Disclaimer: Transformers: Animated and everything related belongs to the rightful company Hasbro. I am in no way shape or form making money off this.
Author's Note: Its been a LONG while since I updated, and I'm so srry but there's a lot going on and I hit a really bad mental wall. So please enjoy this chapter. Oh yeah, I may close the poll by the next chapter so if you haven't voted now, please do so!
Prowl: 22
Starscream: 25
Optimus Prime: 5
Other: 5 (Bulkhead: 1; Skywarp: 1; Sentinel: 2)
Rankings haven't changed much but if I'm wrong please let met know. Enjoy!
"Nightmare"
Written by: Beloved Shadow
Inspiration by: JazzTheTiger
"There you have it, folks! The heroic Autobots have once more saved the citizens of New Detroit, they have even offered to repair the damages caused by their latest battle against the bots who call themselves the Constructicons," the news anchorman said as the TV screen showed video footage of the latest battle that overtook the city.
A quiet figure watched from the shadow of its hood, hands loosely clasped together with arms outstretched as they rested on bended knees. A video feed of the heroic Autobots was being shown, including a few clips of the battles from their first arrival to now, all taken from different angles (some no doubt taken from the citizens and later uploaded onto the internet). The video feed now showed the massive alien robotic lifeforms helping around the city with repairs, before cutting to a live feed of the mayor and his press secretary holding a small interview in front of City Hall.
"Please, one question at a time!" the woman called out before stepping back as the mayor gave a quiet nod to one of the reporters present.
"Mayor Edsel! The Autobots have once more saved the city of New Detroit from certain doom, what are your thoughts about this and the safety of the citizens?" The elderly man said nothing but it was Miss Adrias who spoke up to translate.
"Mayor Edsel has the best interests for the people of New Detroit, he has already spoken with the police department about increasing patrols to ensure everyone's safety," she explained.
"But aren't you worried about the many fallouts from these "never-ending robot wars"?"
The mayor raised a brow and once more his press secretary stepped up. "True, these fights seemed to originate with them coming here, but they are assisting the police department with capturing our own city's villains, as well as willing to help with the repairs to the city in the aftermath."
"Damages they caused to begin with."
Letting out a low grunt the mayor stepped back and everyone knew that was his way of ending the interview but it didn't stop the reporters from throwing even more questions at his retreating back. The video feed turned back to the anchorman at the station.
"Autobots: protectors? Or demolishers? Next on our broadcast, Christmas is right around the corner-" But the lone viewer ignored whatever the rest of the news was about as he stepped off the couch and moved into another room. The lights flickered on as soon as the sensors caught motion, the figure walked over to the fridge and rummaged inside before grabbing a container of some leftover take-out. Eating some of the food right out of the container the figure moved out of the kitchen, through the living room and into a short hallway. Nudging a door open revealed a dark bedroom but the lights didn't turn on. Instead he sat on a bed tucked in the far corner where his laptop sat atop the rumpled covers, blinking in the darkness. he wordlessly tapped on it as he continued eating his food.
"New email from P. C. Powell. Subject: Bank Transfer," a computerized voice said from the speakers.
"…" Slurping the cold noodles, the figure reached out and opened the email, revealing a video file that immediately began playing.
"The specs look good and we've already had some very good feedback on the focus groups. I'm wiring you the rest of the payment as promised but just remember our deal, just because you sold me these plans doesn't mean you get a piece of the profit! I paid what you wanted so I own the rights and you signed a binding contract that says you can't turn around and use them yourself. Technically, I could turn you over to Sumdac since these were his blueprints originally… but I bet that old fool forgot he even had them," he muttered mostly to himself. "Anyway, pleasure doing business with you." The video immediately closed.
"… pig," the figure muttered and wordlessly brought up his bank statement, clicking on the account summary. Sure enough, the money was all there but he didn't waste any more time as he began typing away rapidly, hidden eyes looking over the screen with a studious expression. He sat there for over an hour before pulling back with a soft sigh. "Done." Closing the laptop, he tossed the empty container in a trashcan off to the side and wordlessly leaned back against his pillows even as he pulled on his headphones. For a while he listened to the music, tuning everything out but tensed slightly when his cell phone vibrated. Taking it from the front pocket of his sweatshirt he opened it to see a text message.
BadVibrations: Have you completed your program?
RuinItAll: Yea. PCP sent $$$.
BadVibrations: Excellent. I am acquiring the remaining materials needed.
RuinItAll: +1 I'll ul u the dets l8tr.
Tucking the cell phone back into his pocket he pulled his knees to his chest, staring at the opposite wall that, even though the lights were off, was covered in various photos and images of the walking robots printed from online as well as images that had been secretly taken, maps covered in marks where they had been seen or battled, newspaper and even magazine articles covered every available space and it wasn't just the heroic Autobots, but the war-crazed Decepticons as well. Letting out an irritated grunt, the figure wordlessly laid down on the bed, turning on his music once more; so far things were falling into place and soon everyone would pay.
"Soon."
Christmas was here and the people of New Detroit were excited about the festive holidays. The city was covered in a thick blanket of snow, people dressed warmly in their thick clothing, everyone was in the festive mood even as last-minute shoppers rushed from store to store, nearly everyone carrying packages varying in sizes but all wrapped in colorful paper and tied with matching ribbons. A red and blue firetruck quietly drove down the busy street, scans spreading out every several minutes to pick up any potential danger that may be lurking.
::Hey Optimus! How come you're still patrolling?:: Bulkhead asked over the comm link. ::Everybot's back at the plant and ready to party.::
::It's Soundwave, I see him everywhere I look,:: the disguised Autobot said as he once more passed several ads that were proclaiming the hottest item for purchase. Stopping in front of a very large (even for him) screen showing the ad of said bot. Transforming he watched as the video began playing and he was displeased to hear the vocalizer of the one organic he dared to say, actually despised.
"The interactive Sound Wave toy sings! He dances! He does it all!" Powell narrated as the ad showed just what the small toy could do, showing the excited and happy faces of the children. "And he can still be delivered in time for that last-minute gift." He was prepared to praise his product more even as he stood before an entire store filled from floor to ceiling with said packaged toys when a phone rang somewhere off-screen. "Oh, looks like we have another caller." No sooner did he answer it a small window opened in the top right corner of the screen and an irate-looking Isaac Sumdac was seen.
"That toy rightfully belongs to me, Powell! You are a thieving crook!" he said angrily as he leaned in closer so his face filled up the small window.
The business man just smirked, not losing his composure even for a second. "And a Merry Christmas to you, too, Professor Sumdac, but I acquired your toy's patents fair and square. Now I'm sharing Sound Wave with the entire world-for only $19.99 each."
"$19.99? How does he do it?!"
'How does he do it?' The Prime wondered to himself even as his teammate spoke up once more.
::Prime, I knocked Soundwave into a million pieces, remember? He can't hurt us now. So c'mon home, Sari's gonna show us how to celebrate the holiday season in style.::
"Tell him we're making oilnog," the techno-organic called out where she was stirring a large drum of oil, wearing a red and fur trimmed cap on her head.
::Oilnog? I'm afraid to ask.:: It did sound interesting but what in Primus was a nog? He turned and began walking when he spotted a certain blue item walking by itself with no one in sight. He knew it was just a toy but he couldn't help but continue staring at it as it stopped and turned its helm slightly to look at him. The gold yellow visor glowed a vibrant red for a quick klik before it turned and ran off.
'I don't think they were designed to do that.' Without another word Optimus began running after the much smaller bot, surprised that despite being much bigger it was surprising fast. Its much smaller size enabled it to ran up the stairs that lead up to the train platform, easily avoiding being stepped on or noticed by the humans going about their business. He stopped at the base of the stairs, knowing there was no way he could go up them but he watched as the toy was now running along the side of the tracks. Determined to get to the bottom of this, the Prime jumped up and managed to grab onto the railings that made up the supports of the tracks, hauling himself up to see that the toy was still running along the side—but there was also a train heading straight for him as well!
"W-Whoa!" His servos immediately let go just as the train rushed right over him, his helm having barely missed being taken along for the ride. However, part of his stabilizer got caught in the support pillar that was, thankfully, more than strong enough to support his weight as well as the tracks and the trains running overhead. In the plaza below the humans let out nervous cries as they watched the Autobot leader hang upside down, wondering and murmuring to themselves what he was doing. "… okay. Maybe, I just have Soundwave on the processor," he said to himself, wincing at the painful sensation of some pinched wires. Venting to himself he made to get up and try to pull his ped free when he caught sight of the toy once more, but this time it was on the other side of the plaza and it, purposely, ran up to a lone human. Stopping, it reached out and tugged at their clothing. The human didn't seem the least bit surprised as he turned and wordlessly picked it up, but as it pointed at the Prime's direction the human turned as well.
The figure was in fact, a female (his scans revealed her genetic make-up listed as such) and she was dressed in very large sweatshirt, a short skirt over what appeared to be form-fitting "pants" and thick-soled boots. Although the hood was pulled over her head, he could see strands of deep purple hair falling into green eyes. She was looking at him in—disdain? She stood there, looking at him even as the Sound Wave toy climbed free of her arms only to crawl over her shoulder and disappeared into the backpack she was carrying. Staring at him for a bit longer she turned and seemed to blend in with the other last-minute shoppers, never once looking back.
Optimus wanted to find out more about the toy but the human was gone and for all he knew he could have been seeing things. After all, she wasn't the only human going out to buy one of those "toys". He looked down at his trapped ped just in time to see it come lose and fell into the snow-covered plaza. Stunned for a few kliks, he transformed and quickly drove off. Thankfully, no one was there or he would never hear the end of it.
At the old car factory-turned-Autobot-headquarters, the large group of Autobots were nearly done in setting up their headquarters to celebrate the festivities. A tree that was actually taller than Skyfire was decorated with colorful ornaments and strings of blinking lights, even wreaths and garland were hung up on the walls and the communication hub was playing some Christmas songs from the city's radio station. Down at the base of the large tree were multiple brightly wrapped boxes, each varying in sizes and weight. Jetfire and Jetstorm were among the presents, eagerly shaking the gifts that had their designations on them.
"What you be thinking we is getting?" the blue-gray seeker asked his twin as he tried holding the box to the light, as though it would be able to tell him what was inside.
"We is finding out if we be using grumpy bot's scanner ray-thingie!" the yellow-orange seeker pointed out with a grin.
Sari, who had finished putting some tinsel on the tree via a hydraulic scissor lift, frowned as she overheard the twins. "Only if you want to end up on Santa's naughty list," she scolded gently. "Now, put them back under the tree and come help me decorate."
"Busted!" But the twins grinned and placed the colorful boxes back under the tree, grabbing some more slightly dented street signs to decorate the tree. Taking a string of lights, they easily took to the air and began to wind it around the tree. No one seemed to notice as a present began to shake until a blue robotic toy burst free. Peering out it looked around before climbing out of the box and ran to the low table close by, hiding underneath. It watched as an aqua-blue femme walked up to said table, setting down smaller oil drums that the bots could use to drink the specially made oilnog.
"So, this "nog" you drink only during the holidays?" Psyche asked as she peered into said liquid.
"Not really, I mean it's not like its required or anything but it's kinda like tradition," the techno-organic explained. "Don't you guys celebrate holidays on Cybertron?"
"Certainly not as many as you organics do," the femme said as she moved away from the table and went to assist Sari. "When I was a small protoform, I remember celebrating AllSpark Day with my creators."
"How do you celebrate?"
"I remember there being music, an energon fountain, stories being told by just about everybot who came. I also remember sitting on my sire's shoulder struts so I could watch the parades and then later we would visit the festival dedicated to the Primes." The femme smiled at the memory clips running in the background of her processor. "It was our way of celebrating the lifecycle the AllSpark granted us."
"Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun."
"We is remembering Day of Chosen One mostly!" Jetfire said with a grin.
"We is gift giving presents to other half!" Jetstorm explained with a matching grin.
As the group continued sharing tales about celebrating the holidays, the Sound Wave toy climbed onto the table and peered into the vat of oilnog that had been created earlier. A panel in the back slid open and a miniature gun pulled out, sending an electric current into the liquid and causing it to bubble slightly before folding back. And just in time as it heard more voices enter from the hallway.
"And I'm telling you, there is no way that this "Santa Claus" could deliver billions of presents in one night," Sentinel argued with a scowl. There was no way a carbon-based organic could travel around the planet in a single night, not without a Space Bridge.
"I can think of at least one way," Prowl smirked as he projected several holograms of himself. "Ho. Ho. Ho." The dark blue Prime grunted, crossing his servos over his chassis, still not believing it.
"A sound theory, Prowl. I did see multiple Santas in the shopping district tonight," Optimus said as he walked into the main room.
"Don't try to explain the magic," Sari said from her perch on Psyche's shoulder where she smiled and tossed her festive hat at him, giggling as it caught ahold of one of his antennas. With the arrival of the other Prime, everyone failed to notice the miniature clone of the former Decepticon jump off the table and ran off to hide just before the femme came over and lowered Sari to the table.
"Just accept the holiday season as a time when dreams come true. It's also a time to be thankful for the things you have, like family," she smiles as she began to pour the oilnog and passed it around to everyone.
"Family, huh." The festive mood suddenly turned a bit sober as everyone thought to their missing teammate. Bumblebee was still residing on Dinobot Island with said Dinobots and the seekers, but he was so far along in his carrying phase Ratchet and Psyche had both ordered him on strict berthrest for the remainder of his carrying process. Bee was not happy, but it also meant he couldn't come to New Detroit to spend the Christmas holiday with his team, either. Prowl hadn't wanted to leave the minibot but the scout had told him to go, have fun, and tell him everything they did when he returned. Before the disheartening mood could continue, they heard the sounds of two engines coming closer followed by the sounds of transformation.
"I'm telling you, the next time those blasted Dinobots want to play that ridiculous game, count me out!" the medic said angrily.
"But they apologized!" the shuttle said, only to falter slightly when the older mech gave him a "look". "Well, Swoop apologized. I promise you; it was not my intention for them to go after you like they did."
"Tell that to the bite marks on my aft!" The veteran froze when he heard smothered snickering and turned his helm around so fast he swore he popped a gear out of alignment.
Jetfire and Jetstorm both had their servos clamped firmly over their lip plates but it was clear they were struggling not to break down in laughter. The others were looking at the two white mechs curiously but no one was quite so brave as to ask what happen-
"Who did what to who's aft?"
-or perhaps Sentinel didn't care about the dark glare coming his way as he rubbed the back of his helm.
"Well, it would appear that the Dinobots learned about a game that the organics play with their domesticated pets called "fetch"," Skyfire explained. For some reason, the soft-sparked green Autobot tensed at the mention of the game. "And there was an incident concerning them and the seekers that ended with Ratch-"
"Ep ep ep! No one needs to know the full details of what happened!" the medic interrupted loudly even as he removed a datapad from his subspace and nearly broke it as he slammed it on the table. "If I find out who the glitch was that taught them that "game", I will personally reformat them into an organic waste disposal unit!" Leaving the threat hanging in the air he turned and stormed off for his quarters. Unfortunately, he gave the bots a good view of some hastily welded denta marks gracing his backplates as well as his aft and even parts of his lower stabilizers. The jettwins couldn't take it anymore and broke down in fits of laughter that caused their vocalizers to glitch and emit bursts of static. Some of the others chuckled at the sight, thinking about what could have led to that but tried to keep some composure over their personality components.
Psyche shook her helm, venting softly she picked up the data pad and turning it on, smiled at the image on the screen. It was an image of Bumblebee's midsection, his frame looking positively diminutive compared to his swollen gestation tank, but it was glowing with a soft-white light, enabling her to make out the hazy outline of the sparkling curled up inside who, judging by the size, would be arriving any cycle now. She passed the datapad to Optimus who took it and smiled gently at the image of the innocent protoform. Soon it was passing servos and even the twins, who were a bit exhausted from their laughing fit, cooed over the image.
Prowl smiled as he recorded the reactions of the team; Sentinel refused to take the datapad but it didn't stop him from trying to sneak a look without looking like he was interested. "I, would like to propose a toast in honor of our allies who could not join us tonight," he told them as he lifted his own. "As well as one to our scout and the sparkling he is carrying. I know that Bumblebee wishes he was here, but I think he would be pleased to see that he is greatly missed and would no doubt be telling us to enjoy the celebration. To family."
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Optimus said with a smile as he lifted his drink into the air. "To family then."
"To family!" Everyone took a sip of their oilnog, some more than others but from the shadows the miniature Sound Wave watched, visor glowing red for a brief klik.
Sari was glad her friends enjoyed her specially made oilnog, but thinking about her best friend she blinked as she came up with an idea. "If Bumblebee can't come here to celebrate Christmas, then we should bring it to him!" she said excitedly.
"How are we gonna do that?" Bulkhead asked even as he went for another refill. "This is pretty good!"
"Well, we can't open our presents until Christmas morning, so what if we wake up really early tomorrow and head over to Dinobot Island and open them there? We can also bring his presents and finish celebrating the rest of the holiday with him and everyone else!"
"Not a bad idea," Sentinel admitted with a quiet murmur, frowning as he tried to keep his optics from shuddering too much. 'Why do I suddenly feel like recharging?' He pushed the warning aside as he finished his oil and went for another.
"I like it. I'm going to let Ratchet know and see if he's calmed down enough." Nodding to the human girl, Psyche took a drink for the medic and headed for his berthroom, letting the door close silently behind her.
The group continued to sit there and talk about how excited the yellow minibot would be to see them all, what he would think of the presents for him and the sparking, and even their own presents but it wasn't long before everybot was suddenly unable to stay on their peds without swaying.
"W-What is being in nog-oil?" Jetstorm asked as he peered down into the bottom of his drum like it would hold the answer.
"Dunno… but my processor is pretty fuzzy," Bulkhead said as he rubbed the back of his helm, looking ready to fall over if he wasn't careful.
"It would appear… we are all re-ready for a long stasis nap," Skyfire said slowly, his optics feeling unusually heavy but he forced himself onto his peds. Despite being exhausted he didn't hesitate to help the jettwins up to their own peds.
"But, I is not-" Jetfire let out a large yawn even as he leaned into the shuttle's side with dim optics, "-is not recharging…"
"No, but you will be." Moving slowly the three fliers headed for the borrowed berthroom for the night.
Sari watched in disbelief as the mechs began departing for their rooms, each murmuring about how tired they suddenly were. "Hey, no waiting up for Santa?" she exclaimed, giving them all a disbelieving look. "You guys are a bunch of party poopers."
"There's still tomorrow, Sari," Optimus responded as he stretched his upper stabilizers above his helm with a yawn. "Oh, and Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, big guy. And pleasant dreams," the teenager said with a small smile. Watching them all retire for the night she sat back on the concrete couch but picked up the datapad that had been left behind. Activating it she looked at the image of the sparkling and went through some more pictures that had been taken, most of them of the sparkling and her best friend, including a few of the seekers' and the Dinobots' reactions to the glowing sparkling that made her giggle softly. There was also one of Bumblebee holding the servos of both Prowl and Skywarp on his swollen belly, all of them smiling softly. The last image was of the carrier laying back on his berth, a servo behind his helm as the other stroked his stretched protomesh, looking completely relaxed and at ease. "Merry Christmas, Bumblebee." She never noticed as the small toy that had broken free of his colorful prison ran from his hiding spot and into the hallway leading to the berthrooms.
It headed into the berthroom of the Autobot leader, watching as the one it knew as Sentinel was currently laying on one of the berths, deep in his recharge cycle but the other seemed to be struggling to fight it. He waited and moved closer when the larger mech finally laid down on his berth, watching as optics struggled to remain online. Eventually, they dimmed and the one known as Optimus was deep in recharge as well.
"Autobots: recharging. Commence operation: Virtual Alternative."
The light of a brand-new day broke over the horizon, peeking in through windows and waking up the citizens of New Detroit. Some were more reluctant than others to get up, ignoring the incessive blaring of their alarms, even going so far as to reach out and turn the annoying sound off. Others heeded the alarm and forced themselves out of their beds. One such person had repeatedly hit the snooze button on said alarm only to finally remember why she had set it to go off so early and was racing around her room, trying to get ready as quickly as she could.
"Why did I stay up so late?" Sari grumbled to herself as she made a mad dash in cleaning herself up as well as grabbing the last minute gifts she had spent a majority of the night wrapping. Wanting to celebrate her favorite holiday with her extended family, she had gone all out on the them she had lost track of time. Satisfied with her appearance and the gifts were all packed away, she raced out of the room only to freeze at the sight of her father standing in the living room with a bright smile on his face. "Dad! You're up?"
"Merry Christmas, Sari!' he said brightly. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"I was suppose to be at the Autobots' headquarters early this morning and I overslept. What are you doing up so early?"
"Oh, well I wanted to give you your present but if you want to go see your friends, we can open your gifts later," he said. It took a while for him to explain the origins of her "birth" to her, and he knew he should have told her from the start, but even if they were not related by blood, he still loved her as his own and always would.
Before her transformation, the young lady wouldn't have hesitated to leave with a hurried thanks but this man was still her father, and she loved him. "I'm already late, what's a few more minutes gonna matter anyway?" Setting the bag of gifts down she went over and hugged the smaller man. "Merry Christmas, dad."
After enjoying breakfast, the family of two sat on the floor and opened some gifts. Issac enjoyed the gifts Sari had gotten him, but he was more excited about seeing her reaction to the gifts he had gotten her even as he handed her a dark blue box topped with a yellow bow. Smiling, Sari took it and opened it only to frown slightly as she pulled out the last thing she ever expected to see in her own home.
"A Sound Wave toy?"
"To replace the one that tried to take over the world," he explained simply.
"… dad, that thing tried to kill me," Sari said with a small huff, tossing the small toy even as her father fumbled to catch it.
"Oh, but this is an action figure! Assembled in China, not by Megatron," he quickly explained; pressing the button on its chest it began to play a catchy tune from its miniature speakers.
The teenager couldn't help but be creeped out, even if it was just a toy. It was way too much like the real thing, she could swear it was staring at her as she got to her feet. As it began dancing to the music her father mimicked its dance, making her want to crack a smile at how ridiculous he looked but she was still very uncomfortable around it. "Dad, you're just putting money into Powell's pockets."
"But it sings and dances!" Seeing the disbelief in his daughter's eyes he sighed but moved over to push a large pink box wrapped in a soft yellow ribbon towards her with a smile. "Besides, you still have one more present." Now he knew for certain this was one gift she was going to enjoy.
Excited and wondering what could be inside, Sari untied the ribbon and pressed the button it was hiding, watching as the box unfolded only to reveal her old scooter. Oh well, did she really expect him to fit a car in such a small box? "Thanks, dad… I was kinda hoping for something with four wheels."
"Ah, but who needs wheels," he grinned as he leaned forward and pressed a button, "when you can have wings?" The scooter transformed, changing until it resembled a jetpack. The engine ignited and settled over the teenager's shoulders who didn't hesitated to take hold of the handles once it secured itself around her body and was soon airborne.
"Ooh this is so cool! Bumblebee will be so jealous!" she exclaimed happily as she flew around the spacious living room. Flying over to the plump older man she hugged him tightly. "Thank you, daddy! I have to show the others right away!" Grabbing the bag of gifts her armor folded over her body and as soon as the windows were open, she immediately took off.
"Sari, please be careful-!" Issac should have headed his own advice as both he and the Sound Wave toy were thrown back by Sari's excited exit, but as the two got back on their feet the toy began playing the catchy song once more and both began dancing to it, regardless of how ridiculous they looked. So far it was beginning to look like a wonderful Christmas morning.
The techno organic was enjoying this so much! It was a lot like driving at full speed but this time she didn't need her friends to give her a lift! Sure, she could fly on her own but with her new jetpack she could fly faster and for longer periods. "This is so cool!" she said happily, eager to show off her gift to her friends. Judging by the time she was surprised to find the streets empty but it was Christmas morning. What better way to enjoy the morning by spending it indoors, opening presents? Arriving at the warehouse she was stunned to find that the doors were all bolted shut. Landing the protective mask slid back but the doors still remained shut.
"That's weird." Coming up she began banging on them. "C'mon! You bots can't still be sleeping, it's Christmas!" she called out but there was no answer. Did they leave without her? No, they said they would all go together but even so they wouldn't have left the warehouse locked up so tightly, not if they knew she was going to be coming by.
Still no answer so she activated her jetpack and flew up to the roof and flew inside via the broken skylight. Landing she was all smiles as she called out to her friends but there was no answer from any of them. "Hello! Cute girl with a jetpack here!" she called out but it was just her voice echoing all around her. Frowning she flew over to the tree but all the presents were still there, untouched. "Guys?" She even flew to the rooms but each one was empty, meaning the factory was completely vacant. "I don't believe it… they ditched me!" So much for surprising Bumblebee but boy was she going to give them a piece of her mind! Flying to the console, she opened a communication link to Dinobot Island. The screen lit up and she blinked when she saw the image of her best friend himself on the screen. "Bumblebee! What are you doing outta bed? You should be resting!"
"Hey I am resting, I'm sitting, aren't I?" Although the short walk from his berthroom to the small communication hub did tire him out rather quickly but he could tell his small techno-organic friend looked upset. "What's wrong?"
"I wanna talk to Optimus and found out why they ditched me on Christmas morning! It was my idea to surprise you! I even brought presents for everyone!" she exclaimed as she stomped her foot.
"Wait, what?" Never one to turn down a present, the minibot was even more curious but why would the Autobots be here? "Sari, no one's here. It's just me, the seekers and the Dinobots."
"Oh c'mon! I bet they told you to tell me they're not there. Just for that, I'm not giving them their presents!"
"Sari, I'm serious; no one is here." Now he was getting worried; he winced and curled in as much as he could when he felt a slight pain in his gestation tank.
"Bumblebee? What's wrong?" It didn't escape her notice when the carrier let out an almost quiet moan of discomfort, she watched as Skywarp and Ramjet seemed to materialized out of nowhere and helped him away from the screen only to be replaced by Slipstream. "Hey, what's going on with Bee?"
"He says he's been feeling strange pains in his tanks since early this morning but no one has been accepting our comm links," she said with a frown. "We've sent several to the medics, including Psyche and the Primes but no one has answered any of them."
"Wait, so you guys really are alone?"
"If they were here do you really think I'd be wasting my time sending them comm links?" she snapped.
"But, if the Autobots aren't with you, and they aren't here in the factory, then where are they?"
'This was not how I wanted to start my morning,' the psychiatrist thought to herself as she tried massaging her temples but unless her patients lowered their voices, her headache was going to explode into a full-blown migraine.
"Just admit it, you're jealous of me!"
"Why would I be jealous of a pompous ass like you?!"
"I'm not stuck in some meaning less, dead-end career! And everyone respects me!"
"Yeah, you're so good at your job which is why people are still talking about the two crazed fugitives that are still on the loose!"
"That wasn't my fault! And-And at least I didn't leave someone to die!"
"Don't you dare bring Cree into this!"
The two looked ready to start throwing punches instead of insults, completely forgetting about the woman until she finally stood from where she had been sitting and tapped something on her cell phone. The sound of a powerful lightning storm echoed loudly from the speakers, not only silencing the two men immediately but startling them enough to back away from one another. They blinked stupidly and turned their attention to their therapist who was looking at them expectedly.
"Now that I have your attention, park it and shut it," she said coolly. There was some shuffling but they did so, refusing to look at one another. Moving around so she was now standing before her desk, the white-blonde woman wordlessly crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her finger on her upper arm. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with you two… every time we have a session it starts off well enough but it always ends with the two of you arguing and one of you usually ends up leaving with a bloody nose."
"He got lucky!"
"Save it, Coleman. What's more you keep breaking the rules I personally stated before we started this group therapy session." She didn't have to look at their files to know what their issues were, but she wasn't certain her own sanity would remain if she kept doing this for much longer. "You both agreed to having joint sessions because you assured me you both could work through your problems like civilized, responsible adults, instead you two are acting worse than a pair of spoiled rotten brats fighting over the attention of a parent who's not even here."
The broad chinned gentleman scowled and crossed his arms over his chest with a heavy huff, muttering darkly under his breathe. Even dressed in his expensive and hand-tailored navy-blue suit he was the epitome of a highly privileged child being denied. The young man next to him was dressed more comfortably, but as he let out a weary sounding sigh his shoulders seemed to slump even further.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Ballentyne. You're right; you're supposed to be helping us and instead we just waste your time arguing with each other." He apologized. "I wish I could say it won't happen again…"
"I know, Mr. Kaye. That's why I think it would be a good idea if I started seeing you both separately, effective immediately-"
"Forget it! The only reason I'm here because I was ordered by the court to attend my mandatory month-long session and according to my calendar, it's done and over with!" Townsend snapped as he immediately got to his feet, blue eyes blazing. "Bad enough I had to share it with him, don't expect me to come back here! Ever!" Without waiting for a response, the suited man stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him on the way out. Even behind closed doors the therapist and other young man could hear him muttering angrily as he continued to storm off.
"… I am not taking his case when the city demands he attend another month of anger management," Dr. Ballentyne said and turned her attention to her only patient. "David… how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," he said absently, sitting stiffly in his seat but he began to rub his hands along his denim clad legs, still refusing to look up at her.
"You know Townsend had no right to bring up that incident." His body grew tense and she knew she had to tread carefully. "I know we've been down this road many times before, but I still have to ask. Are you still experiencing nightmares about that day?"
"… not as much as before. Sometimes though, I feel like I've forgotten about it completely but then the smallest thing will make me remember and I find myself reliving it. I still feel like I could've done more!"
"And what did I tell you about that?" Moving away from her desk she sat in the now vacant seat, leaning forward slightly to indicate she was still listening to him. "David, you cannot keep living in the past like this, and you cannot let him goad you into losing your temper. You two are step-brothers, but you're still brothers. Meaning you don't have to like each other, but I expect you two to at least try to respect each other."
David remained quiet, leaning forward slightly as his hands gripped his knees tightly. "It's hard," he admitted quietly.
"Just being in the same room with Mr. Townsend "Holier-Than Thou" Coleman is more than even I can handle. But I also know that you are the best captain of the fire department New Detroit has known, you give it your all in everything you do, and I also know your men would do anything you asked of them, no questions asked. You know why?"
"Because I'm the leader, and I guess they respect me," he sighed heavily but slowly sat up, leaning back in his seat as a lot of the tension he was feeling was beginning to leave him. "But… I also respect them."
"Looks like we're finally making a break through."
By the time the psychologist was done she felt more worn out than her patients but it was all part of the job. Locking her office behind her she headed out for lunch, pulling her long coat on she stepped out onto the snow-covered streets. People passed by her, each doing their own thing but she paid them no mind, even when her cell phone rang. Holding her keys in her mouth, she fished her ringing device from her pocket and held it to her ear, letting her keys drop into her awaiting hand. "Hello?"
"I take it you're on your way to lunch?"
"You know very well I try to take lunch around this time, it's just a matter of figuring out what I want to do."
"Linda, the mentality behind having a lunch break is to have lunch. What else is there to do?"
"To get out of the office for one thing." Still speaking to whoever called her, the doctor continued down the sidewalk, passing by a child was who staring up into the branches of a tree worriedly.
"Did you find her, mister?" the child called up worriedly.
"I believe so." The branches shifted ever so slightly, leaves rustling. All was quiet but before the child could worry the branches moved and a lean figure carefully dropped from the branches to land on his feet in a slightly crouched position. Looking at the child he smiled slightly and held out a small bundle of fur. "I believe this is yours." The kitten gave a soft mew and began purring as the child carefully took her into his arms, cuddling close.
"You found her! Thank you, mister police man!" the little boy beamed happily.
"I'm glad I could help, but you both should go home before your parents begin to worry about you," he said even as he reached out and gently scratched the kitten under her chin, feeling the purring even through his gloves.
"I will! Thank you!" Making sure the kitten was safely tucked into his arms, the little boy ran off.
It was times like this that made the officer glad he had joined the police force as he walked to where he had parked his motorcycle. Climbing on he settled in the seat but paused when he heard static over his radio. "This is Officer Bennet, over."
"Jeff, there was an accident downtown and you're the closest officer in the area. Back up are on their way as well. Over."
"I'll notify you once I have arrived. Bennet out." Sitting comfortable on his motorcycle, the police officer started the engine and activated his siren as he eased into traffic, watching out for the cars as he passed them. Perhaps later he could visit Grand Circus Park and enjoy the natural beauty he found to be soothing and calming. Along the way he passed by the arcade, the electronic sounds of pixelated characters beating up one another and loud music blaring loud enough to be heard even with the doors closed. Inside, two young teens-almost-young-adults were playing a space flight simulated video game and were raking in the points. They didn't seem to notice the small crowd watching them with halted breath as the two seemed to breeze their way through the levels as easily as breathing.
"Looking behind you, brother!"
"I is seeing, brother!"
The two, obviously twins, were identical save for their hair color but both were sitting in the game's seats, eyes focused solely on the screens before them. Connected to that was an even bigger screen so others could watch their progress. The animated fighter jets glided through the air, easily taking out enemy fighters left and right, dodging obstacles or blasting them out of the way. The tempo of the music changed and soon they found themselves facing the ultimate boss of the game—a monstrous planet that seemed to have a satellite ring surrounding it, but there also seemed to have a pair of horns around a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth.
"What is that?"
"Oh, I heard about him! He's called the Planet Eater!"
"But no one's ever gotten this far, there's no way those two are beating it."
The two young man glanced at one another even as identical grins spread over their lips. No one had ever made it this far and yet here there were. Why not go for that extra mile? "We is taking bet!" they declared at the same time and they began opening fire on the massive giant. While not fast moving, the planet was massive and had a very high defensive level. It would also send out small fleets of enemy jets to the twins but the horns would try to ensnare whatever was in its path and force them into the gaping mouth, including its own ships. The twins were giving It all they could, trying to locate a weakness but unexpectedly they found themselves outmaneuvered and watched as the rows of razor-sharp teeth closed down on them. The screens read "GAME OVER" in large block letters as the planet continued chewing down on the fighter jets.
"Resistance is futile."
A collective groan was heard, some of the young adults muttering "told you they weren't gonna win" and "they made it farther than anyone else" could be heard but the young men were not happy. One of them slumped down in the game's seat, crossing his arms over his chest as he sulked.
"Game is cheating," he grumbled sourly. "Is tricking us into mouth."
"Maybe we is not to be firing at outside?" the other responded as he leaned over the steering column.
"How else is we to be hitting it? Space ring firing at us also when we is getting close."
"And horns is making harder much. I is not wanting to get eat." Sighing he looked up at the countdown then looked at his brother from the corner of his eye. "Playing again?"
The sulking teen grinned and already had the coins out but before he could insert them into the game a large, warm hand gently grasped his shoulder.
"I believe I told you only one game and once you were done, we were going to leave," came the all-too-familiar voice.
"But game is cheating! We is demanding rematch!"
"Games cannot cheat, and you both promised win or lose, when it says "game over" we would leave."
"But Mr. Gregg, sir-!"
"Boys." Looking at them sternly, the older man watched as they looked down but quietly put the change back into their pockets and stepped out of the seats. His firm demeaner broke as he smiled and briefly ruffled their hair. "But you both did very well, you two looked like you were born to be experienced pilots."
Both young men protested at being treated like children but that didn't stop the rush of warmth that spread through their bodies, lighting up their faces. Gregg was technically their guardian since they had no family of their own, and he was always so nice to them and didn't make fun of them for the strange way they spoke; he was also very tall with his silvery white hair and compassionate sky-blue eyes. The last thing they wanted to do was disappoint him, or upset him, but that didn't mean they still couldn't have a little bit of fun.
"You is correct, Mr. Gregg, sir. We is done playing on video game," the red-haired teen said, smiling brightly at the taller man.
"And we is ready to be leaving now," the blue-haired teen remarked with a nod, also smiling. But there was a mischief glint in their eyes that meant they were not quite ready to leave just yet. As though moving through water, hands came up to grab at them but they dashed past the taller man and ran through the arcade, laughing along the way.
"But you is having to be catching us, first!" they threw over their shoulders.
"Wha-Phil! Tom! Boys, get back here!" But the teens were still laughing and the taller gentleman had no choice but to give chase.
The arcade wasn't that crowded but it wasn't that big, various arcade games tucked into just about every available space that could be offered but the two laughing teens didn't cross an obstacle they couldn't get around. Out of something like a parkour video, the two easily moved around games, side-stepped stunned gamers, and not once tripped over the cables that were specially taped to the floor to keep from getting unplugged. Trying to chase after them was their guardian, who was not quite so agile as them but he had longer legs and nearly caught them once or twice.
Dancing back from a grab, Tom, the red-haired teen, childishly stuck his tongue out at his guardian for the miss. "You is not catching me, Mr. Gregg!" And turned to keep running.
"L-Look out!"
"Huh?" He turned and skidded to a halt, just barely stopping himself from running into a figure wearing a hooded sweatshirt who had just turned a corner. But unfortunately, the same could not be said for his blue-haired twin, Phil, who rounded another corner and slammed into the two of them, sending the three of them crashing to the ground. A collective groan was heard, followed by some snickering, as the arcade goers looked on at the pile of bodies in the middle of the floor.
Gregg was already fearing the worse as he went to help but Phil was already scrambling to his feet, his blue mirrored sunglasses hanging off the tip of his nose. "Are you alri-"
"Sorry! I is very sorry!" the teen said immediately, dark blue-gray eyes wide and face just slightly pale. "I-I is not seeing! Sorry!"
"Help me get them up," he said calmly and both reached down to pull a groaning Tom to his feet, hands clenched to his chest as though in pain. "What's wrong?"
"I, is hitting something pointy," he answered, rubbing at his chest but he watched as the person he ran into slowly stood. "I is sorry, not meaning to be running into."
The figure was a young lady, wearing a dark blue and black pleated skirt over a pair of leggings, black boots, and a large dark gray sweatshirt that seemed to swallow her small frame. The hood had fallen back, revealing dark violet hair that had been sheared short on the left side of her head with several thin braids. She was also rubbing at her chest but she quickly looked down at the floor, as though searching for something. She blinked as a robotic toy was held before her and grasped it tightly to her chest. "Thanks," she said softly. "I'm alright."
"I am very sorry about that, miss. And so are they, right boys?" The twins nodded and apologized once more but as Gregg stared at the small toy, he could swear for a moment that it appeared to be moving on its own. He blinked rapidly as he felt a sharp pain in the middle of his forehead. Hissing he pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes tightly as he reached out and leaned a bit on Tom's shoulder.
The red-head looked at his guardian in concern as his blue-haired twin reached out to help steady him. "Mr. Gregg, sir? You is being okey for dokey?"
"Yes… I'm fine." It lasted for a moment and he slowly straighten, opening his eyes but blinked when he realized the young lady was gone. He tried looking around but there was no sign of her. Taking a deep breath, he nodded to his charges. "I'm fine, but you two should know better than to run inside, someone could have been seriously hurt." The way Tom kept rubbing at his chest worried him, he wondered if they should stop by the hospital just in case. "Now, are we all ready to leave?"
"Yes, Mr. Gregg, sir!" The teens saluted him with grins which prompted a soft chuckle. As the three left they were unaware of the young lady they had briefly meet was watching them leave even as she continued to hold the toy in her arms. Once they were gone, she looked at the toy and lightly fingered the small dent where it had fallen only to watch as it slowly popped back into shape.
"Better?" The toy's visor pulsed briefly as it nodded, reaching out to take a hold of her sweatshirt. The visor gave several more pulses that caused the young lady to shake her head. "The failsafe is doing its job, but we should minimize our presence as much as possible." Another series of pulses and she looked away briefly. "That's not true." Another stronger pulse made her frown and looked back at the toy in her arms. "You asked for my help, and I stand to lose as much as you do. In the end, we'll both get what we want." Silence but it was followed by more pulses, calmer than before. "Good. Let's go." While holding the toy close, the young lady pulled the hood back over her head and silently walked off.
Nurses and orderlies quickly went about their duties in the emergency room, tending to patients or assisting the doctors on hand with whatever they needed. Even so close to the holidays things never seemed to slow down but they were used to it. But just because they were used to it, didn't mean they had to like it.
"I swear, if I get my hands on the idiot behind that stupid racing show, I'm gonna shove my foot up his ass!" the doctor on call grumbled angrily, slapping his patient's file down so he could sign off on it. "Bad enough these idiots race at night, less cars out, but pulling a stunt in the middle of downtown was-was beyond stupid!" He had half a mind to go to the patient he had just left and whack him aside the head but he had a feeling even if he could get away with it the stupid teen wouldn't learn his lesson.
Officer Bennett watched as the doctor fumed, muttering to himself as he handed the file to a nervous looking nurse before approaching him. "Dr. Burton?"
Said doctor turned at the mention of his name and nodded to him. "You're the officer that brought the kid in."
"Yes, sir. How is he doing?"
"Physically he's lucky to be alive. Had to cast his arm in a sling for a fracture and he banged his head but not enough to do any brain damage—if he has any brains to begin with," he grunted, crossing his arms over his wide chest. "He doesn't have to stay here, he's good to go and rest his sorry ass in jail. And if I were you, I'd ban him from driving so much as a tricycle!"
"Duly noted, doctor. Thank you for your assistance in the matter." Nodding to him, the motorcycle cop watched as a nurse pushed a teenager out of the examination room in a wheelchair, escorted by two other officers.
"Hey man, I like, seriously hit my head. Don't you gotta like, keep me over night or somethin'?" the teen complained as he slouched in the wheelchair, looking put out.
"Keep pushing my buttons, and the only place you'll be sleeping is in the morgue, which is where I will see you if you do something that stupid and reckless again!" the older doctor yelled at him, making the teen flinch. "Get him outta my hospital!" he shouted and angrily left the ER, grumbling darkly under his breathe. The hospital staff seemed to jump out of his way as he stormed the halls, holding their breathe until he passed, then winced as he came to a office door marked 'Dr. Corey Burton, MD' where it was slammed with such force, just about everyone in the wing could hear it and they all jumped at the sound.
Inside the older man took several deep breathes, trying to calm himself down. Why the hell did he agree to see that stupid kid, anyway? He had completed his shift hours ago; he could have left it to the other doctor. But what kind of name was Roxy Sparkles? And what the hell was Purple Fungus? Muttering about wasted youth and pointless races endangering everyone and everything, the veteran lifted a hand to rub at his tired eyes. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered to himself, lowering his hand long enough to stare at the stack of paperwork he still needed to finish. Normally he would have planted himself behind his desk and gone straight to work, but today felt—different. Shrugging his coat off and tossing it over said paperwork, he grabbed his jacket and walked out of his office, locking the door behind him. Passing by the front desk he grunted that he was done and left before anyone could stop him. They could just as easily get someone else to cover any emergencies, he was off the clock.
After getting to his car and pulling out of the parking lot, he was regretting it as traffic was backed up. He had thought the accident caused by those reckless drivers from Street Demons would have been cleared up by now, but that was not the case.
"Oh all the blasted times-" Swallowing back a swear, Corey turned into the turning lane and drove down a less crowded side street, finding it easier to breathe. He groaned when his cell phone rang only to curse as he tried pulling it from his pocket only for it to fell to the floor mat. "For Pete's sake!" Grunting he leaned down, trying to continue looking at the road as he fumbled to find his phone. He knew it was stupid what he was doing, but the ringing was starting to get annoying and there was hardly anyone here. So, against his better judgment, he looked down long enough to see where his cell had dropped and picked it up, looking up-
-only for his eyes to widen and he once more dropped it, hitting the horn with one hand as he swerved just in time to keep from hitting a young man who had just been ready to cross the street. Hitting the brakes a bit harder than he intended, he rolled down the window and began yelling at the scared young man.
"Are you blind, or what?! Watch where you're going!"
"S-Sorry, my bad," the college student said quietly, rubbing the back of his head with his large, meaty hand.
"Your bad, I don't have time fixing idiot kids who don't watch where they're going!" Rolling up his window the irate doctor drove off, yelling at his cell phone to shut up as it began ringing once more.
Still rubbing the back of his head, the college student watched at the old man drove off in a huff. "Geez, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," he said to himself and looked down to realized he had dropped his sketchbook. "Maybe I shouldn't be drawing and walking at the same time either." Bending over he picked it up and cramped it into his backpack among other books and papers stuffed inside. Looing both ways, he quickly crossed the street and continued walking down the sidewalk. Hiking his backpack higher onto his shoulder he grinned as he caught sight of his favorite restaurant in the entire city and eagerly headed towards it. As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted with the small of sizzling meat and fried potatoes.
The cashier looked up as a bulky young man walked up to the counter, shaggy light brown hair hiding his eyes from view. "Hello and welcome to Burger Bot. May I take your order?"
"Oh yeah! Lemme get a couple of burgers, a large soda, and some onion rings!"
"Would you like some pie with that?"
"Uh, yeah sure." Paying for his order the young man went to a booth in the back and sat down but as he was waiting for his food, he looked around nervously before pulling out a battered-looking notebook and an obviously chewed up pencil. Making sure that no one else could see him, he opened to a blank page and continued working on his latest drawing. If he was lucky, he might be able to paint it later. He barely looked up as the waitress came over with his food and reached out to take a large bite of his burger without looking away from his art. Humming to himself, he smiled as he looked down at the drawing, nodding in satisfaction oh it. It was too bad he didn't have anyone to share it with but then again, when people heard the name Bill Fagerbakke, art was the last thing anyone thought of. Setting his sketchbook to the side, he decided to continue eating, enjoying his food. He never noticed as a teenage girl on the other side of the restaurant, quietly typing away at her laptop, headphones over her ears.
The screen showed what several different people were doing, acting as though things were normal but she knew the truth. Standing on the table was a blue and gold trimmed robot looking at the screen as well, a small cable from his chest plugged into the laptop itself. On the screen a messenger window opened up, prompting her to respond to the incoming messages.
BadVibrations: They were not to come into contact with one another. Probability of recognition: high.
RuinItAll: Says u. Far as they're concerned, they're strangers on a train.
RuinItAll: WE created this world, WE created their personas, WE control everything that happens.
BadVibrations: … We are Primus.
She frowned silently, fingers twitching as she was tempting to respond but she held back. After several moments, she resumed typing.
RuinItAll: BTW, this is a mere beta test. Soon NDet will see the truth for themselves.
BadVibrations: There are others.
RuinItAll: Ur point? 9.9 They can't do anything. Prog is almost done UL.
Bad Vibrations: Excellent. Operation: Ruins will commence shortly.
Bumblebee really wished he could pace, but the weight of his sparkling was too much for him to stand or even sit for long periods of time. He looked anxiously in the direction of New Detroit and once more wished he knew what was going on. If the others were coming over to surprise him, why did they leave Sari behind? And why was no answering any of their comm links? He paused in his rubbing when he felt another slight pain.
'You must be worried, too,' he thought to his sparkling, venting deeply. He wasn't worried, he read that this was normal, but even so it couldn't distract him from the fact that something was very wrong with his friends.
Skywarp looked at the carrier in concern. He was glad his "siblings" told him to stay behind as they flew to the cityscape to find out what happened, but he wished one of them could have stayed with him. The Dinobots terrified him, but they would do anything to protect him, too. Moving over to him, he hesitantly reached out and touched his shoulder. "Are… are, you alright?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah… just, worried about my friends," he said softly but reached out and covered his servo with his own. "Thanks, 'Warp."
His wings flickered before shooting up his back, stiff and unwavering. "W-Why are you thanking me?" he asked, fighting the urge to teleport away.
"For staying behind. I mean, I know you'd rather run then fight, and I can't do much but you're here and I'm glad for that," he answered, looking up at him with a smile. "So, thanks."
The seeker couldn't stop his wings from fluttered, his dark faceplates nearly glowing with a blush but before he could tease him, he heard the stomping of heavy peds. They both turned and watched as Grimlock and Snarl were running up to them, both looking agitated. "What's going on?" he asked, looking around. "Where's Swoop?"
The leader of the Dinobots transformed, prompting Snarl to do so as well. "Dinobots find intruder!"
"Intruder? Is it a Decepticon?!" the dark violet seeker said, nearly teleporting to safety if not for the yellow and black servo still holding his.
"What kind of intruder? And where's Swoop?" His answer came as a shadow flew overhead before the missing bot landed. Lowering his head, the minibot was shocked to see just who the intruder was. "Sari?"
"B-Bee… the Autobots… are, in trouble," she said, still sore from her failed attempt to rescue her friends.
"Sari!" Rushing forward, the scout held his techno-organic friend in his servos carefully. "What happened?"
"It's a long story, but Soundwave is back, and I think he's reprogramming the Autobots."
Author's Notes: This chapter I have been looking to forward to writing for a long time and I think maybe this is part of the reason I took so long with said chapter. Now, I'm gonna cut this short (we'll see, I tend to ramble) but I chose human names for the virtual world because the reprogram Soundwave and his ally created really does make them think they really are human. But if someone can send me a PM and where I got the human names, I'll give you a prize but please, don't spoil it for anyone. Thnxs for sticking me for this long!
Btw, I'm still working on my other story so please, bear with me a little bit longer ^^;