"Will you hurry up!" Michelle hissed at Laura from where she was keeping a look out. "They are due back from patrol any minute!"
"I'm trying! It's been a few years since I've done this." Her friend snapped back. That thought still rang funny in her head. Michelle never really was good at making friends, but in the course of the last few weeks she more than considered Laura as one. The woman who had just been an annoying co-worker before was now one of her closest confidants. When she choose to tell her anything sensitive anyway, she still really didn't tell Laura everything.
Michelle caught the twin dust trails in the distance, their time was rapidly growing short. A week of watching their routine, noticing that they always wash the dirt and grime off first when they came back from patrol, and they preferred this stall, was going to go out the window if Laura didn't hurry the hell up! And even Michelle knew Sunny by now to know that they really didn't want to be here when they pulled in. "Laura..." she said again with a tone of urgency in her voice.
"Done!" She said as she slammed the panel shut then turned to Michelle. Just as the sound of their engines came into ear shot. "Shit! They came back early, no time to make it back to the barracks!" She said as she grabbed Michelle's arm after grabbing the evidence of their tampering.
"So now where do we go?" Michelle asked as she was pulled along.
"Med-bay."
"Med-bay!? Are you nuts? Ratchet will take us apart for this shit."
"Yeah, but he at least can put us back together." Laura replied as they ran into the hanger that housed Ratchet's work space. "Not sure Sunny and Sides will make the same effort." Michelle was seriously wondering if helping Laura was really worth all of the aggravation.
They burst into the main room, obviously interrupting a conversation between Ratchet and Jazz as they both stopped to look at them as if they had lost their marbles. "Yo! Where's tha fire, ladies?" Jazz asked them, with a hint of a smile. Obviously he knew what they were up too since the key card had magically turned up in his possession again.
"Up our asses if someone don't hide us!" Laura screeched, trying not to laugh herself. "Ratchet! Please you gotta hide us!"
"What in the allspark is wrong with you two?" Ratchet asked them, obviously annoyed.
"A whole bunch of shit if the twins find us!" Michelle replied.
"Oh for the love of Primus..." He muttered. "You two are getting as bad as they are." He told them as he opened a toolbox on the floor next to him. "Get in and stay quiet if you don't want me scraping you off of the floor."
"Thank you Ratchet!" The women giggled and ran quickly over and climbed inside. Once they were settled Ratchet quickly closed it, leaving just enough room for them to get air. It also left them with a big enough gap to see through.
They didn't have to wait long either, as the sounds of a set of screeching wheels and stomping feet entered the hanger after a few minutes. "Jazz!" A furious sounding Sideswipe hollered as he came closer. "You wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with this would you!" He growled at the smaller mech.
"Wow, he sounds so much like Sunny right now it's scary." Michelle mumbled and Laura tried to hold back the giggles. Ratchet nudged the tool box with his foot and they got the point and settled down again.
"Nope, ah can honestly say, ah had nothin tah do with ...that." He said with an absolutely straight face gesturing to both twins new look. "Nice color by tha way though, it suits you two."
"This is not funny!" Sunny growled. They were both close enough for Michelle and Laura to catch a few glimpses of the furious twins. And both girls were trying to muffle their giggles.
"Pink?" Michelle whispered to Laura, trying not to laugh out loud. "I thought you said it was supposed to turn them red." She collapsed in quiet giggles.
"The water must have diluted the paint..." Laura managed to reply before she too exploded in quiet laughter. Once again Ratchet's foot hit the tool box, warning them to stay quiet.
"Well, ah didn't do it." Jazz grinned at them. "Ah been here with Ratchet tha las' few hours, and I was with tha Boss bot before tha'."
Now a look of puzzlement mixed in with Sides' angry expression. "Then who the Pit could have done it, huh?" He challenged.
Jazz just shrugged. "Seems tah meh li' some'n a vengful femme migh' do." Once again he flashed that winning smile of his. "Ah think you two might 'ave met yah match."
Sunny just glared at him, then turned and stomped from the room. Sides however had a look of contemplation on his face, mixed with his own devious smirk. "Well played femme..." he said softly. "Well, we'll just have to see about that." Then he too turned and followed his brother out of the room.
They had barely left when Jazz and Ratchet exploded into their own laughter. "Did you see their paint!" Ratchet howled with glee as he let the women out.
Jazz was almost doubled over he was laughing so hard. "Oh, that was good!" He complimented the now hilariously laughing women. "I can't remember the last time someone got them."
"I don't think anyone has." Ratchet laughed.
"You do realize that they will retaliate." Jazz told them.
"Bring it." Laura told him with a smirk. "They want a prank war, they got one."
"You know, pairing them with her might have been a huge tactical mistake on Prime's part." Ratchet chuckled.
Jazz just shrugged. "Oh well. No bot's perfect."
.
.
Ironhide was just coming out of the mess hall when he caught sight of his charge. And had to stop and just stare at her for a moment. Her face was so full of amusement and joy, and she was openly laughing. The way her face lit up when she laughed...It was so seldom seen, and it was a pretty sight to see. In a small way he wished it was him making her laugh.
He watched as the two women walked towards the barracks that housed their rooms, still laughing and giggling as they went. Ironhide had been so caught up with his own anger and frustration over the shopping incident that he had completely missed the transformation taking place in front of him. Slowly she was warming up to being here, and obviously making friends. Her normal surly attitude was giving way to bursts of laughter and joy, and he was missing out on it because of one mistake on her part.
He was also slowly starting to realize that maybe he had expected too much from her, too fast. And because of that he had come down harder than maybe he should have. Effectively pushing her away, just like he did everyone else. The matter should have been settled with him re emphasising the importance of her remaining on base, but he had just blocked her out completely. Not even acknowledging the glances he knew she threw his way. Glances that were full of regret, and sadness. He was doing the opposite of what he had originally intended. Here he was, one of the oldest Autobots on base, countless years of battle experience, one of the fiercest warriors under the Prime and he was behaving towards her like a damn pissed off youngling. And he couldn't even justify it with a clear reason as to why he was doing it. "This isn't what I promised Mark." He said softly to himself.
"Yo, Hide! Yo' processor tickin right man?"
Oh no...not those two...He glared down at the other set of annoying as pit twins.
"Yeah, yo. You standin over der talkin' to yoself like you's glitched er somethin." Skids agreed with his brother. "Dat means yous gots the crazies going on up there."
"No it don't you glitch." Argued Mudflap. "He jus got a lot on his processors."
"Dats what I said, its his crazy ass mind."
"You crazy."
"Who you callin' crazy? You moron!" Skids was suddenly shoved by Mudflap.
"YO MAMMA's ah moron!"
"Shes yo mamma too dumbass!"
And that was the end of that peaceful conversation. The argument went from words to fists as they began beating the slag out of each other. It was when they started rolling across the tarmac, and almost taking out a squad of humans, that Ironhide stepped in. He swiftly strode over and kicked one in the rear, sending him flying towards a vacant spot between two hangers before reaching down for the other one and threw him after his brother then followed after them. The two were just picking themselves up as he approached. "How many times do you have to be told to watch out for the humans?" He yelled at them, frustrated. Primus above, even the terror twins didn't act that stupid, though they came a close second.
"Sorry Hide."
"Yeah man, we's sorry."
Ironhide vented irritably before something occurred to him.."What are you two doing here anyway, isn't it your turn for patrol?" Two sets of eyes widened as the idiots remembered it was indeed their turn for patrol before they quickly transformed.
"Goin' now!" And with that they sped off, once again almost running over a few humans. At least they honked their horns this time so the poor squishies could at least jump out of the way.
Why was anything twin related such a pain in the aft?
He returned his gaze to where Michelle had been and caught sight of her and Laura heading toward the barracks. As he watched, a pink?, Sideswipe came at them from around the building.
Once again the laughing and giggling started as they somehow managed to dodge him and flee into the building.
Even from here Ironhide could see the slight smile on his face as Sides stopped outside the barrack doors and shook his head before turning and skating away.
They had something to do with Michelle's happiness and suddenly Ironhide felt a little grateful to the twins, even if he would never admit it out loud, or ever to them. They seemed to help bring out the laughter in Michelle.
"Why don't you quit staring at her and go talk to her." Jazz asked as he came sauntering up.
Annoyed at once again having been caught spying, he looked down at the small sneaky aft mech by his side.
Jazz grinned at him, "Yah know, tha more she hangs out with tha twins tha more they'll corrupt 'er."
"Why don't you mind your own business." Hide frowned.
"Why don't yah quit actin' like ah moonstruck younglin an go talk tah her." Jazz insisted again. "Or yah coul' jus' keep standin' 'ere an staring at 'er til everyone figures out ya feel like scrap fer tha way ya been treatin 'er."
"Why don't you-"
"Can it Hide. Look, jus go talk tah her. It's nevah too late tah try an fix yo mess." Jazz tilted his head. "For someone who's so fond ah callin other bots idiots, it surprises meh yah can' see yah been acting like one yahself." And with that Jazz turned and went about his business.
Ironhide took a moment to let his words sink in. He pondered them as he let his optics once again wander to the door she had disappeared behind.
Then, for the first time in awhile, he let out his own amused chuckle. A pink Sideswipe...that was funny.
.
.
A couple of evenings later, enough time to let Sunny calm down, Laura and Michelle were sitting outside in an out of the way spot enjoying the sunset. Sheeva was romping around in the fields, doing her best to pound her own racetrack into the ground. They were sitting on a blanket and the remains of a picnic dinner were scattered around them. Granted it was food they pilfered from the mess hall, but still. It was a small sense of normalcy in this crazy life they had now.
Which was quickly shot to shit as the sounds of large footsteps approached.
Laura looked over her shoulder to see who was coming to their boring little corner of the base. Michelle just kept her eyes on the sunset.
"Uh oh..." Laura muttered.
"What?" Michelle asked her, still not turning around.
"So this is where you two are hiding." Sides said as he skated into Michelle's view with Sunny at his side. It wasn't often that the surly bot came to hang out with them. Laura and Michelle warily kept an eye on him, not sure if he still wanted to squish them for the paint stunt. "Was wondering where you went to."
"Hiding from you." Laura quipped back at him.
"Not doing a very good job of it." He grinned at her, the setting sun reflecting off of his once again silver plating.
"Pfft. Didn't think you'd be smart enough to find us here."
Sides just laughed as he knelt down next to her, then watched Sheeva run around with an expression mixed with amusement and curiosity. "What on earth is she doing?" He asked as he watched the dog run around with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. Changing directions for no apparent reason and sometimes spinning around in circles before she would shoot off again.
Michelle just shrugged. "Being a dog. She loves to play like that."
Suddenly the dog came to a stop not far in front of Sunny with a ruumpf and lowered her front end down as she looked up at him, her tail going ninety miles an hour. When he didn't pay her any attention she let out a couple of barks. Annoyed he looked at Michelle. "What does she want."
Well, that was an improvement, somewhat. He wasn't calling her an 'it' anymore. "She wants you to play with her."
For some reason Sides thought that was hilariously funny as he bust out laughing. Sheeva kept up her barking however, insistent that the yellow bot play with her. "Primus that is annoying." He growled. "How do I shut her up?"
Michelle shrugged. "Just throw a stick for her. That's all she really wants." Sheeva was by now hopping up and down as she kept pestering Sunny to play with her.
He quickly looked around and apparently found what he was looking for and reached for it. What he came up with however could be better described as a tree trunk. The log he found was almost as big as Sheeva and it made a deep toned whoosh as he threw it across the field.
Sheeva watched as it flew way over her head and far out into the distance before landing with a loud thud.
She turned her gaze back to the bot, and the look she gave him didn't seem to compliment his intelligence.
Michelle and Laura were now rolling on the blanket with laughter as Sunny looked from the dog to them in annoyance. Then he directed his gaze to his widely grinning brother. "Why did I let you talk me into coming out here?"
Michelle composed herself enough to take pity on him. "Here, like this." She told him as she found a stick more suitable for the dog's size. Once Sheeva realized what she had in her hand she promptly sat and watched her mistress intently, waiting for the throw. When Michelle finally did make the sloppy throw with her left hand the dog was already running before she let it go. Sheeva followed it with her eyes and when it came down she smoothly jumped up and caught it before bringing it back and dropping it on the ground in front of Michelle.
"Impressive." The word didn't come from either Sunny or Sides, but from Ironhide as he made his way over to them.
"Oh looky, killjoy is here." Laura muttered and Michelle elbowed her. Though she had to admit she was more than a little surprised that he came out here to join them. She watched him as he made his way over the fields, before Sheeva demanded her attention again. Smiling she picked up the stick and gave it another throw, with the same outcome.
"Oh! I wanna try!" Sides chirped, grabbing the tiny stick in his large hand. His throw challenged Sheeva more than just a little but she kept up with the long and fast flying thing. He easily threw it way farther than any human could have. Sheeva put on a burst of speed as it threatened to overtake her then launched herself high into the air, snapping her jaws around it, then landed. She turned and trotted back to them, her prize held proudly in her mouth before she dropped it, right in front of Sunny. Then looked up at him and resumed her earlier barking.
"Why will this wretched thing not leave me alone!" He snapped as he bent down to get the stick, then chuncked it as hard as he could, easily the hardest throw so far tonight, and one Michelle wasn't sure she would catch.
Again Sheeva was on the move before it even left his hand. Her body stretched out in a long running strides as she kept up with the stick. She was moving so fast she almost seemed to be a white and black blur in the darkening landscape, before once again going airborne, flying high, higher than Michelle had ever seen her jump, and catching it. Michelle looked on, more than a little stunned, as her pet came back with her trophy, giving Sunny a look that seemed to say 'Ha, ha, I caught it.' before she plopped down next to Michelle on the grass, now happily chewing the stick.
"Very impressive." Ironhide rumbled in his deep voice. And he wasn't just saying that, he meant it as he looked thoughtfully at the dog who was happily munching away. "I didn't think she would have caught that one."
"I didn't either." Michelle smiled.
"She runs faster than me, that's for sure." Laura laughed.
"Everyone can run faster than you, Sweetspark." Sides teased her.
"Not flabby butt over here." She replied, pointing at Michelle. "She's still got that cast weighing her down."
"Not bad." Sunny grudgingly finally admitted, looking down at Sheeva. "At least she is quiet now." He continued with a huff.
Michelle turned her attention to the red and orange hued sky as the sun kept moving towards the horizon. "That sure is pretty." She said softly. "You know, it's times like this when I wish I could draw, or paint or...something."
Laura snorted. "Like you could with your arm all wrapped up like that."
If her arm wasn't all wrapped up like that, Michelle would have slapped her on the back of the head.
"I think she just wants to paint me in all of my hot botliness." Sides grinned.
"Botliness? Sounds like some kind of contagious disease." Laura laughed. "Do you ever think before you open your mouth?"
"No." Sunny and Ironhide chimed together, causing Laura to laugh even harder.
Michelle just shook her head, was it bad that she was actually starting to enjoy the weirdness that had taken ahold of her life? She hadn't felt so relaxed since...well...since before Mark died. And that thought of course brought her eyes up to the stars that were starting to come out, wondering if he was up there. Wondering if he was watching her.
There was a creak of metal next to her and she turned her head to see Ironhide had knelt down next to her, careful not to squish the dog who was still chewing on the now not as large stick, and was watching her.
When her eyes met his, he turned his head upwards and seemed lost in thought for a moment before he spoke. "Thinking of him?" He asked quietly and she barely heard him over the noise Sides and Laura were making. Each one trying to outinsult the other, with Sunny still standing there, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah..." She replied honestly. Not really sure what else to say to the large black bot, she turned her head back up. She didn't know why he was here honestly. He had barely talked to her in three weeks now, and she wasn't sure if he was still mad at her, or if she would regain that level of trust they had found on that ridgeline. His silence had bothered her more than a little and she had found herself actually missing him.
Now that he was here next to her she didn't know what to think. She was scared, nervous and more than a little frustrated with herself for feeling these things. Michelle was honest with herself enough to admit that part of that frustration was from the fact that she wasn't even sure she wanted to feel this way for him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to let him close to her. All things considered, she still barely knew him.
He looked like he was about to say something when Laura burst out in laughter again, and he looked at her with an annoyed expression before he mumbled something Michelle couldn't quite hear. He opened his mouth to try again but snapped it shut as he was once again interrupted.
"What is that?" Laura asked stunned as she got to her feet. Her face was now also pulled skyward.
In the now dark sky there was a ball of light, a fiery orange light. It seemed to hang suspended in the sky as it slowly grew in size.
"A shooting star?" Michelle asked, also getting to her feet, looking at the light in wonder. "Though it's not like any I've ever seen."
The ball now was starting to grow more quickly and was accompanied by it's own sound, a strange roaring sizzling sound.
"That's...not a shooting star." Laura said as it grew bigger. And their wonder turned to horror as it continued on it's way, towards them.
Suddenly Michelle found herself snatched up so quickly that she felt like her head would whiplash right off and she was pressed against Ironhide's chest, with Sheeva in his other hand being held just as closely against his frame. Laura was in the same position with Sides, held protectively against his chest as all three bots turned and tried to haul ass out of there.
They didn't even have time to transform as the fiery ball of light slammed into the ground behind them with a tremendous noise, the shockwave sending them flying, then they hit the ground in a roll that ended with them crouched down, facing away from the site of the impact. Ironhide and Sides trying desperately to shield their charges, while Sunny tried to shield his paintjob as clods of dirt and other debris fell from above.
"Are you injured?" Ironhide asked Michelle as she clung to him in fear. All she could manage was a quick shake of her head, and she refused to let her guardian go. He worked around that as he shifted Sheeva into the arm he held Michelle with, then he spun back towards the crater in the ground, with an arm ready to fire at whatever might come out of there. If it posed any kind of threat he was firmly intent on blasting it to tiny ribbons.
Sunny and Sides had already taken up similar positions, with SIdes still holding Laura close to him and a blade in his other hand. Sunny wasn't carrying any kind of burden, and his eyes spelled murder for the unfortunate individual who came crawling out of that hole as he held his weapons ready, they had scratched his paint...
By now the base behind them was filled with the sounds of sirens blaring and shouts from the human soldiers, and it didn't take long for the first Autobots to come speeding across the field, Optimus in the lead.
"What happened?" Prime asked as he came closer, transforming back to his bipedal mode. Michelle's eyes grew wide at the sight of the massive weapons he carried and she burrowed further into her guardian's protective grip.
"Looks like a transport pod." Ironhide answered him, his eyes and weapon not moving from the hole.
"Ours or theirs?"
"Unsure. The model type is unfamiliar to me."
"I see." The large mech's eyes narrowed before he strode over to the crater, with the other Autobots not far behind him. They stationed themselves around it, ready to blast the whole thing to smithereens at the first sign of trouble. "Occupant! Identify yourself."
"A little help please!" Came the muffled voice from inside the crater. "It seems my new pod designs have some flaws that need working out. I'm a bit stuck in here, I can't get out."
"Oh, no..." Ratchet mumbled before he moved in to start working on the pod. The other Autobots all lowered their weapons, much to the confusion of Laura and Michelle.
"What is it?" Laura asked from where she was still cradled in Sides' protective arm.
Sides let out a small chuckle. "Who, not what, Sweetspark." He exchanged a quick glance with his twin, who just rolled his eyes. "Wheeljack has finally decided to grace us with his presence."