[Location: Griffin Rock, Maine, Emergency Headquarters] Rescuebots Universe
The smell of breakfast floating through the building early the next morning was enough to rouse even the humans who despised the early morning hours into a happy mood. Making their way to the kitchen, the Burns family and their visitors, Jack, Miko, and June, were relieved to see Elita up and about. The large table was already set with all sorts of food offerings for the meal and it allowed them all free choice on what and how much they wished to eat.
Dani and Miko were chatting excitedly about their upcoming patrol with Blades as they sat off to the side at the couch and coffee table while the male population filled in around the table. Chief Charlie Burns had pulled out the chair that June had chosen to sit in, gaining a warm smile from the nurse. He, too, did the same for Elita once she decided to finally sit down and join them in the meal, but she was only drinking coffee.
"Don't you need to eat?" June asked her, noticing the lack of food.
"Are you kidding me?" E laughed a bit before taking a drink, "Ratchet stood there and made sure I ate both sides of beef."
"Are you feeling better, Elita?" Graham asked, leaning over a bit to look past Kade as the fire fighter piled his plate full of pancakes.
Nodding, Elita smiled at the brainy Burns, "Much better. I just know not to do that again."
"Good," Kade said, finally setting down the syrup after pouring most of the contents over his plate, "you need to take care of yourself."
"Are you sure you're feeling well enough to leave?" Cody asked between bites.
Elita had to smile at the family's concern and kindness. "I am. But as much as I'll miss you all, I need to get back to my own life. And they've gotta get back to theirs." She had lightly pointed with her thumb at June, who was sitting beside her. "I've been selfish enough in my vacation to have made them worry to come looking for me." The wink she gave Jack made him start laughing.
"What can we say?" the teenager said with a smirk, "We've missed ya."
Down below, Arcee was having too much fun 'preparing' Blades for his upcoming patrol. It was just too tempting to pass up telling the helicopter Autobot about how much of an adrenaline junkie that Miko was. Everything from tagging along with Bulkhead on his mission to find Agent Fowler, but finding the whole Decepticon warship instead, to bridging onto a moving train, to sneaking behind them all and getting stuck in the shadow-verse with a Terrorcon. But it wasn't just that one Autobot listening to the stories she was sharing.
"I have trouble believing that one young human female could willingly get herself into so much trouble," Chase stated mater-of-factly.
"Um, anybody recall anything Frankie's done?" Heatwave offered as proof to validate what Arcee had told them. The most recent thing that came to mind was when she followed them underground and the fire truck had protected her from the cave-in.
"You do have a point, Heatwave," Boulder kindly pointed out, "but I'm sure that Frankie would know better about going face to face with a Decepticon, even Megatron."
"Her actions might come across as extremely foolish, and most times without her really thinking on them before doing," Ratchet said calmly as he walked up to the group, "but our human friends' have a courage that is bigger than themselves."
"As do ours," Blades had to smile, his brothers-in-arms nodding their agreement. "I think Optimus assigning us here was one of the best things he could have done, especially when it's our mission to learn about the human culture."
"Honestly," the medic stated before Heatwave could actually start grumbling, "the fact that you four have an opportunity to get to know the humans like this, instead of being shoved head on into the war without knowing a thing only benefits you. "
"Yeah, that was short of a nightmare when we first arrived," Arcee agreed. Before any of the four could counter their point, Blade's comm-link started to buzz.
"Hey, Blades," Dani's voice rang through the device, "Miko and I are ready whenever you are."
Giving a worried groan, the helicopter slowly, and fearfully, trudged his way over to the lift that he utilized to get up to the top. The other three finished up their preparations before they left with their human counter parts on their usual patrols. Ratchet and Arcee took the lift up with the others, both pleased to find the whole group of humans in the room, including Elita in her larger form.
"You will tell us good-bye before you leave, right?" Heatwave asked after a moment of hesitation.
Elita smiled at him, "There're a few things I need to do here before I can leave, but yes, I won't leave before saying good-bye."
"Hopefully things will stay quiet out there today," Chief Burns offered lightly, hugging Cody before Chase transformed.
"Bye, guys!" the youngest Burns said cheerfully, "We'll see you all around lunchtime." As his brothers and their Autobots got ready to leave he turned to face those who were staying behind. "So what are we doing today?"
Elita smirked, noticing that the young lad's gaze fell onto Ratchet, who now looked a bit uncomfortable under the look of awe in the young boy's eyes. "I don't think it'll be a good thing for a new ambulance to go driving around town, Cody. Especially with no solid back story on how it got here and where it suddenly goes. It's a small town, people will notice."
Ratchet almost countered Elita's point at the disappointed look Cody got, a look that reminded him of Rafael when Bumblebee was dealing with having Megatron stuck in his head, or Miko when Bulkhead's mind was being overwritten by the data-capsule. And privately it annoyed the medic that he let the kids' emotions get to him so much, but deep down he understood that it helped him remember why the Autobots were fighting.
"But," Elita continued, kneeling down in her larger body to look at the young man, "I do have some things to take care of here before I go and I could use a great helper." That cheered up the young man, who nodded enthusiastically. "Wonderful. I need some extra time like this before I can separate again, but we'll get started as soon as I can."
"There's the ferry that comes from the mainland," Jack said, scratching the back of his head, "and tourists do visit. At least that was your cover for while you were here, right?"
Nodding, Elita looked over at Arcee, "As long as you agree to it."
"Sure, I don't mind enjoying the quiet," the blue motorcycle agreed.
"Great! I'll go get my helmet and be right back." They watched Cody run off to the staircase, taking two at a time.
June knew that both young men were in good hands with Arcee, so she focused on Elita. "What do you have to do?"
Still kneeling, E turned her smile to June. "A few more meals stocked up for them to heat and eat. Plus I was working on a book to help Dani with her cooking."
"That bad?" the mother asked, a knowing smirk on her face. There was a good reason she limited Jack to only cooking in the microwave.
"Her heart's in the right place," Elita said on a soft sigh, "but Dani just needs a bit of guidance and encouragement." Nodding, June focused on Cody as he slid down the fire pole, landing with a playful hop before he ran over, his helmet already in place.
"Ready?" Jack asked, Arcee transforming.
"Whenever you are!" The youngest Burns family member's excitement was palpable.
Jack slipped on his own helmet and waited for Cody to join him before Arcee took off at a gentle speed, until they left the building. As soon as it was clear for her to do so, the Autobot fem sped off, much to the enjoyment of her passengers.
With a sigh, June shook her head with a smile before she looked at the Autobots she had been left behind with. "I think I'll go see what I can help you out with the meals."
Elita and Ratchet both felt stuck as they watched the nurse disappear up the stairs. Standing back up, E looked over at her friend, noticing him shifting about a bit as if he was thinking on something. She was about to say something to break the awkward silence between them when he decided he was going to scan her again. That only made her laugh. It actually saved her from saying something possibly regrettable like "Did you miss me?".
[Location: Autobot Base] Prime Universe
Those left behind waited patiently as they could in the base. Bulkhead and Bumblebee lobbed, Rafael watching from an overhead walkway beside Bee with his laptop open at his side. Optimus was calmly working on decoding the ever present Iacon Database. The Autobot leader only stopped for a moment as he glanced over at the computer near his workstation as the proximity alert went off, notifying all in the base that Agent William Fowler was approaching.
As the elevator doors opened, the human liaison stepping through caring a couple small paper bags with him in one hand and a large cup of coffee in the other, greeting Optimus rather cordially. The Autobot returned the greeting before returning to his own work as Agent Fowler walked over to where Rafael sat. It seemed as the time that had passed between the renewed fighting with the Decepticons and in having the other humans that have become allies gave Agent Fowler a more positive excuse to visit, making his trips to the hidden missile base turned Autobot headquarters more and more frequent. Personally, Optimus Prime was rather pleased that the visits and communications were becoming less harsh from the human. Even a Prime's patients could be stretched thin by one person's foul temper.
Raf smiled up at and thanked the adult as Agent Fowler passed him one of the bags, he apparently taken over feeding the teenagers in Elita's absence. "No word from them yet?" he asked to whoever would answer.
"We haven't heard back from them yet," Raf said as he dug out the contents of his bag. "There hasn't been any more of those energy pings either."
"They went into the unknown, Agent Fowler," Optimus stated as he stepped over to the rest, Bulkhead and Bumblebee pausing their lobbing to listen to what their leader had to say. "Not only do we not know Elita-One's status, but there is no promise that they were going into a situation that bode well for her rescuers as well. It might take them time to find her if she had to leave the nearby area for her own safety."
"Don't worry," Bulkhead spoke up, smirking over as they all focused on him, "if anyone can bring our people back, it's Ratchet." Bumblebee even beeped his acknowledgement.
[Location: Griffin Rock, Maine] Rescuebot Universe
With the help from June, Elita was able to finish up the little things that she had wished to do before leaving. E even manned the call center as she wrote down things in a composition notebook for Dani. While the women worked above stairs, Ratchet was running almost constant scans on Elita's larger form while it moved, danced, and even cleaned in the garage area. Jack, Cody, and Arcee returned back to the Firehouse a couple hours after they had left, the youngest human still hyped up after the adventurous ride.
The Rescuebots returned around lunchtime, everything appearing peaceful in the small town despite the usual phone calls from Mrs. Neederlander with Mr. Peddi-Paws in a tree again or the Mayor panicking about one thing or another. Blades was the first to land, the most eager to return home due to his latest passenger. Despite the stories that Arcee had told him, he did not believe that one human could be any more of a dare-devil than Dani. The helicopter would never doubt a thing Arcee said ever again.
The Burns men and their Rescuebot partners returned shortly after the young ladies had, all ready for a relaxing meal before their afternoon duties began. But it was apparent that after the meal, which was being served down in the garage area evident by the table that was set up down there, that their guests were planning on returning home. The meal was taken slower than what they were use to due to lots of chatter from all parties involved, but none seemed to be worried about the time it took up. The Autobots spoke the most with one another knowing that after the human's finished their meal that they wouldn't have a real chance to speak afterwards.
Elita, who had joined back with her larger body after eating, was sitting near the table as she, Arcee, and Ratchet answered any further questions that the Rescuebots had for them. Chief Burns watched as Cody climbed up onto the woman's leg to sit while everyone talked, and how she put a protective hand around the boy. It was a mother's instinct he had recognized in his late-wife's mannerisms that had originally drawn him to her. Whoever it was that had her eye was one lucky man… or bot.
Even the clean-up, which took the Burn's family little time, was drug out a little longer despite the extra hands to help. It might have been just over a week, but the family of heroes was a bit reluctant to see their visitors go. It was here that those belonging to Team Prime openly bid farewell to the Rescuebots. With a quick chat about the driving arrangements, which Miko managed to speed talk Blades into another ride, the group of humans and Autobots began their slow drive to the laboratory of Doc Greene.
Earlier that morning Elita had called the good doctor to tell him how exactly her friends were able to hold open the window, and that there was somebody back home waiting for him to send the energy again. That their residential computer genius was ready to handle the rest as soon as Doctor Greene was able to operate his machine again. With only minor repairs to make this time to the machine, Doc Greene assured Elita that he would be ready for their arrival whenever lunch was over and the Burns family had the free moments to spare.
They all had arrived by mid-afternoon at the laboratory that overlooked most of the little town down below. Elita had paused to look down at the town one last time after she pulled off her helmet. Cody, who had ridden with her, gently patted her back as he tried to give her his best, strongest smile. Reaching back behind her, she gave the young man a half squeeze, thanking him.
June and Ratchet pulled up, followed closely behind by Arcee and Jack. Chase with Chief Burns was right behind them while Graham and Boulder had pulled up the rear. Kade and Heatwave had lead the little procession, their excuse was to make sure that the Doctor was home.
The garage door that opened into the workshop pulled open as the humans exited their vehicles and Blades landed, Elita laughing a bit as Miko and Dani hopped out, knowing that the helicopter was glad to be landing. Frankie ran out ahead of her father and Professor Baranova, glomping a tight hug around Elita's mid-section, which the Autobot-human returned gently.
"I have made all the preparations on our side," Doc Greene told the group in a saddened tone as they gathered close together but still near their own vehicles, which were parked as close as they possibly could get. "I'll start it up whenever you're ready to leave, Ellan."
E smiled at the good doctor, still having an arm around Frankie and another around Cody as he stood near her side. "Thank you." Gently patting Frankie's head, she smiled at the young lady when she looked up at her. One by one she walked to each member of the Burns family, giving them a farewell hug and a gentle rub to the vehicle they drove. Then turning back to Jack, Miko, June, Ratchet and Arcee, she smiled. "You ready to go home?"
"Whenever you are," June said gently.
Looking over at her motorcycle form, Elita commanded it to pull up to her before she got on. The friends that came to her rescue followed suit, climbing back into or onto their own rides. Miko hopped onto the bench seat on Elita's motorcycle, along with Frankie and Cody. Chuckling, E drove slowly into the laboratory, following Arcee and Ratchet. Pulling up next to the controls that Doc Greene was working on, she let Frankie and Cody depart, both moving over to Chief Burns and the rest of his family. Professor Baranova was standing beside Elita at this time, waiting for the Autobot woman to look back at her after E departed the bike.
"You truly are an amazing specimen for what had happened to you," the older woman told her with a blush, "I hope that the ones that wish to harm you never find you."
"Thank you Professor." Elita stretched out her hand to shake with the other woman, who returned the grip warmly.
Slowly Elita bid farewell to the rest of the human's gathered there, waving when she could at the four Rescuebots looking in the large doorway, and hopped back onto her own bike. With hers and Miko's helmets secured, Elita nodded to Doc Greene to start up his machine.
It was only a few seconds after the machine started up that the window gained its wavy texture and a half-minute before it solidified into the purplish glow with the long red and orange energy streaks rushing through it. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Elita always hated good-byes; she drove into the vortex before her, followed swiftly by Arcee with Jack, and Ratchet with June.
Shortly after they disappeared through the vortex, those remaining behind watched as it winked shut on its own. Chief Burns walked up beside Doc Greene. "Perhaps you should pack this one away for a rainy day, Doc."
"I was thinking the same thing," Doc Greene said, looking down at the controls. "Perhaps a little more work on my equations and we might have a way to visit them, or bring them through for a visit again." Then he looked back up at his friend, "But for right now, I think I'll work a bit on some gardening that needs done around the laboratory. The ivy on the lower ledges is getting a bit out of hand."
[Location: Griffin Rock, Maine] Prime Universe
The trio of vehicles pulled into the forest area before the vortex shut down behind them. Ratchet, since he was the commander of the mission, opened up his communication's channel to the base. "Ratchet to Optimus Prime. Mission accomplished, requesting ground bridge transportation."
The usual sea green spiral of lights opened before them and they all entered it. It winked shut among the quiet trees, a cool sea breeze drifting through the limbs as if whispering their own good-byes.
Author's Note: I do not own either show!
Yikes! Long chapter, but I didn't feel a good place to break this up. Should have this wrapped up on one more chapter. Thanks for hanging in there with me.