Hello everyone! Or rather, anyone who happens to still remember or hold any interest in this story! My sincerest apologies for the 4 month hiatus, classes hit me out of nowhere and I was neck deep in work and school for the duration. Now that I have a little free time on my Christmas break, enjoy the next chapter!
The next several joors passed more peacefully than any Switchshade had experienced since the early vorns of the war. For the most part, the dark mech simply did his best to remain out of Lord Prime's vicinity and made a concerted effort to avoid catching anymech's attention as best he could.
While the Autobots began to settle back into what appeared to be their typical routine of patrols and guardian duty for the young humans who had attached themselves to the 'Bots, Switchshade found himself more or less sticking to Ratchet's backstruts. He watched in utter fascination as the medic flawlessly completed to work of at least six mecha, easily completing several times what any one mech might have been assigned on any given cycle on the Nemesis. The black mech followed in the medic's pedesteps like a lost cyber-pup, but Ratchet tolerated it with a surprisingly good grace, even seeming pleased that at least one mech in the base recognized his talent.
Switchshade's recovery time had been greatly reduced after Ratchet finally lost his patience with the constantly escaping mech and stasis-cuffed the young mech to a medi-berth until his pedes had completed the necessary healing. He hadn't been doing his weakened protoform any favors by attempting to confront Makeshift so soon after the scraplets' attack, and although the involuntary two-week stint in medical stasis had done wonders for his repair systems, once he had regained consciousness, Ratchet had appeared in the med-bay mere kliks after Arcee had left. Switchshade hadn't even attempted to speak, and the medic didn't show any sign of having expected differently. Far more gently than Switchshade believed he deserved just then, Ratchet eased his left servo into the stasis cuff and attached the other cuff to the medi-berth. The thought to resist didn't even cross Switchshade's processor. A gruff, suspiciously choked-off "Welcome back, kid." was all Ratchet said, before briefly running through some scans and then promptly leaving the med-bay again.
Two orns of peaceful (forced) rest later, the stasis-cuffs were removed by the medic himself, and Switchshade had taken to following him around the base. The only exception being when either mech was in recharge, or when Optimus happened to be in the same room as Ratchet, at which point the black mech would seek any excuse to flee the area as quickly as possible. The frame-crippling terror that had flooded him whenever he was within the vicinity of the Lord Prime had faded considerably, but Switchshade was still wary. Despite the Lord of the Autobots proving to be almost comically different than Lord Megatron in nearly every aspect, Switchshade could not help but wonder at which misstep or mistake that Lord Prime would finally begin to lose his seemingly endless patience. It had not happened yet, and that frightened the young mech almost more than actually witnessing the Lord's rage might be.
Still, the Autobot base was undeniably far safer an environment than the Nemesis, and although Switchshade found his spark greatly yearning for his sire and Laserbeak, the knowledge that they were both alive and well thus far was a source of comfort to him. After the uncommonly long stint of peace, Switchshade wasn't surprised in the slightest when a source of strife once again arose. What was a surprise, however, was that the conflict did not, in fact, begin with the Decepticons, but rather, the three young humans that seemed to have more or less semi-permanently moved into the base.
It was yet another orn of quiet, and Switchshade was silently pacing the length of the base and back, not yet daring to venture out of the boundaries alone for fear of disapproval, despite his status having been changed from 'Decepticon prisoner' to something as of yet uncertain. 'Guest', perhaps. Ratchet had finally succumbed to recharge after nearly five cycles without rest, Optimus eventually stepping in and urging his old friend to take a break from his latest study to recharge. The Lord Prime himself was away on other business, Switchshade hadn't even considered asking, and the other Autobots with the exception of Arcee were already gathered in the common area. Bulkhead and Cliffjumper had begun a friendly wrestling match that had quickly expanded to include Bumblebee and half the furniture in the room, so Switchshade had retreated rapidly, meaning only to get out of their way.
Arcee's engine's roaring was his only warning, leaving the fleet black mech only just enough time to pivot on one pede as he dodged the speeding femme. She transformed back into root-mode after skidding to a stop, seeming oddly flustered about something, and simply muttering a quiet warning to Jack, who had climbed off of her just before she transformed, looking exhilarated and a bit out of breath. The blue femme offered a quick nod to Switchshade before hurrying further into the base. It was then that Miko and Rafael attacked Jack, exclaiming happily about his triumph in something. Switchshade had only half an audial tuned in from old habit, processor more concerned with why Arcee had seemed nearly upset when her human was clearly quite happy about something, when Jack quietly but urgently uttered seven words that sent the black mech's helm spinning with worry. "You guys have to keep this on the d.l.-especially from Optimus!"
All three humans jumped and spun around, with varying degrees of guilt on their faces, when the ex-Decepticon knelt to ask, equally quietly, "And what, pray tell me, Jack, it is that you are attempting to keep hidden from the Lord Prime?"