Author's Notes: Wow, this chapter should have been finished much sooner than this! I've had a lot of other stories to work on lately, so this one has been neglected. Anyway, I hope you like this next chapter of Do You Accept The Charges, and please leave a review if you have the time :)
Chapter 11
::Connecting to combichat,abt...Please wait for your party to connect...Party connected. 4 creds per breem. Do you accept the charges?::
Y
HuffNstuff: Hey, Nova Beam. Sorry I haven't been able to call lately. Seems like Teletran is always taken lately…
NBAviator: That's okay, sweetie :3
HuffNstuff: Say, I got a great idea for a role play we can do! I can be Optimus Prime and U can be Elita One. What do U think?"
NBAviator: Since when you say U instead of you? Oh, never mind :3 Can we fight sharkticons?
HuffNstuff: Sure thing...Elita ;)
NBAviator: Be careful Optimus! There could be anything in this dark deserted cave! You might want to turn on your headlights…
HuffNstuff: *turns on headlights* Oh no! It's a horde of sharkticons!
NBAviator: I'm coming, honey! *pulls laser sword out of subspace*
HuffNstuff: Behind you!
NBAviator: *Slices off sharkticon's head* Till all are one, slaggers!
HuffNstuff: I see their leader! Uh, oh...It's a giant sharkticon! *blasts laser rifle* BOOM! Headshot!
NBAviator: You did it, Optimus! We saved the planet from the sharkticons. Now for the fun part...Let's see where you hide the matrix!
HuffNstuff: *opens chassis* Let's just hope the troops don't find us for a while…
Nova Beam giggled quietly as she typed on her console. A part of her actually felt guilty about this. It wasn't just the more visceral aspect of their live chat, but the fact that she was pretending to be the queen of the Autobots. Somehow it seemed a little blasphemous to pretend to interface with Optimus Prime, but then again it was the forbidden aspect of this interplay that made her want to continue.
For a moment she allowed herself to pretend. For the moment she and Huffer were the two most powerful Autobots in the universe, and they were enjoying the spoils of conquest. For a moment she almost felt like she could touch him, and almost felt like she could feel his spark reaching out for hers. She then giggled as she imagined what Huffer would look like as a Prime. Huffimus Prime...That would be so cool! He certainly had the right body type for it, even if he was kind of small.
Her little game was interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching her quarters. Few people could sneak up on Nova Beam (Laugh Riot!) and she was ever alert when she was chatting with Huffer. She typed out a quick goodbye message and turned off her computer before the mech on the other end of the door entered.
The door opened without Nova Beam's authorization, and in strode Thorn Wind; their air commander! He was a seeker that was predominantly black with yellow markings. His helm had a three-horned design that somehow made him look very menacing, and the stern expression he wore only added to the visage of authority and terror. In the air he was a force to be reckoned with, but on the ground he was a pain in Nova Beam's transistors!
Nova Beam bolted out of her chair and quickly stood at attention! Whatever Thorn Wind wanted had to be important if he didn't even bother to comm them first. Nova Beam was alone in her quarters, which made her nervous. A half vorn before then Thorn Wind had propositioned Nova Beam, and she had turned him down. Her sisters thought she was crazy for turning down the most powerful mech in their unit, but she didn't give herself to just any mech that deemed her worthy of their attention. The fact that she was even dating Huffer was an odd occurrence for the ever prudent Nova Beam.
"Ah, Nova Beam, it's you," Thorn Wind said disdainfully, "I was hoping to catch your trine commander in her quarters. Oh, well. I really don't have time for chit-chat anyway I suppose. Here, give her this data pad, and don't read it under any circumstances. Understand, soldier?"
"Yes, sir," Nova Beam replied apprehensively; already tired of his egotistical attitude.
"Good," Thorn Wind said as he turned on his heel and left.
Nova Beam was left alone as quickly as she had been intruded upon, and she didn't know what to make of the situation. Oh well, as long as Tremor had to deal with him and not her, then Nova Beam didn't really care what he wanted.
Huffer went to the board to find his assignment for the day. He always hated this part. He wished they could just keep the same assignments every day, but Prowl insisted they shake things up to keep the troops alert. Huffer grumbled under his breath as he looked for his name to see where he was going. He checked, and saw that for the next week he was going to be on that energy tower construction project. He looked to see who else was going to be on that project and only one other name came up.
"Perceptor?" Huffer asked himself skeptically, "Oh, great! College boy! Well, this is just gonna be a real picnic!"
Later, in the rec room, Huffer was expressing his concerns to Brawn over working with Perceptor on a construction project. Brawn listened for a few minutes while he drank a small cube of high grade, and waited for Huffer to talk himself out. Finally, after Huffer finished, Brawn offered his advice.
"Don't worry about it," Brawn said casually, and Huffer glared at his flippant response, "Look, I get it. I used to think Perceptor was a wiener too, but as it turns out he's pretty brave once you get to know him. He'll watch your back out there if there's any Decepticons."
"I ain't worried about that," Huffer clarified, "I just don't wanna be alone with him. He talks about things in scientific terms that make him sound like he speaks a different language. What do I do if he asks me a question? Even his questions sound smarter than my answers!"
"Eh, it won't be so bad," Brawn assured him, "Sure, Perceptor likes to talk, but he usually doesn't care if you reply or not. Kind of like Grapple. Perceptor's caught up in his own world most of the time. Just let him monologue for a while and keep busy on that tower. You'll do fine."
"Monologue...Yeesh, it sounds like I'm workin' with a super villain!" Huffer pointed out as he gestured with his half empty energon cube, "Just think of it, the diabolical Dr. Perceptor and his evil boring cannon! Boring cannon sold separately."
"Huffer, we fight Decepticons for a living," Brawn deadpanned, "I didn't think you'd be scared of a talking microscope."
"I'm not scared!" Huffer replied defensively, "I just don't wanna go."
Brawn chuckled as Huffer stewed. They downed the rest of their energon, and then Brawn left for patrol duty while Huffer went to pack up the stuff for his trip to the outer perimeter of their territory. He knew this was going to be a disaster. Perceptor would probably be the supervisor despite not knowing anything about construction work, Huffer would probably get stuck loading and unloading everything because he was a truck, and he was sure the earth's weather would find some way to kick his aft from here to planet Char! He hated this day already…
Tremor sat at her berth polishing her heel struts and going over battle formations in her head when Nova Beam entered. Tremor knew they had obstacle training the next morning so she wanted her trine to be ready. Of course Laugh Riot would probably do something to humiliate her, but some things simply couldn't be avoided.
"Have you performed your daily exercises, Nova Beam?" Tremor asked without looking up at her sister.
"Yes, Tremor," Nova Beam replied, "Listen, I just came in here to drop off a data pad that Commander Thorn Wind left for you. I didn't read it, just like he ordered. Could you tell him that, please? I don't want him to think I read his mail."
"He doesn't know about the time you read his emails, Nova Beam. I assure you," Tremor replied wryly.
"Thanks," Nova Beam sighed in relief.
Tremor took the data pad and scanned over it for a few minutes. She nodded a couple times and hummed a few affirmatives under her vocalizer. Nova Beam knew Tremor probably wouldn't tell her what was on that data pad, but curiosity was eating away at her as she watched Tremor read the blasted thing.
Finally, Tremor said "Nova Beam, clear your schedule for the 42nd."
"Why? What happens on the 42nd?" Nova Beam asked nervously.
"Thorn Wind and I are having our bonding ceremony then," Tremor replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "I will need you and Laugh Riot by my side as our two trines accept the added spark signatures of each other. Make sure you are clean and your jewelry is welded tight-"
"Wait a minute!" Nova Beam shouted suddenly, "Bonded? I didn't even know you and the commander were dating!"
"Of course you didn't,"Tremor replied sternly, "I have a life outside of this trine."
This was a huge shock for Nova Beam. She didn't even know Tremor was interested in mechs! Then again, knowing Tremor, this could just be another play for power. Commander Thorn Wind was influential and being his consort would open up doors for Tremor. Nova Beam didn't know whether to be happy for her sister's bonding or upset that she wasn't told about Thorn Wind before now.
"Something this makes me think about," Nova Beam said slowly, "Huffer told me that on earth when two flesh creatures want to bond that one will give the other jewelry as a sign of their love and commitment. It also signifies that the flesh creature is spoken for."
"Hm. Interesting," Tremor replied thoughtfully, "So...You believe I should give Thorn Wind an engagement present?"
"I don't know," Nova Beam shrugged, "You want to follow the custom of another world?"
"I'm not sure," Tremor replied noncommittally, "Perhaps it would be an endearing gesture. I suppose I could get him that platinum coil wing-lining I saw in the seeker supply shop the other orn. It would certainly look regal on him, and it would tell others that I have claimed him."
"That's the spirit!" Nova Beam said jovially.
Nova Beam and Tremor smiled at one another as they talked about plans for the bonding ceremony. It would certainly be a nice break from the humdrum activities going on around the base, and maybe having someone special in her life would help Tremor to mellow out. Then again, considering how high-strung both Tremor and Thorn Wind were...Yeah, that was unlikely.
Huffer and Perceptor were hard at work getting the electrical tower set up for energon collection for the base. All Huffer wanted to do was get this job over with so he could go back to his quarters and send a message to Nova Beam. They had discussed going on Combichat again and role playing as cyber wolves. He thought it was silly, but Nova Beam was a huge fan of a book that involved cyber wolves. Sometimes he wondered if he was too old for her...A thought he quickly forgot as a block of copper was dropped from the top of the tower and onto his pede!
"Ow! When is this stupid thing gonna be finished?" Huffer groused, "Every time we fix one part somethin' else breaks! We've been here for almost a joor!"
"Chin up, Huffer. We'll be done with the relays soon enough, and then we can move on to the fun part: solar panel cutting and configuration!" Perceptor exclaimed merrily, "Oh, have you finished welding the new beams in place?"
"Yeah, most of them," Huffer replied as he rubbed his sore foot, "Just need to tighten a few rivets on the plating."
The two worked in companionable silence for a while after that. Perceptor wasn't a bad mech in Huffer's opinion; at least when he wasn't yapping about some doohickey he was working on or talking about germs or plants or whatever caught his interest at the time. Huffer hoped he never got that annoying.
Huffer lined up a solar panel for welding when he saw a shadow cross his path from above, and then another, and then a few more. Huffer had a bad feeling about this, so he looked up and sure enough...Decepticons.
"Perceptor! Decepticons approachin'!" Huffer hollered up to Perceptor, who was still hanging from a bungee cord and connecting wires.
Perceptor looked up, and saw 7 Decepticons total. It was Starscream and his trine, the Coneheads, and Megatron.
"My word!" Perceptor exclaimed, and then he scrambled to get down from his precarious position.
Thrust, the red Conehead, began to fire on Perceptor in an effort to knock him down. The shots missed Perceptor, but they hit the solar tower in a few unfinished places.
"You fool!" Megatron yelled at Thrust, "We're trying to steal that thing! Don't damage it!"
"Uh, yes boss. Sorry, boss," Thrust ducked his pointy head in shame after they landed.
"Sniveling dolt," Starscream spat.
"You're one to talk, Screamer," Skywarp whispered to his trine leader, "You'd never grovel like that, would you Mr. Don't-Kill-Me-Megatron-I'm-Your-Loyal-Servant?"
"Shut up, Skywarp!" Starscream snapped at his mouthy (if correct) trinemate.
Megatron, meanwhile, had already approached the two Autobots standing between him and a new power source. He loomed over both of them with both his impressive height and cruel calculating red optics.
"Well, well, well. It looks like Prime is slipping if he only sent two little peons to guard his valuable generator," Megatron said in a condescending tone, "Step aside and I may let you live to tell of your cowardice."
"Go ahead and take it," Huffer said pessimistically, "It's no use. Fighting you and your forces is hopeless. I give up."
"Huffer, are you mad?" Perceptor asked incredulously, "We cannot allow Megatron to get ahold of this solar tower!"
"Why not?" Huffer asked defeatedly, "He's just gonna take it anyway. We might as well save our skid plates."
"A very wise decision, Autobot," Megatron sneered smugly at the minibot.
Perceptor couldn't believe his optics as the Decepticons walked right past them and started working on removing the generator. Huffer had surrendered! Why was he acting this way?
Then Perceptor noticed it, the gleam in Huffer's optic, that look that said the Decepticons had just taken the bait of a very obvious trap. Huffer quietly pulled a gun from his subspace while the Decepticons weren't looking, and Perceptor did the same. They aimed, Perceptor aiming at Starscream and Huffer Aiming at Ramjet, and they fired!
The two seekers went down like a sack of potatoes, and Megatron ordered the others to attack the Autobots! Huffer charged in front while Perceptor comm'ed Optimus Prime and asked for back-up (and quickly)!
Huffer shot down Thrust, but Dirge Skywarp and Thundercracker flew away before he could even aim for them! Dirge flew over Huffer and activated his fear engines, causing Huffer to feel slightly more anxiety than usual, but not enough to stop him. He aimed his pistol at Dirge and hit the seeker's right wing! Dirge went down, and Huffer took aim at Thundercracker. Before he could even hit Thundercracker however, Skywarp teleported behind Huffer and grabbed him!
Perceptor, meanwhile, was backed into a corner by Megatron and staring down the warlord's fusion cannon! Perceptor fired a few rounds into Megatron's chassis, but the grey armor was just too thick. Megatron fired on Perceptor, penetrating the armor and exposing his spark! He aimed for the spark chamber, but before he could fire there was the sound of engines coming over the horizon. The Autobots were coming, and Optimus Prime was leading the charge!
Megatron forgot Perceptor to grapple with his real foe. The Prime was a much better prize than some sniveling scientist any day.
Perceptor was barely conscious, and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Huffer's truck hood being brutally ripped off by Skywarp while Thundercracker pulled off the minibot's arms. He knew if he and Huffer made it through this they would be very lucky…
