Prowl onlined with a small sigh after a good night's rest and let his gaze drift sleepily – though an officer and a workaholic to a fault, he did enjoy the luxury of these brief moments of relaxation. The place was quiet, something that didn't really surprise the tactician in the least. And, if his suspicions were correct… He looked in the direction of Bluestreak's berth, only to see it empty. In fact, Prowl was quite positive that Bluestreak hadn't recharged at all. It was a big day, after all. Today, after a whole month of confusion, embarrassment and frustration, Bluestreak was going to get his old face back. Jazz had already reported that they were well on their way back to Earth, and they would arrive right about noon.
Prowl, of course, knew that that meant a lot of work waiting for him, but he didn't mind. He was quite cheerful, and his step was particularly light as he got out of the berth, grabbed the datapad that was on his nightstand and walked out, heading to his office. Though Prowl gave the impression that he was too focused on the datapad he was currently reading, he managed to find his way around the Ark without bumping into anything or anyone. It was a trait that was useful at moments like these.
Hmm… It looked like things within the Ark were particularly quiet these past few days. Though that was a welcome change, for sure, it also had the tactician rather concerned. He knew for a fact that several days of inertia would make several Autobots bored. Or rather, just one. So why hadn't Sideswipe pulled any of his infamous pranks yet?
Although, come to think of it, both Twins were quite subdued lately. According to the report, Sunstreaker didn't get involved in any fights with his fellow Autobots either. Perhaps he ought to talk with Smokescreen to see what's wrong with the yellow Lamborghini, just to find out if this particular mood was going to affect his battle performance. With that last thought, Prowl walked into his office and sat down, immersing himself in his work.
"Hey, Prowl," Smokescreen's voice sounded via the radio transmitter. "It's almost time."
Prowl blinked, and checked the time reading on the computer screen; it was almost noon. That was one thing he would never be able to do; keep track of time whilst working. He got up and went to the control room, where Smokescreen was already there on duty.
"Any news so far, Smokescreen?" was the first thing he asked as he walked in.
"Morning to you too, Prowl," Smokescreen said with a shake of his head. "And no, nothing as of yet. So relax."
"I am relaxed," Prowl said, frowning.
"No… this is relaxed," the blue Datsun said, pointing at himself. Indeed, the former gambler was sitting with his legs crossed and an arm resting on the back of the chair. "You look as if you're waiting for your beloved from overseas."
Prowl raised an optic ridge. "I want them to arrive safely. That's only natural, I believe."
"That, and you can't wait till Perceptor arrives so he can work on that derma plating," Smokescreen pointed out with a knowing smile.
Prowl stayed silent, refusing to answer that, no matter how true the statement was.
"It's a shame really," Smokescreen said. "It was nice having a femme around the base, if only for a short while."
"I think Bluestreak would disagree with you," Prowl said. "I had to relieve the young one from any duties till the operation is complete."
Smokescreen laughed. "She's getting hyper, isn't she?"
"That would be an understatement, to be honest," Prowl answered.
"Heh, now this I've got to see," the blue Datsun said. "Where is she?"
"Logically, I'd have to say in the common room," Prowl replied.
"Of course you would," Smokescreen said with a tease and he pressed a couple of buttons to switch from the main monitor to a view of the common room. Both Datsuns saw Bluestreak sitting on the couch, giving the impression that he was watching something on TV. However, it was obvious that Bluestreak's mind was anywhere but on the show. She kept drumming her fingers on the arms of the couch, while her crossed legs twitched in an impatient manner.
Smokescreen couldn't help but laugh. "If she's like that now, I daren't think how she'll be when she hears--"
The former gambler didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, for it was in that very moment that the sound of Omega Supreme's engines reverberated throughout the entire base. Smokescreen and Prowl exchanged a glance, aware what that meant, and the tactician proceeded to activate his communication frequencies. That is, until he looked back at the monitor and saw that Bluestreak was already gone.
"You'd better catch up with her," Smokescreen pointed out, amused.
Prowl nodded his understanding. After subspacing the datapad, he exited the control room and hurried to the entrance of the Ark. Jazz would be in quite a shock if they suddenly saw Bluestreak's appearance, so he had to be there to explain matters – fast.
Too late. Bluestreak was already running towards Jazz and Perceptor as they came out of Omega Supreme.
"PERCEPTOR!"
Prowl winced inwardly at the happy – and high-pitched – scream. In the next moment, his protégé clung to the scientist like some sort of mecha-leech in an embrace that humans described as a 'glomp'.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"
Perceptor, much to his credit, managed to hold Bluestreak securely, staring at her with wide open optics. "Um… actually… I do believe I've got the gist of it."
"Wow, Bluestreak, I know we're Transformers, but that's takin' it one step beyond," Jazz commented, blinking at the sight of the young gunner before he faced the approaching Prowl. "So… what did we miss?"
"It's a long story," Prowl answered with a weary sigh. "I'll tell you all about it on our way to the medbay."
"Yes, it sounds like the best option," Perceptor said. "Which means you can let go of me now, Bluestreak."
"Oh, right, sorry," Bluestreak said, and she planted her feet on the ground with a sheepish chuckle. "Just promise me you won't leave again for the next few vorns, okay?"
Perceptor scratched his helm. "I'll try…"
"It can be done."
Those were the magic words Bluestreak had wanted to hear all along, and it was a miracle how she hadn't kissed Perceptor right there, in the medbay. Ratchet, however, had placed a hand on her shoulder in order to calm her down.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Bluestreak," the medic had said, although a small smile had been on his features. "It won't be ready today, so you're going to have to endure being a femme a little while longer. Do you understand?"
Bluestreak understood perfectly and, frankly, she didn't mind at all. After all, if she had managed so far, she could manage one more day.
Even so, Bluestreak had been restless. So restless that Ratchet had to tell her to get out of the medbay so that he and Perceptor could work in peace, in fact. And, unfortunately, Prowl couldn't stay with her either, since he had to hear Jazz's report concerning Titan. That was why she was now wandering around the Ark, having absolutely nothing to do to pass the time.
She could go out and have a stroll, admittedly, but she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to drive in her overexcited state. She didn't want to cause any accidents if she could help it. Walking was out of the question, too; it was simply too boring. It was a lovely day outside…
Well, wandering around the Ark never hurt anyone, she finally decided, and she transformed to her vehicle mode.
The sun set, and the first stars appeared in the sky as two Lamborghinis were on their way to the Ark after a long patrol. The red one was talking exuberantly and driving without much care in the world. The other one, however, hardly said a word and barely kept up with his brother – he wasn't in the mood for speed today.
"I really don't know what Optimus has against stink bombs! Okay, fine, I used one inside the control room but one, it was an accident, two, we now know it works, and three, it was ages ago!" Sideswipe said. "It's not that we can't use them against the Decepticons. You know what I mean?"
Sunstreaker hummed his affirmation.
"Can you imagine it?" Sideswipe continued. "Starscream would start screeching, 'Get this stench off me!' and Megatron would go: 'This is your fault, Starscream!' Soundwave would probably be stuck bathing Ravage for weeks!"
"Sounds nice," Sunstreaker said absentmindedly.
Sideswipe directed his sensors to Sunstreaker. "Right. And then a ship filled with female Klingons would come to Earth to find the creatures with that enticing aroma they picked up in their detectors in order to ravish them. Of course, there's the whole size difference to be considered, but love conquers all, they say."
"Yeah, they do," Sunstreaker replied.
"Yeah. Primus, Sunstreaker, someone scratched your paint with their keys!"
Sunstreaker halted at once, his sensors frantically trying to locate the scratches. "Where?!"
"Finally," Sideswipe said with a long suffering sigh, braking as well. "What's with you? You barely heard a word I said!"
Sunstreaker huffed indignantly. "Well, excuse me for not giving you my undivided attention. I have other stuff to think about."
"Should I ask what kind of stuff that is or is it that obvious?" the red Lamborghini asked, his knowing smile audible in his current mode.
If Sunstreaker ever meant to answer that question, he never had the chance. The sound of an incoming transmission filled the air, almost startling the Twins.
"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, is there a reason that you stopped less than half a mile outside the Ark?" Red Alert asked from the other side of the communication link.
Sideswipe was the first to answer. "I dropped a quarter. Can you find it for me?"
"A simple 'No' would have sufficed," Red Alert said. "And I'd appreciate it if you stopped fooling around; you were expected back in the Ark five Earth minutes ago."
"Yes, Master," Sideswipe replied, sounding like the Igor character he had seen on TV.
Red Alert was hardly impressed. "While you are it, bring Bluestreak with you. The detectors say that she's quite near you."
"So tell her to return, like you told us," Sunstreaker said.
"I tried; she's not answering. I should also add that Prowl is getting worried," the security chief said. "And so am I."
"So why don't either of you…?" Sunstreaker started.
"Because I assured Prowl that you two would bring her on your way here," Red Alert interrupted impatiently. "Now get to it!"
"Actually…" Sideswipe said in that moment, a strange tone in his voice, "I'm sure Sunstreaker will be more than happy to fetch her on his own."
"What?!" Sunstreaker exclaimed, dumbfounded.
"Sorry, Bro, I have a thing that can't wait," Sideswipe declared innocently, and he drove off on top speed.
"Sideswipe, don't you dare…!"
"You can thank me later!" the red Lamborghini called back, and he drove out of sight.
"Yeah," Sunstreaker muttered, "After I kill you first."
Truth be told, however, he wanted to check on Bluestreak. It wasn't like the gunner to ignore calls in the radio-transmitter, and the yellow Lamborghini hoped she hadn't gotten herself kidnapped again. Transforming and holding his gun in one hand – one couldn't be too careful – he headed to the direction Red Alert had indicated. It was getting quite dark now, and there were rocks just about everywhere in the particular terrain, so he walked quite slowly. He had to save his paint from grief.
"Hey, Bluestreak! You here?" he called.
Bluestreak didn't answer, but it was hardly necessary anyway. Sunstreaker caught sight of her, resting her back against a small rocky formation and curled to herself in obvious slumber. Groaning under his breath, he stretched his hand to shake her awake.
He did nothing of the sort, just like he didn't all those nights before, when he had found her sleeping on the couch in the common room. He remained still instead, taking in her serene features, and he considered for a moment the possibility of picking her up in his arms again and carrying her back to her dorm. He finally decided against it, though. He had gotten away with it once; doing it twice would be playing with fire.
"Bluestreak? Wake up."
She sighed. "Five more minutes," she mumbled.
Sunstreaker shook his head. "No can do, Bluestreak. We have to go back to the Ark."
Bluestreak's optics shuttered open, shining momentarily as they came online. "Sunstreaker…?"
Sunstreaker smirked. "That would be me."
As the words finally clicked, her optics widened tenfold and she stared at the yellow Lamborghini. "Sunstreaker?!" She sat up at once, her head almost impacting with the rocky surface behind her. "What are you doing here?"
"I was on my way to the Ark after four hours of patrolling," Sunstreaker replied. "What's your excuse?"
"I was just having a stroll," she said in a defensive tone.
"It didn't look that way from where I was standing," the yellow Lamborghini commented with a smirk.
Bluestreak huffed indignantly. "Fine, you made your point. I didn't recharge all that well last night."
Sunstreaker understood. "Too wired, huh?"
She nodded.
"So when is the big day?" Sunstreaker asked. He hadn't even realised that he was now sitting next to Bluestreak in a relaxed manner.
"Tomorrow," she replied.
"Heh… you've got every reason to be excited then," he said.
"Yeah. Although…" She stopped midway and shook her head. "Never mind."
Now that had Sunstreaker quite puzzled. "What?"
"Nothing. It's stupid," she insisted.
"So? Has that stopped you before?" he said, only to realise at the next moment just how bad that had sounded. "I didn't mean it that way."
"You'd better," she warned him.
"It's just that…" Sunstreaker hesitated. He really wanted to somehow salvage the situation, but he didn't want to sound too pathetic either. "You're one of the few that I've considered a friend, Bluestreak. A real friend. And, well, I kinda feel like I made a mess out of things after your… uh… change. I want you to feel like you can trust me again, because, frankly, I miss your company."
"Really?" Bluestreak sounded quite surprised.
"Really."
She smiled. "Good, because I missed yours."
It was the best thing Sunstreaker had heard in a whole month and it put a smile on his face. "How about we make up for lost time then? Will you tell me what's bothering you?"
Bluestreak bowed her head. "Well, I… I'm scared. Okay?"
"Of what?" Sunstreaker asked.
"That something might go wrong," she said. "I can't help it; I was looking forward to this for so long that now I just…" She sighed.
Sunstreaker understood. "You think it's too good to be true."
She nodded. "Silly, right?"
"Yeah, a bit."
"Thank you, I feel so much better now," Bluestreak muttered.
"You should," Sunstreaker said. "Both Ratchet and Perceptor will be working on this. Do you think they'll let something go horribly wrong just like that?"
"No," she admitted.
"And even if it does, do you doubt they'll fix it?"
"I guess not."
"There you go," Sunstreaker said, and he placed a reassuring hand on Bluestreak's shoulder. "It will be fine."
Surprisingly, she let out a small snort of laughter.
"What?"
"You realise that that's my line, right?" Bluestreak said, looking at him with a teasing look in her optics.
Sunstreaker smiled, because it was true. Every time either he or Sideswipe got hurt, Bluestreak was always there with a word of comfort and a gesture of encouragement.
"Just returning the favour," he said warmly. "And it doesn't make my words any less true."
"No. No, it doesn't," she replied and she nudged him playfully. "Thanks."
Sunstreaker's smile widened. "Ready for tomorrow then?"
"Definitely," she declared. "And I can't say I'll miss being a femme."
"Maybe not you, but I can think of a few who will," Sunstreaker noted. Fireflight comes to mind… he thought darkly.
"What about you?"
Blast it, he had walked right into that one, hadn't he? His wince must have been quite evident, too, for Bluestreak's optics widened.
"Oh, Primus, you will, too."
Sunstreaker knew now that there was no point in denying the truth. He nodded.
Bluestreak lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," the yellow Lamborghini said in a soft tone. He looked at Bluestreak from the corner of his optics, deciding to change his tactics before saying something that he wouldn't be able to take back. He grinned. "Seeing you in that outfit was treat enough."
"Hey!" she cried, pretending to be affronted as she slapped Sunstreaker on the shoulder. "Mark my words; if you ever become a femme, I'm dressing you as a human maid. Lacy apron and everything!"
"Good choice. Black is my colour."
It was a cheeky answer that meant to make Bluestreak laugh. Instead, Sunstreaker was stunned to see the femme's eyes widening, a blush colouring her cheeks.
"That's an interesting image…" she mumbled.
"Bluestreak?" Sunstreaker reached for her, touching her face in mild concern. "You okay?"
She practically flinched under his touch. "I'm fine." She shook her head and practically sprang back on her feet. "We should go."
"Yeah…" Sunstreaker said slowly, watching her moving in a stiff manner. Yes, it was amazing how Bluestreak had this uncanny ability to switch from relaxed to nervous in a matter of seconds, but that wasn't what puzzled the frontliner at the moment. The real question was… Whywas she nervous all of a sudden?
"Coming?" Bluestreak called, snapping Sunstreaker out of his reverie. She had already started her engine, and she looked more than just eager to leave.
Sunstreaker nodded. As soon as he transformed, Bluestreak gunned her engines on full throttle and both Autobots headed to the Ark. He followed close behind in welcome silence, for one thought after another filled his mind and each answer seemed to take him one step further to an important realisation.
They reached the entrance of the base (too soon, Sunstreaker deemed), and they both changed back into their robot modes. Bluestreak, however, barely looked at the yellow mech as she marched onwards, with just a brief "Goodnight" flowing out of her lip components.
Yet Sunstreaker saw the apprehension in her optics, and again the same relentless question plagued him. He opened his mouth, wanting to know, to understand; because he didn't dare hope.
"Bluestreak."
"Yeah?"
She turned around at once, almost instinctively. Heavy silence surrounded them as Sunstreaker found himself trying to find the right words and hating himself for not just saying what was in his mind. It was a just question, and he didn't want to admit that he was just too scared to ask it.
But, blast it… he was.
"See you around," he whispered.
Her door panels lowered, her tension finally ebbing. "See you, Sunstreaker."
And with that she was gone, down the corridor and out of sight.
You idiot… That was what Sideswipe would say for certain as soon as he found out about this. A part of Sunstreaker also agreed, but the yellow Lamborghini knew deep down that there is always a right time for everything and that wasn't it. Not by far. Tomorrow, Bluestreak would become a mech once more, and things would get back to the way they were. The way they should be. Just as Sunstreaker preferred.
After all, his creator always said that he never did things the easy way.
To Be Concluded…
