Author: Gatekat and Karl Wolfemann
Pairing: Brainstorm/Stormshock/Cloudraker
Rating: R for mech/femme/mech
Codes: Crossover, Het, First Time
Summary:
Disclaimer: The authors are only playing with their own twisted muses. Transformers belong to Hasbro. SWAT Kats to Hanna-Barbara. Fandom-side, check the inspirations page ( gatekat-fics .livejournal .com/290 .html ) We draw from a ton of amazing stories and authors you should read.
Notes: klik = 1 minute, breem = 8.3 minutes; joor = 1.2 hours; orn = day/32 joor; metacycle = 6 (5.9285) years; vorn = 83 years/14 metacycle
text Cybertronian
~text~ bond/hardline talk
::text:: comm/radio chatter
Allsparked Aristal 21
Brainstorm was actually focused for once in his life, watching Stormshock practicing against Dogfight's hardlight stand-ins for the Rainmakers. It was clear that she still preferred her jet mode, but she was starting to grasp more and more combat uses for her mech body and transformation. Watching her evolve tactically was fascinating, almost as much as the very idea of how quickly she'd developed from a spontaneous sparking to the point she was at now in less than a metacycle.
Watching her grace in the air was fascinating on an entirely different level. She was sparked for the air and it showed. Less than a metacycle old and she was as good in her jet mode as most battle-experienced Actions were after a hundred vorns. Though she was still a hatchling compared to her opponents and the mech controlling the hardlights, her sheer audacity and decisiveness in combat, her absolute fearlessness, made his spark cry out to court her and complete his trine. He and Cloudraker had been without an Action for so long they'd gotten used to it, but now ... he wanted her at his side so badly it hurt.
That she wasn't technically a Seeker didn't matter. She was one in all the ways that mattered; he was just glad that Cloudraker had agreed with him on that front. He started thinking about how he should go about this, but stopped himself before he got too far. He couldn't let himself over think this. He had a reason to talk to her, he had an idea of how to start... that would have to do for now. After all, as Fastlane had teased him when he'd talked to Cloudraker, she wasn't a science project.
More than a little intriguing as one, but he'd have time to come to that later.
::Mind a little company in the air up there?:: He asked her over the comm, using her native language.
::Not at all,:: she responded cheerfully, her good mood at the aerial sparing all but oozing over the comm.
::I'll be up shortly,:: he promised her, keying his access code to the sparring chamber to open the door, walking in and leaping into the air as he transformed into his Cybertronian jet form, flying up to join her. His purple and silver frame, long and slender, looked almost more like a stunt jet than a fighter, except for the quartet of blast-cannons he sported, two at his nose and one under each wing.
::Pretty, but can you take a hit?:: she asked as she darted around Stormfront and twisted to open fire on Acid Storm.
::When I have to,:: he told her, quickly analyzing the fight. ::Dampen your visual sensors,:: he warned her, before opening fire with his photon cannons, unleashing a staccato, strobing blast of light that let him get up into the fray.
::Sweet!:: Stormshock reacted as she came around to open fire on Solar Storm when the yellow Seeker was momentarily dazed. ::What else can you do?::
::Well, I can make those explosive instead, but maintenance tends to get whiny when I do,:: he chuckled, taking a few low-yield shots at the hardlight Seeker, the two of them knocking him out of the air. ::How about you? Figure out any new tricks?::
::My favorite,:: she trilled as energy crackled around her frame, a force shield that held close to her frame, and sliced Acid Storm's wing clean off with her own. The field disengaged as soon as she was clear to save energy.
::You're going to make Ratchet fry what's left of his circuits,:: Brainstorm snickered. ::Want to try something new? How well does that thing deflect visible-light weaponry?::
::Very well so far,:: she said eagerly, picking up that he had an idea even if she wasn't entirely sure of what yet. ::What's the plan?::
::I'm thinking that you might be able to vector a shot off into a target that doesn't see it coming,:: he explained briefly. ::Up for a low-yield test?::
::Sure,:: she agreed eagerly.
They both heard Dogfight's resigned groan over the open comm.
::Very low yield for the initial test,:: Brainstorm clarified even as he extended a ping with Stormshock so they could synchronize their systems to coordinate the attack. Something that would become reflexive and much easier if she became trine. ::Ratchet's going to be irritable enough over this as it is. Let me know when you're ready,:: he told her.
::Decepticon backup incoming,:: Dogfight warned them. ::Elite and Conehead trines.::
::Ready,:: Stormshock powered up her shield.
It was in that moment that Brainstorm realized what else the shield did: it made her light up his sensor grid. It made her nearly invulnerable for a short time, but it would draw the attention of every Cybertronian in range as well.
He took the shot, calculating the necessary angle to hit Stormfront while minimizing any damage he might do to her if the shield didn't work as anticipated. He didn't have to worry; his shot caromed off the field and into its intended target, knocking him out of the air.
::Drop the shield, fast,:: he warned her. ::The energy output lights you up like a small star, you'll want to watch that.::
::Understood,:: she responded and dropped the shield and they turned to face the incoming trines. ::It's insanely power-hungry too.::
She wiggled her tail playfully and slid under him to come even on his far side. It was a social invitation that at her stage of physical development usually meant an invitation to her berth, an acceptance of him near her and friendly. He forcefully reminded himself that she had not been raised Seeker and was spark-achingly young despite her physical maturity. There was a very good chance that she didn't grasp what the maneuver meant to him. She likely only knew it as anything because of protocols downloaded from Seekers and Seeker-kin ... how much of that she'd integrated was very much up for debate.
He wasn't even sure if she had interfacing protocols installed yet.
Now that was a conversation he wasn't really looking forward to opening up. He hadn't had to worry about it before, and he honestly didn't have a clue how to bring it up without being amazingly forward.
Still, the best way to talk to her would require getting her out of the training sim and out to fly around without distractions. That, he was pretty sure he could do.
::How hard would it be to talk you into going out for a little space-flight practice after this round?:: He asked her cheerfully.
::However hard it will be to get Ratchet to clear me,:: she replied gleefully as she pushed her engines and darted forward to challenge Ramjet at his own game. ::Love to go.::
::I'll probably have clearance before we're through,:: Brainstorm grinned. Normally, he'd be wincing already, but he was curious just how she'd handle this. He knew how Stargrazer would have, but he hadn't had the force shield that Stormstrike did.
Stargazer also never had the youthful sense of invulnerability to back it up at quite the level Stormshock did. Everything in him screamed at him to have her stop, to not crash nose-first into a mech designed to ram things, but he held himself back.
She had a force shield after all, and she wasn't shy about using it. Not only did she take Ramjet on, she literally shattered him as her engines powered her shielded frame completely through his chassis.
::One Conehead down,:: he cheered her on, firing on Thrust. What she would do with Dirge, at least if they kept his special engines in the simulation, would be a real test. Even as he fired on Thrust, he paid close attention to the blue Conehead, ready to intervene if necessary. If she panicked, as so many did against his sub-sonic vibrations, it could be a real disaster on multiple fronts. She could go through multiple decks, maybe the entire ship, before calming down or reaching open space.
Thrust was keeping him busy, but not too busy to watch Stormshock and keep a sharp optic on her readings. It wasn't as effective as a trine-bond, but his sensors would tell him if she panicked at least.
Thrust gunned his engines in an attempt to intimidate Brainstorm, but he didn't let it get the better of him. Instead, he angled himself and fired what the computers would call a full-yield blast from his photon cannons at the distraction, just as Dirge swept over Stormshock, firing on her even as he tried to let his engines do their work, setting up the unsettling vibrations through her frame.
Her spark rate jumped, systems went into overdrive, but she didn't waver in swinging around and firing on Dirge. ::You think that'll work on somebody who'd died before?:: she snarled at him, fear morphing into rage.
The hardlight Dirge tried to swerve out of the way, but caught a barrage of heat-seekers that took him out of the fight. Brainstorm issued a ping to the system to put the next round on hold, and flew up closer to Stormshock.
::You okay?:: He asked her gently.
::Fine ... he's irritating,:: she growled, her systems calming more slowly than most, but they were calming.
::It's what he's good at. I've seen battle-hardened mechs panic after dealing with those engines of his long enough. I still want to try and get a proper sample, see if I can devise a countermeasure, but it's tricky to do. So, get out of here, get some flight time in?::
::Go ahead,:: Dogfight said. ::I've got plenty to base your combat ratings on for now.::
::Then let's go,:: Stormshock did a delighted spiral around him in flight.
::We need to land long enough to get to the airlock,:: he teased lightly, leading her on down and transforming near the ground.
"You're really good," he told her honestly. "One of the best I've seen in a long time, especially for your age."
"Thanks," she grinned, setting down in mech form with relative grace, though it was still clear to Brainstorm that it wasn't her native form. As graceful as she was managing with all her extra bits, it wasn't the grace of a normal Seeker. "That is what I was built for, sparked into. My very first shakedown flight, even before I had an AI installed, turned into combat."
"I read about it in your file," he nodded slightly. "Do you remember it, or were you told the details later?"
"Jake and Chance like to joke about it," she smiled, the look a bit odd given she had a kat-like muzzle. "I don't really remember anything before the AI stage, though a few events I have the data for I can extrapolate what happened."
"I wasn't sure how much you could recall," he said easily. "Any particular stories you feel like sharing?" He asked her as they walked to the airlock. "Oh, and do you mind if my wingleader Cloudraker joins us? He'll probably be out flying around already."
"Don't mind at all. I need formation practice. A lot of it," she grimaced. "From the moment Jake conceived of me, I've been a solo flier. Usually up against multiple opponents. This part of an army business it just not normal."
"Wasn't normal for most of us," he pointed out as they reached the air lock. "Us Seekers had it a bit easier, since we're used to flying in trines. We'll be glad to help you get used to it, though," he added, pinging her to open a private comm line for the three of them to share in space.
::I'd like that,:: she smiled, shivering at the utterly alien sensation of the atmosphere being sucked away from her, into the ship, before the airlock opened for them. ::Why do you fly in trines?::
::Started out as a standard grouping, but these days it's deeper than that,:: he explained, floating out into space before transforming into his Cybertronian jet form. ::A trine supports itself, holds itself together. Each member of it fills needs of the other two.::
A red and gray jet that looked more like the designs Stormshock was used to approached them.
::Stormshock, this is Cloudraker,:: Brainstorm introduced her.
::Pleasure to meet you,:: Cloudraker said, his voice deep and relaxed.
::Hi,:: she waggled her wings in greeting. ::You've been planetside?::
::Ah, no,:: he said, just a little nervously. ::I'm not really built to manage escape velocity on my own, so getting back out would be tricky for me,:: he explained.
::Cloudraker's alt developed along the line of a model of low-altitude jets, rather than a space-faring one,:: Brainstorm explained. ::I keep telling him it's because he was sparked to keep his trine well-grounded,:: he teased lightly.
Stormshock was quiet for a long moment, then tipped her wings to slide around Cloudraker's alt in a slow, careful spiral, her scanners wide open.
::Why not upgrade your engines?:: she finally asked. ::Your frame can take it, same as my old one.::
::Wasn't really a problem on Cybertron, then we were spaceside... it comes up seldom enough that I don't usually worry about it. Right now, Ratchet's got his hands full enough without having to worry about upgrading me,:: Cloudraker explained.
::He could spare the time. If he couldn't, Wheeljack or Perceptor could handle it easily. I could even handle the upgrades, if you wanted to keep it in the family,:: Brainstorm added, silently pinging Stormshock for a more private comm line.
::Don't push him too hard on it, but thanks for bringing it up. We've had this conversation a lot, but he doesn't like it.::
::Oh,:: she accepted dropping the subject. ::Like Chance and swimming before he got turned into a frog. Pride, denial. I understand.::
::Right,:: Brainstorm agreed.
::Maybe when we don't have to worry about getting called into action while they're being worked on,:: Cloudraker said, ignorant of the side conversation. ::Besides, for now, we've still got the other options if I do need to go planetside and then get back into orbit. So, interested in a spin around the moon?:: He asked, looking to change the topic.
::Absolutely!:: Stormshock grinned and gunned her engines. ::It'll be fun to take that spin without the guys making a mess in my cockpit.::
::Do we want to know?:: Cloudraker asked Brainstorm as he turned to take the least position in the formation.
::Probably not,:: Brainstorm chuckled. ::Though I'm guessing from fooling around, from what Wheeljack and the others indicate.::
::Yap,:: Stormshock giggled. ::They're a couple horny kats. Doesn't matter that they've been together over a decade.::
::Mind taking my right wing?:: Cloudraker asked her.
::Sure thing,:: she trilled and slid over, settling into formation.
She kept a bit more distance than Brainstorm did from him, and it didn't take long for the Seekers to realize it had nothing to do with social conventions. It only took a momentary wavering of her focus for her to slide out of place. If she'd been much closer, she'd have collided with Cloudraker.
::If you link your telemetry feed into ours, it might be a bit easier to keep track of your position,:: Brainstorm suggested. ::Give you a little more warning before somebody changes where they're going.::
::Okay,:: she agreed easily, though her effort to create the link was clumsy at best. She had the protocols, but they didn't come naturally to her as they would a true Seeker.
::She might not be Seeker enough,:: Cloudraker said on a private line to Brainstorm.
::My spark seems to think she is,:: he replied.
::Are you sure that's not lust?:: Cloudraker suggested. ::She's a looker, a remarkable fighter and it's been a long time since there was any chance of a new Action.::
::She's young, Cloud,:: Brainstorm pointed out. ::And she wasn't given all the Seeker protocols to start out with, Ratchet and Wheeljack wouldn't have thought along those lines. Give her a chance. She was sparked as a solo flyer, but she's already used to working in her own type of trine. It just happens to involve two organics inside her instead of two Seekers covering her tail.::
::She's an Action, I'll give you that,:: Cloudraker admitted. ::It would be nice to have a real trine. She'll join one eventually, I'm sure. Too many are missing an Action for her to be left alone, even if she isn't a real Seeker.::
::And with some time and patience, I think the difference will start disappearing,:: Brainstorm told him patiently. ::I'm sick of thinking myself into processor lock, Cloudraker. She actually wants to fit in with us, too,:: he pointed out. ::Major point in her favor.::
::True,:: he agreed only a little reluctantly, adjusting his flight systems to account for her inexperience. ::It's odd to think that she's barely a metacycle old. It just doesn't seem right. She flies, fights, so well for an Aerial that age.::
::You know, if you wanted to talk about me, you didn't need to invite me to listen to the silent buzz of encrypted traffic,:: Stormshock commented.
::Sorry,:: Brainstorm dipped his wings apologetically. ::It's been a long time since we've had anybody else on our frequency, unless you count Fastlane.::
::Oh, he counts, and he knows it,:: Cloudraker grumbled.
::He's Cloud's younger brother, built off the same code despite having a grounder body. Half the time I think he's trying to get airborne despite it,:: Brainstorm teased lightly.
::How'd that happen?:: she asked, openly curious. ::How does he fit into your trine?::
::It was an experiment, really early in the war,:: Brainstorm explained. ::Most Seekers had gone over to the 'Cons, and it was before the push to build Aerials and the Aerialbots. Given how fast Autobot trines were losing their Actions, somebody had the idea to try cloning Seeker coding in Grounder bodies, so standard Autobots could help fill in Seeker trines. Cloudraker and Fastlane were more successful than most, but it just doesn't work without somebody who can join the wing. It's why even most Aerials don't work out, they're just not... right, for it.::
::As for how he fits in the trine, it's as the unofficial fourth position, 'pain in the aft,':: Cloudraker grumbled. ::Some orns I think he tries to get into trouble.::
::That's because he does, Cloud, and you always get him out of it,:: Brainstorm chuckled good-naturedly.
::Like a good older brother,:: Stormshock snickered, waggling her wings playfully. ::He'll never grow up if you don't make him.::
::I'm working on it,:: Cloudraker sighed. ::I do my best, he just never listens.::
Stormshock was quiet for a moment.
::He won't,:: she said quietly. ::You have to stop bailing him out of trouble. Make him face the consequences. That is, if you really want him to stop relying on your protection.::
::I'll try it a few times. At least when he's not on the front lines. He's a good scout and messenger, but that means that he's up in the line of fire a lot.::
::Not as much here,:: Brainstorm offered. ::We'll be the ones working from a defensive position for once. We've got options here, if things work out.::
Stormshock chuckled darkly, the first real showing of how her nature as a pure warrior could go wrong very quickly. ::Believe me, even if things don't work out, we'll make them work out. We don't lose.::
::We'll find a way,:: Brainstorm agreed. ::Honestly, this is our best chance in the last several worlds. We've got the Winglord here, and he doesn't have Megatron to pull his aft out of the fire. If we can capture him or take him down, it changes everything.::
::Starscream,:: she rumbled, databanks supplying information that she quickly integrated into her working memory. ::Yes ... but he'll be as easy to take as Dark Kat.::
::Never said it'd be easy,:: Brainstorm pointed out. ::He's the Winglord for a reason, and that nullifier of his makes taking him down especially hard. Cloudraker almost managed it once, but Skywarp and Thundercracker kept us busy until he could get out of the gravity well he created.::
::My main weapons are a pair of gravity-rifles,:: Cloudraker explained. ::I can cut it out completely, or increase it enough to ground just about anything. Unfortunately, I can't maintain it forever without having some nasty effects on the surroundings.::
::Very cool,:: Stormshock nearly purred. ::Does it work out here?::
::It does, but I'd have to crank the power up to do too much this far from anything,:: Cloudraker explained. ::Closer to a planetary surface, or if we were closer to the moon, the combination of gravitational pulls usually cause a crash. This far out, the main effect it would have is to pull us closer. Which can be useful sometimes,:: he admitted. ::Harder to outrun somebody when you're pulling them into orbit around you.::
::But it's much harder for them to escape that way,:: she commented thoughtfully. ::What about centering it on a mech inside an asteroid belt?::
::Very effective, and we've used it before,:: Brainstorm confirmed. ::Actually used that trick to get away from the Nemesis once. Didn't do enough damage to destroy it, unfortunately, but it slowed them down for repairs for a good long time. It's also handy for making it so a target can't dodge so well. Rockets and bullets get pulled right in. Doesn't work at a high enough level to pull energy weapons in though.::
::If the Elite trine can be lured somewhere like an asteroid belt you could smash them?:: she suggested. ::Or at least the two that can't teleport.::
::Actually, it might even affect Skywarp's teleportation matrix,:: Brainstorm said, starting to think it over. ::If we increased his relative mass sufficiently, it could throw off his computer's ability to calculate the proper dilation factor and trigger the safeties that he has to have built in, in order to avoid teleporting into something or missing his target location. At the very least, if my calculations are right, it would slow down how quickly he could -:: Brainstorm was cut off with a static squawk as he broke formation, veering off sharply. He rejoined the wing as quickly as he could, but it was a few nanokliks before he spoke again.
::Sorry about that,:: he said sheepishly. ::Starting to overheat a bit running the numbers. I'll wait until we're back at the ship before I go any further down that line, I think.::
::Jake is really good with cooling systems,:: she offered.
::I might take him up on that offer, after Wheeljack and I have a chance to look over a few designs,:: he admitted. ::I'm getting really sick of that happening. Remember what I was telling you about trines, and how each member of it supports the other two?::
::Yes,:: she tipped her nose fractionally in a nod. ::That you only have two is part of the problem?::
::Yeah. Each part of the trine helps to moderate the other two from going too far. Vision, the left wing, keeps the long-game in mind, thinks things through, works on tactical planning and arrangements. Action, the right wing, is the 'doing' part of the trine, the part that keeps Vision grounded in the present and keeps the short-term goals in mind. Order, the wing's lead, covers a bit of both. Short-term, combat tactics, a lot of the politics and such that require a firm hand on both the long game and short-term consequences, that sort of thing.::
::And keeping Vision and Action from ripping out each other's optics,:: Cloudraker teased. ::The two wings tend to get impatient with each other from time to time, for obvious reasons. We haven't had an Action for vorns, and it doesn't help our little quirks at all.::
She processed that for a while as they swung around to the dark side of the moon.
::How do you find a new trine member?::
::Find somebody who fits the missing role, who we both like and who likes us enough to join the wing,:: Cloudraker explained.
::There's some talk about 'spark harmonics' with the old-timers, but I haven't heard that raised as an issue since before we left Cybertron,:: Brainstorm added. ::I have a feeling that it's more something that used to be used as code for 'I don't really like you, but I don't want to say it that way because we have to work together.'::
::Gotcha,:: she chuckled, playfully dipping into the lighter gravity well of the moon, a mass that even Cloudraker could escape from. ::Sounds like the psych profiles that Enforcers use with pilot/gunner teams. Of course, they have a few months to get it right ... are trines permanent?::
::For all intents and purposes,:: Brainstorm told her. ::Not all trines are spark bonded, but it's close to it. Usually a new member will be an unofficial part of the trine for a vorn or two before any permanent decisions, just to make sure it'll work out. A poorly fitting member of a trine can be worse than not having the third point at all.::
::I don't doubt it,:: she groaned and shuddered. ::Felina and Uly are not a good team in the cockpit. Drove me crazy and I only had to deal with them for one battle.::
::How'd that happen?:: Brainstorm asked her.
::One of Past Master's plots. He and the Metallikats took over after killing us, but they betrayed him, so he dragged us to the future to fix things. The Ferals ended up in my cockpit. The issue was that Uly's a pilot and Felina a gunner, but he ranks her. It was six kinds of ugly, even if they did the job as a distraction. I didn't actually need them along to do that.::
::So why were they along? Jake didn't want to let on that you could fly yourself yet?:: Cloudraker asked.
::I guess,:: she said uncertainly. ::Or maybe he was being nice to them. Or something was going on I don't know about.::
::I'd put my energon on wanting to keep them as safe as he could,:: Brainstorm suggested. ::Inside you, he knew you'd take care of them. If they'd tried to go through on their own, without you, which their profiles suggest they would have tried to do, it would probably have ended with their deaths, and a future that not only had been freed from the Metallikats, but had nobody else to protect it against other Omegas reappearing.::
::But that future never happened,:: she objected. ::Never would happen. We didn't die.::
::All of that works out to the question of divergent time streams and alternate universes,:: Brainstorm pointed out. ::We don't know enough about time travel to be sure of how it works out. It's happened a few times, but very rarely. Somebody like your Past Master is completely outside of our experience, thankfully.::
::Not for long,:: she assured him. ::The little troll is a total pain in the aft that can't be killed. I've tried.::
::Sounds like you hate him almost as much as Dark Kat,:: Cloudraker observed. ::Anything in particular?::
::Besides an absolute fixation on all times pre-technology and being undead, nah, not really,:: her tone was half joking, half frustrated fury. ::Dark Kat I can respect on a level. He's good in the same way Jake is. That troll is nothing of the sort,:: her wings quivered at the memories, terrifying stretches of being trapped in times where she couldn't be repaired, couldn't even fuel if they stayed too long. Places with no chatter, no one to talk to, nothing to fight.
::Cybertron never really had a time like that, at least not that any of our records acknowledge,:: Brainstorm admitted. ::Everything's been at least mostly mechanical for our entire history. Probably drive him as crazy as he drives you.::
::I want to dump him there then,:: she said with a vindictive glee. ::After all the trips he's sent me on, it's only be fair to send him on a couple.::
::Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't stick,:: Brainstorm pointed out. ::From your records, it sounds as though you've stranded him in time without the watch that enables his magic before?::
::Yes, and shredded his book, but he can only move through time,:: she purred. ::Not space.::
::It could be disastrous if Cybertron learned about Aristal even a few vorn earlier, let alone a longer period of time,:: Cloudraker countered. ::Plus the damage he could do siding with the Decepticons in our past is ... incalculateble.::
A wordless grumble acknowledged the truth, or at least accepted it as the truth.
::I'm sure we'll find some other way to deal with him,:: Brainstorm reassured her. ::After we've sorted things out with the 'Cons, we'll have some time to work on how to control him permanently.::
::Stasis,:: she suggested, even if she had no clue how to pull it off. ::Can't cause trouble in stasis.::
::True enough. Just need to find a way to get him in it. You've been out around the moon a few times, haven't you?:: Brainstorm asked her.
::Yap,:: she happily took the new subject. ::First to test the Speed of Heat upgrades, then just for fun.::
::Ever land and take a look around at it up-close? Be a chance to get some time in your alt without Cloudraker needing a lift to get back to the Ark.::
::No and sure,:: she agreed easily and angled down, forgetting she was part of a unit for the moment. ::I can give you a pull out of any gravity well you need,:: she offered. ::Actually, have you tried to use that grav-gun to help you get off planet?::
::Shooting myself with it is a little tricky,:: Cloudraker pointed out, both of them shifting their flight wordlessly to get back into formation. ::But yeah, I've tried a few different ways. It's hard to pull off.::
::Well you can always ask me for a tow into space,:: she offered as she transformed to land on the powdery surface. ::I have more than enough power for it.::
::Thanks for the offer,:: he replied gratefully, landing next to her, Brainstorm landing a few moments later.
::Mind if I ask a question about the programs you've picked up since your rebuild?:: Brainstorm asked her. ::I'm curious just how much of the Seeker behaviors you've picked up are something you downloaded, or things you've noticed.::
::Some I came on line with, most I think were loaded with the rebuild, a few I picked up by watching,:: she said thoughtfully. ::I'm starting to figure out a lot of the Seeker stuff is actually tagged Aerial by mistake.::
::A lot of the Aerials have to fit in with Seeker trines,:: Cloudraker explained. ::Any Aerial with wings generally picks up a good share of Seeker protocols as a matter of course, just in case they find a good fit. Powerglide's a good example. If he could find a trine he fit in with, he'd be an incredible Action. He's just too much of a showflyer at this point.::
::I expect there was a lot of crossover between combat-inclined Seekers and combat-inclined Aerials even before the war,:: she added with a flick of her wings that amounted to a thoughtful shrug. ::Convergent evolution and all that. Same reason I had a fair number in common even before Ratchet rebuilt me.::
::Oh yeah, there was,:: Brainstorm agreed. ::So did you realize that you were flirting back in the sim room?:: He asked her directly.
The pause was clue enough that it hadn't been intentional.
::Sort of,:: she answered. ::I wasn't thinking about it, but I take after Chance too.::
The Seekers looked at each other.
::We're not quite sure what that means,:: Cloudraker admitted after a few moments to confer with Brainstorm across their bond. ::Afraid we haven't met him.::
::Ah, he'll flirt with anything that isn't trying to kill him, and a few who are,:: she chuckled. ::Kat has a very strong libido. I have whatever the mech equivalent is.::
::Wings,:: Cloudraker and Brainstorm said in unison.
::Prowl's an exception to the rule, or at least pretends to be,:: Cloudraker chuckled.
::Except with Jazz,:: she snickered, fluttering her wings and tail in amusement. ::But then, Jazz is the exception to everything, I think.::
::Just about,:: Brainstorm chuckled. ::Except the wings and libido issue, of course. Interested in figuring out how everything works?::
::Sure,:: she trilled over the comm as she stepped closer. Her tail and ears twitching in excitement right along with her wings.
::Certainly not nervous about it,:: Cloudraker smiled, the two mechs both approaching her.
::Why should I be?:: she asked curiously, already reaching out to touch and explore Brainstorm's chest plates. ::It's about pleasure.::
::You want to take the lead and explore, or let us show you the ropes?:: Brainstorm asked her, reaching to trace his fingers lightly along one of her wings.
Her turbines cycled as he wings pressed into the touch. Her hands moved up, sliding over his shoulders to return the strokes to wide, sensitive wing planes.
::Good start,:: he groaned, sliding his hands around to run along her sides and up to her chest plate, easily taking a more passive role as Cloudraker started stroking her wings from behind.
::You let us know how fast you want to go,:: the red and gray mech told her, touching her gently to start with. ::That first overload can be a bit overwhelming.::
::Mmm, if it's anything like a kat's orgasm, I don't doubt it,:: she purred, her engines cycling up as her arousal grew. Even as she tried to press her wings into the touches of both mechs, relishing the warmth on either side of her so reminiscent of being in her hanger with the still warm air, she closed her fingers around the upper edge of Brainstorm's wings and slid along their full length.
Without really thinking about it she leaned in to press her muzzle against Brainstorm's lip plates and slid her glossa along them, seeking admittance as she'd seen her kats do so often.
His lips parted, his own glossa coming out to meet hers; kissing was something they had too, obviously, and he wasn't half bad at it, though he needed to adjust a little to her short muzzle and guide her inexperienced efforts. He brought a hand up to stroke the back of her helm, then ran a finger along one of her ears. It twitched, seemingly uncertain of the contact.
Then she shuddered and her primary engine roared with a rush of pleasure.
When Cloudraker's claws ran lightly along the flats of her wings, sending little spikes of pleasure through her sensor nodes there, she broke the kiss in her efforts to press into everything and offer her throat to Brainstorm. Her hands faltered briefly before moving off his wings. One curled around his waist and rubbed along his backstrut while the other reached behind her to find Cloudraker's hip and the multiple seams in his armor there.
::Good start,:: Brainstorm rumbled, his own engines heating up as he ran his glossa along the sensitive cables at her throat. He slid his claws gently between the plates at her side, playing them lightly along the surfaces there. ::Anything in particular you want to try?::
::Everything,:: she moaned, her wings beginning to twitch uncontrollably as the charge built. Her EM field reached out, wanting to share her pleasure with those giving it.
The two mechs responded easily, their own fields brushing against hers, each running light pulses along her sensitive surfaces. Brainstorm pressed his mouth to hers in another kiss.
::Don't fight it,:: he told her. ::Let it come, and trust us to take care of you.::
Almost on a whim, Cloudraker reached down with one hand to rub the base of her tail, curious just how she would react to it as he leaned up between her wings to lick the back of her neck, ready for her upcoming overload.
Her cry was vocal, even though the sound was stolen by airless space and she trembled. Her tail flicked up, curling around Cloudraker's chassis to hold him there even more than her clutching hand. The open comm line between the three filled with static and bursts of sound as she lost her fight to experience more before her frame stiffened, every system overloading from the free energy charging through her.
The two mechs felt her charge through their own bodies, grounding out into the lunar surface through them. As her systems started to cycle back on, she could feel how aroused both of them still were, but they were waiting for her to come back online.
She nuzzled Brainstorm and hugged Cloudraker with her tail.
::How would you like to get off?:: she offered as much as asked.
::We can introduce you to how the parts under here work,:: Brainstorm smirked, reaching down to tap the plate over her spike and valve. ::Though you've probably got a pretty decent idea already.::
A deep rumble and both covers sliding open matched the grin and kiss, as well as her hands finding their covers.
::I like the way you think,:: she nuzzled Brainstorm.
::It does tend to grow on you,:: Cloudraker agreed with a low rumble of his own as his own covers retracted.