A/N: So, here's the latest chapter. I've changed the POV shift from the "* * *" to the "VVVVBREAKVVVV" since the former isn't coming through for some reason. Let me know if this doesn't come through as well and I'll see what I can do. If it does, then I'll go back through the previous chapters and fix them. Tracy
Chapter Thirty-three
"So, why are we tightening up security now that the last Sec. Def. is dead?" Fig asked in confusion.
"Dr. Longhorne was a colleague of Dr. Carlisle," Two-ten informed. "The doc thinks that Longhorne kept some of his files for personal use and is now concerned it may implicate him in some way."
"Why? Was he doing something wrong?"
"I don't know, unless the first cyborg was a kid like Longhorne was saying when he flipped out."
"Why would any parent allow their child to be used in an experiment like that?" Fig asked in horror.
"Who knows? Maybe they didn't have a choice?" J.J. chimed in.
"How would they not have a choice?" Nemes asked in disbelief.
"Death? I heard from someone that the first cyborg was actually Carlisle's orphaned niece," Two-ten speculated.
"Now that you mentioned it," Flaherty added thoughtfully, "I remember someone saying that too, but I don't remember who."
"Me neither," she confirmed.
VVVVVBREAKVVVVV
Maestro watched through the computer as the Deadeyes met before their scheduled shift. This was perfect! They were beginning to respond positively to the subliminal messages he was sending them. Now, it was time to start upping the game a bit;
Accessing Dr. Carlisle's private files concerning his Maimed Angel experiment, he prepared an email attaching the first recording and sent it to the Deadeyes. Maybe this would make them mad enough to challenge him, or at least question his orders.
This would prove most beneficial to Ellie's plan. Now, if he could just figure out how to ensure its success.
VVVVVBREAKVVVVV
"So, why did she get all these extra generators?" Epps asked Clyde as they drove back to the lair.
"She got those for the stasis chambers that were rescued from the ship."
"What ship?"
"There was an Autobot ship that crashed on the hill over the lair," Ironhide informed. "There were eight survivors; Sunstreaker, who is Sideswipe's twin, was badly damaged on the bridge during landing, and Powerglide and six others that we haven't been able to identify yet were in stasis chambers in the main hold."
"Oh. So will they be alright?" Epps asked in confusion as he braced for the one sixty degree turn. He so did not want to end up kissing Clyde's window, thank you very much.
"Don't know yet," the weapons specialist answered.
"Hey, are you gonna give me any training on the lair's defenses?" the human asked to change the subject.
"Yeah. We'll take care of that tomorrow afternoon."
"Me too? I don't know how to operate those weapons you salvaged yet," Clyde asked eagerly.
"You, we will work on in the morning. Then you and I will teach Epps here about the shockers."
"Yes sir!" the truck chirped happily as he pulled into the lair and stopped.
As the pair climbed out of the cab of the truck, Epps noticed Optimus sitting rather stiffly against the wall at the far end of the cavern.
"Hey boss 'bot," he greeted as he approached.
"Robert, thank Primus you are back," the giant leader said with a grateful sigh through his vents.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid Ellie has fallen asleep in a most delicate position."
"What do you mean?"
"She ate all of the chocolate you brought her at once. First Aid said she experienced a 'sugar rush,' which was quickly followed by what Jukes referred to as a 'crash.'"
"I'll bet! That was a lot of chocolate. I'm surprised she didn't get a stomach ache."
"Perhaps she will.
"However, she has fallen asleep inside my armor and I am incapable of retrieving her myself."
"How in the world did she get there?" Epps asked, humorously perplexed.
"I allowed her to sit on my shoulder and she explored the area. She discovered a gap between my chest plate and shoulder armor that she was able to wiggle into. As stated previously, she fell asleep and I cannot retrieve her. I am concerned that trying to do so will cause her injury."
"So, you need me to try and pull her out," the human stated with a chuckle.
"Yes! I am equally concerned that if I move the wrong way, she may fall out, or the armor may compress her beyond endurance."
"Okay, okay. Lift me up to where she is and I'll see what I can do."
Gratefully, Optimus offered the human his hand and raised him up to the top of his chest armor.
"Okay, I can see her. First of all, she ain't going nowhere unless you plan on doing cartwheels. Secondly, I don't think she's in a place that will crush her if you move unless you transform," his voice echoed from inside the Autobot leader's armor.
Optimus released a tense sigh from his air intakes as he visibly relaxed. "Can you retrieve her without harming either of you?"
"Yeah. Give me a minute," he said as he pulled on the girl's underarms.
"Geeze! She's heavy for all the bigger she is!"
"That is probably from her cybernetic components."
"Okay. Got her," he said with a relieved sigh as he pulled her onto his lap.
"Thank you Robert. I greatly appreciate this," the prime stated as he lowered them both to the ground.
"No problem. What are friends for?" he replied as he wiggled his way off the giant hand. Turning around, he picked the girl up bridal style and carried her toward the workroom.
"Hey Mike! Can you show me where her room is?" he asked of the microwave who was directing the placement of his new kitchen.
"Never mind," Jazz said as he rolled away from the perimeter monitor to allow Prowl to take his place. "I'll show him Mike."
Epps followed the 'bot around the corner and through a curtained off partition.
"Here's where she sleeps," the 'bot said as he pulled back the covers on her cot.
"It's awful dark in here," Epps commented.
"Yeah, we have to keep it dark in here because she can't turn off her optic. If she doesn't wear her sunglasses, she gets really bad headaches."
"Oh. So, does that mean she's recording everything that's going on?"
"Yeah. She admitted to it when Ratchet examined her."
"Alright then. So, is one of the girls going to get her ready for bed?"
"Why do they need to? We can do it."
"What? That should really be something between females," he objected uncomfortably.
"Why? We just have to take off her shoes, sweatshirt and glasses."
"Do you mean that she sleeps in her clothes?"
"Of course. How else is she going to sleep?"
"Usually, they have P.J.'s for sleeping."
"P.J.'s?"
"Pajamas? You know, nightclothes?"
"Oh. She doesn't have any."
Epps sighed. It looked like he was going to have to have an intense talk with this little girl. She didn't know the first thing about being human.
Deftly, he took off her shoes and stared in surprise at the robotic stumps he uncovered. "Sweet heaven above," he said on a swift intake of air. Shaking off his surprise, he removed her glasses and gaped at the left side of her face; her eye was gone and, instead, a glowing red orb that reminded him of Terminator stared at him blankly. A ragged edged, burn scar led from her eye back to her ear where it disappeared beneath her hair.
"Oh baby! That man was a monster. No wonder you avoid people.
"I promise that nothing so terrible will ever happen to you again as long as I have a say in the matter," he swore to her as he felt his eyes tear up.
Gritting his teeth at what else he knew was coming, he took off her hooded sweat shirt and laid her back onto her bed. The metal of her arm shined dully from the light coming from the workroom. Finally, he removed her leather gloves and placed them on the crate at the head of her bed.
Tucking her in, he got up swiftly and moved toward the curtained entrance. "You coming?" he asked Jazz.
"Nah, we take turns staying through the night with her.
"She has nightmares," he added by way of explanation.
"Oh. Then, maybe you can tell me what does she use as a bathroom in this place?"
"Out of her room and right past the workroom. There's a corridor that leads uphill right after. Follow it to the top."
"Thanks," he said as he left.
VVVVVBREAKVVVVV
"What is the status of our mechs?" Optimus asked Ratchet as he came from the surgical bay.
"Sunstreaker is stable and we should be able to restore his spark to his body early tomorrow morning. First Aid is connected to him to direct his self-repair systems.
"I'm on my way to the med bay to monitor the connection of those new generators to the stasis chambers. Hopefully, it will give me a better idea as to the status of the survivors."
"Very well then, I will accompany you."
"Excuse me, sir," Hound interrupted.
"Yes?" Optimus asked as he paused.
"When you're done with him, I really need to show you something."
"Of course," he answered as he followed his medic.
"Have you been able to determine who any of the others are yet?" Ratchet asked Hot Rod as he placed the last of the assembled generators next to the last chamber.
"As a matter of fact," the Wrecker started smugly, "I was able to replace three more monitors. So three of them, at least, are Silverbolt, Fireflight and Brawn."
"That will hopefully level things up in the air," Optimus stated thoughtfully. "If the remaining chambers contain the rest of the Aerielbots, then we will have a definite advantage with their combining ability.
"Can you determine their current status?" he turned to his medic.
"Yes. They all are stable and in perfect stasis, however," he started as he watched a readout scroll across the holograph his arm projected. "Each is dangerously low on Energon."
"I thought stasis chambers were designed to replace Energon reserves?" Hot Rod asked in confusion.
"Normally, they are. Unless the chambers were so badly damaged in the crash they began to draw energy from their occupants," he trailed off.
"Or they were on the verge of offlining from lack of fuel," Optimus concluded.
"They could also have been sabotaged," Hound pointed out from the entrance to the med bay.
"Hot Rod, I need you to eliminate that possibility. As soon as Ratchet decides the next course of action, I want you to examine those chambers for signs of tampering. Look at the chambers that did not protect their occupants until then," the leader ordered.
Hot Rod nodded as he rushed off.
"You know the likelihood of all seven of those chambers being damaged in that way is astronomical," Hound stated resignedly.
"I know," the prime confirmed.
"When can you get them out?" he directed at the medic.
"Two hours. I'm going to bypass the chambers' refueling circuitry and feed the energy directly into the occupants. That should stabilize them all enough to get some Energon into them."
"Keep me informed. I wish to be here when you revive them," he told Ratchet.
"With your permission," the medic started, "I'd like to begin to prepare for Ellie's new limbs while we wait for the crash victims to stabilize."
"Permission granted," the prime nodded to his medic.
"Now, you wanted to show me something?" he turned to Hound.
"Follow me," the unit leader motioned.
"What is it?"
"While ya'll were gone, the girl told me where she put the sparks of Flashlight and Splash. I really have to tell you, it's amazing!"
Transforming into their alts, Hound led his leader down the ramp that led to the heavy water lake and turned left at the bottom. After three minutes of driving, he stopped in front of a pair of quartz encased granite columns with a quartz arch connecting them at over two hundred feet. Reverting back to his bipedal mode, he motioned to his leader to transform and enter.
Curious, Optimus transformed and walked between the columns, stopping and staring in awe as soon as he crossed the threshold.
"She calls it the cathedral," Hound supplied from his left shoulder.
"I can see why. It is truly beautiful," he responded as he allowed his optics to scan the massive space;
Nearly five hundred feet wide by three times as long, the space contained stones arranged like benches large enough for ten Cybertronians of his own size to sit on. They were arranged on either side of a wide central aisle that led to some sort of podium or altar. Quartz encased granite columns supported a roof of latticed quartz that domed above the entire space. The fading light of dusk gave the scene an ethereal effect, tiny rainbows dancing along the surfaces from the prismatic properties in the quartz.
"She put the sparks over here," Hound motioned to his right.
Optimus followed his unit leader to the side aisle that ran on the outside of the supporting columns. Once behind the columns, he could see small niches cut into the wall that looked like the perfect size for a spark to reside. Looking along the corridor, he noticed crystals sitting on pedestals close to the walls. They looked familiar . . . accessing his memories, he quickly located the files he needed and could not help the sound of surprise that escaped his vocal processors.
"What is it?" Hound asked, alarmed.
"Have you ever been to the Primus Museum and Temple in Iacon?"
"Naw, never made it to Iacon before the war."
"They had a display of ancient crystals that were used as recording devices. According to their records, they were used by Primus himself. Those are the same kind of crystals."
"How do they work?"
"It was believed that they would create a direct optic data burst when properly activated."
"So, how are they activated?"
"I'm not sure," Optimus said as he approached the closest crystal. He got to within ten feet of the device when he froze.
"Optimus? You alright?" Hound asked in concern.
After fifteen seconds of no movement, he jerked back in surprise. "Apparently, it is a proximity trigger," the prime answered as he shook his head.
"Did you see something?"
"Yes. It was the last meeting held here.
"This expanse is the city Ellie's ancestors have been protecting.
"I want you to bring Grapple here and have him examine all structures for stability. Perhaps this place will be our new home," he ordered.
"What are you talking about?"
"The last meeting held here separated the biological survivors of Uriel's world from the technological life forms the infected survivors became. If the Cybertronians remained behind, then there is a very real possibility that there was an energy source of some kind here. Maybe even Energon."