Thanks for the reviews: HeartsGuardianSol and Khalthar.
I hope all my readers enjoy the following chapters as much or more than I did writing and editing them.
Lennox rolled his shoulders the next morning, sipping coffee as the sun rose.
He'd sent a quarter of his team out to work on paint duty and fences already. He'd assign the rest once he saw how bad the prefab assembly would be, or if ordered to supply more.
He didn't want to empty out the hanger when a Decepticon could strike at any time.
Optimus stood, looking outside, arms folded.
Lennox wondered what the ancient leader thought.
It had been a long draining week already and they had more to face.
Did Optimus focus on the upcoming battles with Decepticons or more space for his people?
Would last night's explanation about insults be bugging Optimus as much as him?
Sarah genuinely didn't care about being accused of having improper relationships with the Autobots. She thought it just another insult.
Yet, some would think she slept her way to the top. Call her a slut, bitch, bossy, emotional or weak.
She treated Optimus with equality. As partners.
Sarah acted as if Optimus was an extremely tall Native American. One that needed her to fight within the system.
That wouldn't last if the system got in her way.
Which brought up the idea to send out one Autobot with the liaisons for off base tasks. Like resupplying their oil and cleaning stock.
He'd mention it to her.
Sarah would leap on it in an instant. Probably take the pranksters with her first.
Sarah entered, Epps with her.
"They wanted to sleep in today. They really can't help me with the oil unfortunately," she explained to Epps, "Besides, I think Frank and Mark won't stay for long the way Annie and John gazed at each other."
"They are almost as bad as newlyweds," Epps chuckled, "Are we allowed to tease them about it?"
Sarah shrugged as she walked over to the oil box, "That is up to you. Just be careful where you have your retirement invested, though. John may decide to get revenge though business. With Annie helping him, you'd have nothing left."
"Annie that good at the stock market?" Epps asked as Sarah started loading up her tool belt with cans.
"She's a mathematician plus sees patterns everywhere. She took one look at a ticker and said Grandel Organs would shoot through the roof. Next day they'd gained hundreds of dollars per share by announcing the first cloned human organ successfully transplanted. If someone pisses her off enough, she'll find a pattern to take them down."
"She's so…hesitant whens she's in her armor."
Sarah sighed, "She's afraid of stepping on someone. When we did practice with just her and one of us in the room, she's lithe and powerful. Considering she has an hour of movement, she can do significant damage compared to me."
"Really? She doesn't seem it."
Sarah smirked at him, "Beware the shy ones. That's why most soldiers didn't know what they unleashed when they faced my father."
"Because the shy ones don't advertise?" Epps teased.
Lennox offered, "They have the most emotions to put into a fight. Don't you know anything, Epps?"
"We have plenty of emotions to blow up a Decepticon," Epps countered.
Sarah looked at him, "If you can blow up a Decepticon with your emotions, my father can suck the life out of an army."
"Hey," Epps scowled at her, "What does that make you? Able to take on a couple then?"
"Hopefully we'll never know," she called up to Optimus, "Optimus, are you ready for oil?"
"Yes," Optimus moved to the center of the hanger, slowly sat down, before offering a hand to Sarah.
Ratchet came out of Medbay, "While you work, will you answer some questions, Sarah?"
"If I have the answers," she knelt in Optimus' hand as Optimus brought the hand up to his face.
"I would like to understand why the insults yesterday included those pertaining to your fertility."
Sarah looked baffled, "What?"
Lennox sighed, "They heard one of the men say your were unable to bear children."
She laughed, "The exact words were 'Only an infertile woman would love a machine'. This ties back in with men who are not comfortable with women. Back in school, I didn't date any of the boys, so they often accused me of being womb-less."
Lennox gripped the railing on the walkway, getting seriously angry about how she'd been treated. He'd grown up to respect the opposite gender. They had their strengths and weaknesses just like his gender. They carried babies and endured childbirth to keep humanity going for another generation.
Many men expected women to be meek, mild mannered and stay at home wives. Sarah put men to shame with her strength and would threaten those types.
"That is a physical anomaly per the information available on the Internet," Ratchet replied, "You obviously are not impacted by that condition."
"It's an insult. Like calling someone yellow belly to imply cowardice, or green with envy," she shook a can of oil, "They implied the reason I didn't want to date them is because I have no sexual drive nor a womb to carry children."
"Your pheromones suggest otherwise."
She looked at Ratchet with confusion, "What does my pheromones have to do with anything?"
"Currently you are giving off ones to attract a mate."
She thought about that, "That isn't something I control. That is part of a woman's monthly cycle."
"Please explain."
Lennox realized they'd stepped into adult rated zone, "Ratchet."
"Lennox," Sarah interrupted, "This is to be expected. The Internet has a lot of misinformation and information taken out of context. Ratchet, human women upon entering adulthood start monthly cycles where they can produce a child. Their bodies automatically do this. Part of it is giving off signs they are able to conceive, which you are detecting from me right now. This lasts about a week. The other end of this is when a woman gets what is called a period. This is when her body sheds the nutrients that it built up to help conception but no child was conceived. During that time you'll sense different pheromones from me, most indicating I'm not looking for a mate. Some women during this time can become aggressive towards men as a result."
"The men are unable to see you are not looking to produce a child, in spite of your cycle?" he asked.
"Some don't respect a women who chooses not to be a slave to her body. They think that a woman won't reject them if her body is able to conceive a child. I'm not choosing them, so therefore I must be infertile. Since I'm infertile, that is why I interact with you all as equals. It's very flawed thinking, but not every man is able to think critically," she smiled, "Does that help, Ratchet?"
"I need a few moments to process this," he waved to Optimus, "Please begin."
Sarah worked oil into Optimus's forehead to start.
Lennox hoped Ratchet didn't ask anymore questions on human reproduction. Sarah handled it well, but it wasn't an appropriate area.
Sarah stood up, "Ratchet, should I be oiling here?"
Ratchet leaned in, "The oil needs to go underneath, not on top."
Sarah pulled off a yellow straw and attached it to the can, "This will take a while."
She carefully used the tip of the straw to get the oil underneath the tiny plates as Ratchet's expression changed.
Lennox dreaded the next question.
"Why don't you have a male partner?" Ratchet asked.
She paused, tossing the can down, dropping it into the box she pulled it from, "There are many reasons. First is that I'm intimidating. Most men don't like strong women. It makes them feel inferior."
Arcee snorted, "Fools."
Sarah pulled a new can, shook it, then attached the straw, "I'm high on the intelligence charts, so it goes back to making men feel inferior. I'm one of the inventors on the armors. Most men think women can't invent. Like it's a boys only club. So again, I'm a threat."
"That does cut down on the available possibilities," Ratchet frowned, "However, there would be many remaining."
Sarah shook her head, "There are strong feelings about the different races mixing. Being one of rarer ones in this country means that only men who don't care about skin color and heritages would even look at me once, much less twice. There's also the assumption I'm some backwards savage."
"If they talked to you for even a second that impression would be shattered," Lennox pointed out.
"Humans have a surprising ability to ignore facts for belief. You must take into account that religion locks minds just as much. Most men in this country are of the same religion that nearly wiped out my people. They will want to save my soul, or damn me to their hell," she argued, "either way, they will reject me for my religion."
"Aren't you rejecting the other religions?" Epps asked.
She laughed, "I have a theory that the Great Spirits have among their number the ones who are the gods in other religions. It would make sense that a certain trickster or two may have caused a burning bush to ignite. Gave flawed wisdoms to other peoples once they grew bored of my ancestors."
"So God is one of your Great Spirits? That's inclusive," Epps climbed up to the walkway.
She smiled, working around Optimus' optics, "It would be highly amusing to them to have us fighting over such a simple thing. Coyote may be rolling around, laughing at all of us humans."
"That differs," Optimus spoke gently, "from us. All Cybertronians know of Primus, so there is no religious conflict."
"It would solve many wars here on Earth if we had one religion, however we can't change what is," Sarah paused, dropped another can, "I will want to hear of Primus later, if you are willing to share."
"I am," Optimus affirmed.
"No more talking, Optimus," Ratchet ordered, "Sarah, by my calculations you'd still have many choices even accounting for mutual interests. Surely a human male would be your partner."
She shook another can, "There is one more factor," she looked at Ratchet, "Were you aware of injuries I received in high school?"
"The medical history has a seal during that timeframe. I was told not to breach it unless given permission or had approval from General Burkes. I've respected that."
Sarah looked tired as she set the can down, then closed her eyes.
Ratchet froze for a long moment, the two of them speaking. Lennox wished he could have the same instant communication with the Autobots. It would help in battle.
"Let's just say there are few men who would handle those injuries with grace, Ratchet, and leave it at that," Sarah blinked her eyes open, picked up the can, continued working, though she looked more weary than before.
Ratchet shook his head, but said nothing.
Lennox figured she'd told him the details of her assault, and the consequences of it.
Men wouldn't want a rape victim. Too afraid of bringing up horrors or being accused of rape by the woman.
Then there was the saying that all the good men were taken. In Sarah's case, that took away all hope.