratchet muttered.
"I'm not here for that, Lori," Optimus said, trying not to look annoyed. "I came to get to know you and have a word with Barricade."
"See what I mean?" Ratchet huffed. "He's all business."
"I give up…" Lori hung her head in early defeat.
"You need some chocolate?" Barricade asked. He knew what cheered Lori up.
"Never give up," Jazz whispered. "We still have that paintball thing we can try." Ironhide looked at Optimus irritably while Ratchet brought out a chocolate bar practically from out of nowhere and handed it to Lori.
"What don't you have!?" Ironhide demanded.
"You're right, Jazz," Lori replied around a bout of giggling. "If that doesn't get him laughing, he's hopeless." She happily nibbled on the chocolate.
"My medic is always prepared," Optimus remarked with a smirk.
"No, not the chocolate," Lori explained. "I do appreciate that, but what is guaranteed to make all of you laugh until it hurts… well, that's still a secret for now." She gave Jazz a sly wink. Optimus gave Lori a curious look before Ironhide shoved him into the nearest massage chair.
"Just relax, Prime," he teased.
"Way to take charge, dad," Lori said, pleased.
"I'm one of the few who can move him around," Ironhide declared proudly.
"You may be strong," Optimus countered, "But I still beat you at arm wrestling."
"Looks like a simple movie get-together is evolving into a full party," Lori eluded, deep in thought. She set herself down on a massage chair. "Bet you can't beat me!" It felt oddly satisfying to tease such a stoic leader.
"I bet he can!" Bumblebee shot back with a grin.
Lori smirked. "You wanna bet? I've got 20 bucks." Inwardly, she doubted her chances of success, but she was having too much fun provoking Optimus into a friendly little competition to let her doubts surface.
"You're on, lil' Ironhide," Bumblebee said as he shook her hand.
"Oh, I'm little?" Lori scoffed in amusement. "You're underestimating me, honey."
"You're little compared to our real bodies, honey," Bumblebee taunted affectionately, and threw Lori's pun right back at her with a wink.
"Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't ya?" Lori rolled her eyes.
"Of course I'm gonna rub it in," Bumblebee joked. "I'm always being talked down to. It's nice not being the youngest anymore." Nearby, Ratchet was just melting and grinning like a fool while he got his massage.
"Why haven't we done thing kind of thing sooner?" he asked.
"At least you only tease me because you like me," Lori muttered as she gazed at the medic with a smile. "I'd probably be a lot different if I hadn't been bullied all through school…" she added under her breath. Optimus, Jazz, and Bumblebee had heard her, and they all looked shocked.
"Just give me the names of the bullies at your school," Jazz snapped. "I'll find them!"
"You turned out just fine," Bumblebee encouraged. Optimus gazed at her knowingly, but stayed silent.
"It's been a few years since I was bullied," Lori said. "Most of the bullies I nearly beat to death anyway."
"That's my girl!" Ironhide praised with a proud grin.
"Oh, it was no effort," Lori purred with her own grin.
"And that makes me ten times prouder," Ironhide said. "I still feel like crap for not being there for you, but you've always been able to take care of yourself."
"You didn't know," Lori replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Had you known I might be a bit pissed…" she trailed off as she got her massage, and everyone noticed Optimus visibly relaxing as he got his massage; the masseuse looked more than happy to oblige.
"Don't point it out, or he'll tense up again," Jazz whispered to Lori.
"Tell Ratchet to sneak a photo," Lori whispered back. "I have reason to believe he'll deny it later." For such experience, she could thank a scrapbook full of photos that her bandmates denied were real; oh, the shenanigans she'd gotten into. Ratchet got the message and very casually snuck a photo. "Perfect… could this day get any better?" Lori felt years of stress melt away at the soft touch of her masseuse.
"If we can get him to laugh-" Ironhide pointed at Optimus, "then that would be something."
"Well, with the small party I'm planning, I really doubt he'll be able to restrain his laughter much longer." And small the party would be… unless her new friends wanted to escalate things.
"I've been trying to get him to laugh for centuries," Jazz remarked. "Good luck with that."
"Yeah… at least he smiles," Bumblebee said.
"So, Lori, what else is there to do at an airshow?" Optimus asked as he briskly got up and paid for everyone's massages. Lori fought an eye roll; Optimus was just too much.
"Let me think," she mumbled. "There's all the booths and what they have to offer, watching the aerobatic acts, and there's also the planes on the ground you can look at and ask about- some you can touch, too. I'd be a liar if I said pilots didn't like bragging about their birds." They shared the relationship Lori had with her truck, and her truck was her baby.
"You are most familiar with this area, so I'll let you lead the way," Optimus commented. Lori got up, stretched leisurely, and led her new friends around the tarmac. She happily pointed out several legendary aircraft that were parked on the grounds, giving a brief story of how each one had come to its fame. The Autobots listened in interest until their gazes fell upon an F-22 Raptor. The massive jet had recently been sprayed down, the ground beneath it was wet and water dripped off its body. The Autobots eyed it coldly until Major Lennox stepped from behind the wet aircraft.
"Hey, guys!" Lennox greeted warmly. "You don't need to worry about this bird, she's harmless. We just washed her… you wouldn't believe how dusty she was!" Lennox himself was damp in places, and dust stuck to the dampened patches of his civilian clothes.
"Lennox, it's good to see you!" Ironhide replied, and his mood instantly brightened.
"Where's my boy Epps at?" Jazz asked.
"He's keeping an eye on the 'Angels," Lennox answered. "He's loved them since he was a kid."
"We need to stop by those so we can see Epps," Jazz told Lori.
"Hey, Lennox, when you get a sec, come over here," Ironhide said. "There's someone I want you to meet."
"Jazz, 'Angels is short for Blue Angels," Lori explained, looking to the sky. "They're up again… They're doing a Cuban Eight in a Delta Formation." Jazz and Bumblebee looked up excitedly.
Lennox turned his head towards the Raptor's cockpit. "Hey, Epps, you've got a visitor looking for you! The Blue Angels will still be airborne in five minutes." Epps looked up from his perch, saw Jazz, and happily jumped down to chat with his Autobot friend. Lennox then walked over to Ironhide and the group. "What's up, 'Hide? Nice holoform, by the way."
"Thank you," Ironhide replied. "I try to blend in, you know. But I want you to meet someone very special to me… Will, meet my daughter, Lori." Ironhide proceeded to sling an arm around Lori to pull her to his side. Lori couldn't help but giggle.
"Well, she's definitely got your looks, buddy," Lennox remarked, gazing at Lori in surprise.
"We both found out yesterday after we ran into each other," Lori quickly explained.
"She ran into me," Ironhide added. "I don't run into girls."
"We were both at fault on it," Lori said. "I was in a bad mood, you were in a bad mood, neither of us were really paying attention, and boom, we bumped into each other." She intentionally left out the little detail of how she'd nearly provoked him into a fight with her.
"You know, you seem familiar…" Lennox trailed off in thought. "Wait; are you in a band?"
"I was, but we've broken up," Lori answered with a sigh. "Life got in our way." Ironhide looked annoyed at the band being brought up again, since he knew that every time it was brought up, Lori felt sad.
"I'm very sorry to hear that," Lennox said solemnly. "I saw you perform once. Talent like that is going to take you places beyond your dreams."
"Thank you," Lori replied with a longing smile. "Maybe one day we can get back together." If she didn't play, she would get lazy, and forget all her skills.
"Wait, what!?" Jazz stammered. "Ironhide, you didn't tell me your girl could play! Lori, I need to hear you!" Lori blushed again.
"Not here…" she trailed off in a nervous giggle.
"Ugh, you're killing me," Jazz teased.
"I'll bring out one of my axes tonight," Lori promised. Suddenly, Barricade grabbed Lori's hand, and together they ran towards a booth housing a makeshift dancefloor. The Autobots had been ready to jump Barricade for such quick movements, but stopped when they saw his intention.
"I'm down for dancing," Jazz decided, and joined the couple.
"Well, it was nice seeing you outside of the base, Lennox," Ironhide said. "Have fun with your jet." Ironhide and Lennox gave each other a semi-secret handshake, and then Lennox walked back over the Raptor and climbed into the cockpit with Epps to get a better view of the sky. The rest of the group neared the dancefloor tent.
"Care to join us?" Lori invited as she spun to guitar downbeat of "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins. Jazz and Bumblebee happily accepted the invitation. Ironhide and Ratchet shared a glance at each other, looking slightly out of place off the dance floor. Optimus tried not to look bored, so he went off the search for a booth that served drinks. "You can expect this kind of music and better at my house!" Lori couldn't wait to show off her vast collection of Rock-N'-Roll.
"Later sounds like it's gonna be awesome!" Bumblebee commented. Lori nodded in glee as Optimus returned. The stoic leader handed Ratchet and Ironhide a beer each. Lori cringed a little.
"If you've never had alcohol before, be careful," she warned. "No everyone can handle the stuff. I simply choose not to." As a prank, her backups had spiked her eggnog with vodka their first Christmas together. It had been so disgusting she'd nearly choked as she spat it out.
"Thanks, Lori, but we've tested alcohol with our holoforms before," Ironhide explained. "It takes a while before we feel buzzed." Ratchet nodded in agreement and toasted his bottle with Ironhide's. Optimus stayed quiet as he sipped a bottle of water, but he kept a watchful eye out for anything to go wrong.
"I'm gonna keep myself from acting like my mom," Lori muttered, "but she hated drinking. There were never alcoholic beverages in the house, not even wine. If you guys want some later, you'll have to go get it. All I have is lots of soda." Out of habit, she'd bought more soda than she could drink on her own.
"Soda will be fine," Optimus said quickly. "I don't need anyone drunk." Lori, Jazz, Barricade, and Bumblebee shared a look among each other before bursting out laughing. Lori had to spin to keep herself from losing her balance and falling. "What's so funny?"
"I have no idea," Ironhide muttered.
"Nothing, I swear," Lori said as she calmed herself. She would never admit to Optimus how hilarious it would be to see him or any of his teammates tipsy. Optimus shrugged, not wanting to push the subject. Jazz took the time to pull Lori towards him.
"Show me what you got, girl," he challenged.
"Challenge accepted!" Lori replied. She did a spinning high-fan-kick and dropped into the splits as the song ended. She smirked up at Jazz.
"Damn," Jazz muttered. "You better hold onto this one, Barricade. I may steal her." The next song was a wordless Techno piece, so Lori stayed on the floor, expertly dancing with the upper half of her body using a combination of fluid and sharp moves.
"I'm not sharing," Barricade muttered.
"Oh wow," Lori teased. "I have boys arguing over me? This is new. Don't worry, Cade; almost hitting you makes you mine and mine alone."
"Aw man, oh well," Jazz said with feigned sadness. "I don't see myself being off the market anyway." He laughed as Lori rolled her eyes.
"Boys are the same in any species," she joked. She rolled her head back to smirk at Bumblebee.
"I only heard about it briefly, but you said you nearly hit Barricade with your truck?" he asked.
"When you see the size of my truck, you'll wonder how I managed to stop it," Lori explained.
"It's because you're a boss!" Jazz joked.
"Maybe," Lori teased, "but I could also thank its ABS." Along with her foot pumping the pedal; ABS wouldn't have stopped in time.
"True enough," Jazz replied. Lori smoothly picked herself up as the song faded to its end, being careful not to graze her own body with the studs on her boots. She wiped sweat off her forehead and stepped off the dancefloor, Jazz, Bumblebee, and Barricade following suit. She quickly finished her bottle of water and continued leading her new friends around. They all got a quick snack, found a good spot by the runway, and settled down to watch the next aerobatic act: a pair of Military helicopters chasing after a car on the runway. The two choppers would swoop at the car from opposite directions, and sharply climb just before they could crash. This act continued until the stress and speed of the chase had drained the car's fuel. To end the act, the occupants of the choppers hopped out and took the car's driver out of sight. The group watched the next act excitedly: a P-51 Mustang raced an older model fighter jet. After the mini air race was another race, but this race was between a jet powered bus that rocketed across the runway at breakneck speed and a small, sporty little airplane. The winner of this race was narrowly the jet-bus. Lori glanced at the horizon, and noticed the sun had gotten much closer to it.
"Well, if y'all are satisfied, who's game to go to my house for our party?" she asked. Jazz jumped up and raised his hand.
"I'm ready to go!" Bumblebee added. Ratchet and Ironhide agreed.
"Are you coming, Optimus?" Lori asked. "Or will we have to drag you?" She gave a little smirk.
"That would be a sight, but I'll come along as well," Optimus answered, smirking back.
"I wanted to prove I'm strong," Lori complained with a feigned pout. She then grinned and practically skipped towards the gates.
"There's other ways to prove you're strong," Ironhide said as the group followed her.
"Oh, I know," she replied. "I plan to prove myself with arm wrestling."
"I'm gonna win an easy 20 bucks," Bumblebee commented.
"I've got extra power from hauling roadie boxes around," Lori added. "They're huge and heavy."
"I'm still gonna get that 20 from you," Bumblebee teased. "My leader is strong as hell."
"Oh, check out the gun show, boy!" Lori proceeded to flex her arm, showing off her muscles.
"Dang, Lori, do you work out?" Bumblebee asked, clearly impressed.
"Hauling around my roadie boxes is all the work out I need," Lori replied.
"I don't know about you guys," Jazz cut in, "But I'm getting excited for later and all the fun we're gonna have!"
"I haven't had a party in months," Lori said. "Since I'm so far away from others, we can get as crazy as we want!"
"Oh snap, she gave us permission!" Jazz exclaimed. Bumblebee pumped his fist in the air. Ratchet raised a brow curiously.
"This is gonna be fun," Ironhide decided.
"My closest neighbors are five miles away from me," Lori explained. "We can have some serious fun!" Five miles was pretty significant in a forested area, especially in warmer months when sound didn't carry as well. Lori jumped in her father's cab, gesturing the others to follow them.
"We'll follow you," Optimus assured. They pulled out of the airport's lot and made the 15-minute drive to Lori's house, chatting amongst each other via comm link.