Theme #32: Night

o o o

Ironhide stared out over the cracked desert, his cannons at casual readiness by his side. Another attack by the Decepticons wasn't expected, not after the mess that was Mission City, but if there was a second cell of 'Cons in America, now would be the time they struck, when two of the Autobots were out of commission and the rest were various degrees of having the utter slag beaten out of them.

They had been allocated a little-used corner of the Nellis Air base, away from the main lights and where their presence wouldn't send the more jumpy members of the human militia into screaming fits. Their various human allies were in the same area, despite having been offered better lodging elsewhere, a fact which Ironhide found fitting. The humans had fought for Autobot ideals, had joined a battle that wasn't theirs, and as far as the weapons specialist was concerned, the only thing that was keeping them from actually being Autobots was a lack of their insignia.

Like the one crossing the tarmac towards him now. Jazz's research had told them to expect the female half of the human race to be weaker, more prone to hysterics than heroics. The girl had flipped that notion right over, to be sure. She'd had a chance, a perfect excuse to get out and away, and instead she dove right back in, Bumblebee -literally- in tow, and they had probably save the lives of the human Captain's group from Brawl. A warrior worth calling an ally.

She didn't look much like a warrior just then. Her arms were crossed, her hands fisted into the material of the Air Force sweatshirt she'd been given, and she was looking around nervously as she walked, like she was... scared? Ironhide squinted at her - human facial expressions were so strange - yes, that could definitely be fear writ on her face. Maybe. She looked straight at him, without acknowledging him or even changing her expression, twice. How odd. The humans were usually almost overeager to react to the presence of the Autobots. "Is something wrong, Mikaela Banes?" he asked.

She jumped, spinning towards him with one hand over her chest and her face contorted into a grimace. "Jesus!" she exclaimed, her eyes tracking up to focus on his face. "Don't scare me like that!"

Optimus would have apologized immediately. Ironhide wasn't Optimus. He frowned down at the human. "How could I have startled you?" he asked. "You knew I was here - you looked at me twice."

"But I didn't see you," she pointed out, walking closer. "You're standing over there in the shadows, and black kind of blends in."

Ironhide looked down at himself, frown deepening. He was in a shadowed area, true, but only because the building he was beside offered him some degree of cover if a Seeker decided to do a fly-by. Anyone should have been able to see him perfectly, unless - "Human eyes are not that sensitive, are they?"

"Guess not," Mikaela said, making another face, one that passed a little too quickly for Ironhide to be able to identify properly. "You guys probably have night vision and infrared and all that too, huh?"

"Something like that," Ironhide conceded. "So, how are you able to see me now?"

She tapped her temple. "Your eyes glow. If I had looked up earlier, I would've seen them."

Okay, so she was a little unobservant for a warrior. But according to Bumblebee, she'd also been a civilian up until two days ago. He could forgive her a slip here and there, as long as she didn't get herself or anyone else killed. Besides, she could be trained. "Is that why you looked so fearful before? Because you cannot see in the dark?"

He could peg that expression - embarrassment. "It's hard, sometimes," she admitted. "Even when I know that there's nothing in the shadows that can hurt me, I still get creeped out."

The internet on this planet was a useful thing. Scotophobia, fear of the dark. Ironhide snorted briefly. "The dark is an immaterial thing," he pointed out. "How can one be afraid of it?"

"It's not the dark," she insisted, shaking her head. "It's what's in the dark, hiding."

Say again? "But you said yourself," he argued. "You know nothing's there."

"There's a difference," she said wryly. "Between knowing and believing."

He made a half-committal grunt, dropping the conversation. Primus, she was confusing. Were all humans this scatter-brained? She chuckled, as if she knew what was going through his head, and kept walking, not looking nearly as scared now. Maybe because she knew what was in the shadows, now, and he didn't scare her as much as her imagination could. Shaking his head, Ironhide went back to his watch.