Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Time to round up all the femmes and return to Diego Garcia where the fun continues. And another twist with Prowl you probably never saw coming. Please review and let me know what you think. I do not own Transformers, only Pyxis. Onward to who did what?
TF TF TF TF TF TF TF TF TF TRANSFORMERS
INDIAN AIR FIELD
US LEASED HANGAR
"Nice paint job there Commander. Hit a flock of seagulls? Or rather, they hit you!" Hound teased. The city commander refused to acknowledge the remark, rolling in and turning as he could in the narrow hangar. His double decker car hauler shape the largest and widest alt mode present. The white and yellow paint ball splotches too vivid against Ultra Magnus' blue and red armor paint under the florescent lights. The lone sports car on his top most ramp transformed, more collapsing down to the floor than stepping down.
"Where's Ratchet?" Moonracer's vocal seemed slow and heavy even to her. Her optics shuttered at the bright lights and unfamiliar space.
"NEST. Do you need medical attention?" Will answered first, his hand reaching for his radio. On foreign soil, his options were limited but sending a team back early in Silverbolt for medical necessity, even if he could not say who needed attention, remained universal.
"My tanks are churning," she complained, bracing one armored arm against her curved center plating.
"High grade will do that," Optimus reminded softly, nodding for Will to stand down and relax.
"No, his driving. Slaggin trailer swayed side to side," she mumbled, stumbling towards the wall. Ironhide's black armored arm reached up, pulling her closer to where he sat. Metal on metal scraped as her body slid down his side plating to rest against him. The warrior mech smirked, Chromia draped on his left recharging as Moonracer flopped on his right, her head resting on his war cannon.
"I'm a soldier not transport," Magnus muttered, too tall to transform in the low hangar. He rolled forward, stopping as the growling sound began. "You know those are stone?" he asked, his headlights turning to the side.
"Eggs Grimlock's," the Dinobot snarled, his long metal tail curled around the open wooden crate, pulling it against his footpad. Among yellow straw padding, the three stone eggs rested inside. Grimlock lay on his front, his toothy muzzle closest, the red optics reflecting in the shiny bumper mere inches away.
"Magnus please don't provoke him. There isn't room in here for a fight and the ride back will have even less," Optimus stated, his optics never moving from Elita's recharging form. Her systems hummed unevenly but loud enough to be reassuring as the femme rested on her side.
"Who's still missing?"
"Bumblebee, Jazz, Arcee and Firestar. Jazz reported contact with the femmes and they should be checking in shortly," Optimus answered, his fingers wrapping gently around Elita's outstretched hand.
:: Remember the last time Arcee got overcharged?:: Magnus sent to Optimus alone, rolling the short distance to pull up in front of the Prime.
:: She follows her parental mech, even if Arcee has no idea it is you:: Optimus answered, his regal presence unchanged sitting on the floor with his back on the wall and his feet pads out.
:: Keeping our relationship hidden is for her protection and high grade doesn't affect me that way::Magnus retorted.
:: Doesn't affect? Says the bot rescued from the ship's hull. Staring up at the stars and whining about none falling so he could make a wish for a femme: Optimus countered.
:: It was my first space mission as a recruit. And I remembered the safety harness. Better than you dancing on the table missing armor:: Magnus tone carrying the unseen smirk.
:: You cannot dance even with high grade:: Optimus chuckled, the others looking their direction unable to hear the conversation.
INDIA MAINLAND
VINDHYA MOUNTAIN RANGE
:: I can reach my vibro knife. Have us free in an astro second:: Bumblebee sent. His armored hand shifted lower, the stun charge wearing off his systems. The chains binding his chassis to the tree and Jazz on the other side rattled, the noise lost as the femmes continued their war whoops. Hiding near the base of the mountains, their triumphant cries disappearing into the open air and surrounding forest.
:: Nah. They are overcharged and harmless. I let them stun and capture us. Or me, since you were still offline from the landing:: Jazz replied, teasing. His battle visor hid his dim optics as he tilted his helm sideways to get a better look at Flareup's dancing chassis. Her red and orange armor jingled as she shook and arched. Then the femme straightened, waving her arms in the air before six throwing blades appeared in her hands.
"Tree and mech, will I am? No, Will wishing well?" She giggled, waving the metal blades in the air.
"William Tell? Archer who could hit an apple?" Jazz suggested, his battle systems activating, realizing he was the mech tied to the tree in front of her. :: Bee! Get that tool ready. Bee? Bug bot, you listening?:: He twisted around, his neck cables stretching to see the young scout's helm firmly pressed against Arcee's chest plates as she hugged him and the tree.
:: Do I have too? First time in orns I have been this close without her trying to flatten me into the pavement:: Bumblebee softly answered, his attention obviously not on the conversation.
:: Your spark flaring? You're not overheating are you?:: Jazz asked, too distracted by the flinging blades to activate his thermal sensors. Two blades hit on either side of his body, missing him by a cable's breath. The near miss worried him but Bumblebee was a youngling almost of age and a femme's touch could trigger side effects they didn't have time for, blades or not.
:: Nope, it is settling. I miss being carried and hearing Ironhide or Optimus tell me a story. Their sparks are strong and made me feel safe. Feels good cuddling:: Bumblebee admitted, relaxing against Arcee. The femme crooned, a comforting noise of their kind as her hand soothed across Bee's helm vents. Jazz felt himself slipping into her musical comfort before he realized it, the effect broken when Flareup's next knife scraped across his shoulder plating.
::Bee, I'm sure Optimus would gladly hold you. Then throw you in the lagoon for making us all late. Mush out later warrior! We got orders!:: Jazz yell snapping across their comm frequency like a drill sergeant and his rank as third in command of the Autobot forces.
:: Yes sir! Uhm, can you tell them that?:: He asked.
:: If you quit humming like a happy sparkling, they might hear me. You are not helping. And Flareup's aim is getting worse:: Jazz retorted.
Five minutes later both cars revved their engines full out, two more powerful engines behind them. ::And how am I going to explain my missing right audio cover? Ratchet will dent my helm for sure!:: Jazz cried.
::Tell the truth. Damaged beyond repair while attempting to complete our mission?:: Bumblebee suggested, his forward scanner array monitoring for humans, animals and earth vehicles on the winding road.
::More a crazy overcharged femme that can't aim worth a cyber speck!:: Jazz sent, more embarrassed than angry over the femme's minor but noticeable injury to him in his bi pedal mode.
::Bad idea. Ironhide and Chromia will work with her then make you stand still while she proves her aim is better. Might lose your optics:: Bumblebee teased, the trees flashing by at their high speeds.
::Point. Ease off going into the curve, the road grade ain't right:: The sports care advised, his tires sliding on the edge before gaining traction as he raced. Close behind, Bumblebee's heavier Camaro alt mode slid over the white fog line completely, revving back but not really slowing. The two femmes following behind not even trying to stay in the lines as they chased.
DIEGO GARCIA
AUTOBOT PERSONAL QUARTERS
FOUR HOURS LATER
::Yes Ratchet, I understand. Elita will be in med bay shortly. I am dealing with her now:: Optimus sent before closing the comm line, glad the other femmes unloading off the plane had kept the medic busy. Busy enough for him to roll his trailer out and down the ramp with Elita tucked safely inside. Now he had his hands full guiding her into their private quarters before any humans saw her.
"Optimus, my mushy smexi mech," Elita slurred, giggling. Her rose-colored form wavered side-to-side going down the hallway. Another step and she collided with her stopped spark mate. "Hey! No brake lights!"
"This is our room silly spark. Never could handle high grade could you femme?" he chuckled, reaching out to help balance her. His bi pedal mode towered over her even as his arms reached around and past her smaller waist.
Slapping at his offered hand, she stood full height, barely reaching under his chin plate. "I held it fine for Chromia to pour into. Both times."
"Most mini bots can handle three and you get overcharged on two cubes," he gently placed his hands on both her shoulder plates, guiding her through the outer doorway ahead of him.
Suddenly mischievous, Elita braced, engaging full battle protocols. Optimus had no warning before she spun on her feet pads, optics narrowing in on the far wall over his shoulder. An astro second of distraction on his part to see what caught her attention left him at her mercy. Two rose-colored hands grabbed precisely and applied pressure, pulling his arm behind him as the other tipped his upper body forward battle style while spinning to his side. "Gotcha!"
"Twisting my arm is a human expression, not literally," Optimus stated, not resisting. The door clicked shut behind them, locking to his silent command. Comm frequencies went into standby, all but the command emergency channel routing to Ironhide.
"You has to do what I sway," she slurred.
"I think not," was his only warning as a large armored hand sneaked behind her legs, sweeping forward at knee gear height. His upper body slamming up, he tucked his other arm in tight trapping hers at the same time. Unbalanced, gravity took over as her sparkmate held her firmly, upside down and swinging in the air over his arm like a pendulum.
"Put me down!" Elita shrieked, upside down too much for her offset system as he carried her towards their recharge room.
"Or what?" His kind optics regarded her steadily, watching her fumbling attempts to grab his armor as he moved forward. "Up you go!" Hydraulics hissing, gears shifted to tighten strong cables as his frame swung hers onto the berth. Venting softly, he helped her sit upright.
"Is not fair. You always win."
"I am a Prime and designed for victory," he reminded, cupping the side of her face with his hand. Overly warm, the metal hummed with high-level energy.
"What do I win?" Elita sagged, both hands wrapping around his.
Venting harder, he tilted her chin up to look deep into her optics. "My spark. My life, my very existence. You are the last line of code in my processor before I slip into recharge and the first sight my optics yearn to see. You are everything I could hope for and everything I need."
His arms gathered her against his chest plates, arms capable of crushing down to the spark yet gentle enough to hold a sparkling, or an overcharged femme. His air intakes opened, pulling in her aroma, chuckling at the faint trace of high grade. "I need you. I want you. My most precious Elita. Elita? Femme?" Tilting her back to see, she clicked in recharge; jaw gears slack and cables limp. Tenderly shifting her to lay out on their berth, Optimus armored fingers traced across her faceplates. "When you wake I will show you how much I need your spark."
AUTOBOT MEDICAL BAY
ONE HOUR LATER
Ratchet hesitated, an urgent warning without words pinging across his processor as he passed through the double doors. "No intrusion," his optics scanned the main treatment area, searching for the wrongness that eluded him. The medical berths were empty, the attached sensor units neatly stacked on each side table. "Nothing seems missing. All my tools cabinets are locked. No twin pranks, no missing containers. The femmes are in their rooms, Hound watching Moonracer until I can be with her." Yet the nagging feeling persisted to almost overwhelming. "Prowl let himself out, no problem there. He knows the routine by now. The portable sparkling recharger is in the corner, ready for next use. Strange, Elita usually takes it with her. And she left the mineral additions for his energon here."
:: Ratchet to Elita. Did you give Pyxis his afternoon energon? You forgot the mineral additives:: Ratchet sent, frowning when her signal took longer than normal to clear.
:: Pyxis? Huh what? Oh, uhm. Be there shortly:: Elita answered slowly, her signal strong even as her words fumbled as though half out of it.
Inside med bay, Ratchet froze, linking the clues together. Prowl missing, the sparkling gone and not with Elita. Ratchet closed the comm line, blocking any flare of panic from reaching her. "Prowl is operating on basic programming only. Where would he go? His quarters? No, he barely recharges there. Twins tried setting a trap on his bunk and he never appeared for a week. His office! No, not a safe spot to protect. The brig!" Ratchet figured out, keying the nearest monitor.
"Please state the nature of the emergency," Prowl's vocal responded instantly. The scene on the monitor did little to reassure the medic. The black and white armored officer sat on the wall bench alongside his desk, the sparkling in his arms.
"Prowl?"
"Hey Ratchet," he smiled at the monitor. Cradled in his arms, Pyxis clicked, a long black cylinder in his hands. Optics blinking, Ratchet narrowed in on Prowl's dimmer optics then the sparkling. Under the white paint splotches his black protoform appeared intact and his vocal clicks within normal active range.
"You gave him your stun baton to play with?"
"My practice one. The weapon one is locked in the cabinet, with all the other dangerous stuff. My sparkling needs to be safe," Prowl reassured.
"Safe is in medbay. I can meet you there and we can walk back here together? Need anything?"
"Nonsense. My sparkling is safe right here. Door is locked and no bot is getting close enough to be a problem," the smile left his faceplates. The monitor image disappeared as Prowl ended the transmission.
Then it clicked for Ratchet. The use of the word 'my', the safe place for Prowl and the black and white coloring of the sparkling. :: Prime, Elita, we have a serious problem:: he sent.
AUTOBOT BRIG
The door to the brig slid open, the rose colored femme framed in the doorway. "Prowl?"
"Elita, my wonderful gift bearer," he smiled, locking down his weapons system immediately. One of his armored hands patted the open space on the bench as if in invitation.
The femme smiled back, sending a quick message to Ratchet and Optimus before crossing the threshold:: He's upright but optics are dim. Definitely not working on all chips::
:: Be careful! My override only opened the door:: Optimus warned as she moved into the room, beyond his visual range. Waiting at the other end of the hallway, he stood with Ratchet and Ultra Magnus at Elita's request. Though whether because they were the only two mechs capable of taking an enraged Prime down or the best team use to working with each other in the bad situations remained an unspoken point of debate.
:: I will. He will not harm Pyxis or me in this mode. His programming instinct is to guide and protect:: Elita reassured as the brig outer door slid shut, blocking her from view.
:: You cannot be sure of that when he is glitching:: Ultra Magnus cautioned, his larger mass wedged up behind Optimus as they waited for the signal to move in.
::What other choice is there? Huffer is solid again and Wheeljack lacks the parts to make another phasing device. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker only know how to break out, not into the brig. Red Alert is confined to quarters under medical leave and can't override Prowl's authority. Any invasion force and our sparkling is caught in the crossfire:: Elita's sent, her vital signs flashing across Optimus optics with the indicator her battle systems were active.
Inside the brig Prowl smiled at her, unaware of the outside audience monitoring.
"Can I hold Pyxis?" She moved forward a step, calculating the safest way to deal with him in the confined space.
"He's our sparkling. Incredible. I never processed it as possible," Prowl murmured, his armored fingers stroking across the sparkling's white tipped helm vents in a caress. Pyxis wiggled his darker feet and arms, leaning into the affection, the practice baton falling to the floor. In a single motion Elita caught it, placing the baton on the desk out of reach of them both.
"No playing with that until clean," she murmured, sitting down on the bench. Reaching for Pyxis, one hand moving in under the sparkling's back plates, her other hand sliding in between Prowl's arm as her optics remained focused on his. Gently pulling, the tiny form shifted into the protection of her arms.
"You are so beautiful," Prowl murmured, cupping her faceplate with his now free white armored hand. Leaning in, his lip plates brushed gently across hers.
:: Elita, your readings are increasing. Is he being threatening?:: Optimus interrupted.
::Not unless you worry about him being a better kisser:: Elita sent back, amusement and appreciation in her tone.
::He's kissing you? Blast him! You're mine femme. Get Pyxis and I'll deal with him, logic glitch or not:: Optimus rumbled angrily through their link.
::Relax primate of mine:: Elita teased back, glad her mate couldn't see Prowl's arms snaking around her waist plates to pull her closer as the kiss deepened. Between them Pyxis clicked happily, reaching out a tiny hand to grasp the edge of her armor.
::That's Prime, as in Matrix bearer, designated leader of the Autobots and your one and only sparkmate::: Optimus seethed, cracking sounds as his hands curled into fists. He couldn't see but had a good image in his imagination, the whirr of his cooling fans audibly increasing. Both Ultra Magnus and Ratchet stepped back out of his arm swinging range as a precaution.
::Keep jumping around all emotional and the human term 'going ape' as in 'primate' applies. And it safe to come in. He's sedated:: Elita sent, half expecting the door to be torn off its hinges. Instead, it began sliding open before slamming back roughly into the wall housing by a red and blue armored arm.
Flaring blue optics narrowed at Prowl and Elita sitting on the bench. Elita's rose colored form cradling Pyxis to her shoulder as Prowl leaned back, wing doors drooping against the wall, his optics shuttered. Both his arms were crossed in his lap, resting palm plates upward. A decreasing hum emanated from his chassis as his systems slipped into medically induced stasis.
"No energon cuffs or restraints?"
Laughing, Elita rose to her feet pads holding Pyxis out for him to see. "Sorry, not into bondage even if Prowl is." Whatever Optimus retort would have been, never came.
Clicking excitedly, Pyxis reached for the bright colors he knew meant love. "CLICK SNIKT Daddy."
The huff of air blowing from Optimus vents cleared the notation board of the posted papers, the white pages fluttering to the floor. "Daddy? Did you just call me?" Two heavily armored arms reached for his son, metal hands cradling the little giggling form while waiting to hear that one word again.
"SNACK daddy CLUNK?"
"Yes, daddy loves you very much," Optimus raised him up, nuzzling the sparkling across his larger cheek plating, seeing and feeling tiny hands patting the edge of his optical ring.
"I told you Prowl would not hurt either of us," Elita reminded.
"If he had, there wouldn't have been enough left to give Grimlock as a chew toy," Optimus rumbled.
"Speaking of, where is he? Grimlock I mean," Magnus asked, staying back to let Ratchet examine Prowl. The sparkling was an unknown to the large warrior, a fragile life worth protecting but mysterious and scary.
"On the beach by Annabelle's sandcastle, on his sand nest. He's my next stop. Had three calls regarding his behavior already," Ratchet answered.
"Grimlock is not seriously?"Magnus exclaimed, unfolding his arms.
"It gets better," the medic smiled. "Wheeljack reports three cleaner bot frames are missing from his lab. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker have been quiet for breems and Sergeant Epps reported metal and parts missing from the NEST motor pool. Want to take a guess what that adds up to?"
To be continued...