Let it be said that the peeps at NEST headquarters really know how to make a bird kid feel welcome.
After leaving the meeting with the brass and bots, we were ushered into a separate compound that turned out to be a big system of living quarters. Total was hyperventilating into a paper bag. Captain Lennox and Tech Sergeant Epps were our personal tour guides as they led us deeper into the heart of the place. And guess what the first attraction was: food!
Six hungry bird kids + one hungry mutant Scottie dog + lots o' vittles = HAPPINESS.
We all piled into the chairs that surrounded the table, eager to chow down. I did a quick check on the room: no trap doors I could see at the moment, no suspicious people looking at me, nothing out of the ordinary except us mutants. I made myself relax and smelled the food. It made my mouth water.
"We figured that bein' part bird and all, you kids would have a very high metabolic rate- so we ordered as much as we could for you to snack on while you're here. We get loads of supplies from the U.S., but the stuff from over in Asia and Europe is worth eatin' too," Epps explained, helping himself to a butter-glazed dinner roll.
"Thith sthuff ith AWETHUM," the Gasman stated while cramming a wad of lasagna into his mouth.
"I hope that our little introduction back there didn't scare you too badly," Lennox said, giving me a rueful look. "But I can't tell you how important it is that you trust the Autobots with your lives. They're the only thing that stands between the Decepticons and humanity. And trust me, the Decepticons want nothing better than to exterminate us like bugs."
"They call us insects. Gives you a pretty good notion of what our situation is," Epps remarked.
I frowned. "So if the Decepticons are so powerful and all, why doesn't anyone else know about them? Shouldn't the whole world be on red alert or something?"
"Yes… and no," Lennox chewed his lip for a second. "Mass panic is not an option. The threat is there, sure, but Decepticons are subtle. They blend in very well. They even copy our military vehicles in an effort to remain incognito. There's no sure way to determine whether your own Blackberry is a friend or foe. And, they rarely go on rampages unless they're all in some scheme together. Like yesterday. That truck thing at the campsite wanted you to come to him so he could take you out. If you hadn't been in the area, he would have acted as innocent as this table." He lightly smacked the table with his palm. I stared at the table, decided it was friendly, then nodded.
"Here at NEST it's our job to figure out what their next move is so there'll be no need for public fuss. We saddle up, let the Autobots slap 'em around, take care of the situation before it gets out of hand," Epps added.
"Nip it in the bud, so to speak," Iggy said, wiping his mouth. There was cranberry sauce on his shirt, but no one said anything to him about it.
"Yeah. And it ain't easy. Lots of good men go down. Lots of good men," Epps sighed, shaking his head.
"I know some soldiers died yesterday. I'm sorry," I mumbled. I'm not really good at touchy-feely junk.
Lennox gave me a nod. "We do our duty just as the Autobots do theirs. Protect humanity. Defend Earth."
"And come back to fill out all the paperwork when it's over," Epps smirked.
"So what'll we do? Do we get to fight like you guys?" Gazzy demanded, having finished off his three-course snack.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. We'll get to that later, after we've shown you some other stuff," Lennox replied.
"Awwwww," Gazzy pouted. "But we've been fighting for like, forever! We're really good! Like teenage mutant ninja bird warriors!"
I felt like slapping myself. Way to go, Gaz- embarrass me all over creation!
Fang, who up till now had been a dark-haired, emo statue, decided to use his voice for once and spoke up. "Chill, Gazzy. We'll get it all figured out eventually."
"Like, do we have to wear fatigues and boots and stuff? Will I have to get my hair cut? I've always heard that military life is all hard and stuff, but I guess it's not as hard as sleeping in trees or eating rats. That's pretty hard. Oh yeah, and what's up with the name NEST? I mean, what does it stand for? Is it like an acronym or a code word for some operation? And by the way, where's the bathroom?" Nudge blurted.
Lennox and Epps looked startled that so much jabber could come from one preteen. I gave a knowing smile.
"Down the hall, first door on your right," Angel said. She gave Lennox a sweet little smile; I knew she had just read his mind.
"Okay, thanks," Nudge stood up and skipped into the hall, making a beeline for said bathroom.
"I would like to know what NEST stands for. It's kind of freaky, y'know, us being bird kids and having to stay at some place called NEST," I said, crossing my arms.
"It is actually a code word. Stands for 'non-biological extraterrestrial species team'. Personally, I like think it just means that this is a place where Autobots and humans alike can come and be safe. So the name does apply… somewhat," Lennox answered me.
"Just don't be layin' no eggs," Epps snickered.
I glared, but Iggy and Gazzy burst out laughing. I looked over to see Fang, of all the people on God's green earth, turning pink and almost grinning stupidly.
Angel giggled and patted my arm. "It's okay, Max. They just want to make us laugh because they want us to be happy here."
"Good to know," I said dryly, still miffed.
"Can someone please pass the chicken salad?"
Lennox and Epps both locked eyes on Total, incredulous. Total hopped up onto the table, his tail wagging expectantly. "Hello? Comprende Engleesh? I said pass the salad!"
"It's okay. There are way more surprises," Angel informed the two staring soldiers.
"Just wait till Gazzy digests that bean burrito," I said smugly, watching as said young boy wolfed down said dangerous substance.
We were assigned to our rooms next. All the boys got one room with bunk beds; us womenfolk got a similar room across the hall. It was plainly furnished, simple, but comfortable. Heck, anything is comfortable to kids who grew up in dog crates!
That evening, I got a chance to shower. Boy, that felt good. I dried myself off with a towel and peered into the small mirror. It was like a layer of skin got peeled off. All my dirt streaks and sweat stains and grease smudges and Lord knows what else was gone, rinsed down into the drain. My hair felt lighter, free. I sniffed one of my pits. Yep, I was clean, all right.
I found a small duffel bag at the foot of my bed. It had my name stenciled on it. I unzipped it. Inside were a pair of dark gray pants, a simple off-white T-shirt, and a large, baggy black jacket. There were a pair of combat boots in my size on the floor. I sighed. It feels kinda weird to be cared for, even in a boot-campish way.
I changed into my new outfit; I ripped nice big slits in the back of the jacket to allow my wings to unfold if necessary. Right when I was putting on my boots, Nudge and Angel came in. My eyebrows rose. They had new clothes too, similar to what I had on, but different. Nudge's shirt was really white, she had her pants rolled up to be capris, and her boots were a little more on the "fashionable" side. Angel was dolled up in a sky-blue shirt and skirt set, and she had on Mary Janes.
"Wow. You're like, G.I. Max or something," Nudge beamed, looking me over.
"The boots actually feel kinda comfy," I admitted, tossing my hair. Now it was back to being its original color instead of greasy, filthy dark yuck.
"Mr. Lennox gave me this outfit. He says I remind him of his daughter. Her name is Annabelle and she's only two," Angel said, brushing off her skirt. "He really misses his family, but he wants to keep them safe by being here to fight the bad guys."
"Aw." I wasn't quite warmed up to the two guys yet—I have this whole 'trust-no-one' complex going—but I could tell that they were genuine, bonafide, for real people who weren't going to swindle us or hand us over to mad scientists. It felt weird to be around people other than Mom, Ella or Jeb who just accepted what we were. Well, the fact that they worked alongside giant robots probably made dealing with bird kids a lot easier.
"Epps says I remind him of his daughters. He has like four daughters and one son," Nudge said.
"I feel so sorry for that poor child," I sighed. I could just imagine being the only male in a house full of Nudge clones. Nope!
"You wanna go see the Autobots? They're really curious about us and they want to talk to you 'cause you're the leader," Angel asked, tugging on my hand.
"Um, not really. Max no like giant alien beings that could squoosh her with their pinky," I protested. "And besides, it's been a relatively upside-down last couple of days. I'm beat."
"Pleeeease?" Angel gave me the Look. The Look that could melt a polar icecap, or make a mother melt and buy Angel whatever she wants. It's happened before. (not the bit about the icecap)
"Okay, fine. Let's get this over with," I griped, standing and popping my neck. "Let's go chat with the bots!"