Title: Rising Sun, Falling Star
Author: BlueLunacy7
Chapter Warnings: Bad language
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the any quotes or lyrics, or song titles in anyway, shape, or form. Basically, nothing you recognize is mine.
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Chapter 4: SNAFU: Situation Normal: All Fucked Up.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. -Abraham Maslow
Not for the first time, Bee wished that Sam were an Autobot or at least a Cybertronian (and not just because it would be….interesting to actually interface with Sam). He would like to be able to grab Sam by the shoulders and shake him when he was being a pain the aft. Bee could do so with his Avatar, but there was something unsatisfying about it and Sam was never in his dragon long enough nowadays for Bee to grab him.
There was something bothering Sam, Bee could tell that much. At first, he assumed that Sam was suffering with the after effects of fighting in Mission City. Sam wasn't a soldier, wasn't truly trained to fight, not really. Street fights and 'knock down, drag outs', as Sam called them, with paranormal creatures didn't count. Sam had never experienced the fog of war, when the world was filled with explosions that lit up the sky and shook the ground, raining debris and occasionally body parts, when the air was filled with sounds of those who were dying. Amid the chaos of battle, not only were you trying to keeping track of where the enemy was but also where your allies were as well so you didn't open fire on them.
Sam had handled himself well, in Bee's opinion, having been not only thrust into a battle but having been so while his biggest advantaged had been taken from him, his ability to transform while his body was still under the effects of Dragon's Bane. Bee himself could sympathize with the dread and fear, how vulnerable Sam must have felt when he was unable to transform.
Every Autobot had such moments in the war. For Bee, it had been at Tyger Pax on Cybertron, when he and his team were at the mercy of the Decepticons as they tried to extort information about the location of the Allspark. The first thing the Decepticons did was disable his and his teammates' transformation cogs, leaving them unable to transform at all.
Even after Ratchet had repaired him, it was orns before Bee had stopped compulsively checking his transformation cogs every cycle to assure himself they still worked.
For weeks after Mission City, Sam would often come and stand outside the garage where Bee was, not saying anything until Bee did. His excuse for being up was always; 'I couldn't sleep' (something Bee had already known, having periodically monitored Sam's vials). Out of curiosity, one time Sam came to the garage, Bee didn't acknowledge his presence in anyway, pretending to be in recharge. Sam stood there for a moment, waiting, before he creeping up to him quietly, slowly opened one of his doors and crawled inside where he prompt fell asleep in his back seat.
As much as it warmed his spark that Sam felt safe enough to fall asleep inside him, Bee knew that this wasn't normal behavior. Neither was the fact that when Sam did sleep in his own bed, he would sleep nearly 12 to 16 hours and was still drowsy and lethargic afterwards. Not only did his odd sleeping patterns have Bee concerned, Sam's appetite had increased but he was losing weight rather than gaining it. The training Sam received from Ironhide couldn't explain the rate he was losing those pounds.
Worried, Bee had begun to subtly urge Sam to see Ratchet for an early check up. Sam, of course refused, stating that he was fine.
However, it would appear that a higher power had taken a hand to get Sam to see Ratchet, in the form of a Decepticon Bee had hoped never to see again this side of the Well of Sparks. Hardtop had a personal bloody vendetta against him and was one of the Decepticon who tortured his team at Tyger Pax. The fact that pit spawn had been even been near Sam made his spark clench in its case. That Sam had seen Hardtop before he could get a good shot, (though he did managed to get a hit, the shot wasn't a deadly one) and had managed to kill him was a miracle of Primus
"Did we learn our lesson about being an idiot?" Ratchet's snarky voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Yes, Ratchet." Sam said politely enough, though there was a slight growling undertone. His tail twitched in way some felines did when they were annoyed. Ratchet hadn't let Sam transform back into his human form until he was sure that Sam hadn't ingested anything toxic from his brawl with Hardtop.
"Are you sure now?" Ratchet asked, sarcasm evident in his voice," Or are you going to continue gnawing on dead Decepticons? Ingesting substances that will make you very ill and therefore my problem as you take up space in my med-bay?"
"Watch it!" Sam yelped when Ratchet gently but firmly pushed him over onto his side, "Warn me before putting those ice cubes you call hands on me."
"If you hadn't of bit me, you would have gotten a warning."
"I said I was sorry."
"I'm sure you are." Ratchet commented as he scanned Sam's body, "There doesn't look to be any damage to your systems from ingesting Energon…..Hmm."
"Don't 'hmm' at me Ratchet. I can never tell if it's a 'you're perfectly fine and wasting my time 'hmm' or a 'you're going to die horribly and waste even more of my time 'hmm'."
"It's a 'you're a slaggin' pain in the aft 'hmm.'"
Sam actually had the gall to laugh at that before stating, "You're a little more growlie than usual, Ratchet."
Bee chuckled a little until Ratchet glared at him. Only Sam would refer to the cranky Medic as 'growlie.' Though it was true, Ratchet had seemed more irritable than usual, going so far as to start lecturing Sam on the stupidity of consuming Decepticon body parts while Sam had dangled limply from his hand like a scaly earth kitten.
Knowing the reason via Jazz, Bee gave Sam a hint, "…I find your lack of faith disturbing…."
Sam gave him a confused look that changed into a smile once he got it, "Ah, someone has questioned the Great and Powerful Ratchet."
"I've been a Medic for orns longer than they've been alive." Ratchet grumbled, ignoring Sam's yelps of 'Cold hands! Cold hands!' as he continued the exam, "Why do I have to keep assuring people I know what I'm doing?"
"Well, the fact they were actually questioning your expertise should tell you that they were idiots."
"Flattery will get you a knock upside the head." Ratchet responded as he let Sam get into a more comfortable potion. "There's no serious damage besides some scrapes and bruises. Your stomach seems to be digesting the Energon without any problem, thank the Allspark, so you shouldn't experience any ill effects. If there's any occurrence of dizziness or headaches, you are to either let me or Bumblebee know."
"Okay." Sam replied as he stepped off the examination table and transforming back into his human shape.
"I mean it Sam. If I find out you fell unconscious somewhere simply because you wanted to be stubborn, I guarantee what I do will not be pleasant."
"Yes Ratchet, of course Ratchet, whatever you say Ratchet." Sam replied as he backed out of the room, bowing to Ratchet every few steps.
Ratchet threw a dirty rag at him, missing "Get out of my med-bay!"
"I'll see you when you get out Bee." Sam called out, laughing as he left. "Have fun!"
"….Yeah right!..."
Ratchet shook his head at such antics before turning back to Bee with a serous look on his face, "We need to talk."
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The obit above the earth was cold and dark but not empty.
The satellite that was currently drifting in the atmosphere above the earth was not only able to transmit numerous streams of data to and from various points on the blue planet below, it was fully capable of identifying, reporting and, if need be, taking defensive actions against other satellites.
This satellite was an example of the best and most advanced technology the military had to offer.
Of course, it stood no chance.
From the darkness of space, another metal form approached slowly, carefully, and completely undetected. Much bigger than the military satellite, it was of sleek and gleaming metal with shining lenses that covered its polished surface, built of technology only recently seen on earth, it was designed to observe, to listen, and to record.
The perfect form for the Decepticon's top communications officer and master spy, Soundwave.
Deflecting the military satellite's sensors in such a way it did not even perceive his presence, Soundwave came closer, almost brushing against the satellite. A plethora of thin of metal tentacles burst forth from him and, undetected, wrapped themselves tightly around the satellite. Gently caressing the surface of the satellite, the tentacles carefully probed and penetrated each entrance, spilling forth a white liquid-metal that coated the insides of the satellite. Soundwave had no desire to damage the satellite but rather to link with it, to partake of its knowledge.
What the satellite heard, Soundwave would hear.
What the satellite saw, Soundwave would see.
What the satellite knew, Soundwave would know... and relay to others.
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"Ow…ow…ow…owowowow!"
"Don't move or I'll have to do it again!"
"You sure you know what you're doing? Ow!"
"Ta-da! All done, whiny-ass."
Rearranging a couple of mirrors in his personal quarters, Sam could see his brand new piercing and earring. According to Miles (who had done the piercing), it was called a rook piercing and the jewelry was a PTFE Barbell or something. While interesting, Sam really didn't care about that. The only reason he gotten this done was because this particular piece of jewelry would act in the same way the pendant on his choker did and would be harder take from him.
"Not bad for my first time." Miles said, taking off his latex gloves.
"What?" Glaring at him, Sam grabbed one of the pillows of his bed and started hitting Miles. "You said you'd done this before!"
"I've pieced ears before… just not in that particular location!" Miles explained, fending off the blows, "Dude it was either me or one of the others!"
Sam made a face but stopped hitting him. Although he had been Miles's friend for years (their friendship was a rarity and, considered by most, incredibly bizarre) and the Lancaster witches had accepted Sam as a family friend, he was still a little nervous around other witches. While it wasn't on the same level as the Vampire/Werewolf enmity, there was a history bad blood between dragons and witches. Whether the dragons had started it or the witches depended on whom you asked. The fact that not only had some of the witches used their magic (magics their people had learned from the dragons) to help dragon slayers, and around the same time the witches as a whole had truly come into their magic dragons had begun to lose theirs made the whole siltation worse.
All of which made relations among the dragons and witches at NEST tricky at best. Hell, relations among all the races and species now working at NEST was complicated, whether human or paranormal there was bound to be a bad history somewhere. Thankfully, with the Decepticon threat, no one wanted to refight old battles and those that did were quickly removed from NEST with their memories erased.
Nevertheless, years of distrust and hostility were hard to ignore.
"You got a point." Before Sam could say anything further, a voice came over the intercom.
"Sam Witwicky, please report to Hanger 4. Sam Witwicky, please report to Hanger 4."
"Wonder what that's about." Sam tossed the pillow back onto his bed, "Do I have any blood on me?"
Miles looked him over, "Nope, your ear's red though."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Sam replied, rolling his eyes, "You coming with?"
"Can't. Me and some of the ladies are going to work on some spells, see if we can improve some of the protection enchantments."
"I'm sure there will be a lot of spell work going on." Sam teased. Miles was very poplar with most of the witches their age at Diego Garcia, since he was the only male witch here and took great pleasure at being the only rooster in the henhouse.
It took Sam little time to get to the Autobot hanger. He was 'lucky' enough to have intercepted and hitch a ride the Twins (who were still in their Pedomobile form) who were headed to Hanger 2, which was in walking distance of Hanger 4 and was something he was never, ever going to do again. The twins drove like a pair of drunks and chattered to each other the entire time.
"Badass ice cream truck coming through with a VIP..." Skids announced loudly as he entered the hanger, "scuse me, scuse me..."
"Thanks, I can walk from here." Sam told them, feeling the beginnings of a headache as he got out of the ugly ice-cream truck. He glanced over to the new cars sitting in the hanger, one bright green and the other red-orange, "I guess those are your new alt-modes."
"Yeah, baby!" Skids crowed as they drove around them, "its upgrade time!"
"Those are nice! Yes sir, this is my booty call right here." Mudflap commented as they spilt apart and transformed, "Time to get my sexy on with the green..." He did some weird moves that Sam believed was supposed to be some sort of dance that was interrupted by Skids tackling him.
"No, green is MINE!" Skids punched his brother a few times and flipped him over his shoulder. "I call green! I got the green!" It was then Sam decided to leave them to their upgrade but he could still the argument as he walked to Hanger 4.
"That hurt, man!"
"It's supposed to hurt; it's an ass-kickin'!"
The Hanger 4was huge, large enough for any of the Autobots to move around comfortably in their bipedal shapes if it wasn't for the sheer amount of advanced electronic equipment and gadgets that was crammed inside. Wires and conduits crawled up the walls like jungle vines; the air filled with the soft murmurings of the operators and clicks from the keyboards.
Standing in clearing was what looked like tall, freestanding scaffolding but was infinitely sturdier and draped with electronic equipment meant for commutation. The idea behind the design was so that Optimus wouldn't be 'looking down' on those he was speaking to and would make the government powers more comfortable if they could speak to him 'face to face' as it were.
Seeing Will and Robert 'Bobby' Epps near a cluster of very nice, expensive vehicles and motorcycles talking to a thin, balding man dressed nice suit who kept glancing fitfully at said vehicles, Sam cringe internally. Suits usually meant high-hats (which was probably why Sam was called) and that rarely meant anything good, especially with the way the guy was standing there as if he had every right to pass judgment.
Sam made his way through the collection of cars as he wandered over to the group of humans, careful not the touch any of the vehicles since he was sure they were the Autobots that he hadn't met yet and wasn't sure how they would respond. However, one vehicle was very familiar. He ran a hand over the lustrous sliver metal, asking, "Don't suppose you know who the Suit is, Jazz?"
An avatar shimmered into being before Jazz answered. It was gorgeous as usual, though if Sam hadn't have seen it before he wouldn't have known it was Jazz. Smooth skin the color of dark ebony, large playful blue eyes and long waist-length hair that was a shade of white unseen in nature, bound in hundreds of tiny braids, the avatar was a bit tall for a woman, with full rounded breast that strained the fabric of the white tank-top and long, shapely legs in tight jeans.
Sam had once asked Jazz why he had a female avatar when he was, gender-ly speaking, male; Jazz just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "why not?"
"That would be Director Galloway, National Security Advisor." Even his voice was a more feminine contralto rather than the baritone he normally spoke with, "However, we need to talk about how you are a crazy slagger."
"Oh?" Sam questioned.
"Taking on Megatron was one thing;" Jazz told him, flashing white teeth in a smile, "taking on Ratchet is downright insane."
"Oh God," Sam felt his face heat up; his loss of control was embarrassing as hell, "how many people know I bit Ratchet?"
Jazz draped a friendly arm around Sam's shoulders, "I hate to tell you this-"
"Then why are you smiling?"
"But this is a military base," Jazz continued, "also known as a gossip factory."
"Jesus tap-dancing Christ." Sam groaned as he buried his face in his hands.
"Sam," Bobby gestured for him to come over, "This Director Galloway, National Security Advisor. President just appointed him liaison."
Sam guessed his age to be in the late forties or early fifties; his blonde hair was touched with grey and was in full retreat from his forehead. He adjusted his glasses, looking Sam over, taking in his jeans and black t-shirt that stated 'Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons for you are crunchy and taste good dipped in chocolate' in bright green. Not the most professional thing to wear but when there were paranormals that ran around naked half the time, a uniform or suit would be waste of time.
"This is Sam Witwicky, Paranormal Mediator for the Autobots and Autobot Jazz, Optimus' first lieutenant"
Galloway nodded brusquely at the introduction, not acknowledging Jazz nor offering his hand to shake, seeming to focus on Sam, "Mr. Witwicky, I understand you have a 'special relationship' with the Autobots."
"Yes, sir." Sam said politely, not sure where this was going but not likely the tone. "I help them understand what, essentially, is an alien culture to them and vice versa.
"You're not at all concerned with the impropriety of such a…relationship?" Galloway managed to look even more irritated, "or the health hazards involved in such a relationship?"
"Health hazards?"
"The diseases that can be contracted through contact with the Autobots, namely: space herpes."
'Damn it.' "There is no such thing as space herpes." Sam quickly explained, making a mental note to violently strangle whoever started this rumor, "Some of the guys like to tease the newbies a little and that's where the stupid thing comes from. Ratchet, the Autobot's chief medical officer, has assured me that we can't be infected or impregnated by them or the other way around." Seeing Galloway's look at the word 'impregnated', Sam commented, "I'm not the only one who finds the Autobots attractive."
Before Galloway could say anything else, their conversation was interrupted by Optimus Prime's arrival. Will was already on the top tier of the scaffolding, speaking to someone Sam couldn't see, introducing Optimus, who had begun transforming. No matter how many times Sam witnessed it; the transformation from vehicle to giant robot was always an awesome sight no matter who it was but Optimus' transformation constantly drew all eyes to watch.
As Sam stepped closer, he caught Bobby's voice: "You gotta wonder: if God made us in His image, who made him?" Something about that sentence tickled Sam's brain but he ignored it, turning his attention back to Optimus who had begun speaking.
"General, our alliance has countermanded eight Deception incursions this year, each on different continent. This last on came with a warning." Optimus explained before he played a recording.
A deep, gravelly voice filled the hanger, "The Fallen shall rise again!"
'The Fallen shall rise again…The Fallen shall rise again…' Sam rubbed his temple as the headache that had been threatening made itself known, stabbing one temple before jumping to the other, painful enough Sam missed part of the conversation.
"…..in our past," Optimus continued, "but the Allspark contained all of our history and much was lost with its destruction so there is no way to be certain."
"Excuse me!" Galloway called out, "With this so-called 'Allspark' destroyed, why hasn't the enemy left the planet like you thought they would?"
Will introduced Galloway to the video camera, sounding less then happy about it as the man noisy pushed his way to the video camera. Galloway addressed the video camera, "Forgive the interruption General, but after the mess in Shanghai followed by the expenses of the cover-up, the president is hard pressed to say the job is getting done."
Turning to Optimus, Galloway began, "Now, under the Classified Alien-Autobot Cooperation Act, you agreed to share your intel with us but not your advancements in weaponry. Advancements that would not only allow us to better combat the Decepticons, but would also save human lives."
"We've have studied and witnessed your human capacity for war." Optimus stated, voice grave, "It would absolutely bring more harm than good.
"Might I remind you that your fault that this war is here, a civil war that destroyed your own planet." Galloway pointed out, "Who are you to judge what's best for us?"
Sam was quick to jump to the Autobots defense; "Anyone who's seen the History Channel could tell you that giving humanity weapons is a bad freakin' idea."
Galloway didn't even bother looking down to see who spoke; "I'm not interested in the opinions of someone who got their position by the virtue of screwing a robot."
Sam's temper snapped, "You mother-" Jazz covered his mouth his hand before he could finish, whispering, "Calm the slag down, Sam. Just chill."
"Sam has proven to be brave, competent and trustworthy, which is why he was chosen for the position." Optimus stated smoothly, "While his relationship with Bumblebee was taken into consideration, it was not the deciding factor.
"I'm sure he is quite skilled." Galloway said sardonically before continuing, "Now, what do we know so far? We know that the enemy leader - classified NBE-1, aka Megatron - is rusting in peace at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss, surrounded by sophisticated detection nets and full-time submarine surveillance. We also know that your alien All Spark was completely destroyed in the battle of Mission City. Since no one can seem to tell me what the enemy is now after, well, there's only one clear conclusion..."
Galloway pointed aggressively at Optimus, "YOU! The Autobots! They're here to hunt you! 'The Fallen shall rise again?' Sounds to me like something's coming. So let me ask: If we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?"
Complete silence filled the hanger as everyone waited for Optimus to respond, "Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But before your President decides, please ask him this: What if we leave….. and you're wrong?"
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With a speed that an earth-made computer could only dream of, Soundwave scanned maps, charts, encoded transmissions and transportation manifests. His old plan had been discarded as worthless with the confirmation of the Allspark's complete destruction and a new mission planned.
Setting the coordinates, a panel on Soundwave's side opened, ejecting a metallic shell that blasted away from the compromised satellite and the menacing shadow gripping it from behind as it fell towards the glistening blue planet below.
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Author Notes:
So the one who grab Sam in the last chapter was Ratchet (Sam really wishes it were another Decepticon) but Ratchet should have known better…
As for Jazz's female avatar, I can see some of the transformers using the Holomatter projectors like toys and Jazz thinks it's funny how weirded-out some people get by him having a female avatar.
And yes, the scene between Soundwave and satellite was supposed to be vaguely sexual. It's not my fault Soundwave looks like a tentacle monster….
I know I had the chance to have Sam chew Galloway out (as we all wish to) but I needed him to mess up a bit here since Sam is use to dealing with paranormals, not humans, especially not someone like Galloway.
Thanks for reading,
-Bluelunacy7