Queen's note: -ducks for cover-

Just A Stray, Just A Cover

Chapter Eight

Unexpected

"What are you doing?" Crosshairs asked, shifting his attention down to the small girl in his lap. He watched her freeze, wide eyed at being 'caught,' before she peeked up from her spot. The trooper hummed to reassure, realizing he had startled Amy, not wanting to really discourage even this small form of adventuring after the near drowning the day before. He really did not mind the girl touching and inspecting the armor on his front, or almost any armor panel since she was introduced to Crosshairs' armor pocket.

Amy still lowered her hands in reflex to compact herself, but hesitated as a large hand came over to wrap around her back. She relaxed once realizing this was the hug-ish like motion the mech sometimes did. "Crosshairs?"

"Hmm?" The mech tilted his head, careful of his blunted talons, he shifted the girl closer to his front. Holding her there a moment as he shifted on his perch.

"Where are the others?" Amy finally dared to ask, thinking of Bumblebee and the small data pad he would play cartoons on for her to watch before Amy would retreat to sleep with or near Crosshairs' frame.

"Somewhere around 'ere..." The green Wrecker hummed, looking out over the expanse of tree tops. Crosshairs was partly up a small spire, enough to be up above the tree line but not so much that he was standing out. That much... Crosshairs was crouching, balanced on the solid rock between two trees, trying use his coloration to blend in. Making use of his black markings to, hopefully, break his outline up. It was very basic camouflage yet that worked more often than not against humans. "Looking fer movement out there June-bug, trees shaking will likely be Hound's big aft."

"...aft?" Amy echoed, still confused at this term.

"Hmm…bumper? Back side?"

"Butt?" Amy asked, listening to the chuckle beside and above her.

"Yeah, that's in. Hound has a big butt." Crosshairs grinned despite himself, shifting slowly. One hand reached down to cup around Amy for a moment, just holding the girl against his armored front for a minute. Then he started to boost her up a little more until she could climb up onto his left shoulder. The blue-green optics watching the girl get her feet, grasping the edge of his shoulder guard and the higher collar ridge, "There yea are lil bug. Car yea hang on?"

"I think so," Amy shifted and held onto the armor beside Crosshairs' helm. She peered up at his optics as the mech was staring back before deciding Amy was able to hold on for now. The girl ended up kneeling down to loop her arms over the collar ridge as she leaned on it. She could rest her own chin on an arm and watch the forest as well, or turn to look down Crosshairs' back or just behind him. "How long are we going to be up here?"

"Not too long, I don't think." The mech said, leaning on one of the trees a little more, but stopped when it started to creek in protest. "The bolt hole is around here, and the others will be moving."

"What if they found it first?" Amy asked, favoring looking behind the mech at the small gap of visible forest from her point of view. Crosshairs was watching everything forward, she was trying to be helpful in some way.

Crosshairs arched and optic ridge, he had considered that before climbing up here. He was pretty sure despite everything Bumblebee would send a short burst over Cybertronians communication lines... well, no. Hound might do the burst, Bumblebee would back track and track Crosshairs down. The scout frame had done so already to find him, Hound and Drift.

"Then they found it first, get the energon flowing fer us." The mecha chuckled, settled a bit more on his heels and lifted a hand automatically to give Amy's side a light pet with the sides of his own blunted talons. "Maybe somethin' shiny fer yea June-bug."

"Shiny things are nice." Amy considered, smiling a little shyly as the mech chuckled under her. She still did not mind the 'small' pets off and on, realizing that it had been a slow show of affection in his way. That was alright, Amy honestly was not extremely used to getting affection. Learning what Crosshairs did in these small stages was alright by Amy. So it didn't bother the girl at all feeling the claw run up her side, over her shoulders and down Amy's back. It was in fact comforting, more so at night when Crosshairs let Amy hide under his over armor, the flex metal soft but the weight had been oddly reassuring since the start.

"They are, should get you learning minerals," Crosshairs said, realizing that his charge was not really learning much. Well, not that Amy was not learning. Everything almost was new to her, and the girl was still relatively daring to explore away from Crosshairs' pedes. At least she was until the day before.

A little, but understandable set back.

It was a thought to consider, at the very least humans should be able to read and write their own languages right? The mech frowned as he looked down at Amy, realizing that he did not know what her education level was. She spoke just fine, seemed to read a few things, and when not scared the girl was sharp enough to adapt to life with a Wrecker and Autobots the last few local months.

Movement in the trees drew Crosshairs' attention first, and then Amy's as she realized he was really looking at something not scanning. For a few quiet moments, the two stared and watched a tree in the semi-distance shake a little. Shake a lot really in an almost pattern.

"What is that?" Amy asked at last, a small hopeful thread in her voice.

Crosshiars grinned, nudging the girl lightly with the side of his helm, "Likely Hound's large aft. He can't stealth to save his spark. Probably tripped on the roots." The green Wrecker was shifting, reaching up again to nudge Amy as he tilted his head away from her, "Up and over ya get bug, we're going back down."

The girl scrambled, but got the hint and fell over the large collar ridge. There was a muffled giggle as Amy sorted herself out to hang on. It had a flicker of a smile lifting the corner of Crosshairs' mouth before he started to climb down a little to stand. Once sure Amy wasn't going to fall out, and feeling her hanging onto the muscle cables. The climb down was smoother then on the way up, had anyone been watching from another perspective they might be surprised at how graceful a being that tall and made of metal could be so graceful.

Crosshairs had incredible balance, though his jumps were a little shorter than normal, trying to keep his trip down the mountain as smooth as possible. He did not want to half to catch a little human sliding free after all. It was also a pride thing as he used his over armor to help keep his balance as much as he used it in freefall to control his decent. He was far better than some rookie, Crosshairs could make the trip and not dislodge his charge or hide her in an armor pocket un-needed.

He jogged the last bit down from slope to level ground, the mech slowly evened out his stride. Slowing to quiet his steps as much as to not run smack into the tree branches, there were far too many branches around at his chest and head level. Another giggle though had Crosshairs smiling as he glanced to the side, despite knowing he could not see Amy, "Liked that?"

"It was...fun." Amy seemed surprised at this, daring to shift from where she hand been hanging onto the back of the mech's neck. When Crosshairs just kept walking she peeking out. Putting a hand on the right side of the mech's jaw so he would know she was there.

"It was eh?" Crosshairs chuckled, looking around and stretching out a scan. The density of the trees interfered a bit, yet he could pick up another mass of Cybertronian, living metal. Only one though?

...no, there were two, and the profiles were different than any of his semi-companions. Not to mention closer then what they had been before. Or another group?

"Yeah," Amy was saying, her voice thankfully still soft in his right audio. It wouldn't travel far.

"Maybe we can do it again, or a small drop." Crosshairs said, his voice staying lower now. He used the sound and motion of flicking his over armor to cover the sound of his holsters shifting open partly. Not all the way but easier to reach for his weapons. "After we sort out how ta' get yea learnin' to swim."

The girl made a face, and a protesting sound.

"Don't give me that June-bug, can't have that happen again." Crosshairs tilted his head, nudging Amy lightly with his jaw as he scanned again with sensors and his own optics. Where had that smaller form gone?

"I don't think I like water anymore." Amy said, ducking but sensing something was going on, she moved to lean on the inside of the collar ridge.

"Don't say that, yea need it. And yea're not gonna let one bad experience ruin somethin' that covers most of yea're planet-"

The attack came far sooner than Crosshairs was half expecting, and not from a mech like he had been expecting. The metallic snarl was barely enough warning for Crosshairs to turn, and jerk back at the sight of a cyberwolf mid jump.

For a moment, or three, time seemed to slow down. The Wrecker gaped even as his hands started to drop to his thighs and his weapons. Two things fitted into place suddenly, as Crosshairs recognized the blunted muzzle of the cyberwolf. How the jaws were malformed to look shorter and show 'canine fangs' even when they were closed. He saw the green metal like collar band. The other, far more important thing was Crosshairs realizing the angle the cyber creature was jumping: high. To even knock a mech Crosshairs' size off balance it would have to jump high and fast.

Crosshairs hands jerked up as his claws flexed out fully, no longer blunted but curved and sharp as he stepped back again. With a short scream in his right audio, time was snapping back in a rush. The mech trying to shove the cybertronian creature off him before those shortened, but still powerful jaws could clamp down on his right shoulder or that side of his neck.

"No!" Crosshairs barked the command in Cybertronian as the cyberwolf impacted against his chest, sending Crosshairs back first to the ground in mad scramble. The mech feflt himself hitting one of the trees and landing on another as Crosshairs hocked his claws into the wolf's jaw and pulled to keep them open as his left hand grabbed for the collar. "Steeljaw- No! Bad wolf! Bug? Bug! Amy?!" He switched back to English, trying to see where the human was, and heard a scared sound just above his head. "Run!"

Amy sat up in the earth and dirt, for a moment dazed and not hearing things before she jerked and twisted around. Eyes wide and scooting back from the wrestling mass of green mecha and silvery-white alien robot dog giant... What on earth?

The girl scooted back farther from where she had been thrown from the wrecker. Falling of Crosshairs foot, or even from hounds chest to an open hand was not anything like what had just happened. Everything hurt, yet in a dull detached way as Amy sat up, staring blankly for a moment at the chaos in front of her. The cybertronian orders being barked out by Crosshairs, the snarls and scraping of claws on metal. The sight and sound of the big dog like jaws snapping at the air all of ten feet away from the girl suddenly consumed her awareness. All her attention on how those jaws and alien, jagged teeth were trying to bite through Crosshairs' own claws-

"Amy!" Crosshairs yelled, jerking the girl's attention to him as his goggle and lenses dropped into place to protect his optics. "Move!"

All at once the adenine kicked into a higher gear. Amy's small frame lurched back, dropped after a first attention to rise then getting to her feet on the second try. Later on, Amy would not remember getting up, or even how she got the added cuts not from being ejected off her former safe perch. Only partly aware of Crosshairs heaving the creature on top of him to one side, cursing in his own native language as she ran away. Amy had no idea where to run too, just took off with a sort of blind trust that it was a better direction then inside the maw of a Cybertronian animal like she had almost been.

That thought popped up ever so helpfully, fueling Amy's run as she remembered the creature midair, seeming aiming for her and Crosshairs' neck. It gave the girl that extra bit of strength to not only climb up and over a fallen tree, but once she fell over the other side to get back up. She rolled in pine needles and moss, with a few twigs, then she was up about to run again when the outline of a mecha appeared ahead and two her left.

"Bumblebee?" Amy asked, startled at the appearance and blurting out the first name she knew. Bumblebee was nice, and had apples for her, but he had been trying to be nice even when Crosshairs was not to him-

"What the frag is this?" the mech said, the voice having a strangely familiar growl and accent. Yet the voice itself was enough to stop Amy even as she had started for the mech. Staring up at the black and red mech as his visor was turning down to look right back at her.

Amy swallowed, backing up a step as the red and orange shades of the visor staring to shift to get green in it. The face was alike to Hound to the girl, only for a moment though as she focused on the shape of the 'beard.' Not nearly as 'curling' or as...jingly, with no added charms, almost like it was combed and shaped.

"Wrong mech squishy," The mech said coming out into the sunlight, frowning down at the girl as she backed up again, but his strides were far longer than Amy's. There was a grill of his alternate mode on his chest, and two tires on his sides giving the illusion of the mech being thicker but not as 'fat' seeming as Hound. He had something in his left hand, but Amy wasn't sure if it was a sword like Drift's or something else as the mech spoke up again, "I'm no Autobot lass-"

That was all it took, making Amy start and scramble back and to her right, though not one to be a screamer when afraid. The girl cried out for the only real person that seemed to care about protecting her. "Crosshairs!"

Then Amy was bolting as she saw a large clawed hand starting for her, missing the mech saying, "Wait- what? Frag come back here!"

The black and red mech swung his improvised cane around, making another grab for the human. His talons just missing the girl but the tip of one caught on her shirt. It knocked her off balance to drop, but she was already scrambling back up again. The girl could only remember the stories the mech had told. Crosshairs and Hound talking about... Decepticons! That was the word. They had talked about how those mechs had destroyed colony worlds and organic worlds. That Decepticons did not care for organic beings like her.

"Come 'ere lass." The mech's voice boomed above and behind Amy, the girl yelping as she ducked, throwing herself in a roll. Tucking her head and lifting her arms to protect, trying to mimic how Crosshairs rolled into and out of his alternate mode. It was far from the green mech's grace, but the tumble worked as it seemed to confuse the strange mech.

It gave Amy a chance to get up, glanced back to see her wide eye, dirty expression in the big glowing visor. A moment to see that this mech was struggling to get back to his feet. She saw him frowning and opening his moth again. She saw sizeable fangs, not unlike what Crosshairs had and used to tease her at night.

Amy yelped again, not a true screen as she back peddled, turned and ran with a fresh surge of adrenaline.

"Oh no yea don't," The mech growled, straightening and swung the big metal... bar? Sword?

Amy ducked, using her small size to get under the big metal... thing. But it twisted back and she dropped to the ground once more, "No, no, no!"

"Just hold still yea lil' squishy." The mech demanded, getting back up from where he had tripped, his free hand moving from the damage on his left shoulder.

"No!" Amy scooted away and then over a raised root.

"Yes! Stay!"

"No!" Amy was already around the tree, looking back and forth before spotting a bigger tree as she heard first one, then a second foot step from a several dozen ton form. Maybe it was the first time the sound was not reassuring as she got her feet again and ran to, then around the old growth tree.

"Don't yea dare," The red and black mech said, and vented a sigh as he saw the small human skitter around behind the tree. It was old enough that it towered over most average sized Cybertronian's, and wide enough that it was impossible for him to look around. Or even reach around.

The big mech moved to one side, and Amy jerked and scooted the other way, hands on the big tree's rough, but warm bark. She looked from one side to the other, trying to sort out how to run again, even as an exhausted shaking started. The adrenaline high ebbing out of the young, rather abused frame as she darted to the right, then to the left.

After a full loop and a half of the tree, Amy could hear the mech growl out, "Primus... Lass stop this slag."

"No!" Amy squeaked out, feeling her daring leaving her with the adrenaline but even as she shivered. All she could really think about was those stories, and how even Drift had taken a moment to pull her off the ground and lift Amy up to his optic level one night. He had been very clear, and serious, when Drift told the girl to always run away from mecha that were not Autobots. This mech was not an Autobot, he had said so- and she was not going to stay still to be grabbed. The girl whined softly as the mech moved, she cried out again, a little more desperately this time, "Crosshairs!"

"I'm too old for this scrap." The mech grumbled, glancing from one side to the other, pausing and listening for the human's movements as much as she was likely listening. The mech shifted to his right, and the girl scooted, then in the other direction as he leaned to the left.

This had gone on enough, and though feeling a twang of guilt, the bearded mech swung the cane like bar of metal. It hit and crashed into the ground and the left side of the tree, denting through the bark.

...And making the human girl yell and jerk into movement by reflex. Amy was young enough to fall for it as she scrambled away from the sudden movement, sound and glint of metal. It was not until the strange mech was sucking to his right again and reaching around the tree that she realized what had happened.

The bearded mech's claw tips got a better grip this time, jerking Amy farther off balanced before those talons closed around her. The hand followed her down this time as Amy tried to drop to get away. The girl was grabbed, pulled closer and as Amy put her hands forward to keep from her face hitting the silver palm before the giant grey digits wrapped around her. One holding her own left leg, preventing the girl from balling up to protect her head and neck as she so desperately wanted to do.

"Finally," The mech snorted, shifting where he was half leaning on the big tree. He had to brace himself on it to get his legs back under himself from the half dive and stand up again.

"Squirrely lil' fagger ain't yea lass?" The bearded mech mused now that he was standing, arching an optic ridge at the, admittedly, rather pathetic whine as the ground dropped away for the girl, and she became notably limper as the mad rush of activity suddenly stopped. Only a slight movement, as the mech tilted his hand to peer atht the existed human, human-sparkling.

Well. He had thoroughly terrified and traumatized a youngling. He felt so wonderful now that he realized just how young the girl seemed to be now that he had her. He rumbled and walked back around the big tree. "Primus below... just calm down there fer a klik lass. An' tell me where that punt aft Crosshairs is."

There was a distant click of a safety and a whining charge of a semi-automatic, hand held. The new red and black mech looked up from the human, to stare into the barrel of the weapon right in front of his visor- flashing a surprised mix of greens and orange shades. Then he looked past the invasive, clear threat as his whole frame froze.

"Right here." Crosshairs snarled, his wrecker fangs fully bared as a deadly growl came out of him. The tall, leaner frame of the paratrooper had a few more scraps from tooth and claw of the cryber wolf hanfing half limp in Crosshairs' own other hand. The mech had a hold of the collar, twising it as he lifted Steeljaw up to half pull, half carry the creature with him. The forelegs of the beast waved weakly in the air, its mane a little more scruffy, tail tucked up and whining with a lolling glossa hung out of its malformed jaws as the cyber-wolf tried to gasp.

Crosshairs snarled another Cybertronian curse as he took a half step forward, pressing the barrel of his weapon into the visor with a click. "Hurt my sparkling any more an' I don't care who yea are old mech. I'll blow yea'r processor out o' yea'r head Leadfoot."