And I'm back with another chapter! I'm glad to see that you have found this interesting enough to give it a chance. I just hope I don't disappoint…
CHAPTER 3: Optimus Drone
"So, what are the plans for tonight?" Riley asked when she entered the lab where Mac and Bozer were working on some sort of drone. If she knew her friends at all, they were definitely enhancing it or making it into a fully functioning robot, the kind that would make Jack cross his heart for, like a transformer or something. She snickered at the thought, because she wouldn't put it past Mac to try and build one himself.
"Ammm nothing?" Mac answered, glancing up at the arriving young hacker.
"What do you mean nothing? It's friday night and this week's been boring as hell! We gotta do something. You with me Boze?" she said.
"Oh I'm with you. I'm totally yours if you need plans for the night" Bozer replied with a grin, to which Riley frowned.
"I thought we had agreed we'd work on the friendship zone Boze" she admonished, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"I know. That's just me being the awesome friend that I am. Also, it's been a boring week down here in the lab too, so I'm in on whatever you wanna do"
"Awesome" Riley finally conceded "Mac? You in?" when the blond didn't answer, Bozer called for him too.
"Yo, Mac!" Mac's eyes snapped up from his work in surprise. Apparently, he had zoned out of the conversation in favor of doing some calculations in his mind concerning the project they were currently working on.
"Huh, sorry, what?" he asked, confused.
"Are you in for a friday night out? Or an in one, I don't really care. As long as we do something..."
"Yeah, sure. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, we could go out to eat. Go to the movies, or do some home theater, order in... You know, the usual" Riley suggested.
"What is this I hear about food and movies and why am I not invited?" came Jack's voice out of nowhere. The trio glanced up to see him approaching the table where a scale model of a Decepticon seemed to be staring up at him, at least, that's what it felt like to Jack, who eyed the thing suspiciously.
"We're planning a night out. But the last one in is the first one paying so, you in?" Riley joked.
"Ha ha, very funny young lady. I say I should get the senior treatment and not pay at all" Jack answered back.
"You just realize you've called yourself old, right?" Bozer asked and Jack sent a glare in his direction. Bozer put his hands up in a surrender gesture "Alright, alright, I was just saying. No need to kill me with your laser stare"
"No need, that's what the Decepticon's here for, right?" Riley snorted, she had been so right.
"Decepticon, Jack?" Mac asked, his eyebrows up.
"Yeah, you know, like Optimus Prime and such"
"Optimus Prime is an Autobot Jack, not a Decepticon" Bozer corrected.
"I know, I know. I was just referring to the movie. So, what are you building here? And do I need to be armed?" Jack retorted.
"You're always armed" Riley pointed.
"And dangerous" he completed with a wiggle of his eyebrows and the group just had to laugh at that "Seriously though, what are you making?"
Instantly, Mac's eyes lit up when he began to explain his project. The way he talked and his enthusiasm reminded Jack of the first year Mac worked with his unit in Afghanistan, when Jack would ask about his little projects and sit right through a lecture on whatever design he'd been inventing at the time, just to see that sparkle of life in him. It never ceased to surprise him and he never got tired of it.
"... That way the drone will be able to recognize any target and lock in on it in half the time" that didn't mean he always payed attention to what was being said. Mac had finished explaining their science experiment and then the conversation turned back to what they would do that night.
"Eating out sounds right. We haven't done that in a while" Jack offered and everyone else agreed.
"I just got the mother of all cravings for a double cheese burger, french fries and a milkshake" Mac blurted out to everyone's surprise.
"Feeling a little hungry there bud?" Jack asked, pleased to see his friend asking for food in such a passionate way. The blond agent blushed though, and ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head.
"I... Errrr... I might have forgotten to eat lunch today" he confessed and, soon enough, the questions began.
"What!?"
"Seriously Mac? Again?"
"Do we need to have that conversation again?"
"Sorry! I just got caught up with the drone and time just flew by. But, now that you've mentioned it, I'm really kind of hungry" Mac tried to defend himself to get out of their friends' disapproval glares.
"Well, at least tonight we can put some meat into your bones then" Jack said.
"Everyone okay with going to Granny's?" Bozer asked. It was one of the best burger places in town and it was pretty much nearby. They all nodded enthusiastically.
"Great. We've got one more hour to go and then we hurry over, you know how Granny's gets on a weekend night" Riley said and they all agreed to wrap up whatever they had been doing and be ready to leave within the hour.
The place was full by the time they arrived, but they still managed to get a hold of a table and place their order.
True to his statement, Mac asked for a double cheese burger with extra bacon; Riley ordered a sweet onion burger, Bozer got the buffalo wings and Jack took a steaming piece of steak. They ordered a couple of rations of french fries and cold drinks. After that, ice cream and milkshakes for dessert.
"Man... I am stuffed" Mac said with a sigh, leaning back on his chair and patting his stomach. They had just finished eating and were all feeling the same heaviness on their stomachs. Jack had even gone as far as unbuttoning his pants.
"You just gotta love Granny's. They sure know what they're doing" he said. A waiter then came to their table with the check and started cleaning up. He worked hurriedly and with a sheen of sweat over his forehead. The place was still full and there were people now waiting in line for a table to be available.
"I think that's our cue to leave" Riley commented, but neither one of them made a move.
"I don't know how I'm gonna be able to stand up" Bozer said, stretching like a cat on his chair. Jack was now stifling a yawn and Mac kept rubbing at his stomach. After their table was clean, the same waiter started to almost walk in circle around them, waiting like a vulture for them to get their wallets out, pay the food and then get out. With nothing else on the table to work as an excuse to remain there, they had no other choice than to get up, pay, and walk out of there so someone else could take their place. Thankfully, Jack had remembered to button up his pants before standing up.
They parted ways on the parking lot, since everyone had gotten their own ride home. Jack would be dropping Riley off at her apartment and Mac and Bozer would head home together on Mac's jeep.
It wasn't as late as their sluggish minds made them believe by the time they arrived at their house. After such a dinner, their bodies now craved for rest and Mac parked the vehicle with a content smile on his face. Tonight, he would sleep like a child.
Speaking of which, he glanced up to the place where he could barely see the children's park of the neighborhood and the memory of the running boy assaulted him like a slap to the face. It had been two days since his encounter with the boy and he had to admit he hadn't payed much attention to it since he started to work on the Decepticon drone. 'Argh, really? Now I'm sound like Jack', he thought and shook his head.
Making a hasty and not exactly logical decision, he decided to head over to the park.
"Hey Boze, I'm gonna take a walk for a minute" he let his friend know while the other opened the front door.
"Sure. Everything alright?" Bozer asked.
"Yeah, I think I just need to digest the food a little bit more and a walk seems like a good idea for that" he replied, not necessarily lying but not being entirely truthful either. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't even sure about what he was doing. What did he expect to find? The boy? What would he do then?
Still, his doubts didn't stop his wondering feet to take him to the park where a few kids were playing around.
He studied the few people that still hanged at the park, and there weren't many, since the sun was now almost hidden behind the horizon, although its brightness was enough to lit the area for a while, and couldn't help but smile at the picture of joy and happiness of the kids playing.
One little girl was being chased by his father, who was hellbent on tickling her just to hear her laugh. A pair of kids were competing at the swings trying to see who could reach the highest point while a parent stood watch and made sure they didn't break their necks. A woman was picking up a few toys while wiping dirt from her son's face, a smile and laugh making their way out as the boy talked to her about a new friend he'd made that day at school.
Mac felt a twinge of nostalgia come over him at remembering a time when his own mother would help him brush off the dirt from his clothes after having spent the afternoon playing with the neighbor's dog. Mac had always wanted one, and their neighbor was kind enough to let Mac in and play with good ole' Bessy at least once a week. Talking excitedly to his mother, telling her about all the tricks he'd been able to teach Bessy while she listened intently to every detail was one of the most treasured memories he had. But he hadn't been able to play with Bessy that much, since she had fallen ill and died, now making him think that maybe that had been some kind of warning or omen about what his mother would have to go through barely a year after that.
But Mac quickly pushed aside the bitter thoughts and decided to keep thinking about the fond memory the young boy and his mother had sparked.
Suddenly, sitting on another swing but only minimally balancing back and forth on it, was the running kid from two nights ago. Mac was startled to actually find him in the park and before he knew what he was doing, he started to walk towards him, taking a seat on the swing next to his and grabbing the chains on either side of him.
"Hey" Mac greeted softly "You know, it's not very polite to kick someone in the nuts" he said and when the boy looked up at him, he saw his eyes widen.
'Oh great' Ethan thought 'he found me'
…
Poxelda: I took the liberty of using your own expression for the last line of Mac in this chapter. The thing about the 'nuts' in your review was just hilarious. I hope you don't mind!
I had fun writing the team interactions on this chapter. Did you like it? I'm not sure I got the characters right tough…
I'm looking forward to the next chapter where Mac and Ethan get to talk. What will Mac say? How much will Ethan reveal? Stay tuned to find out!
By the way: I just recently watched the latest Transformers movie and the subject's just been present in my mind, hence the jokes about the drone being a Decepticon lol