Chapter 35: Iratus
(latin: angry, wrathful)
AN: Happy holidays and a very happy New Year to everyone out there, may you all be safe this holiday season! (And thank icanhascamaro for reminding me to update!) xD
My eyes felt puffy, and my head felt like cotton. I couldn't see. My throat was sore, and I could barely blink. The skin on my face felt like it was burning, and I couldn't remember much other than I had fallen asleep or something outside.
::Sideswipe? Sunstreaker?::
::Next time you're that low on energon, tell someone,:: Sunstreaker growled at me, still angry and black.
Sideswipe sounded serious, but not dark and deadly like Sunstreaker did. He was guarding the perimeter with his twin.
::Stay within sight of someone that you know at all times.:: Whatever was happening definitely had the twins spooked – or completely pissed off and infuriated, like Sunstreaker. Which was their response to being nervous in any manner.
There was a smash of something from behind me, and I jumped. My hand went to my side, and I clutched my bare hip. No knife, no gun. I didn't have the harness on that I was given. I clenched my teeth, and tried to see around me. No luck.
I ran my fingers around the space I was in, and could only feel the edges of my table. I moved off, and stepped to the metal of the floor. I was careful in my steps – it was quite possible that I was in the medbay, on one of the tall tables that Ratchet used. It was warm in the room, and I could hear a growling, snarling noise now that I was playing attention.
"Ratchet?" I managed, wincing at how scratchy my voice was.
There was a beat of silence, and then he was snarling at me. My throat tightened – why was he mad at me? Had I done something?
"Sit down and don't move – I don't want you falling off that table."
I nodded, my tongue too large for my mouth, pressing against my hard palate.
Ratchet continued, voice tight. "Do you have no sense at all? Not telling anyone that you were low on energon, to the point of falling offline in the baking sun and enduring thermal burns to your epidermis from the radiation thrown off by the sun? What sort of half-glitched moron falls offline from ignoring their systems?"
My stomach clenched, and I felt like throwing up. It was hot and cold at the same time, and I felt betrayed. Ratchet, the one that I could rely on, was being cruel, for no reason that I could see.
"Sorry?" I offered, feeling small and pathetic. I wanted to run away, but Ratchet had told me to stay, and only a few days ago he had gotten on my case about not listening to him.
I wanted to listen, but it just seemed less important. I started weighing my options.
If I left the medbay, I could get away from Ratchet, even though I was blind and on a new base. If I stayed, he might continue being a jerk, I wouldn't find my weapons, and the table was starting to feel like a prison.
"Sorry doesn't fragging cut it," Ratchet growled, banging something on the wall, hard. He smashed something metallic, the clatter crashing in my ears, exacerbating my headache. I moved my hands over my face, feeling the skin ache hotly at the feeling of my cool fingers.
Something tugged at my arm, and I traced the IV line. Probably an energon line.
"If you fragging touch that line, I will knock you offline," Ratchet threatened. My fingers clenched, even as I held back tears. I was leaving – there was no way that I could stick around and cry. In the mood Ratchet was in, I couldn't see him responding well.
I let go of the IV line, and settled back.
::What's going on with Ratchet?:: I asked Sideswipe. There was a pause.
::Shockwave,:: he said grimly. ::Fragger knocked off Skids and Mudflap.::
::As in…dead?:: I asked, shocked. In all the time I had been around the Cybertronians, death had only come to my family, and those around me. I hadn't even considered the idea that they could die. And now… two of them were dead? Dead, as in, completely not alive and Ratchet hadn't been able to…
Oh.
I understood, if only a tiny bit.
Still, I wasn't going to stay and be his punching bag. I'd leave.
Surreptitiously, I unclipped the IV, and could immediately hear the dripping of fluid on to the ground. There was a smash of metal on the ground, and the stomp of massive feet.
"I told you to leave the IV alone," he growled, grabbing me with a massive hand and somehow attaching the IV again. I was tense, feeling crushed and claustrophobic, unease washing through me.
I didn't feel safe – the first time I had ever felt like this around Ratchet.
Immediately, Sideswipe was in my head. ::What's up?:: he shot to me, in a fast packet of information. He was tense and focused, and balancing on a knife edge. Between Sunstreaker and himself, he was walking a mental tightrope.
Mentally shaking my head, I muttered out that it was nothing. He wasn't going to hurt me, he was just… intense and angry. I knew that it wasn't focused at me, it was just slopping over the edges on to the closest available creature.
If I brought the twins in here, there would be a fight, and that was not what Ratchet needed right now. A healthy way to blow off his steam was needed, but… I wasn't durable or even close to mentally-stable enough to handle Ratchet. I shouldn't have to.
I wasn't the main concern here – Ratchet was just worried about me, and there was a much greater chance of Sunstreaker going after Shockwave than Ratchet hurting me.
I was being silly.
Crawling back onto the table that contained blankets and a pillow was my safest bet. I didn't want to ask Ratchet how much was left in the IV, and I wasn't really able to see. It would be silly to run around, but I felt like bursting into tears. I hated when people were mad at me, especially when I hadn't done anything.
A few tears escaped my eyes, rolling down my cheeks before I could stop them. I hated this.
Ratchet was raging around the medbay, and if anyone else had any sense at all, they'd avoid the medbay with a passion.
I wasn't sure how long I was in there, but at some point, my vision came back. I peered around myself, rubbing at my face with a cool hand.
Ratchet stomped over, and ordered me brusquely to rub a cream on my face. I assumed it was for the sunburn, and did so as he checked the IV. I applied the cream, feeling the pain in my face fade away almost immediately. Running my tongue over my teeth made me frown – they felt funny.
Sneakily, I glanced over at the IV pole, noting Ratchet hanging up a new bag of rich blue. The line was feeding into my upper right arm, dripping from the little chamber slowly.
Ratchet was still fiery, mumbling and snapping whenever I said anything, so I stayed silent, willing myself to have a backbone.
A few minutes later, he was on the other side of the medbay – I eyed the distance to the door. Maybe I could make it – there was no way that I would be able to nap anymore, not for a while.
Glancing up at the IV, I knew that as soon as I touched it, Ratchet would be on me. There was a small ladder to the left of me, and all I'd have to do would be detach the IV, run down the ladder and run for the door. I thought I could make it.
I still couldn't see my weapons, but that was alright. I'd find them.
::Do you have my knife and gun? Or does Ratchet have them?::
::Ratchet,::Sunstreaker said simply.
My jaw tightened. Of course, he had them. The question now changed to if I needed them enough to brave Ratchet.
My voice was quivering, but I managed the whole question. "Ratchet, do you have my weapons?"
"You don't need them right now," he growled.
I clenched a fist. "I need them."
He huffed out air. "Why do you have such weapons in the first place? Those fragging twins, humans aren't allowed to have our weaponry."
I felt anger rush through me, and my face blanked. "You're not taking my weapons."
"Humans aren't allowed to have our technology," Ratchet growled in reply.
My jaw was tight, and my fingers were clenching, over and over. My anger boiled over, and it didn't matter that I was trying to keep Ratchet happy. "You aren't keeping them – the 'cons could attack at any moment, and I'd have nothing to defend myself! I've been through that too many times, and you. Are. Not. Keeping. My. Weapons." I growled out the last words, vaguely aware of the twins, bristling in the back of my mind.
"I'm not giving you these, you don't need them," Ratchet snapped. "Especially not in the medbay."
I swallowed, glaring in the direction of Ratchet, white-blue in his chest flashing brightly. "I'm not safe anywhere – you know that. How dare you think that you could protect me from everything, when Sunstreaker and Sideswipe have actually been working with me to increase my chances at survival? Do you want me to die?"
Immediately, I stopped, knowing I had gone too far. Ratchet's systems were roaring; churning out static and metal was grinding in agonizing shrieks above me. Brilliant white eyes were glaring darkly at me, slicing me like lasers. He was silent, and I was frozen, unsure of what to say.
"Ratch-" He cut me off.
There was a growl, and the noise of his feet stomped over and dropped the whole system on my table. Flinching from the bang, I scuttled over, collecting the weapons and slipping on my leather harness. The knife was slipped into its pocket, and my gun was hefted over my head, clicking into the harness.
A load I hadn't been aware that I was carrying slid from my shoulders, even though I.
The IV bag was three quarters full of glowing blue when I made my move. A quick twist of my hand and a few steps brought me to the partially see-through ladder. I raced down it, knowing that Ratchet had seen me by now, but he might not have a chance to get to me if I moved quickly enough.
I darted across the floor, heart racing in my ears and stomach in my chest. My legs pumped, arms moving fast. The gun thumped against my back sharply with each stride. Ratchet's loud steps crashed in my ears.
He was chasing me, even though he was pissed. Or maybe because he was upset. And I had royally stuck my foot in it.
Scuttling out the doors, I breathed as I escaped that smothering intensity around me.
Sure, it was immature of me, but there was no way I was sticking around to be a verbal punching bag for Ratchet. He'd have to deal with his grief in a different way.
Moving outside, I was blasted with bright light from the sun. I didn't slow though, racing forwards. Ratchet was still chasing me, and he had just transformed.
"Alex, get back to the medbay!"
I didn't respond.
Adrenaline was racing through me, legs pumping, arms moving in tandem. My heart was pounding, but I felt good – running was something I was good at.
I darted into a different hangar, and barked out a sharp little curse when I saw three mechs – they'd chase me for Ratchet.
One called to me, and I almost slowed before I put on a burst of speed, racing for the back.
"Alexandra?"
"Bumblebee?" I asked, surprised. It had been ages since I'd seen him – or, heard him. I'd been pretty much unable to see when I had met him.
"Can't talk, angry medic chasing," I huffed out, racing forwards. Bumblebee snickered, and I smacked his side as I moved past the shiny grey metal. His blue-white energy crackled throughout the vehicle. The car alarm yowled once.
"Jerk!" I snapped as I ran by, his snickering following me. There was another human in the room – female, from the shape.
Moving towards her at high speed, she looked up as I ran by. She was sitting on a bench, and Ratchet was storming towards me. I darted into the human-sized door in the back, moving down the hall as fast as my legs could take me.
This was ridiculous! "Stop chasing me!" I called at the fuming medic.
"Stop running!" he called back. "Get your aft back in the medbay, now!" I shook my head, a laugh spilling from my lips from the insanity of it all.
It seemed that he wasn't angry enough at me to allow me to escape without proper medical care.
Finally, after running for a while, I paused in a bathroom. A bathroom with a shower. That sounded heavenly right now – I was hot and sweaty.
No towels or shampoo or clean clothes put a halt to that little fantasy, for now anyways.
::Alex, the frag're you doing? Ratchet's all worked up,::Sideswipe asked.
::He's the one chasing me!:: I defended, feeling hysterical laughter bubbling up again.
There was only laughter through the bond, but it felt forced. I could tell that Sideswipe was getting close to snapping, and it was only bare threads that kept Sunstreaker on the base at all. Both wanted to go kick the slag out of Shockwave.
I stayed somewhere that Ratchet couldn't get to me. It was boring, but it allowed me time to think and process what was happening, what had happened to the mechs.
There was a lot of thinking involved.
I cleaned my weapon, focused on the clean, smooth metal and putting it back together. I needed more practice with the weapon, and the knife, but there was no way that I would suggest practice with the twins in such a hair-trigger mood. Sunstreaker's 'training' was terrifying when he was in a good mood; now would be a death wish.
Eventually, I decided that I needed something to eat. Moving back into the hangar, I looked for Ratchet. Bumblebee was gone, and Dino was there. I glared at the fancy car, wishing I had some eggs to chuck at him.
Moving stealthily, I was close to the door when I noticed the white-blue ball of energy moving quickly towards me from somewhere to the right. Ratchet, my brain informed me.
Turning around, I started running for the human-sized door again. I didn't make it – Dino had parked himself directly in front of the door, with no way for me to get through.
"Going somewhere?" he asked, voice smooth.
I glared. "You are the pettiest creature I have ever met."
Seriously, trapping me because the twins had glued him to his berth? What a child.
Ratchet snapped me up like a crab grabbing a fish. He was glaring at Dino, and growled at the fancy car through a comm. As we left, Dino revved up his engine and followed after us. The vehicle trudged behind us towards the medbay, and I smirked at the car from my perch in Ratchet's hand, sitting on his palm and holding on to his thumb carefully.
Ratchet was still angry and grieving, and all I wanted was to leave. I'd only been in the medbay for about an hour again, hooked up to the IV draining blue fluid into my system.
Ratchet was checking Dino over, harshly poking bits and pieces of the mech with large fingers.
There was a crash from the door, and I immediately knew who it was – there were only two that I could feel so intimately, after all.
Both were tense, and taut. I was snatched up by Sideswipe in a blur of grey metal as Ratchet's roar echoed through the medbay. I disconnected the IV as it tugged painfully at my arm. Sunstreaker took Ratchet on, shoving the medic backwards with firm hands. Ratchet was shoving back at the twin, snarling.
Sunstreaker was completely silent, other than his engine revving at the medic.
"We've got some training with the squishy," Sideswipe chirped out, cheerfully tucking me into his interior. The plush leather cushioned me, and it was clear that his tire had been repaired – the ride was perfectly smooth.
"Training?" I asked, wondering if I had heard him right, and felt an insane giggle in my throat. My nightmare had come to pass – Sunstreaker was going to take me apart.
"Yup." Sideswipe's engine revved as he was joined by his twin, a greyed shadow with a glowing blue energy ball that perfectly matched the one in Sideswipe, mirror images of each other.
I was barely outside of Sideswipe, feeling the heat beat down on my skin, when a whoop alerted me to the blade, swinging down at my head. I rolled forwards, feeling the gun on my back press painfully into my spine. I winced, eyes tight in pain. The blade wedged into the ground. Sideswipe tugged it out swiftly, clods of dry dirt flying up. I rolled up to my feet, whipping my gun out.
A wild, reckless feeling was going through me as I darted forwards, the bond dampened on both ends – I didn't want him to know what my plans were for fighting.
There was a blade in front of me, gleaming silver and shiny blue. I fell backwards, managing to catch myself before I landed on my butt, whirling around and feeling a blade touch my back softly.
"Gotcha," Sideswipe crowed.
I grinned up at him. "This is great! I can't win!"
::Most humans don't like losing,:: Sunstreaker growled.
::But the more I practice, the better I can get. And no humans can beat you two,:: I said confidently, wincing at the pain in my back as I stretched.
Both twins were proud when I paid attention to the bond, and there were no comments about humans being able to beat them.
I continued. ::So if I train with you two, I should be pretty decent.::
The twins shared something over the bond, fast enough that I couldn't catch it – but the feeling in the bond was one of contemplation. It didn't feel negative towards me, so I disregarded it and concentrated on catching my breath. Even though the session had been short, I was throwing one hundred percent of my energy into surviving the training.
A massive hand descended on me, but I didn't pay it any mind. Sunstreaker wasn't going to squish me – or if he was, well… Not like I could do much about it.
Sunstreaker grabbed my weapon, hefting it up. He changed the ammunition, tucking the old ammunition into a subspace hole on his forearm before handing the weapon back to me.
Sideswipe took over explanations, his twin growling at the nickname, shoving Sideswipe through the bond. "Sunny just put harmless colour pellets into your gun; now you're going to fight back."
I glanced at the greyed twin, see-through limbs bright in the sunshine. ::I…am going to fire… paint at Sunstreaker… and he's not going to kill me?::
I wanted to make sure that there were no miscommunications here – Sunstreaker could very well destroy me for touching his paint. Heck, I didn't even touch him because I'd get oils on his finish, and I'd witnessed first-hand what he did to Sideswipe when he chucked some snow at him.
This seemed like a suicide game.
Sideswipe snickered. "You're going to be trying to tag me."
I nodded. "And Sunstreaker?"
"He's going to be attacking me – the goal is to try to hit me and not friendlies."
I nodded again, exhaling in relief.
Sideswipe snorted. ::If you hit him, then you have to watch out for being killed by your ally.::
::Fantastic,:: I groaned. Sideswipe shot me a grin through the bond, all sharp lines and rakish edges.
::Start,:: he chirped, and dove at me. Sunstreaker met him with a lunge, before I could even blink. The crash of glittering metal and snarls of high-performance engines melded, dust churned up from their feet. Sideswipe managed to escape his twin, racing towards me with liquid intent, blades out and flashing towards me. I hauled my gun out, just in time for Sunstreaker to grab Sideswipe and throw him to the side. My finger hovered on the trigger, but there was no way I was going to accidentally hit Sunstreaker.
Sideswipe was up with a bounce, tussling with his brother, glee radiating from his spark.
They wrestled for about half an hour, stress bleeding from their sparks as they dug up the earth, throwing up clods.
As I ran around the fighting mechs, dents and banging echoing from each hit, I understood. This whole training thing, for today at least, was just so they could pound on each other, beat the stress out. By the time they were done, I was leaning against a large rock, gun cradled in my hands, watching them in the shade. There was no need to get more burns on my skin.
Ratchet would flay me.
The longer I watched, the more I appreciated the grace and strength being displayed in front of me. They moved simultaneously, hands grappling and pulling at armour with lethal intent. They moved like well-oiled machines, the clots of dirt flying through the air. Heavy thuds echoed on the ground from their steps.
They weren't trying to harm each other – I had no doubts they could really hurt each other if they wanted to, but up to this point, they hadn't even pulled out knives. A friendly wrestling match, with only dents and scratches being delivered.
Then Sideswipe and Sunstreaker separated, both whirling to a stop in front of me. Sideswipe looked down at his chassis, and then tilted his head in a very human fashion at me.
"Not even one hit?"
I shrugged, still holding my gun in one hand. With a lightning fast move, I raised it to eye level and fired at Sideswipe. A single mark shone on his abdomen, and he shot a smile at me.
"Cheap shot."
I snickered, eyeing the mark. Sideswipe scrubbed the spot, rubbing the mark off easily. Sunstreaker rumbled, cloth out as he wiped off dust from his frame.
"So where should I shoot to disable a 'con?"
Sunstreaker grumbled. ::First you need to be able to hit a 'con.::
I nodded, sheepish grin in place. The twins shared another enigmatic glance, and then Sideswipe skated closer, holding out a clawed hand for me to move into. I did so, no fear in me that I would be damaged.
::We'll work on target practice later. Right now, I just want you to be more aware of the weak spots.::
Immediately, he started streaming information to me. Information about the armour under the chest being the weak point to the spark; when they were transformed, how the spark was just behind the engine, right near the clutch; the joints of the legs were weak; helm had vital information but was a difficult target for a short person to hit (me); weapons systems.
::Got it?:: He asked.
I nodded, head aching fiercely for a moment before fading to the dull throb I was used to.
It took me a few moments to figure out where I was. I was sitting on top of Sideswipe's chassis, and he was lying on the ground. Somehow, I ended up exploring his frame, in an effort to remember all of the information that he had beamed into my head. Each part I poked, he gave me information on. The time was relaxing, soaking in the warm sun and exploring his frame.
It was nice. Sunstreaker was sitting down as well, only he was sitting on a massive cloth so he wouldn't get grass stains on his aft and legs.
::What are the things on the side of Sunstreaker's helm?::
::Those are lower-sensitivity vents. I've got sensor nodes, but Sunny's got so much armour, he needs more vents to keep his systems cool.:: Sideswipe snickered. ::He's a hothead.::
Sunstreaker thumped his twin through the bond for the nickname, and I winced, nearly falling off the silver twin. It hurt, headache immediately tripling in strength. My arms were sore too – probably from when Sideswipe had been driven off the road.
It wasn't as bad as I remembered the other ones being.
We were outside until the sun started setting. I was lying on Sideswipe, at some point relaxing back to lie on a niche that existed on his abdomen. It was comfortable and warm, and I could feel the energy from his spark right behind me. My eyes were starting to droop, the warm sun putting me to sleep.
My eyes flickered out, vision disappearing. It didn't bother me though, not like last time when it had been horribly distracting and even caused me to go unconscious.
Awhile later, I stretched. ::What does the sunset look like?::
Sideswipe snorted. ::Blue, fades to pink. Why?::
::It was my favourite thing to do with my dad, and I haven't been able to…for a long time.::
There was a small pause, where I thought I might burst into slow tears again at the thought of my dad, those quiet nights where he and I had played card games on the porch, watching the sun set slowly, massive smiles from me and small answering smiles from him. My heart clenched, and my jaw was tight.
Sunstreaker huffed. I got the feeling that he thought Sideswipe would never accomplish anything artistically.
A few moments went by before I started getting a picture in my head, courtesy of Sunstreaker. The colours were vivid, dark indigo blue stretching towards the horizon, a slice of brilliant yellow-white in the middle, streaks of golden yellow reaching up like fingers, melding perfectly with pink and purple. A few clouds drifted across the scene, tinted gold and pink.
I swallowed. Something about seeing the colour struck a cord in me; I'd been seeing variations of blue and grey for the past while, and the simple, normal colours resonated with me. It was a link to my past – a welcome link, and I wanted to stay in the picture.
It was like my father was beside me, and I couldn't help but relax.
Sunstreaker kept the visual data coming, updating it every second, and slowly, slowly, the three of us watched the sky change, the pinks and gold bleeding from the sky. The slice of white slipped from the sky, the colour darkened to a rich navy blue and the white specks of stars uncurled in the sky.
A small smile was on my face, and from the depths of my heart, I thanked Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.
::You can't possibly know how much this means to me,:: I managed, voice soft and delicate.
The vision of my dad, back when I was a little girl, showing me the stars after the sun set, and telling me little stories about each of them. I couldn't remember the stories now, but the memories of him holding me on a dusty hill, the cool air washing over us, his smooth voice a background as I snuggled against his warm chest.
Tears slipped from my face, sliding down my nose to land with a plop on Sideswipe's armour. I wiped my face, half-laughing at the confusion I was feeling from Sideswipe.
::Sorry, human leakage, sorry.::
There was another lightning-fast communication between the twins, Sunstreaker speaking to Sideswipe, and then Sideswipe's mental nudges towards me stopped.
I wasn't sure how long we sat there, all three of us lost in our own thoughts. It was nice, like the prickly edges that had coated the twins all day was dimmed, or that I was underneath the armour that coated their very sparks.
Maybe I was seeing things that didn't exist.
My eyes slipped shut, and I fell asleep, curled up on Sideswipe, warm and content.
There was a dull ringing in my ears, a sort of buzzing noise that radiated through my mind and hooked in my skull. I blinked, barely seeing grey. No blue in my vision.
I groaned lightly, sitting up slowly. My head swam.
::Alex, you're online?:: Sideswipe spoke, and was that a hint of concern in his voice? It was gone by the time I could even think about identifying it.
::Yeah… I'm in the medbay?::
::Energon shortage,:: Sunstreaker said shortly, tense as a bowstring.
This was becoming troubling – how many times had I gone offline from energon exhaustion? How many times had I woken up in the medbay due to critical shortages? It seemed that the morning infusions just weren't cutting it anymore.
But what else could I do? I didn't want to haul an IV around with me all day; that wasn't practical in the slightest.
Perhaps I could drink it. Carrying a water bottle around would be a lot more possible than dragging an IV around. I was sure that I could make some sort of hook that I could attach the bottle to my harness with. Or maybe I could get Sideswipe to bend a piece of metal in a hook for me.
I shot this idea to Sideswipe, who was close to my table. I could feel him close by, playing his online games in his processor – World of Warcraft, if I wasn't mistaken. Sunstreaker was nearby too – leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
Sideswipe sent a quick affirmation to me, still playing his game.
::Where's Ratchet?::I asked, not sure if I wanted him to be here at all. If he was still upset (which he no doubt would be) then I didn't want him near me.
::Ratchet's recharging – Jolt's the medic who is watching now.::
Relief flowed through me.
::How long was I out this time?::
There was a loud vent from Sideswipe, air blowing out of his vents. ::Only two joors.::
Around sixteen hours then. That wasn't that long – well, for some of the other times I'd passed out.
::Do you have any energon I could drink?::
Sideswipe hesitated. ::Last time, you cooked your internals.::
::But I've already damaged them, and if it's falling offline when I run out or slight damage, I'm taking the damage.::
Sideswipe thought this through, and then agreed with me. I could tell that the thought of falling offline was much more nerve-wracking than taking some damage. In that, we were completely in agreement. ::Can you see now?::he asked curiously.
I nodded. ::Just in shades of grey though – and weird blue everywhere. As far as I can tell, the blue is energon. White is the spark, I think.::
::You can always see the spark?::
Immediately, his mind was racing, triangulating ways to use this information to refine her training. Shockwave would show a human with a strange energy signal no mercy; he'd kill her slowly, ripping her apart from the inside out. He'd tear out that empathetic mind, shred it into a bloody pulp.
She would be irrevocably changed, hardened and warped like everything Shockwave touched.
He shot a glance at his twin. They'd been changed enough for one lifetime because of that mech.
Sunny just stared back at him, optics flickering pale blue.
Over the past couple of weeks, she'd stood up for them – something that no one did – and she'd wanted to help them. No one did that.
Sideswipe knew how the rest of the 'bots viewed them: loose cannons, ready to go off at any moment, point them in the direction of the enemy and duck. Sideswipe was viewed as the prankster, easy to talk to but dangerous to get too close to. Sunstreaker was the one who could rip off arms for perceived slights. No one tried to get close, and the twins didn't mind – everyone else was unnecessary. Just let them fight (which was all anyone thought they could do) and kill until they either lost their minds or were killed.
Sideswipe didn't really know what to think about Alex. She was so… strange.
Standing up for the terror twins, even though she'd been through so much. She was inherently good – and even though she had had a lot of slag happen to her, she was still looking at the positives, still trying to protect those around her, protecting the only family she had left in the only way she knew how.
She was good.
He couldn't bear to see something that he had been instrumental in creating destroyed into a pile of destroyed humanity. For that reason alone, he and Sunny were united in protecting her, training her so that she could maybe last long enough for backup.
If Shockwave was interested in her, then he was going to make sure that she was as difficult for him to get as possible.
Sunstreaker agreed. It was rare for someone to even try to understand them, and most of the time, they didn't want anyone to. But she managed to, without even trying. She was able to understand Sunstreaker, she wasn't scared of them (not anymore) and she was able to deal with them when they were on a knife's edge, bringing them down from that without even trying.
For Primus' sake, she managed to bring Sunstreaker down from the tense, quivering mess he had been (partially) earlier. And from her mind, she hadn't even meant to.
It brought up concerns though – both of them were made to destroy, to maim and kill and break things. She was a delicate, mortal, dying human – like a fragile glass ball in their hands.
They would break her – she'd already gone through Sunstreaker's slight rage, and come out damaged. She'd met him and been blinded. It was only through luck that she had made it this far – more training would help a little, but she was so soft.
Training would only help to a certain point. Frag, humans were so soft and squishy – like balls of liquid on a soft frame. It was amazing what they did – so breakable and yet they'd jump off of cliffs with polymers of fabric and wood, fly above the earth in thin metal machines that could easily be torn apart.
They would break her.
But until they did, she was theirs to protect and watch over. Sunstreaker met his gaze and his eyes sparkled a pale shade of blue.
::Sideswipe?:: I asked. He had been thinking, but had seemed gone for a moment. There was a moment of a weightless, floating feeling and then he was back.
::Sideswipe?:: I repeated when there was no answer.
::Yeah?::
::You okay?:: I asked, wondering why he was so closed off. Sunstreaker was starting to feel edgy and antsy again, but he wasn't leaving the medbay.
::Yup. Peachy keen – the frag's that mean?::
A tiny grin curled my lips. Sideswipe was trying to change the subject. The mech continued. ::So if you can see the spark, that changes the game plan a little. Aim for the spark, every time. What about the grey world?::
I explained it to him, and he started to sound curious, scheming and thinking. ::You can see the joints between armour plates, the weak spots. We're going to focus on that. I want you to work on your aim.::
::Hit the weak spot, you destroy the spark,:: Sunstreaker rumbled, still leaning against the wall.
I nodded, taking in the information. I'd have to practice a lot more, but that was okay. I wanted to get better, to be able to take out a 'con, maybe, instead of running for my life like a twit.
"Hey," a smooth human voice said. I blinked, looking down to see the form of a human. Her face came into view, and I immediately pulled back. She was absolutely gorgeous, even in the grey-scale I could see.
::Is that a holoform?:: I asked Sideswipe quickly.
He chuckled, and I felt a quick negative echo through the bond.
"Hi," I said back.
Her face crinkled slightly, a frown at her brow.
"You can't speak English?"
I paused, wondering how to explain this. I shook my head, then pointed at my throat, hoping to mime that I couldn't speak English, but I could understand it.
She tilted her head a little, then smiled at me. Flawless smile. I gave a weird sort of grin back, fighting back an unintended flash of insecurity. I had scars all over my face, my eyes were red and the sclera were bloodshot.
::The frag're you fretting about?:: Sideswipe muttered. ::All humans look the same.::
I didn't know how to respond. ::You know how…uh, intent Sunstreaker is on the cleanliness of his armour? That's how normal human girls respond to being disgustingly filthy and scarred up around beautiful humans.::
Sideswipe still sounded confused, but that was to be expected. ::So, humans are always as vain as Sunny? I find that hard to believe.::
Sunstreaker smacked Sideswipe through the bond, and I winced, headache aching fiercely for a moment. ::Don't call me that.::
I tried to explain it better, aware that the human female was still watching me – now grimacing in pain. Fantastic.
"Are you okay?" I nodded, giving her a thumbs up weakly.
::Its a girl thing. We all hate looking like junk when a gorgeous female comes back. Makes us feel inadequate.:: Oh, that was strange, explaining human psychology to an alien as I was feeling it, and he was too, through me.
::Meh, don't worry about it. Humans are weird.::
I smiled at him, quirking a brow. ::You say that like I'm not a human.::
"Should I leave?" I looked at the human, and shook my head quickly, moving my hands in little waves, trying to indicate that it would be fine if she stayed.
I clambered down from the table, placing my feet carefully. Approaching, I lamented the fact that I had no way to actually communicate with her.
She dug a cellphone out of her pocket, and opened up notes, handing it to me. I grinned at her, an honest smile.
"I'm Mikaela – I'm learning to be a medic from Ratchet." Her eyes darkened, sorrow in her eyes.
I froze, glancing into those eyes. Tapping out a response only took moments.
Were you working on the twins?
She glanced at the screen and her jaw clenched. She nodded sharply, biting her upper lip.
I'm so sorry. Were you close?
"N-" She cleared her throat. "Not really. But I-" She stopped, giving me an apologetic look. "Sorry, I don't even know you."
I nodded. I'm Alex. I… I paused, not sure what to write. I'm in training, I guess.
She read the phone's surface and blinked at me. I shrugged then tapped my finger to my lips.
"How'd you get into all this craziness?"
Sideswipe crashed my café and…it went from there, a few years ago. You?
"Uh, Sam – my boyfriend – his car saved us after a cop car came after us. Best decision of my life."
Who's his car?
"Bumblebee? Yellow Camaro?"
I nodded, smiling. I know 'Bee – he's nice!
She laughed. "Yeah, he's pretty great." Her eyes started to shadow again. "Hey, I've got to get going – I'm meeting Sam."
Nodding, I tapped one last message into the phone. If you need to talk about anything, let me know. It was nice to meet you.
She took her phone back, and nodded, a small smile in my direction.
Sideswipe brought me a bottle of energon, and I drank the whole thing. My throat tingled harshly, and I winced at the strong flavour – electric and tangy. He pulled a weird blue cube from Sunstreaker's subspace – which earned him a smack for the intrusion into his subspace – and filled the bottle back up.
I took it back, hooking it on my belt. It stayed perfectly.
::How'd you get it to work so perfectly?::
::I'm just that talented,:: Sideswipe preened.
::Thank you,:: I smiled through the bond.
I scampered out of the medbay, two massive shadows following me. There was a chirp from down the hall, and I looked up towards a large grey shape. The blue in the mech's chest was very vivid, less white visible. I wondered what that meant.
"Bumblebee!" I called out, grinning at the mech for the second time that day.
There was a dark thrum through the bond.
"Gonna stand my ground, and I won't be turned around," Bumblebee's radio crooned, and I smiled brighter.
"Better watch out, Ratchet might be coming for you too," I teased.
"Hit me with your best shot! Why don't you hit me with your best shot!" The grey mech smacked his chest with one hand, the metallic clang ringing through the hall. I snickered, grinning widely.
"You'll change your tune when Ratchet actually catches up to you," I promised.
There was another dark pulse through the bond, from both twins. My head throbbed, and I found a small yawn trying to escape.
"So what are you doing around here? Oh, you know the twins, right?"
"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you," Bumblebee danced, and I immediately bit my lip. Crap. Bad song choice.
Sunstreaker's engine snarled loudly, a high noise that filled my ears with white noise. He lunged forwards, and there was a blat of static before Bumblebee was slammed into, the clash of metal ringing in my ears.
Sideswipe leapt forwards in the same movement, but his intent was clearly to stop Sunstreaker. The enraged mech whipped a glowing blue blade from subspace, dark intent in his every thought. It was like he wasn't even thinking, he was just angry.
"Sunstreaker!" I called, hoping he didn't hurt Bumblebee, Sideswipe or himself. I didn't want him to hurt anyone right now.
A blade smashed into the thin metal of the wall, the steel crumpling like paper and screeching at the blade's intrusion.
A massive grey blur whirled past me, and a foot hit me, knocking me down and causing pain to flare up my side. Pain in my arm crashed as the new mech managed to take Sunstreaker down, holding him to the floor. There was a moment with Sideswipe grappling with Bumblebee, until he went to his twin's aid.
He ripped the larger mech off of his brother, tearing him back. Engines snarling, the twins bounced up, and flung themselves forwards.
I ducked backwards, moving to be safe. My gun was a comforting weight on my back.
Sunstreaker growled, hands moving to the plating of the other mech, tearing and ripping at the grey armour plates. The other mech was just as vicious, one hand digging at Sunstreaker's side, pulling on wires and armour.
Sideswipe was back to grappling with Bumblebee, until the sleek twin pulled something behind Bumblebee's head, and the blue optics shut off.
There was static and noise ringing in my ears, and Bumblebee toppled to the ground, hitting hard enough to leave scratches and dents in the concrete and his armour.
"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, stand down!" A loud voice called out, from behind me. I pushed myself further against the wall as Sunstreaker was smashed into the floor. Sideswipe jumped on to the other mech's back, hands poised to rip into the lines under the much bulkier mech's armour.
"Stand down!" The massive mech's words echoed through the hall, and both of the twins shuddered, something clicking in their minds. I breathed out in relief – it always astonished me that they were so lethal when fighting. I definitely had good teachers.
My sides ached and my headache was splitting.
The twins were glaring at the two new mechs, both bristling and ready to lay into the smaller of the two new mechs if he even breathed wrong. I could feel my skin prickling from the hostility being bandied about.
"Sunstreaker, Sidesswipe, take Bumblebee to the medbay and then you are confined to quarters for two joors."
The twins grumbled, but both slung an arm of the offline mech's body over their shoulders and hauled his frame down the hall.
I trotted after them, hoping they wouldn't be set off quite so easily but not counting on it. Their room would probably be destroyed after they were done with it.
Once in the medbay, Jolt was moving forwards, directing them to place Bumblebee on the closest berth, which they did gracelessly. 'Bee's arms flopped over the edges of the berth, clattering on the metal surface.
The smell of energon filled the air.
The twins stomped out of the bay, Sideswipe's wheels making more than the normal amount of noise on the cement flooring.
I stood close to the table, staring up at the arm that was draped over the table.
"Is he going to be okay?" I asked Jolt, who was moving wires and small plates of armour on 'Bee's head. Bumblebee's blue spark was holding steady, so I knew he was alive, but that was all I knew.
Jolt moved down to Bumblebee's torso, to the place where Sideswipe had ripped wires in his side, deft fingers moving over the spot.
He flicked some grey-black wire from subspace, and started fixing wires, clamps and small tools sprouting from the tips of his fingers. He was growling as he stripped wires, clamping and attaching other wires to the bare ones.
I heard something about the 'fragging twins' and knew immediately who he was talking about.
In this case, they sort of deserved it. Bumblebee had just played a song – a badly chosen song – and they had torn into him. He was actually fortunate they hadn't been meaning to do damage.
Both were on razor edges again, Sunstreaker a quivering mess. On the outside, he was lethally still, cool and watchful. But any provocation was going to be deadly – and Sideswipe was just as bad.
"Bringing Bumblebee online," Jolt said, motioning for me to hide under the table. I nodded, scuttling under the cover, crouching down to wrap my knees into my chest. Jolt was at his head, and I could see through the table, to his fingers, laced with blue, plucking and digging around in 'Bee's cyan-tinted head.
There was a gasp, a click, and Bumblebee came up swinging. His cannon in his right arm transformed and there was a snap as metal moved on his frame. His feet hit the ground near my spot, whirring noises and static filling my ears.
Jolt raised his hands, approaching the warrior carefully. He must have said something over the comm., because Bumblebee transformed his hand back after another few moments of nerve-wracking tension.
"Alex? You can come out now."
I nodded, coming forwards and smiling sheepishly up at Bumblebee. "Sorry about the twins… They're a little… hot-tempered right now."
"When aren't they?" he said wryly, playing a short clip as well. "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!"
I grinned at him more freely, tension melting from both of our frames. "They… I can't really say they mean well, huh?"
'Bee played a short clip. "You can't help yourself from falling, you can't help yourself at all!"
Blowing my breath out between my lips, I stared up at the mech with shadowed eyes. "This wasn't the first time this happened."
"Oh, it's gettin' better now, every day, yeah," Bumblebee played, crouching on his heels and holding a hand out to me. I stepped on to his hand.
"It shouldn't happen, ever." I tilted my head as he lifted us. The twins were suddenly in my mind, and I blinked as my head ached. "So are you always around this base? Does your human live around here?" That made it sound like Bumblebee had a human pet.
A dark growl rolled through the bond, and I ignored it. Maybe they were just upset they were stuck together in their room.
"Sam is going to University, and I split my time between him and his parents." At the same time, his radio spat out a short clip. "She's got it, yeah baby, she's got it!"
I smiled, and we chatted for a while. I learned that his human's parents – Sam, Mikaela's Sam – didn't know he was alive, and treated him like a regular car. Sam only 'took him home' on weekends sometimes, and the car was very lonely when he was forgotten in the garage. He hadn't said as much, but being stuck sharing mental-space with two mechs, I had come to know moods very well – and 'Bee was very expressive. His optics were a bright blue, and his whole frame reeked of open, trusting behaviour.
So different from my hostile, untrusting two. I could feel them, getting wound tighter and tighter as they listened shamelessly to me talking to Bumblebee.
He commented on my weaponry, inspecting the gun by scanning it and stating that it was perfect. I told him that Sideswipe had procured it for me somehow, and he told me it was custom-made. I was impressed – Sideswipe had made it? Wow.
Bumblebee loved music, and loved to dance – when he first landed, his voice processor was broken and he couldn't speak, so he'd had to use the radio. He'd quickly fallen for human music, so different than Cybertronian music. I got the impression that he was relatively young, and had 'grown up' in the war.
That was no way for a person to grow up, even an alien life form.
There was a growl from the bond, and I blinked internally.
::Stop talking to him,:: Sideswipe threatened. I sent a puzzled feeling at him. What was wrong with talking to another mech? Sheesh. The twins were galvanized into action, although the only thing I could get was that they were on the move.
It wasn't like 'Bee was a 'con. I could laugh at that thought.
::Besides, you two are in your quarters until tomorrow sometime. I have to do something, and I might as well talk to 'Bee.::
::Don't call him that, his name is Bumblebee,:: Sideswipe grouched, and I blinked. Bumblebee slowed, unsure about my expression.
"Ya' feelin' alright?" 'Bee played, hesitantly.
I nodded, and Sunstreaker growled. My head ached, and I yawned.
There was a moment, and then I could feel and hear them closing in on the poor younger Cybertronian. Bumblebee shot a quick clip at me, "What'cha gonna do, when I'm gone, what'cha gonna do, what'cha gonna do when I'm gone?"
I grinned and then the twins moved around the corner of the hall, engines snarling and a dark undercurrent racing through the bond. I didn't quite get it, and the twins weren't saying anything.
They moved like water, fluidly sliding towards us, Bumblebee tensing as Sunstreaker speared him with his glittering white optics. Sideswipe grinned, engine revving.
"That's our squishy you have there, and we want her back," Sideswipe said, only a few feet away from Bumblebee, close enough for air from his vents to move across my face, pushing hair back in little eddies of air.
Sunstreaker was on his other side, an imposing, dark presence that felt coiled like a spring, ready to snap at any moment.
"Alex?" Bumblebee said, and I knew that he was asking me if I wanted to go back with the twins. Normally, I would have said 'no way' and stayed with 'Bee – he was an interesting mech – but with the tense, dark atmosphere curled around the twins like a blanket, it wasn't worth it. They might take it out on 'Bee, again, and I didn't want that.
"I'll go with them. It was great seeing you again, 'Bee – we'll have to meet up again," I said happily, moving from Bumblebee's palm to Sideswipe's, and the silvery-grey form immediately moved away from Bumblebee.
At my last statement, a dark growl rolled through Sunstreaker's engine, and the bond was black for a moment.
Sideswipe turned, Sunstreaker following and cuffing Bumblebee with his shoulder roughly, causing the smaller mech to stagger. Satisfaction rolled through the bond for a brief moment.
Another yawn made me stretch in Sideswipe's palm.
::Such a human,:: he said, voice sort of softer in tone. I nodded, exhaustion washing through me. It had been a long day, again. My eyes were flickering out, but I was going to sleep. Then I'd drink some more energon to have eyes for a while.
But the last time I had left it until I couldn't see, I passed out. With this in mind, I took a small shot of the tangy, burning fluid, wincing at the feeling in my mouth and throat.
My vision wasn't immediately improved, but I could feel the fluid in my stomach.
Carefully, I capped and placed the bottle back on my belt, mindful of the sway from Sideswipe's steps.
::Sorry Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, I'm falling asleep here – could you just point me in the direction of the room for me?::
There was a small flicker through the bond. I was too tired to analyze it.
::No. You're staying with us.::
::As long as you have a bed,:: I groaned, wondering why I was so tired.
::Yup,:: Sideswipe replied. ::All the luxuries and comforts a human could want!::
::Great.:: I replied, head drooping to lean against his thumb. There was a laugh from Sideswipe – a very human laugh, external and through his speakers. I blinked at him.
Right now, all I wanted was to be able to sleep for about twelve hours. Even sitting in Sideswipe's palm – metal and contoured – was making me fall asleep.
Was it possible to fall asleep from contact with a palm? It sounded silly, and I wasn't going to say it out loud.
My eyes closed, and a small smile curled my lips, despite the tension in the two frames near me.
Melissa blinked, eyes focused on the camera that showed the different hangars. She'd just gotten on to her shift, and today was camera monitoring. Check for any activity that was off, people that didn't fit, unknown aliens.
Keen eyes focused on one room in a certain hangar.
Was that… it was. Her eyes narrowed and a delighted grin curled her lips. Alex was back – and sleeping on the silver NBE – Sideswipe's – abdomen. She had to repress a shudder at the thought of being that close to one of the aliens.
Her mind flickered as to why a human would be that close – and none of the answers were any less disturbing. Human-alien romantic interactions? Disgusting – it would never work, and there was something just wrong about it. Who could romantically love a metal titan?
But that would explain why the human girl stuck around those two, and why they were always coming for her (her brain blanked out the dirtier version of that sentence, not even considering the idea of how it might happen).
Now all she had to do was get this information to Q. Soon, she'd have to initiate contact with Alex too – Q would undoubtedly want her to get the girl off of the base and into his custody as soon as possible.
Q took a sip of lukewarm coffee, slight tightening around his eyes showing his displeasure at the temperature. He leaned back in his chair, steepled his fingers and froze. Dark eyes flicked up to the computer screen, where a silver face with a single red optic gleamed back at him.
His heart rate skyrocketed, but he stayed outwardly calm.
"Yes?" he asked, not moving from his relaxed position.
"You are Manuel Alvarez, going by the name Q. I am Shockwave, and I desire all of your knowledge on the other Cybertronians inhabiting this planet."
AN: Poor, poor Q. Just had his whole little operation toppled. Damn Shockwave. :)
So. This chapter was supposed to come out on Christmas Day, but as I was editing (on the 24th…) I realized that it just didn't feel right to me. So I added a few more parts, and before I knew it, the chapter was around 10k again. Ah well, I don't think anyone's complaining, huh? This also lead to a small delay in posting, but… well, what can you do.
Songs Bumblebee uses (that I do not own):
Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel; Won't Back Down – Tom Petty; Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar; It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – REM; Livin' On The Edge – Aerosmith; Gettin' Better – Tesla; Venus – Bananarama; Whatcha Gonna Do - Chilliwack
I gotta say, I loved the whole bit with twins/Alex and the jealousy (that she somehow did not recognize.) Oh, Alex.