9Title: Of Younglings and Unexpected Visitors
Rating: K+
Universe: Post Movie 07/09 Verse AU
Characters:Youngling Bluestreak, Jazz, Barricade, Ocs Shimmer and Jenny, and ensemble
Warnings:Fluff, use of profanities, brief mention Of Younglings and Devious Plans
Disclaimer:Not mine, I just like to toy with them and hand them back in less than pristine condition, the Ocs don't belong to me, but to Sounddrive however I have permission to use them.
I had this finished at the beginning of the week, but i had trouble uploading it. BlackVelvet, I'm definitely getting your PMs, but unfortunately there seems to be no way for me to contact you. And to everyone else, thank you for reviewing and adding this to your favourites! :)
A request for Sounddrive, hope you enjoy hun!
Bluestreak watched from the relative safety behind his carrier's left leg as the transwarp gate flared to life in the large room. The youngling shrunk back a little further into his daddy's shadow, they were currently expecting a couple of visitors from the recommissioned Tranquillity base where Ultra Magnus had taken both his team and the newly arrived Aerialbots too. The little grey mechlet had been told about another youngling roughly his own age, lived on the other military installation with a teenager who had rescued her. Her, Bluestreak's sensory panels twitched on his back, the only femme he had known in his short life was Arcee, and she was one of his favourite caretakers. That combined with the strange fact that she was also his cousin too, since she was the niece of his carrier offered her that privilege, made her family too like his uncle Barricade. However he was still apprehensive about his new cousin, but he would give her a chance and try to make friends with the little femme. Bluestreak glanced up at the portal a a young teenage girl of Asian and American decent stepped through the gate, the youngling's back appendages twitched upwards when he saw the unusual silver wings sprouting from the young woman's back, then a shimmer of silver plating from behind the girl caught the little grey mechlet's attention. Two bright blue optics peered out from the young woman's leg and met his brilliant baby blue optics, Bluestreak glanced up at his carrier uncertain of what action to take next.
"Looks like both of our younglings are being quite shy." The young woman said as she glanced down at the little femling who was using her to hide behind.
"Sure does, although Blue's not normally shy." Jazz replied as he glanced down at his son, the youngling was simply staring at his cousin as if she was the most strangest thing in the universe "ya can say hello ya know." The little grey mechlet shrunk further back into his daddy's shadow so he was almost shielded from view.
"Don't wanna." Bluestreak mumbled to himself as he stared at the intricate array of muscle cables and tubes in the back of his carrier's knee joint.
"Aw Blue, Shimmer's not gonna bite." The young girl said as she glanced at the other youngling using his daddy to hide behind.
"Jenny's right lil Blue sides ya didn't shy away from those human kids ..." The little grey mechlet gave his carrier a pointed look "... okay you did briefly 'fore Annie managed to convince ya to go an' play wit' them."
"Still don't wanna." Bluestreak told his daddy, missing the small sad look appearing upon the little femme's facial plates before it evolved into a slightly annoyed look.
The near exact same annoyed look the saboteur noticed that his rarely known about sister use to give him when he had done something to irritate her. A small wave of sadness tugged at his spark, the Solstice truly missed both of his siblings but he was glad there was at least one living reminder of his sister, Ricochet never seemed the settling down type. Although originally his sister had, had three offspring at first until the two older young mechs Chrome and Granite had been killed during a Decepticon attack on a base.
"Crap I shoulda been on duty two minutes ago an' you lil lady should be in a debriefin' right about now." Jazz said after checking his internal chronometer. The saboteur noticed the minute stiffening of Shimmer's frame and the wide optic look the silver coloured youngling gave her guardian.
Jenny glanced down at the little femme who had tucked herself more against her "I assume I can't take Shimmer with me?"
"'Fraid not lil lady protocol doesn't permit it an' all that jazz, but I know someone who can take her fer th' time bein', in fact I'm gonna be handin' Blue over ta him too." The Solstice told the human teenager, although the silver mech figured Jenny was going to have a small battle on her hands when it came to his niece leaving her guardian's side. After all Bluestreak had been accustomed to leaving his parent's side in order to be looked after by his caretakers and guardians, where as in Shimmer's case the little femme had hardly ever left Jenny's side at all.
"I don't wanna go Angel*, pretty please can I stay with you I promise to be good." Shimmer pleaded with her guardian, her bright baby blue optics widening by a small fraction as she attempted the kicked turbo-puppy look.
The teenager sighed "You have to go with your uncle Jazz for now, then I'll come and get you, besides its only for a couple of hours anyway."
Shimmer vented a heavy sigh in defeat as she visibly deflated "Alright."
"Come on Kiddo, the sooner Jenny gets in that debriefin', th' sooner ya get ta see her." Jazz told the silver youngling as he turned to leave, Bluestreak close behind him.
Jenny gently stroked one of the small winged protrusions sprouting from either side of Shimmer's helm, she murmured a few soft words of reassurance before gently pushing her in the direction of the saboteur. The little silver youngling trudged reluctantly over to her uncle and her cousin before following the pair of them out of the gate room. Shimmer glanced at the little grey youngling and noticed that every now and again, he would flick a sensory panel out of the way and glance at her. The little femme muttered something unintelligibly under her breath, she was beginning to wonder whether her cousin had ever seen a femme before, well it was either that or he was just checking to make sure she was still following him and his parent.
The three of them quickly made their way through the inter-connecting corridors, Shimmer subconsciously moved closer to her uncle after her human they passed although the little silver femme couldn't help but notice how her cousin appeared to be leaving more and more of his creator's side as he greeted each human soldier they met. Shimmer wasn't quite sure what to make of the grey youngling yet as he seemed to talk too much, that and he was very enthusiastic in the way that he carried himself. Suddenly the little femme felt rather alone, not too mention a small ache in her spark made her realise just how much she missed her own family as she watched her cousin interact with his parent. However surprisingly enough she felt a small wave of reassurance flow through the slowly steadying family bond she shared with her uncle.
"Ah ha just th' mech I was lookin' for." Shimmer heard Jazz say which drew her out of her thoughts, the little femme glanced in the direction in which her uncle had headed in only to freeze in her tracks when her baby blue optics fell upon the menacing black and white form stood not far from them. Shimmer felt her small fuel pump almost stutter in her chest as those four deep crimson optics fell upon her little frame, she shrunk back as fear began coursing through her. The last time she had seen a Decepticon, her mother had paid the nasty encounter they had with him with her life; a brutal scene she hoped her young optics would never have to witness again. The little femme squeaked in both terror and fear as she stared at the Decepticon stood before her, especially more so now when her uncle announced he would be leaving both her and her cousin to the tender mercies of this 'Barricade'.
"Hey Shimmer, ya got nuthin' ta fear from 'Cade, he's one of us." Jazz told his niece as he lightly pushed the little silver femme in the direction of the shock trooper.
"I don't wanna go!" She cried "he's a fraggin' 'con!"
The sudden use of the expletive coming from Shimmer's mouth plates silenced the entire hangar. Both the saboteur and the shock trooper couldn't help but stare in shock at the little femme whilst Bluestreak visibly bristled at the behaviour his cousin was exhibiting towards his uncle.
"That's not nice! Take that back!" The little grey mechlet snapped, his small sensory panels flaring up into a rigid 'V' position.
"No!" Shimmer snapped in return, her gaze fierce as she glared at her cousin. The two younglings stood rigidly upon the sot they were currently standing on, their little frames coiled with tension.
The Solstice shook himself out of his shocked state "Well it looks like you're gonna have some fun wit' these two."
Barricade glared at Jazz "You plan to leave me with two bickering younglings?" The shock trooper glanced over to where the pair of them were still glaring at one another, although now low just barely audible growls were escaping their vocalisers.
"Yep, 'sides I've got Prowl hollerin' fer me ta get ma lazy aft inta gear, the cheeky fragger." The saboteur responded, a small concerned frown appeared upon his facial plates when his gaze lingered upon the little mechlet and femling before he glanced at the black and white mech beside him, he happened to notice that Barricade's gaze was also on the two younglings "I shouldn't worry too much, they're just posturin' its when they decide ta throw a fist I'd be a little more concerned."
"Brilliant." The shock trooper grumbled to himself.
The Solstice gripped one of his elbow joints in reassurance "You'll be fine, just don't do anythin' ta scare her or you'll have her guardian ta answer to." The Mustang cocked his helm to the side in an imitation of an eye roll before he began shooing the silver mech away.
Barricade watched as Jazz disappeared from sight before he turned his attention to the two younglings "Alright you two come on, you can finish your battle of who can give the best glare when we reach the cove." Bluestreak immediately snapped his attention to his uncle at the mention of his favourite destination, the little grey mechlet rushed over and stood beside the shock trooper. Shimmer on the other servo was much more hesitant in approaching the Mustang "I'm not going to hurt you femling." The little silver femme wasn't quite convinced and gave the black and white mech a sceptical look at what she thought about the idea. Bluestreak made a small noise of frustration and impatience at his cousin's reluctance to move from the spot she appeared to be rooted too, of course said noises he made only earned him a light glare from Shimmer, but the little grey mechlet simply flicked his sensory panels in annoyance.
"I understand your reluctance, but I promise no harm will come to you." Barricade told the little femme as he knelt down in front of her, taking note of how she only slightly flinched at his close proximity. The shock trooper held out a clawed hand hoping to gain her trust and was surprised when the little silver femme reached out and hesitantly curled her diminutive fingers around two of his. The Mustang offered her a small smile before he pushed himself to stand up fully, he then made his way over to where Bluestreak was still stood and offered his other hand to the little grey mechlet. Bluestreak latched onto the proffered hand before Barricade led the two younglings out of the base and into the somewhat humid base grounds. It came as no surprise that once they had left the somewhat busy grounds that Bluestreak let go of the clawed hand he had been holding and rushed off along the beach, Shimmer however didn't let go of the hand she was holding simply because the little femme was captivated by the scenery around her. Although every now and again her attention was drawn to the forefront when her cousin trotted back to her side and shyly handed her a beautifully coloured shell he had found on the beach, Shimmer was surprised by the gesture and timidly said thanks in return before the little grey mechlet took off again.
"Bluestreak never holds grudges and when he does, they're never for too long." Barricade told the little silver femme, startling her slightly when he spoke. Shimmer glanced up at him their gazes meeting, the little silver femme appeared to be much more confident around him than before "go and join your cousin, there's nothing out here that'll harm you." 'Well except maybe those Primus forsaken crabs that Blue keeps attracting' The shock trooper wanted to add but didn't. He wasn't all that particularly bothered about younglings, however there was a limit on the length of time that he allowed close contact of any kind. Well with the exception of Bluestreak of course, he was the only youngling he truly had a soft spot for in his spark. Shimmer appeared uncertain at first, but when the little grey mechlet came back and tagged her, that was once he had deposited the handful of sea shells and collection of pebbles in his uncle's servos. Not one to let a challenge slip past her, Shimmer let go of the Mustang's hand and chased after Bluestreak. A small chuckle escaped the black and white mech as he watched his nephew nimbly dodge out of the way of the little silver femme's outstretched hand, it was the same manoeuvre he had taught the little grey mechlet which more often than not grated on his parents as he tended to pull it off when it was around bedtime. He had received a few grumbled complaints from both his brother and his spark-mate, and as punishment he had been conscripted into service when Bluestreak choose to be particularly picky. Speaking of a certain youngling, the little grey mechlet had been finally rugby tackled and the pair of them were wrestling in the sand, mad giggles leaving their vocalisers. Barricade shook his head in amusement as he continued walking, he was fully aware of the fact that the two younglings were still play fighting a few metres behind him.
"Come on you two or those thrice be damned crabs will get you." The shock trooper called back to the pair of them, he glanced over his shoulder in time to see both Bluestreak and Shimmer scramble up from the sand and rush over to him. The little silver femme clung to one of his legs whilst the little grey mechlet glanced around, his baby blue optics looking for the crustacean in question. When Bluestreak finally noticed the lack of a shiny shell anywhere upon the beach, the youngling sun round to face his uncle and glared up at him.
"That's mean uncle 'Cade, there's no evil crab anywhere an' you tricked us inta believin' there was one, meany." The little grey mechlet scolded his uncle as he planted both of his hands on his hips, his little sensory panels flaring up into a rigid 'V' formation.
Shimmer pulled away and also threw a glare at the Mustang "You're mean."
"So I've been told, repeatedly." Barricade grumbled to himself as he watched the two younglings take off again, tagging each other before it morphed into light shoving. The shock trooper knew Bluestreak was incredibly happy about having another youngling on the base despite their rough start, in fact a part of him had been prepared for the reaction he had gotten from the young femme when they first met. After all the little grey mechlet had known him since he was six months old, where as in Shimmer's case the little femme only knew the Decepticons as the enemy and not as a possible ally. Actually he had to admit that he was quite surprised by how easily Shimmer had warmed up to him, although he figured the femme was simply following her uncle's advice that he was safe to be around, despite the fact the saboteur knew just how deadly he could be in battle.
Barricade watched as the two younglings raced off to where a few boulders lined the shore, and where he knew there was likely to be a couple of rock pools for the pair of them to investigate. The shock trooper snorted lightly to himself as he made his way over to the shade under the palm trees, after all having black painted plating on the island which could reach temperature of eighty degrees Fahrenheit (thirty one degrees Celsius) wasn't exactly comfortable. At least he understood to some degree why Ironhide was always grouchy and preferred the cooler climates, not that the trigger happy lugnut wasn't grouchy anyway, well unless he was handing a royal aft kicking to the rambunctious twin Lamborghinis. But then again who wouldn't since not only were they likely to get themselves killed one day with their reckless antics, they were also particularly irritating especially a certain red hellion. In fact the Mustang couldn't understand why his brother and his bond-mate didn't get those moronic pair to youngling sit more often, then using him as a glorified babysitter. Not that he didn't enjoy his nephew's company as Bluestreak was quite the comedian sometimes, but when the little grey mechlet was joined by another his age, it tended to turn into anarchy.
The Mustang plonked his aft near a sturdy looking tree and leant against it, drawing his his left knee up to his chest and allowed his left forearm to rest upon it. His crimson optics fell upon the two younglings but more noticeably on Bluestreak as Barricade watched the little grey mechlet point out a few things, his little sensory panels fluttering upon his back whilst Shimmer's finned helm moved slightly closer. A chuckle escaped the shock trooper as Bluestreak slipped one of his hands into the rock pool and drew out what looked like a small crustacean, the little silver femme was none too pleased about being shown a small crab and scrambled off the rocks throwing a few choice words at her cousin. The Mustang shook his head in amusement, Bluestreak was certainly not afraid of anything small and bug like all courtesy of that Naturalist tracking specialist who enjoyed heading out to the muckiest places on this planet. Thankfully his brother and his bond-mate had enough sense not to allow their creation to go with him. Speaking of Prowl, he had never known his sibling to be afraid of Arachnids until Bluestreak had come across a pet tarantula on the base (how the critter had ended up on Diego Garcia he had no idea), and had presented it to his sire, then asked if he could keep it. The black and white mech couldn't help the small laugh as he easily recalled the barely there terrified look upon his brother's facial plates as he stepped back and away from his son. Lucky enough 'Bert's' (a random choice of name made by Bluestreak) owner had shown up several minutes later, and the youngling had reluctantly handed the hairy critter back to the soldier, then he had proceeded to ask his father if he could have one only to end up crashing the Dodge Charger's processor with the thought. Barricade had tormented his brother for days afterwards since he found it particularly amusing that Prowl could face an entire Decepticon army without fear, but he was easily spooked by a small arachnid that he could easily step on. Of course he had paid for tormenting his younger sibling by being sent to the coldest and wettest place on the planet with the psychotic gold twin of all mechs, he had been so close to murdering Sunstreaker but had held back since he knew Bluestreak was quite attached to the front-liner.
Suddenly the shook trooper was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard the slight displacement of air as though someone had just teleported into the Diego Garcia air space before he heard the distinct droning noise of three aircraft engines. The Mustang scrambled up onto his peds, his sensors extending to their highest frequency whilst his crimson optics scanned the cloudless sky, watching and waiting for the unidentified air-crafts to show themselves. Barricade's gaze flickered briefly to where Bluestreak and Shimmer were still, to see that the little grey mechlet was also scanning the skies, his small sensory panels twitching upon his back. The little femme beside his nephew moved subtly closer to him, her own blue baby optics locked on the sky also as she tried to locate the three jets. Then suddenly one of Bluestreak's sensory panels flickered upwards and to the left, and in that instant the shock trooper's gaze locked on the three fighter jets soaring above their position, he reacted seconds later when his on board sensors recognised the IFF (identification friend or foe) codes which had to be broadcasted to the base; were none other than Starscream's trine. The Mustang raced across the beach toward where the two younglings had been, although now Bluestreak had picked himself up from the floor and was now running toward him dragging Shimmer with him. Barricade grabbed one of his nephew's arms the second the two younglings came within range, he pulled the pair of them to him and out of the way of the plasma round that slammed into the very spot they had been in moments ago. The shock trooper wasted no time in hastily shoving the pair of them behind him as he removed his rifle from sub-space, thumbed the safety off and immediately opened fire. The plasma round clipped the edge of Thundercracker's left wing forcing the blue and silver Raptor to pull out of his dive.
"Bluestreak take Shimmer and run for the cover of the trees, do you understand?" The Mustang growled lowly at the little grey mechlet before he spun round to deliver another shot to the attacking trine.
Bluestreak glanced at his uncle, his baby blue optics bright with anxiety and his little sensory panels trembling. A part of him knew he had to do what his uncle 'Cade told him to do which was run for cover and take Shimmer with him before Screamer and his two bozos saw them, however he didn't to leave his uncle on his own either especially when there was no-one around to help him. Barricade spun round when he could still feel his nephew's presence behind him, his crimson optics flashed with disbelief and a little bit if anger when his gaze fell upon the little grey mechlet. The shock trooper felt his systems race when his audio receptors heard the distinct whine of null ray laser cannons powering up.
"Bluestreak go now! I will not tell you again." The Mustang yelled, startling the little grey mechlet with his explosive outburst.
Bluestreak jumped, physically startled at being yelled at since he was never shouted at, told off yes but had never been admonished loudly by his parents of anyone else before. The little grey mechlet broke out into a run and began heading towards the tree-line whilst tugging Shimmer along with him. Bluestreak frowned at the nasty words leaving his cousin's vocaliser as she happily announced her disgruntlement at being dragged into the undergrowth where she was likely to get dirty. However right now the little grey mechlet was more concerned with hiding from the Decepticons rather than telling off the little silver femme who was still cursing up a storm. Then finally Bluestreak simply had enough of his cousin and her continual ranting which was potentially putting both of their lives at risk, so he spun round, his little sensory panels arching high as he glanced at Shimmer.
"Be quiet!" He snapped, his small frame tensing "I don't wanna be found by Screamer and his stupid goons."
The little silver femme bristled at the comment "How do I know that your uncle 'Cade didn't tell them where to find us anyway?"
The little grey mechlet visibly bristled at that "Take that back! Uncle 'Cade would never do that!"
"He's a 'Con." Shimmer snapped back at him as she pulled her arm out of his grasp.
"He was a long time ago, but not any more." Bluestreak argued back "he wouldn't do that anyway, my dad and father trust him so does old 'Hide, Optimus, uncle Sides and uncle Sunny." Shimmer stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and folded her arms across her silver chest plates in a huff, a small sigh escaped the little grey mechlet before he reached over and took one of the little silver femme's hands "I don't wanna fall out with ya Shimmer coz we need to get out of here quick." The little silver femme glanced at her cousin as she allowed her arms to drop down next to her sides, the other youngling was giving her the kicked turbo-puppy look.
"Okay what do we do?" Shimmer asked as she tried to scan the sky above the tree tops, she tried not to flinch in fear at the loud sounds of gunfire and clashing of metal upon metal. It eerily reminded her of what had happened back on Cybertron, however she had to push it all to the back of her processor.
"Dad an' father an' the others are on their way out so we gotta go back to the base." Bluestreak told her, he also flinched at the loud sounds coming from the beach not too far from them "come on." The little grey mechlet gripped the little silver femme's hand once again and began dragging Shimmer with him as he headed toward the base through the undergrowth. The little silver femme cursed every now and again when she tripped over a root jutting up from the sand, lucky enough her cousin was chivalrous enough to move the fern leaves out of her way rather than allow them to swing back and hit her in the face plate. Then suddenly and without warning there was a shift in the air near the two younglings which had Bluestreak's sensory panels twitching, then a laser blast impacted one of the trees causing it to explode in a shower of lethal looking splinters. Both Bluestreak and Shimmer cried out in surprise but neither of the pair dared to look back, not that they needed to as it was quite obvious who was after them.
"Come here you little fraggers." Growled the Decepticon as he ripped up trees so he could clear a path to the two younglings.
The little grey mechlet glanced over his left shoulder, flicking a sensory panel out of the way as he did so, to see a purple and black mech tear up a couple of coconut trees from the sand as he rushed toward them. A small devious smirk appeared upon Bluestreak's lip components when he recognised the Decepticon, the grey mechlet swung them completely about, prompting a surprised sound to escape Shimmer as he ran towards the Raptor.
"Come and get us Sky-jerk!" Bluestreak shouted at the flier as he stopped, in front of him, his sensory panels flaring upwards in defiance.
"Blue what are you doin'?" The little silver femme leant over and asked her cousin quietly.
Bluestreak flashed her a smirk "You'll see." The little grey mechlet turned to the black and purple Raptor who had been taken completely by surprise by Bluestreak's bold move.
Bluestreak placed the tip of his thumb upon the end of his nose and wiggled his fingers in a taunt "Nah, nah bet you can't catch us Decepticreep."
Skywarp shook himself out of the reverie he had fallen into and glared at the little grey mechlet "You bet your slagging little grey aft I can." The purple and black mech swiped a clawed hand in the direction of the two younglings with the intent to snag at least one of them, however Bluestreak simply ducked under the swipe whilst Shimmer skipped out of the way "little fraggers get back here!"
"Come on Sky-jerk! Or are ya getting' too old?" The little grey mechlet taunted the Raptor.
"Little pit fraggers, wait until I get my servos on you." Skywarp snarled as he lunged forward hoping to snag the little grey slagger who had just scrambled over a root arching up out of the sand. The Raptor growled lowly as his crimson gaze focused upon the small silver femme as she slipped behind a couple of palm trees, he decided to shift his attention to her as he knew that the little grey mechlet was likely to come running if he saw his little friend in trouble. The purple and black mech turned and chased after Shimmer, ripping palm trees out of his way although one of them wasn't quite relenting, and Skywarp heard his left shoulder joint pop as a result. However the Raptor simply pushed the discomfort to the back of his mind as he raced after the little femme, he heard her squeal in alarm when his clawed fingers sliced through the air just above her helm. On his second swipe towards the little silver femme, he managed to snag Shimmer's scruff bar and hauled her off the ground. Of course the little femme was none too pleased about being treated roughly as she kicked, screamed, cursed vehemently and attempted to bite the offending hand holding her captive.
"Ah ha got one of you little fraggers, an' Screamer thought I wouldn't be able to do it." The purple and black mech crowed in victory.
Shimmer growled loudly in her throat whilst she continued to kick out at the Decepticon "Oi slag fer brains, first sign of madness if your talkin' to yourself."
"Why you little …." Skywarp snarled at the youngling whilst making sure to keep her legs well out of range of his vital parts.
Shimmer threw him an ugly glare "Stupid ugly slagger! Let go of me you useless piece of slag!"
Skywarp managed to look somewhat startled by the use of language escaping the little silver femme, his moment of distraction however allowed Bluestreak to move in close and kick him in the shin. The Raptor howled in pain and dropped Shimmer in his haste to grab his injured leg. Then the little silver femme happily added to his troubles by kicking him in the other shin before she stormed over to where her cousin was currently stood, once she was within range Shimmer clipped the little grey mechlet around the back of the helm.
"Ow what was that for?" Bluestreak demanded as he glared at his cousin whilst rubbing at the sore spot on his helm.
Shimmer returned his glare with equal force "That's for lettin' jerk-face over there snag me."
"It wasn't on purpose." The little grey mechlet argued back, his sensory panels arching upwards in a sharp 'V'.
"Sure felt like it." The little silver femme snapped back, her entire frame tensing in agitation.
"Was not."
"Was too."
"Was not."
"Was too."
"Was … we better run." Bluestreak pointed out as he glanced past Shimmer to see the Decepticon drop his foot to the ground and set his harsh if somewhat slightly angry crimson gaze on the pair of them.
"Hey don't change the ... whoa!" The little silver femme exclaimed in surprise as Bluestreak grabbed on of her hands and began dragging her through the undergrowth, and just in the nick of time as Skywarp opened fire with his integrated weaponry. Both younglings screamed in both fright and surprise as plant debris showered down over them, however that didn't stop their resolve at remaining one step ahead, although it was greatly hindered by the Decepticon's teleportation technique which had the pair of them ducking and skipping out of the way of clawed fingers attempting to snag one or both of them. The two younglings were beginning to tire from having to run and dodge the Raptor chasing after them, so Bluestreak decided to take matters into his own hands as he dragged his cousin behind a downed tree.
"What .. are you .. doing?" Shimmer hissed in-between harsh intakes of air, her little legs now aching.
"I got a plan." The little grey mechlet replied as he poked his helm over the top of the tree trunk, his baby blue optics searching for the purple and black mech. Bluestreak spotted him several metres away, scanning the undergrowth for the pair of them. The little grey mechlet knew it always took the adults longer to catch up since they were much bigger and a lot more heavy, after all he had become quite a pro at evading his parents. But despite this Decepticon being cumbersome, he was pretty tricky to get past and Bluestreak knew it it hadn't been for his past experience with the mech, he was sure they would have been captured by now.
"So what's the plan numb-nuts?" Shimmer demanded as she too poked her finned helm up over the tree trunk before she turned her attention to her cousin.
"Need to take Sky-jerk out so I need you to get him to chase ya." The little grey mechlet told her as he glanced at her.
"What? Why me?" The little silver femme asked quite sharply, her voice rising ever so slightly but enough to draw unwanted attention in their direction.
"Coz you're a girl and I said so and its my plan." Bluestreak replied, a frown working its way onto his facial plates.
"That's not fair, why should I be the bait just coz I'm a girl." Shimmer snapped as she directed a dark glare at her cousin.
The little grey mechlet glanced over the top of the trunk and spotted the Decepticon not far from their position "Coz you're faster than me an' you don't have wings for him ta grab an' its not nice when someone grabs your wings coz it hurts really bad …."
"Okay, okay I get it." The little silver femme said cutting the other youngling off before he launched fully into a very, very long sentence. Shimmer vented a deep sigh out of her intakes "what do you want me to do?"
Bluestreak brightened visibly, a look of surprise appeared upon his facial plates whilst his sensory panels twitched upwards and fluttered "I need you to keep him busy."
"And what do you plan on doin'? An' where is everyone?" The little silver femme asked.
"Dad an' father are close, they'll be here soon I can feel it." The little grey mechlet replied as he placed a hand upon his chest plates and reached through the bond, he could feel both his parents comforting and reassuring presences in his spark "and I have this." Bluestreak slipped his fingers under the derma plating near his wrist and pulled out a small flat circular device, Shimmer whirled in curiosity when her bright baby blue optics fell upon it "uncle 'Jack gave it to me, its like an invisible pocket where I can put everythin', but dad an' father don't know I have it." The little grey mechlet pressed the small button and laid the device flat in his palm as a black triangle appeared above it, Bluestreak slipped his hand inside, his glossa sticking out of his mouth as he rummaged around for the items he was looking for. Then a small triumphant noise escaped Bluestreak when he finally found them tucked away near the edge, he pulled the items out of sub-space and set them on the ground in front of them.
The little silver femme quirked a single optic ridge as she glanced at her cousin strangely when she saw a couple of bungy cords "Should I ask?"
"Uncle Sides asked me to keep them for future pranks and since father doesn't know about this yet..." The little grey mechlet replied as he twiddled with one of the ends of the cords "you won't tell them will you?"
"No Blue I promise." Shimmer replied, she simply shook her helm in amusement, boys of any age were simply immature and never grew out of it "uh Blue we better do somethin' quick, the Deceptifreak has found us." Bluestreak poked his helm over the top of the tree to see bright angry crimson optics glaring back at him.
"Uh run?" The little grey mechlet suggested, the little silver femme cocked her horned helm to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes before she took off with Bluestreak not far behind her. That was once he had tucked the device back under his derma plating and grabbed the bungy cords.
"Ah ha that's where you two little fraggers have got too!" Skywarp exclaimed the moment he spotted the helms of the two younglings poking out from behind the tree trunk. Both of them squealed in alarm and scrambled out from behind the downed tree, once again the Raptor was left with the choice of which of the two Autobots to pursue, however it seemed one of them decided to make the choice for him when the little silver femme began shouting profanities at him. But Skywarp decided differently and set after the little grey mechlet who had just disappeared behind some large foliage and was making a beeline for a set of trees sat close together not far from his position. The Raptor noticed there was a change in the way the youngling was running like he was carrying something in his arms, Skywarp made a swipe for the little grey mechlet his clawed fingers just barely grazing the tip of a sensory panel. The youngling yelped in surprise and darted through a narrow space giving the black and purple Decepticon no choice but to go round them and losing the little grey mechlet in the thick undergrowth.
Skywarp cursed loudly and was half tempted to uncharacteristically stomp his foot in frustration, he was definitely going to tell Starscream to go shove it up his afterburner the next time he was assigned to chase down the Autobot youngling. After all he could quite clearly recall the last experience he had after being sent to capture the little grey mechlet who had been much younger at the time. The black and purple Raptor was half tempted to abandon the mission, but knew that his trine leader would never let him hear the end of it. That and the little silver femme had just thrown part of a coconut at him which left a nasty smear across his left shin armour, Skywarp cast a nasty glare in the youngling's direction although it didn't seem to scare the little silver femme at all. In fact now that it seemed she had his attention, the Raptor knew there was a very high chance that she would be reckless which could easily lead to her capture. So with his processor made up, Skywarp took off after the little silver femme instead, he had to admit as he ducked around a tree scuffing a few shoulder armour plates as he did so, that the two younglings had far too much energy to expend.
The Raptor growled lowly to himself when the youngling darted out of his way at the last possible second and slipped through the narrow gap between the trees, he collided with a couple of trres causing him to stumble backwards. The black and purple mech was so close to torching the place and forcing the two younglings out onto the beach, after all he was built for wide open spaces not tracking little pit fraggers through enclosed areas. Skywarp knew that if it had been one of the older Autobots, he would have gladly shot the slagger by now to slow him down but with the two younglings being that much more fragile, he couldn't which was only adding to his frustration. The Raptor lunged once again for the little silver femme only for one of his peds to snag on a bungy cord he hadn't seen stretched out between two trees, he cursed loudly as he toppled over before everything went black when the side of his helm struck something solid on the ground.
Shimmer glanced over her shoulder when she heard the Decepticon let loose a long string of profanities before there was a loud crash as the large black and purple mech crashed into the soil and undergrowth, the little silver femme stopped running and nearly collapsed upon the very spot she was stood upon as her small legs were now aching from exertion. Shimmer glanced up when she heard movement not far from her, however she managed to vent a sigh of relief when she noticed that it was only Bluestreak moving toward the Decepticon.
"Blue what are you doing?" The little silver femme hissed as she watched her cousin poke the large black and purple mech in the fore-helm, then he trotted off to collect the last couple of bungy cords he had deposited a few metres away before he came back.
"It worked." The little grey mechlet announced quite proudly "ha take that Sky-moron."
"Well duh." Shimmer muttered to herself as she dropped down onto her aft, thoroughly exhausted and quite happy to remain as far away as possible from the downed Decepticon "now what are ya doing?"
"Tying him up silly." Bluestreak replied as he dragged one of the Raptor's arms up onto his back before doing the same to the other one "don't want him to wake up an' start chasin' us again coz I'm really tired." The little grey mechlet tied the cord around Skywarp's wrists then he moved down towards the Raptor's peds.
Shimmer frowned at her cousin's words, how could he be tired? She had been the one doing all of the running around, not to mention she had been pulled off the floor by her scruff bar too. The little silver femme didn't think for one minute when she had been told by Jenny that they were visiting Diego Garcia, that she would be running from Decepticons; again. A small soft whimper escaped her as her shoulders slumped, all she wanted now was her Angel and to go back home. Her whimpers dissolved into sobs as she wrapped her arms around herself, although it wasn't long before she heard her cousin sit down beside her and wrap his arms around her slightly smaller frame.
"It's alright Shimmer, they're comin' ta find us, they'll be here soon." Bluestreak tried to offer his reassurance to his cousin. In fact no sooner had he said it, that the two younglings heard someone call their designations. Both Shimmer and Bluestreak perked up at the sound of familiar voices calling through the small forest before they glanced at one another, the little grey mechlet untangled himself from his cousin and pushed himself up onto his peds and immediately scanned his surroundings for his parents and caretakers.
"Blue! Shimmer!" He heard his carrier call out to him again, Bluestreak's sensory panels twitched upwards as they tried to pinpoint the direction in which his daddy's voice was coming from, however it was his optics that spotted the flash of silver followed more prominently by the red and gold paint jobs of his twin guardians and the distinct black and white of his father.
The little grey mechlet spun round, a large grin upon his facial plates as he addressed his cousin "See I told you that they were comin'." The little silver femme simply grumbled in return as she swiped away her tears and pushed herself up onto her peds "Dad!" Father! We're over here!" Bluestreak shouted to his carrier whilst jumping up and down on the spot and frantically waving his arms above his helm in order to get their attention. The little grey mechlet immediately saw a relieved look fall upon his parents facial plates at seeing both him and Shimmer unharmed, Bluestreak didn't wait another second as he rushed across to his creators and was swept up off the ground by his sire.
Jazz gestured for his niece to come over to him when he noticed the crestfallen look upon her face, the little silver femme slowly trudged over to him, but once she was in range the saboteur plucked her off the ground and settled her on his right hip.
"Is uncle 'Cade alright?" Bluestreak asked as he glanced over his father's left shoulder and past the magnificent door wing that partially obscured his view.
"He's fine Blue Ratchet's treating him for scuffs and scrapes at the moment, you'll see him back at the base." Prowl told his son as he adjusted his hold on the little grey mechlet.
"Dad, father I brought down Skywarp on my own again." The little grey mechlet proudly announced.
Shimmer glanced around Jazz and gave her cousin a glare "Hey I helped too remember!"
Bluestreak gave the little silver femme a sheepish look "Shimmer helped too, but it was my idea, well the knockin' himself out part wasn't but we still got 'im down an' tied him up."
The tactician chuckled in amusement "I had noticed your accomplishment, well done the pair of you."
The saboteur couldn't help but snigger at that "One day Starscream will learn ta remember not ta mess with the creation of our resident chief tactician."
"I do believe Blue's mischievousness comes from you however." The Dodge Charger told his bonded as he flicked his door-wings "although I believe the twins have also imprinted upon our son more than we would like." The black and white turned slightly as he regarded the two front-liners, both of whom were stood beside the downed frame of Skywarp.
"Have no idea what you're talkin' about Prowl." Sideswipe remarked as he happily nudged the black and purple flier with the tip of his left ped.
"Oh really, then you may not have noticed that those bungy cords are the exact same ones I confiscated over a week ago after the prank you pulled on Red Alert." Prowl told him, a stern look now settled upon his facial plates. He noticed the minute stiffening of his son's frame, not too mention the small sheepish look making its way onto his face "and I'm curious as to how they managed to end up in the servos of my youngling."
The red Lamborghini attempted to look as innocent as possible "Funny you should ask that."
"Sideswipe." The tactician rumbled in warning.
The red front-liner threw up his hands in defeat "Okay, okay, Blue helped us get them back since I knew you wouldn't willingly give them back ..." Sideswipe trailed off when he noticed that the little grey mechlet's mouth plates had dropped open in shock, after all Bluestreak had been hoping his father would never find out about that at all and knew a possible lecture about borrowing things without permission was heading his way the moment they got back to base.
"However there is a inconsistency." The Dodge Charger pointed out as he contacted a retrieval team to head out to their position and pick up the unconscious Raptor "neither the twins nor Blue know the access codes to my lock ups." The black and white cast his spark-mate a sideways glance as he said that, he noticed immediately how Jazz refused to meet his gaze and tried to appear as innocent as he possibly could "Jazz."
Shimmer began sniggering the second she saw the silver mech flinch "Uncle Jazz has been naughty."
A small chuckle escaped the saboteur "Fer once I'm actually flailin' fer an excuse ta get out of trouble."
"Well frag me dead that's the first time I've ever heard Jazz stumble for an excuse to get himself out of trouble." Came Ironhide's voice as the weapons specialist and Major Lennox's team made their way over, the soldiers circling the downed Decepticon with their weapons at the ready "and Blue, you been tormentin' the 'cons again?"
Bluestreak grinned at the black mech "Shimmer helped too!" The little grey mechlet glanced around his sire to where his cousin was perched, the little silver femme shared his gaze and the two of them air high fived one another. Although it wasn't long before Shimmer tucked her finned helm into her uncle's neck and began powering down for recharge, the day's activities finally catching up with her.
"Well that's one down." The saboteur said as he glanced down at the little silver femme snuggled into his frame.
"And another one follows." Prowl replied, his cobalt blue optics falling upon the now slumbering form of his son.
"Well you gotta give it to the pair of them, they certainly gave Skywarp a run for his credits so they deserve a nap." Ironhide told the bonded pair as he glanced from one slumbering youngling to the other.
"They certainly do, but we gotta get Shimmer back ta th' base, no doubt Jenny's been tearin' her hair out wonderin' where her younglin' is." The Solstice said as he trailed the tips of his clawed fingertips down and over the top of the little silver femme's helm.
"You two go ahead, we've got slag for brains over there." The weapons specialist gestured to Skywarp with a small flick of his helm.
Both Prowl and Jazz nodded before they headed back to the base, they passed numerous human soldiers returning from the cove where Starscream had decided to pick a fight. They always knew that if the Decepticon aerial commander was out on his own with his trine, it usually meant that he had become tired of being subjected to Megatron's gloating or bouts of sadism he felt he needed to inflict upon his troops. It was clear that Starscream simply needed to burn off some frustration, and what better way to do it then take it out on any unsuspecting Autobots or in this case an ex-Decepticon. Of course Starscream would have used the opportunity to also earn a few extra points by trying to capture Bluestreak, although now the silver Raptor would return to base with tell-tale signs of a scuffle upon his armoured plating, a trine-mate who had his aft kicked royally and another one taken prisoner which without a doubt would earn him an aft kicking of his own. Lucky enough both Shimmer and Bluestreak had been quick and cunning enough to avoid falling victim to the aerial commander's plan to plant himself on Megatron's 'not to shoot on sight list'.
The bonded pair finally reached the entrance of the base and were met with a near frantic human as Jenny rushed toward them, however her panic began to diminish and relief replaced it when she saw Shimmer snuggled against Jazz.
"Is she alright?" The teenager inquired as she glanced up and tried to find any kind of damage upon her charge. She breathed a sigh of relief when all she saw was dirt upon Shimmer's derma plating.
"She's fine Jen, just a little tuckered out an' a lil dirty is all." Jazz reassured her "gonna let the pair of them recharge fer now."
Jenny nodded and followed the second and third in commands as they made their way through the base and to Prowl's office, the black and white mech keyed in the code to unlock the door then stepped inside once they slid open. Both the saboteur and the tactician gently deposited their respective loads upon the small couch situated against the wall, Jenny watched as the two Cybertronians arranged the two younglings so they curled into one another before they stepped back. The Dodge Charger reached into his sub-space and happily handed his spark-mate a bottle of cleaning fluid and a couple of clean clothes, the Solstice simply cocked his finned helm to the side in an imitation of a human rolling their eyes and took the items from his bonded. A startled squeak escaped Jenny when she was suddenly scooped up from the floor and gently deposited her on the couch next to the helms of the slumbering younglings, the teenager gave Prowl an appreciative smile before the tactician made his way over to his desk.
Jenny settled to down to watch Jazz clean both the little grey mechlet and the little silver femme meticulously and carefully, she had completely panicked to the point where she had nearly hyperventilated after hearing the alarm sound throughout the base. She knew that Shimmer was out of the base and under the watchful optics of an Autobot, although she soon learned that the mech had been in fact a Decepticon once, something she knew that wouldn't sit well with her charge since she understood that Shimmer didn't have a very good past experience after much of her family had been murdered by them. The teenager had fretted for news in regards to Shimmer's well-being, although she had been concerned about Bluestreak too since there was no way that one mech could protect two younglings from three Decepticons. However when news finally came through that her charge was safe and well, she nearly collapsed into an undignified heap on the floor before picking herself up and rushing to the entrance of the base where she met both Prowl and Jazz.
A small chuckle escaped Jenny when she heard Shimmer grumble in protest about being moved just so the saboteur could wipe away a bit of dirt upon the underside of the little silver femme's right arm, she was glad that nothing had befallen her charge and knew that numerous trips would have to be made to Diego Garcia in the future so the two younglings could interact and Shimmer could spend time with what was left of her family.
A/N: *A nickname Shimmer calls Jenny due to the angel like wings protruding from her back, for more information refer to sounddrive's fic 'silver wings'.
