Author's Notes: Thanks for the wonderful reviews. Never know how a fic is going to be received. Glad you enjoy Hubcap and George. As long as you want more, I will post more. I never set an end to any fic, letting them continue as the adventures do. Arinesworth is not a real state park in Oregon but based on one up by Mount Hood. A quick update as I can.
The concept of interlink and using other Transformers to boost power and tracking is my concept. The spark contains their soul, their very essence of their personality and memories so connecting them outside of mating (keep it clean) would be a sharing too personal and dangerous at best. Transformers are energy and powered systems so interlinking would be possible.
TR TR TR TR TR TR TR TR TR TRANSFORMERS
On Diego Garcia Island, NEST Base, inside the main Autobot hangar, the mechs continued discussing their missing Prime and the situation in their middle level Cybertronian. The humans on the communications platform ignored their clicks and high pitched chirping sounds. Major Lennox's long standing orders forbid any translation attempt of their alien friends. They saved the planet and protected the humans' from the Decepticons, the least they could enjoy of their own world was a private conversation in their native languages.
"Not my responsibility. I'm Chief Medical Officer not info bot," Ratchet grumped. His yellow and green armor looked sickly in the fluorescent lights but his tone was firm. "I am not going to tell Elita that Optimus is missing and off the entire communications grid."
"You just did," a feminine voice stated quietly from behind them. Ratchet shuttered his optics as Ironhide's spun wide as they could. The other mechs winced, moving to stand behind the two officers.
::Can we make a run for it?:: Ratchet suggested then turned and felt his spark contract. Elita stood there, the faintest red beginning to creep across the blue of her optics. It was the other femmes standing behind her and their looks that he knew meant no escape. Moonstar fingered her sniper rifle as Chromia took an aggressive stance. Firestar tapped one foot up and down as her static charge built.
::One good thing, if Optimus is offline, we will see him at the matrix soon enough:: Ironhide
::And if he is not and the femmes' offline us?:: Ratchet
::They can explain to Prime when he returns and we are away from them. Could use the rest:: Ironhide sent then winced, as Chromia was the first to react.
"All humans, clear the hangar NOW!" Chromia ordered in English, merely raising her vocals on the last word. Every human dropped whatever he or she were doing, some literally with reports and coffee cups and fled for their size door, pushing and shoving to get through. No one was going to challenge the dark blue femme.
"Explain," Elita commanded, moving closer. Her rose armored frame was intent, emanating purpose.
"Optimus left Cheyenne Mountain and missed his morning check in," Ratchet began.
"And?" she prompted.
"Missed the next two check-ins. We called Will's cell phone and no answer. GPS has it at his farm house. No contact of any type registered from either of them. They are overdue and missing. No reports of Decepticon or human military activity either. We are assuming communications stealth or they are choosing not to contact."
"We left several voice messages and text messages with Prime's relay," Hound offered.
"Voice messages," she repeated, the red mixing with the blue to form a purple color in her optics.
"His personal energy signature is too faint to track, and human satellite coverage in that area shows trees and more trees with occasional roads. There are seven states involved and the most direct route is still almost 800 earth miles from the Cheyenne Mountain base to Nellis Air Force Base. The area is too vast without more information. We have monitored all police and emergency frequencies without results. Wheeljack is on his way here with Silverbolt to work on narrowing the geographical area down. They are presumed missing at this point, not lost," Ironhide confronted her, knowing she would want the truth.
"I cannot reach him either," she admitted, sagging on her support struts. "He's online. I sent our special signal and it echoed back one nano click," she stated, one rose colored armored hand resting flat palmed over her chest panels. The other Transformers relaxed a little, knowing at least that much.
"So he's either in stasis, stasis lock or deep recharge close to stasis?" Moonracer asked, reaching a hand out to comfort her. All the femmes moved instinctively closer, murmuring sounds to their friend and commander.
"Which he almost never does," Ratchet commented. "I have a pit of a time getting him to recharge properly. If he is that deep, it is because he has to be. And we need to find him."
"I will know when he resumes normal processing and accepts signals," she stated, leaving unspoken the fact she would know the moment he offlined too.
Arinesworth State Park, Oregon State
Near sunset, Campground spot # 2
Will sat on the wood picnic table, reading the brochure. "Nestled in the Mount Hood National forest, Arinesworth Park is equal parts waterfall wonderland, hiker's playground and camper's delight. Hear that Optimus? Feeling delighted? I'm not," he commented. "Lets' see, anything about how to explain our absence? I have the feeling the usual "national security and can't tell you" is not going to roll with a group of alien mechs. However, there are forty-five full service campsites under an all-natural tree canopy. The sound of running water and the smell of campfires for that outdoor experience." He sighed, laying the brochure on the table.
Sounds of rustling through the trees had him slowly reaching for his leg holster. 'Approaching from the south, two distinct treads. This area is supposed to be deserted.' He moved slowly, as if stretching as he tensed muscles ready to turn and aim. The sound of a twig snapping was like a ready command to his trained body. Two brown mule deer stepped through the brush and froze as he spun, drawing his gun in one smooth motion. The deer flicked their ears forward then continued towards the stream.
'Glad nobody saw that. Think you're a trigger happy idiot.' Snapping his holster back down over the handle of his gun, he turned and yelped in surprise. Hubcap's yellow tow truck alt mode was facing him.
"Never seen deer city boy?" he teased, rolling forward without his engine running.
"Don't sneak up on me like that! And yes, I've seen deer," he snapped but without malice. He was aware acute alien hearing could detect his rapid heartbeat and detected on sensors down to red blood cell level for all he knew.
"You didn't shoot. I thought your race hunted them?" he questioned.
"Not me. Hunting an animal without teeth or claws with a high-powered scope, half a mile away is not hunting. Sides, my wife Sarah and Annabelle would never speak to me again for killing Bambi or Elliott with his one antler," Will admitted.
"I agree. There are adversaries worth hunting. Decepticons, no bagging no tagging and they keep coming!" he rocked side to side chuckling before transforming slowly to his bi pedal mode. His side leg panel opened, pulling out a length of expandable dryer hose he attached to an elbow joint. "High power suction. Use it to clean out debris and fragments to reach parts I need. Though summer time I chase the squirrels off the bird feeder. George likes the songbirds and the varmints raid the birdseed! Should see them little fur balls when they roll out the other end, fur all static and aren't hurt a bit."
Both gazed at the semi as it groaned, lights flickering.
CLICK CLUNK SNIKT SNAK
Will ordered while ignoring the other mech's twitching his lip plates at his rough phrasing.
"Stay put soldier," Hubcap echoed in English. "Can't say I'd order a Prime that way but I know who you heard that from. It sounds like Optimax there needs us," as the semi groaned softly again.
"Optimus," Will corrected.
"Optirock or Opebbles fits better I think at this point," at the distinct sound of pebbles hitting the ground. "Say ah," Hubcap teased, transforming his fingers to tool ends like Ratchets. "Met him once, probably won't remember. Big gathering and all."
Optimus slipped out of recharge to detect Will Lennox and an unfamiliar yellow mech standing in front of him. Scanning Prime matrix files for identification:
Energy signature identified: Autobot.
Confirmed: Hubcap, Cybertron support forces.
Resident: Axiom Nexus colony
Occupation: Parts Retriever for medical core.
Optimus processors locked on the last data bit. 'Parts retriever… that means…'
"Arrrrggghhhh! Stay away from me you! I'm not offline yet, do not touch my parts!" Optimus commanded, rolling back, parts rotating back to normal alt mode while others twitched, unable to shift.
"Yes! You do remember. At your service sir!" Hubcap saluted. "I'm here to help, and not disassemble either. Say ah, and relax."
"No, self repair is ongoing, the nannites are clearing out the dust," the ancient leader growled.
"Then say ouch? Or transform and tell me no face to face mech," he challenged.
Medical sensors failed or gave discouraging updates. Optimus refused to groan, disconnecting relays. He read Will's body language as he talked to Hubcap. 'Trusts him. Obviously towed me here, without human notification. I need medical help and it's either him or Ratchet. Figures. Ratchet takes me apart or him. Wonderful choice.' His attention shifted as signals pinged inbound.
Signal pulse Elita One. Unable to maintain connection.
Prime link active
Trackers offline
Emergency beacons disabled
Distress call relay offline
Estimated repair time: Unable to compute. Logic calculator offline.
"Very well," Optimus agreed, giving in. "Major Lennox, please stay close. You can assist and monitor."
"Get you all vacuumed out. Don't do wax and shine. That's your job," Hubcap grinned at the human, as Optimus released his hood catches with a hiss.
Neither noticed the dripping of blue energon onto the ground. The hose was stronger than any earth substance but the metal that cut it was military grade armor moved into a different place by the start of his partial transform. The jarring that cleared the pebbles moved the shifted metal plate back and forth like a saw. The energon dripped slowly, unnoticed to mix with the pebble dust. At the tow yard, George saw it and drew a blank as Hubcap had never been injured. At the campground, it mixed with the stains from earth cars of oil, antifreeze and grease.
To be continued…
