Sierra's farewell
Terrordrone 6, a few days after the destruction of Jasper, NV:
"So, did your boyfriend ever turn up?" Miko asked Sierra as they walked through one of the corridors to the mess hall.
"No," Sierra answered, "not here or at any of the other terrordrones either."
"Look… he was a jerk," Miko said, "but… uh… I'm sorry about your loss."
"Thanks. So how are things going with you and Jack?"
"Me and Jack? We're just friends."
"Are you sure? I've seen the way the two of you look at each other."
"Nah… Just friends. True, we have been through some… tense situations that made us closer, and sometimes it feels weird when we're together… But anyway, Jack has only ever had eyes for you."
"You are adorable," Sierra smiled. "I know Jack has been interested in me, but it seems that whenever he is about to do something about it, something gets in the way. Right now, I think that something is you."
"If you want, I can give him a kick in the pants; get him to talk to you."
"Thanks, but I really think you like him more than you think you do."
"Maybe," Miko whispered just loud enough for Sierra to hear.
"You know, we could always share."
"Wait, what? Share what?"
"Jack."
"You mean you get you get him Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and we alternate Sundays?"
"No, silly. I mean at the same time."
"Are you serious?" Miko's head was full of new thoughts, to the point that she didn't know if she hoped Sierra was joking or not.
Sierra laughed like it was one big joke, picking up the pace to enter the mess hall while Miko was still in the hallway trying to sort out her own thoughts.
0oOoOo0
"Hey, Miko!" Sierra called out to the Japanese girl who was wearing a Japanese school uniform. "I was looking for Jack, but I can't find him. Anyway, I'm going to be relocated in a few minutes. They are sending me to some town called Boulder Hill. Its closer to the mountains."
"Oh." Miko sounded disappointed. "I'm sure Jack will be sorry he missed you. Listen…. Were you serious about what you said to me the other day? You know… about, uh… sharing."
Sierra put her arm around Miko and guided her down a seldom used side passage. "Sure. In fact, I was thinking that we could introduce Jack to the idea on his birthday… when the two of us give him a very memorable experience."
"I don't know…" Miko said.
"Look, let me show you how serious I am about this," Sierra pulled Miko through a door into a small ready room. Through the outside door window, they could see the landing strip where the military plane that was about to transport Sierra and a few others was waiting.
(0oOoOo0)
"Are you sure you saw Miko go down this way?" Jack asked.
"Yep, her and some other girl."
"Ok." Jack walked down the narrow passage, trying out the doors as he passed them. The last door, nearest the outside of the Terrordrone, he found her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Miko was out of breath, and her face was flush. Her legs were wide like she was having trouble keeping her balance, and she was leaning up against a desk. "Yeah, I'm fine," she finally answered, wiping sweat from her brow. "You just missed Sierra."
Jack looked around, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the room, except that the inside of Miko's legs were wet. "We need to get you to a doctor," he said, then more softly, "did you pee yourself?"
She looked at jack questioningly, then down at her legs as she stood up into her more normal stance. She grabbed a tissue from the desk to dry herself. "No, I'm fine… well, maybe, but I don't need to see a doctor, I'm perfectly fine. I was doing some… uh, running."
"Okay…" Jack was less than convinced. "I missed Sierra? I heard she is leaving today. I never even got the chance to ask her out!"
"You got to stop putting it off, dude!" she said, then pointed out the window. "There she goes."
Jack and Miko watched Sierra go to the plane. Just before she boarded, she turned towards them and waved goodbye to them with a white cloth.
Miko's eyes went wide, and her face blushed at the sight of the cloth. She looked down and then up again.
"Jack… I need your help," Miko said.
"Sure, anything."
"You know how I, uh… peed myself… well, my underwear got really messed up so I threw it away… only I forgot that I was wearing a short skirt from my groundbridge trip to school in Japan."
"Okay, yeah," Jack said, still not sure what she wanted of him.
"I will kill you, if you breathe a word of this to anyone," Miko threatened.
"I know, you've been learning how," Jack said.
Miko's voice turned softer, almost tender, "Could you help me get to my room without anyone seeing up my skirt?"
Jack grinned, and that infuriated Miko, but he soon reassumed his normal serious face. "Sure, follow me."
(0oOo0)
A few weeks later the Darby's, along with Raf, had been transferred to their own housing in another town, but one that was not too far from Unit: E's local base.
There was a knock at the door, about a split second before the door was opened and footsteps walked inside.
"Miko, is that you?" June Darby called, "We're in the kitchen, having dinner."
Miko sat at the table, next to Jack and across from Raf, who was improving, but still refused to speak.
"It's tuna surprise," June said.
"Oh, cool. What's the surprise?"
"That we haven't run out of it yet."
Miko appreciated Jack's mom's attempt at humor. "Ugh, I don't mind the Spacebridge trips to Japan to see my parents, going to school, and training at the dojo with the clan, but the time difference is killing me."
"If anyone can manage it, it's you, Miko," Jack said.
"Or, you'll have a psychotic episode," June added, "maybe learning a lethal martial art isn't such a good idea after all."
Miko yawned. "I just need some down time, then Ill be back at full speed, helping Bulkhead pound some Decepticons! Hey, Jack, maybe you could transfer to my school for a while?"
"Uh… I don't speak Japanese half as well as you speak English. Or at all."
"What brings you here today?" June asked, while dishing out Tuna Surprise on Miko's plate.
"I wanted to tell Jack about a letter I got today."
"Oh?" Jack said.
"Yeah… but it's kinda bad news."
"What kind of bad news?"
Miko handed him the second page of her letter, and pointed down to the third paragraph. "It's from Sierra."
"You have been writing to Sierra?" Jack asked, then started reading, "I've gotten a new boyfriend, he's a few years older than I am, and he's not as serious as Jack, but he's still a good guy, and very smart. He built his own robot, and it can transform into a scooter. The sad thing is that the robot is his best friend, but I hope to change that."
"HA!" Miko lauged.
"Yeah, too bad she couldn't meet Arcee," June said.
Jack continued reading, "but don't worry, I was thinking of visiting, and we can give Jack that birthday surprise we talked about…. What birthday surprise?"
Miko blushed, "Um… nothing. Besides, then it wouldn't be a surprise." She snatched the sheet out of Jack's hand. "Gotta go, see you at the Autobot base."
"I think that was her shortest visit ever," June said.
