I apologize for the wait, I haven't really been busy but I've been distracted by other things. I also started writing another story, it's not on this website yet, probably won't be, but I had to get it out of my system while it was bothering me. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews I've been getting for this story, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 36: Hide and Go Seek
"So, Joey," Angelique remarked as she, Aurora, and Joey headed through the base towards the house, "Have you ever seen snow?"
Joey glanced at her before rolling her eyes. "Did you seriously just ask that?" she remarked as they exited the base and entered the basement of the home.
"She's a little blond," Aurora remarked as the three of them ascended the stairs. They went over to a closet and proceeded to put on winter coats, gloves, and boots.
"I see that," Joey replied as they headed towards the door that led to the garage, "You know Angelique; I am from New York City. It's a 5-6 hour drive from this town. I've seen a fair share of snow in my lifetime. It just never stays in the city very long."
"Well then," Aurora said as they stepped into the garage, "I hope you like snow. When it comes here, it stays for nearly six months."
"I think I can manage," Joey remarked as Angelique and Aurora proceeded to rummage around the garage, "What are you guys looking for?"
Angelique tugged a hot pink two-person plastic sled off the wall while Aurora grabbed a blue, saucer-shaped sled. Angelique handed the hot pink sled to Aurora before taking down a snowboard that was hanging on the wall. "What do you think you're doing with dad's snowboard?" Aurora asked, "Just because he and mom are at work right now doesn't mean you can use it."
"I'm not going to break it," she replied, "I just want to try it."
Aurora shrugged, "You break it, you're screwed."
"I know," Angelique said as she went over to the garage door and opened it, "Holy goodness!"
"Well, I can see why they closed school," Aurora remarked as she observed the snow had drifted higher than her waist.
"And just how are we supposed to get to the hill to go sledding?" Joey wanted to know as she crossed her arms.
"Easy," Angelique remarked, "We walk." And she plunged into the deep snow.
Joey sighed heavily as she took one of the sleds from Aurora and followed in Angelique's path. She was relieved that the snow only went to her knees once she got past the garage door. However, the wind and deep snow made walking more strenuous than what it needed to be. By the time they got to the top of the steep hill where they planned to go sledding, the three girls were out of breath. When they finally did catch their breath, Aurora asked, "So, who wants to go down first?"
"Not me," Joey said, "This hill is a lot steeper and longer than I thought it was."
"Don't be a coward," Angelique remarked as she took the blue sled.
"Maybe we should wait for the others to get here," Aurora said.
"They're coming," Angelique stated as she sat down on the sled, "Someone give me a push."
Aurora came over to give her a push before asking, "Do you want to spin?"
"I don't really feel like throwing up."
"Alright then," Aurora said as she gave her sister a light push.
The younger sibling let out a yelp of joy as she raced to the bottom of the hill. When she finally stopped she fell over laughing. "You guys got to try this!" she exclaimed as she got to her feet and proceeded to walk back up the hill.
"Going down the hill means having to walk back up," Joey stated.
"Are you scared?" Angelique asked once she got back to the top.
"Of course not!"
Angelique shrugged, "I'll go down in the pink sled with you if you want. If you get going too fast, just use your feet or hands to stop or slow down."
"Fine," Joey remarked.
Angelique laid out the pink sled before looking to Joey and asking, "Do you want the front or back?"
"Front," she replied as she got in the sled.
"Okay, now I can either go down on my knees—
"That's what she said."
"Shut up…or I can sit behind you, but you'd be between my legs."
"That's also what she said," Joey remarked causing Aurora to chuckle and Angelique to glare, "You can sit. I've never been between a girl's legs before." And she winked.
"You are awful," Angelique remarked as she settled herself in the sled, extending her legs past Joey.
"You guys ready?" Aurora asked as she came up to give the sled push.
"I guess so," Joey remarked.
Aurora proceeded to give them a push and they started descending down the hill. Joey closed her eyes as they started gaining momentum and snow started spraying up in her face. "Hey now," she remarked as she turned her head, "This hurts!"
"Well then, we'll stop," Angelique replied.
She went to swing her legs into the snow, but her movements caused the sled to suddenly veer sideways and towards a cluster of bushes that surrounded some rocks. "Angelique!" Joey shouted.
"Just hold still!"
The sled suddenly tipped over and Joey and Angelique spilled out of it, causing them to do a few somersaults before finally coming to a stop. They ended up a few feet apart.
"Are you guys alright?" Aurora shouted from the top of the hill.
Angelique sat up, chuckling, "That was fun."
Joey shook her head as she slowly climbed to her feet, "Remind me to never do that again."
"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad," Angelique stated as she picked up the sled and went back to the top of the hill, Joey following her.
For the next several minutes, Joey contented herself by flipping through songs on her iPod as she watched Aurora and Angelique slide down the hill together. She briefly wondered what Optimus, Starscream, and Megatron were doing, but then remembered they were patrolling the area to make sure the gang members were in fact gone.
"Hey, are we late to the party?"
Joey looked over only to see that Wing-Saber, Lynk, Jetfire, Sky-Shadow, Hotshot, and Override had come out. The older girl was just about to respond when Angelique came up and exclaimed, "Of course not!"
"It's not much of a party though," Aurora said.
"We could make it a party," Wing-Saber suggested.
"I think we should play a game," Joey remarked.
"What kind of game?" Sky-Shadow asked.
"What about a Capture the Flag themed snowball fight?" Angelique suggested, "We'll divide into teams, build forts, and instead of tagging each other, we throw snowballs?"
"Sounds interesting," Override stated, "But what's Capture the Flag?"
Aurora went on to explain the rules of the game. The objective was to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's 'base,' and bring it back to their own base. Instead of enemy players being tagged by members of the opposite team, they would be out if they were hit by a snowball, and placed in jail behind enemy lines. They could be freed if tagged by a team member.
After seeing how simple the rules were, the others agreed to play. However, they weren't sure how to divide into teams. "Femmes versus mechs?" Lynk suggested.
"That would mean six against three," Jetfire stated, "That's not fair."
"Well, three of them are gynoids," Wing-Saber stated, "Plus we're battle trained, besides Override, none of the femmes or gynoids are."
Joey elbowed Angelique before whispering, "Little does he know Megatron trained you and I grew up street fighting in a gang."
"They'll need all the help they can get," Hotshot stated, "Let's do this."
With the teams decided, they went about making forts. The mechs immediately staked a claim at the top of the hill since they were outnumbered. Glumly, the girls built there's at the bottom of the hill, but the guys allowed them to have a little extra territory since they would have to cover a greater distance in order to get to the flag. Wing-Saber made a deep groove in the snow to divide each fort's boundaries. If anyone from the opposite team stepped across it, they were fair game to snowballs.
For flags, they used chamois cloths that Sky-Shadow and Lynk used to clean themselves off with. The flag the mechs had to capture was pink; the flag the girls had to capture was yellow. They were just about to begin the game when Megatron, Optimus, and Starscream appeared at the top of the hill.
"Oh, good," Jetfire remarked, "Reinforcements!"
"Hey, that's not fair!" Angelique exclaimed.
"Yes it is!" Wing-Saber protested, "Six people on your team, we'll have six people on ours."
"Yeah, but both Optimus Prime and Megatron?" Aurora stated.
"What's going on?" Optimus ask.
Jetfire proceeded to explain the game they were playing and how they were outnumbered, even though they had the advantage of the hill. Megatron, Optimus, and Starscream expressed interest in playing, and since the teams had been divided into mechs versus femmes, Optimus, Starscream, and Megatron went with the other mechs.
"Okay," Joey said as she sank down below the wall of their snow fortress so that the other mechs couldn't see her, "We need to come up with a new battle strategy if they're on that team and have the advantage of the hill."
"Knowing them, since they're mechs, they're going to be all bravado and go on the attack," Sky-Shadow said, "We're going to have to go on the defensive until they wear out."
"It's not fair they have the advantage of the hill," Lynk stated as she peeked around the wall they had built, "They're planning something."
"Who here is good at throwing?" Override asked, "I've got speed on my side."
"I used to play softball," Angelique said.
However, before they could hash together a plan, a taunting voice called, "You girls coming out or not?"
They looked to see Jetfire, Wing-Saber, and Hotshot standing at the edge of the boundary. Aurora ducked back down and said, "Get the snowballs ready. Since we're not transformers, I say Joey, Angelique, and I will stay together and guard the flag. Lynk, Sky-Shadow, Override, you'll have to go outside the fort as the first line of defense. For now, I don't think we should go after the flag. We should work on imprisoning the others. If we can imprison enough, then maybe we can make a break for the flag."
"Sounds like a plan," Override stated as she stood and ventured out from behind the fortress, Lynk and Sky-Shadow following her.
"Okay," Aurora stated, "No doubt Optimus and Megatron have something brilliant concocted in order to get the flag. They might be able to predict our every move, but somehow we need to outwit them. If we're lucky, Jetfire, Wing-Saber, and Hotshot will let their bravado get the best of them."
"What are you suggesting?" Angelique asked.
"We might have to use our bodies as weapons."
"I'm liking the sounds of this," Joey remarked, "Aurora, Optimus wouldn't expect it from you. You should distract him with a sexy strip tease."
"Not right now," she said, "We need to figure out how we're going to get up that hill."
"Sneak someone in?" Angelique suggested, "Override can transform into a car, that'd be the fastest way up the hill. She'd have to dodge the snowballs though, but if she can dodge lasers and missiles, she could probably dodge a snowball. One of us could go up inside of her."
"Good idea," Aurora said, "All we have to do is get the flag to our side."
"The snow board is up there," Angelique said, "Someone could take that down."
"Not me," Joey stated.
"I ski," Aurora remarked, "I don't snowboard. Angelique, dad's given you a few lessons, you're the only one that knows how."
"That's what I was afraid of."
"Somehow though, we're going to have to distract the guys—
"Oh, no problem," Joey remarked as she took off her coat. She proceeded to take her bra off and slide it out from under her shirt. "Watch a pro at work," she stated before standing up. "Oh boys!" she hollered as she waved her bra, "Anyone want to capture my flag?"
"Can we see your boobs if we do?" Wing-Saber asked.
"Hey!" Lynk remarked.
"I'm just asking."
"Whoever gets my bra can," Joey stated with a smirk.
"Hey now," Starscream remarked as he appeared from behind the other fortress.
"That's a pretty good sized bra there," Jetfire stated, "Hey guys, we could tag team this."
"I don't think so!" Starscream stated as he came forward. He charged across enemy lines and up to Joey. "I'm the only one who can see," he stated as he snatched the bra out of her hands.
Joey proceeded to shove a snowball into his face, "You'll have to wait until later, sweetheart. Take your sexy aft to jail."
Starscream grumbled as he walked to the designated prison location, Joey taking her bra back in the process. She put it back on before looking to Aurora and Angelique, "One down, five more to go."
"Come on," Lynk taunted, "Aren't one of you boys going to step across the line?"
"Ladies first," Wing-Saber replied, "Our duty is to guard the line."
"So is ours."
"Looks like we're at a bit of a stalemate then," Hotshot remarked.
"Someone could attempt to rescue me," Starscream stated, "But I suppose the rest of my teammates are cowards."
"Hey now!" Hotshot remarked. He proceeded to transform and drive across the line, but Override immediately assaulted him with snowballs. Instead of freeing Starscream, he ended up joining him.
"And that is why no one has rescued you," Wing-Saber stated, "Now we're down two men."
"Somehow we got to get Megatron or Optimus," Aurora stated. She stood up and said, "Sky-Shadow, Lynk, Override, come here!"
The three femmes came over. "What's up?" Sky-Shadow asked.
"Think you guys could bring down Jetfire and Wing-Saber?" Aurora asked, "They are standing so close to the line. I wouldn't expect them to get physical, but if you can wrestle them and pin them down, then all we would have to do is get the flag."
"And how would we get the flag?" Lynk asked.
"Well, if Hotshot was able to drive in the snow, it shows you guys got the tires to drive up this hill," Aurora stated, "Override, when Lynk and Sky-Shadow attack, you need to charge up that hill with Angelique inside of you. You will have to do everything in your power to keep from getting hit by snowballs while Angelique secures the flag and brings it back to our side."
"Sounds feasible," Override stated.
"We'll go for it exactly two minutes from now," Aurora remarked, "We can't waste time, especially when Optimus and Megatron could pull something any second."
"Alright," Override said, "Lynk, Sky, you guys go back out there. If you successfully bring your boys down, Megatron and Optimus will have to come out. Joey, Aurora, you might have to help me distract them. No matter what, do not leave our flag unguarded."
"Let's do this," Lynk stated as she and Sky-Shadow returned to guard the line.
Override proceeded to transform and Angelique got inside. When the two minutes expired, Aurora shouted, "Now!"
Lynk and Sky-Shadow pounced, and before Jetfire and Wing-Saber had even hit the ground, Override had torn past them and headed up the hill. She was nearly to the top when Optimus and Megatron emerged from behind their fort, armed with snowballs. Override spun suddenly, causing snow to spray at the Autobot and Decepticon leaders, distracting them enough to allow her to get to the top of the hill. She performed the same maneuver as Angelique tumbled out so that Optimus and Megatron wouldn't see her. She then charged towards the flag. She had just transformed and picked it up when Optimus stopped her, snowball ready. "I don't think so," he stated.
"Override, toss it here!" Angelique stated as she appeared out of nowhere.
Grinning, Override tossed her the flag, which she caught. "What, no!" Megatron exclaimed as Angelique took off with the flag on the snowboard. He started after her, but it was too late. She made it back to her territory before he could get within snowball-throwing-range.
"That's game!" Joey exclaimed, "We win!"
"Yeah, you cheated," Starscream said as he approached her, "You distracted me with your bra."
She shrugged, "You didn't have to fall for it."
"I think we should go back to the base and play something a little more fair," Wing-Saber stated as he Lynk helped him up.
"Like what?" Optimus asked.
"Hide and go seek," Wing-Saber suggested, "And I think we should get Red Alert and Syndrome to participate in it since they're always cooped up in the med bay."
"How are you going to get him to play hide and go seek?" Aurora asked.
"Yeah, he gets pissed whenever I walk in the med bay," Angelique added as she freed herself from the snowboard.
"Easy, I'll order him," Optimus answered.
"Guess it's decided then," Megatron mused.
"Well, we'll meet you down in the base," Aurora said, "We have to put the sleds and everything away."
"I'll help," Joey stated.
Optimus nodded as the rest of the transformers headed back to the base. Angelique, Aurora, and Joey gathered up the sleds and headed back to the house. They first went to the garage where they put everything away. They then went inside and put their winter gear away before going down into the basement and slipping into the base. They proceeded to the hangout where they met up with the rest of the transformers, including a disgruntled looking Red Alert and Syndrome. Apparently on the way back to the base, Optimus radioed him and told the medical officer and his assistant to meet him at the hangout. Red Alert, however, did not appreciate being conned into a game of hide and go seek by the Autobot leader. Nevertheless, he went along with it.
"So how do we want to do this?" Wing-Saber asked, "Should we split into teams?"
"Teams of two," Red Alert stated, "It'd be easiest."
"In that case," Jetfire remarked as he wrapped an arm around Sky-Shadow, "I have my hiding buddy."
And that's how it went. Optimus partnered himself with Aurora, Megatron with Angelique, Starscream with Joey, Wing-Saber with Lynk, Hotshot with Override, and Red Alert with Syndrome. After that was decided, Aurora said, "Maybe we should establish some rules about where people can and can't hide."
After a brief debate, they decided that the person who was it would count from the hangout, that meant no one could hide in there. The person who was 'it' could not use the surveillance cameras for assistance, and nobody could hide in their quarters, the Autobot or Decepticon command centers, the med bay, or outside of the base. Once found by the person that was 'it,' the people were out and had to return to the hangout.
"So, who wants to be it?" Hotshot asked.
"Not me," Joey stated.
"We'll be it," Red Alert volunteered.
"Really?" Syndrome asked, looking up at him.
"I don't necessarily feel like squeezing into a questionably sanitary space in an effort to avoid being found," he explained.
Nobody questioned him and Megatron proceeded to say, "Alright, wait about 20 minutes. We're going to go hide."
"Fair enough," Red Alert mused.
And with that, the Autobots and Decepticons filed out of the hangout, Red Alert and Syndrome staying behind.
"The training room, really?" Sky-Shadow asked as she followed Jetfire inside.
He shrugged, "We don't want to make this too difficult for Red. He doesn't get out much. Plus this place has T.V."
Sky-Shadow shook her head as she went over the lounging area and sat down on a small sofa. Jetfire sat down beside her and reached for the remote when he stopped and looked at her. "Something wrong?" she asked.
"You know, we are alone, and there's still a few minutes until Red and Syndrome come looking," he said.
"No. The last thing I want is to be found in a compromising position with you."
He smirked, "Something wrong with that?"
She handed him the remote. Jetfire sighed, defeated.
"Optimus, isn't this cheating?"
"How so?" he asked as he guided Aurora into his office.
"Well, your office is part of your quarters."
"But it's not my quarters, it's my office."
"If you say so," she stated with a shrug. Aurora watched him as he sat down at his desk. "Wait a minute," she remarked, "You're not actually planning on working right now, are you?"
"Well, if I have the time…" he stopped as he watched her cross her arms. He studied her for a moment before asking, "Do you think Red Alert and Syndrome would find it unprofessional of me if they caught us kissing?"
"No," Aurora replied with a smirk, "Not unless I was naked."
A devious look flashed through his optics as he motioned for her to come closer.
"What are you talking about, this place is perfect!"
"Wing-Saber, I am a femme! Sitting on the dusty floor of a storage unit behind a grimy crate is not perfect," Lynk replied, crossing her arms.
"It was here or it was the bathroom and you know I am not going in there."
"The bathroom isn't even being used anymore, Angelique, Aurora, and Joey aren't human," Joey protested.
"Well, if you want to go cower beside the porcelain throne—
"Ugh, why do I put up with you?"
"Because you love me," he said and he gave her a gentle smile.
Lynk stared at him for a moment, her angry scowl melting into a smile. She blushed and quickly looked away before admitting, "Well, if you're in here with me I guess this place isn't that bad."
He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her.
"Sure is dark in here," Joey mused as Starscream closed the door to the tiny supply closet they were in. He sat beside her on the floor.
"Don't worry, I'm probably the scariest thing in here," he replied, "Besides, they're so many of these closets, it'll take a while for Red Alert or Syndrome to find us."
"So…you and me, in a dark closet, alone, for an unspecified amount of time…"
"You said whoever captured your bra would get to see your boobs…"
Joey smirked as she briefly lifted her shirt and bra for him before readjusting her clothes and leaned back against the wall. Starscream sighed heavily, "Now I have needs."
She looked to him, "Needs?"
"What do you say you and I play a game?" he asked.
"What game?"
"Capture the panties," he replied as he moved closer to her.
She chuckled, "But, what if I'm not wearing any?"
"Oh, don't tell me that," he remarked, his voice full of lust, "Come on, we've got time for some shenanigans."
"What if we get caught?"
Starscream shrugged, "Red Alert and Syndrome can watch."
Joey shook her head before leaning over and kissing him.
"You're not very good at this whole hiding thing," Override stated as she leaned against the sink that was in the bathroom.
Hotshot eyed the toilet warily, "You got any better ideas?"
"Sure," Override stated as she walked over to the shower that was in the bathroom, "Take a shower with me and help me forget exactly where we are."
"But, what if Red and Syndrome come?"
"I'm sure they've seen worse," Override remarked as she turned the water on.
Hotshot looked to the door and back to her before stepping forward and saying, "Well, there's no way I'm saying no!" And he got in the shower with her.
"Um, Megatron, are you sure about this place?"
The Decepticon leader turned to Angelique as the door closed behind her before asking, "You have a better idea? Quite honestly, I don't think anyone would come down here."
"But, the prison?"
"Don't worry," he said as he wrapped an arm around her, "I'm not going to lock you up if that's what you're afraid of."
"No, I'm not afraid," she stated as she leaned against him, "Just a little weirded out."
"Well, we can't have that," he remarked.
"So, we can leave?"
"No, you just need to forget we're here," he said as he leaned down and kissed her briefly, "How's that?"
"That'll work."
He smirked and closed the distance between them.
When the 20 minutes expired, Red Alert opened his comm. to the appropriate channels and announced, "Ready or not, here I come!" He promptly ended the transmission before sitting back down on the couch and picking up the television remote.
Syndrome eyed him for a moment before saying, "Uh, Red Alert?"
"Yes, Syndrome?"
"Aren't you going to go find them?"
"No, why else would I volunteer to be it? Now, come sit and watch T.V. with me."
Syndrome hesitated, "But, what about the others?"
He shrugged, "They'll figure it out eventually."
Giving up, Syndrome shook her head and sat beside him. The Autobot medic wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer causing his assistant to give a small smile. "I suppose it's not too bad getting out of the med bay once and a while," Red Alert admitted.
"No, I certainly don't mind."
He gave a small smile, commanding the lights to dim to a soft glow as he leaned over and captured Syndrome's lips with his.
The intern wasn't sure what to think of the envelope that had been dropped off at the news station. It was from Daniel McHugh, the former chairman of the Smiths Landing village board. Thinking it could prove to be interesting, he opened the envelope. A flash-drive fell out of the envelope and landed on his desk. Curious, he took it over to his computer and plugged it in. There were several video files saved on the drive. Without much thinking, he opened one of them and began watching. Before the intern realized it, he had burned several hours watching all the videos.
Slack-jawed, he went over to the phone where he dialed his boss' department. "Hey Tom," he said when his boss picked up, "Sorry to bug you, but something really interesting just came in. It's from Daniel McHugh. You're going to want to see this."
Please review!