It had taken Inferno to pick up his mate and hold him in the air with much difficulty, to keep Red Alert from breaking through the operation room doors.
He was just as panicked as he of course, but red alert's processors were currently so scrambled by panic and the desire to protect that he couldn't realize that he would only get in the way of the medics and prevent their creation from being treated.
Lyric watched with morbid fascination as Inferno made every effort to keep the panicked security chief from doing so, they had arrived a short while after Ratchet had taken one of the creations into surgery, and she could only guess that it was theirs.
She wondered as she watched them, if Prowl and Jazz would have had the same reactions...no probably not, though she was pretty sure they would have reactions all of their own.
Prowl bristled, watching as well with disapproval etched into his features.
"They are going to wake the others up if they proceed with this racket."
Jazz watched as well with pity, he knew all too well how Red Alert felt, how scary it was.
"Better go play damage control before it gets ugly Prowler." he suggested.
Prowl hummed thoughtfully, considering, before turning back to his creation, still sitting on Jazz's berth, her hands still in his grip, though her attention was fully on the scene.
"Lyric" he called for her attention, satisfied with how immediately he received it. "I realize this is terrible timing, and that what we have just told you is hardly making things any easier for you. But I have a significant favor I must ask of you."
Jazz's optic ridges arched in curiosity, listening in.
"I require your help with introducing the new creations." He explained in a collected manner, expecting his creation to blow up on him in anger. "No one appropriate is available to take care of them, as I am sure that Ironhide has already made his escapade. However, you are qualified with the type of knowledge needed to deal with them in this precise situation."
"What?" Lyric's tone was deathly, as if she could not take in his words very well. Was he really dumping her someone else's duty? Just like that? What was she? A back up baby sitter?!
"It is only temporary" Prowl tried to explain, his doorwings stilling even more than usual as he prepared himself "Until things calm down a little and their assigned guardians are able to step up and take them."
"Who the heck are their guardians? I'll be giving them a piece of my mind for this." Inwardly, Prowl felt relieved that she had accepted it, even if she had not outright said it.
"Ironhide is the eldest's Sire, and Ratchet and Wheeljack are as you can see, busy, they are the creators of the youngest" He said motioning for the operation room.
"I am still going to give them a piece of my mind" she seethed, armor puffing angrily.
"I appreciate it, it will not be for long." he promised "If you manage to calm them down by the time I return, I promise you that I will find a way for you to spend some time outside before we are to leave earth."
Her visor brightened a little bit at that, and he knew he had gained her dedication as well now. Really all she needed was some incentive.
"To top it off, ya get ta talk to some other girls fer once, girls like yerself" Jazz input, jabbing her softly with one of his clawed digits . "An' who knows, ya might be surprised" he said with a wide grin.
"I have the feeling there's more to what you just said than you're letting on " she said, giving him a narrowed lighted look.
Jazz's grin only grew wider, if that was possible, giving him a terribly accurate impression of a chessire cat. "Ah'm special ops, ah'm meant ta know things ah dun' let on."
"Hmn..." she eyed him thoughtfully, before looking away towards where the Autobots had left the two creations, far away from Jazz's berth. She then turned back to Prowl with a glare "And you better have that leg treated by the time this is done" she growled before getting up from her seat and stomping off, leaving the two to watch her.
"Ya sure that was the right move?"Jazz asked, glancing at his mate for a second, doubt etched in his features.
"The probability is low, but I am hoping that finding some friends will at least ease her loss a little." Prowl said calmly.
"An' the outing ya jus' promised her?"
"The surrounding area of the Ark should be safe enough, so long as we keep a low profile. Perhaps even the city if she learns to use her alt form and holoform."
"Ah'm assumin' that means we're gonna stay hidden in'ere fer a while... whats our status?"
Prowl let out a small sound, frustration, the kind he made when he didn't like the best odds that they had.
"We are low on supplies and energy, we will require to use a space bridge if we are to hope in reaching a populated sector to re-stock. To top it off we do not have the required materials to fix the Ark's engines, which implies we will have to steal some from this world."
"They had it comin'..." Jazz pointed out "They're gonna get themselves way worse with Megs aroun'"
"That is assuming he will not follow us once we launch out of orbit." Prowl countered. "I highly doubt he would stay in this organic planet while Prime lives. In the end his ultimate goal is Cybertron."
Jazz hummed in thought for a while, tapping his claw to his chin, an old habit.
"Ah'm assumin' yer gonna need mah division ta get said supplies."
"Of course. Discretion is a priority, your division is the most appropriate for such a mission after all.
We will be ground bridging to various different places to avoid suspicion."
"Ya can count on mah mechs fer that"
Lyric stormed away from her creators, feeling slightly angry at what she had to do, but not for very long, the news that she would lose earth was still at the back of her mind, gnawing at any form of anger she had and replacing it with a hollowness she couldn't explain.
There were so many things she had wanted to do here, to see, to experience.
Now, with the form she had, that wasn't possible, but at least Prowl gave her this one chance to go outside for the last time, where ever they were, it was something at least.
As neared the berth the two human girls had been deposited in, she saw them shift, starting to sit up. Yes Red Alert's shouting had managed to wake them all right.
Then Lyric's spark stopped abruptly, optics glued to one of the girls as she looked around, let out a squeak and backed away, pulling the smaller girl with her.
Lyric stopped, staring back at the girls, taking in the eldest's appearance, her spark feeling like it was suddenly overflowing with a confusing set of emotions, happiness, confusion, worry, relief.
"Lacey" She whispered, feeling the energon starting to slide down her cheeks.
"STAY AWAY! WHAT EVER YOU ARE DON'T COME NEAR!" the girl all but screamed at her, hissing.
Lyric flinched at the other's tone, before raising her hands in a peaceful gesture.
"No! No, its all right Lacey, I'm not going to harm you."
"LIKE HECK YOU'RE NOT!STAY AWAY!"
"Lacey" Lyric tried again, staying as calm as she could manage, voice soothing. She noted how the youngest was trembling in the other's arms, utterly in shock." Its ok. I'm not going to approach you see?" She motioned for the spot she was at "But I need you to listen, and to pay really good attention to me all right?"
The two girls stared at her, one with suspicion and the other with horror.
"Ok. Here we go: I know this sounds crazy, especially coming from me, but I am not who you think I am." she motioned for her own body." this is... relatively new." she looked at Lacey straight in the eyes. "Its me Lacey, its Jessica. I know, I know, its absurd, how can I be Jessica right? Well if you calm down a little, I will gladly explain it to you, but I need you to stop screaming. I promise you on my soul I will do everything in my power to keep you two safe, from everything and everyone here."
Lacey snarled, glaring at Lyric in a way the other was not used to seeing in her friend.
"You could just be making that up, hacked into my computer or something."
"I hardly know how to hack Lacey...but fine, lets see, I'll tell you things only Jessica would know..." she mused for a few seconds. "Ah, I know, you used to really want to have your own chickens, and you got a few chicks once, you made me name one of them, which I called Flapper. What else? Hmm...well I know you like to draw sprites of magical creatures like griffons and dragons, because you're addicted to birds and feathers. I also know you easily get depressed and it usually takes a lot from me to moralize you back to your good self." Lacey was staring at her with eyes wide as saucers, so Lyric continued with the things she knew from a long time of online chatting and typing with each other.
"Is that enough?" she asked after a while, tilting her head a little, smiling down at her friend.
"W-wha...how?" Lacey asked, disturbed.
"Its a long story...but it IS me Lacey." she sighed, nearing their berth and sitting at the edge. "Its funny actually... we always wanted to meet each other, and I always wanted to hug you...but now..." she looked at her own hands with disgust "I can't...or I might squish you...you're so tiny" she giggled a little, trying not to sound as sad as she felt.
"W-what happened to you?" Lacey asked, concern now etching in her voice.
"Same thing that's happening to you I'm guessing." she sighed "we're not human Lace...I know its farfetched" she quickly added when she saw the two girl's reactions. "But its what happened to me. These guys" she motioned for the rest of the room "are an alien specie called the Cybertronians. They're kind of...sentient robots I guess. Its complicated, but they're in this deep war right now..."
Lyric continued to tell her story, stopping every once in a while to make sure they were following, telling as much as she could, and again, leaving the Decepticon kidnapping incident out for now. She was not ready to talk about that, not yet.
"So...We're Cybertronians...inside fake bodies? How the heck does that even WORK?" Lacey asked, feeling a headache coming.
"It makes no sense, the science for it should be impossible" The other girl spoke up for the first time.
"Well look around" Lyric said motioning for the mechs again "they should be impossible, but we're surrounded by them."
"So, you have PARENTS here?" Lacey cut in, watching her friend carefully.
"Yeah...something like that I guess...its still awkward. They're already more like my parents than what my old ones were...the ones I thought were my parents before I mean" she said drawing little circles with her digit on the berth.
"That is...strange, what are they like?"
"Weird" Was Lyric's first thought "not your usual type of folk. They're very protective of me though,and caring I guess." she shrugged, she tried not to think too much about it because of all the confusing emotions. "One of them is over there" she said motioning with her head towards Jazz, Prowl having left long ago. The Head of Special Ops grinned at them, giving them a wave. "He can probably hear everything we're saying, he's got really good hearing. Just as a heads up" she warned, watching as Lacey and the other girl numbly waved back.
"So...that's your dad?"
"Uhhh...they're both kind of...male..ish." Lyric said, trying to think of a way to say it "well, from what they told me, that's incorrect-"
"your parents are gay?" The younger girl interrupted "How did they have you then!? It makes no sense!"
"I was getting to that..." Lyric said, noting the girl's absolute need to explain everything scientifically. "from what I was told, they don't exactly have a gender, they are asexual." she paused, letting it sink in "What we call a girl, or a femme as they call it, is one who has a spark -a soul- able to reproduce more than the others, although technically they all seem to be able to do it, it just takes a great deal of effort."
"So you're..."
"Yeah, its troublesome." Lyric said with a scowl, crossing her arms. "And you guys are too, in time you'll have to get your own bodies like I have."
"What if we don't want to?" Lacey inquired.
"You'll have to. They aren't going to keep replacing all that's needed for those bodies, and besides its very dangerous to stay like that, you can't really defend yourselves."
"What about the parents? Do we have any too?" The young girl asked.
"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch your name "Lyric asked, looking down at her.
"Oh...um...its Lee...just Lee please."
Lyric stared at her hard for a long moment, making the girl squirm.
"Lee...huh..." she glanced at Lacey after that, a curious look twinkling her optics.
"Tell me Lee, did you happen to have an account online? Like an art site or something?"
"Huh? Yeah, yeah I did, why?"
"What was your username?"
"Um... Dj...why?"
"Holy..." Lacey was now staring at the young girl too.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lacey asked.
Realization seemed to dawn on Lyric, and she looked back towards Jazz sharply, who was still grinning at her.
"You sleazy little weasel..."
"What? Whats wrong with my account?" Dj asked confused.
"This is kind of scary... but um... Dj... We've spoken before." She tried to lay it down for the youngest gently.
"What? No we don't I don't know any Jessica."
"That's because you don't know her as Jessica..." Lacey said, taking in their discovery with slow shock. "Holy heck... was this set up for us?"
"I think it was..." Lyric said thoughtfully "We already had Gabriella here...and there's still another creation in the operation room...it all adds up..." Lyric mused out loud.
"Whose Gabriella?" Lee asked confused even further.
"Who is she indeed..." Lyric agreed "I'm guessing she is either user named Windy or Shioji."
"Woah...that's creepy" Lacey agreed.
"Yeah..."
"Wait I know those two! They're friends of mine." Lee said, starting to catch on.
"We all are DJ. I am LB, Lacey is Kage." Lyric finally revealed to the young one, watching as the realization dawned in those young eyes.
"They had to set it up... there's no way the only five hidden creations would have met online by accident."
"Why would they do that? If their purpose was to hide us though?" DJ asked, looking at the other two with new sight.
"Hmn... I don't know, but I know how to find out." she said turning to them, extending her hands out. They looked at them wearily "Trust me..."
Hesitantly, Lacey moved in first, sitting down on the palm, then she was quickly followed by DJ.
Lyric carefully lifted them up, making sure they wouldn't fall off, she looked around in search for Gabriella, and was glad to spot her sitting on a berth side table, datapad still in her hands.
Slowly she walked over to her.
"Is that...?"
"Gabriella yes, she's not taking to things very well, so try not to provoke her. I'm fairly certain now that she's Windy" from what she knew of the girl anyway, they had only met recently, but had become quick friends, and she knew the girl enough to be aware that she would not deal with things well on her own.
She stepped up to the table, satisfied that the other recognized her presence.
"Gabriella, I need to bring you with us, its important."
"Whats this about? I was told to wait here" the young girl asked suspicious, watching the other two girls with a mixture of hope and weariness.
Lacey waved at her, giving her a bright smile.
"Hai Windy"
The girl balked, freezing in her seat.
"Nice Lace...real smooth" Lyric said dryly. "I'll explain everything Windy, just get on my hand." she said, referring to her friend in a more familiar manner, it felt good to call her by that name instead of her human name.
Looking thoroughly awkward, the girl got to her feet, and carefully moved to Join DJ in her hand.
Lyric made sure all of them were safe, keeping her hands against her torso protectively to give them some support while she walked.
"H-how do you know?" Windy asked, still shocked as Lyric made her way to Jazz.
"Well I'm Kage, this is DJ, and that's LB" Lacey said cheerfully, motioning for the other two when mentioning their user names.
"What...?"
"Its a weird story, I didn't know" Lyric said, her gaze sharpening on Jazz as they approached "I am hoping my creator can explain things..."
"Ah'd be more than glad ta" Jazz answered her as they were now near enough to hear him. Lyric huffed, setting down the three girls on the berthside table, and staying on her feet, with her arms crossed and glaring at Jazz.
"Explain then."
Jazz's grin didn't falter, he was expecting this, he was ready for it.
"Well, where ta start? As ya jus' foun' out Ah'm sure, yalls know each other online, an' had the time ta become friends over some time." He said, not faltering at the dirty looks they sent him. "This was a planned event that took some time ta work, seein' as not all of ya got into the same things at the same times. A lil' bit o' hackin', a lil' bit o' influencin' and we managed ta get ya girls ta meet an' become friends or acquaintances."
"Why?" Lyric asked frostily, her form rigid.
"Cause, if we were ever ta have ta leave ya behind, an' anythin' happened that made ya realize what ya were, which ya would have eventually, ya would at least have each others" Jazz said with a simple shrug "t'was a safety measure, ta ensure ya always had someone like ya aroun'."
"That makes some sense...if you all died, there would be no one for us to go to" DJ said with a nod.
Lyrics features softened a little.
"So is the other girl Shioji?"
"Yep" Jazz said cheerfully, glad that she didn't seem as angry as before.
"That's messed up..." Windy spoke, scratching the side of her head.
"Very messed up" Lyric agreed with a huff, finally sitting down on the edge of the berth, close enough but not too close, she didn't want Jazz grabbing at her again and embarrassing her.
"The worlds messed up" Jazz said cheekily.
"So you're Jessica's..." Lacey tempted, trying to take in what kind of character Jazz was.
"Carrier, yes, name's Jazz." He said, extending a clawed finger for them to shake, which they did albeit wearily.
"Whats a carrier?" DJ asked curiously.
"A carrier? Well, its the one that carries their creation's spark until its developed enough ta get its own body" Jazz said.
"So...its the woman?" Lacey conclude, snorting at the face Jazz made.
"No man, that's totally not it."
"He does act very womanly" Lyric said with a snicker, completely ignoring Jazz's pout. "mother hen tendencies, carrying..."
"That does NOT make meh a woman" Jazz said, slightly offended.
"Whatever you say ...mommy" Lyric teased, jumping back off the berth to avoid being whacked on the head.
"No respect these days" Jazz said with a huff, unable to follow her or reach her.
"What comes around goes around" was all Lyric told him, staying clear of his reach.
Thanks for reading you guys! Now, I have a lot of paths I can continue with, but I'm gonna let you guys influence the story a little bit, so tell me what you want to see, what you want to know, who do you want to see (autobots or ocs whichever you like).