Hello! I hope you're all enjoying to story so far. To be honest, this forest 'arc' was really hard to write, so I may make some small edits sometime in the future. I've also decided to change the rating to M for future chapters that I've planned, there will be warnings when we reach that part of the story line.
Thanks to all the readers/favorites/follows. And a special thanks to aquarius89, Edges05, Nevermorea, and Cinematronix for reviewing.
Erin was mildly aware of her surroundings. The pounding in her head limited her ability to decipher sounds. Light set her corneas ablaze as she cautiously blinked her eyes open. After her vision adjusted, she found herself facing a large silver, something.
"Sideswipe? What happened." Her voice was scratchy at best.
The mech, who was lying across an open space in forest, looked down at Erin. He had her cradled in his arm, held close to his chassis. He smiled, looking relieved. "Sweetspark, you're awake. You got really sick and passed out. How are you feeling now?"
"Better." She replied in a raspy voice. A coughing fit threatened to start, but never came.
She slowly pulled herself up and stepped out of his arm, her shoulder was noticeably numb. Erin's vision swam a little, but she could still see the red veins coming from the wound. She had little doubt there would be puss underneath all the congealed blood. She needed medical attention.
Once she stumbled far enough, Sideswipe sat up, immediately holding a servo near her in case she fell over.
"Thanks," she mumbled, "for taking care of me."
"Don't mention it, sweetspark." Sideswipe gave her a weak smile, his servo flexing slightly.
"Really, don't." Sunstreaker stated from the other side of the small clearing. He sat on a large root system, staring off to nothing.
"Actually, Rin, Sunny did most of the work." Sideswipe gave a sidelong glance to his brother, his smile growing ever so slightly.
"Shut it, fragger." The mech hissed, "And don't call me that!"
"Well, thank you Sunstreaker." Erin was still loopy from the fever so the impact of Mr. Sunshine talking care of her had not quite hit her yet. She looked up to Sideswipe, a wave of reverse vertigo hitting her. "We need to keep moving."
Sideswipe raised to his full height and placed his servos on his hips in an attempt to look authoritative. "You are not walking anywhere, not in your condition."
"We don't have much of a choice." She hissed, mostly because of the aching in her own head. She couldn't hide the weakness in her shaking legs or the paleness of her face, accompanied by her red eyes. Sideswipe would be less than convinced.
"Then let me carry you." Sideswipe all but pleaded, optic ridges furrowing in worry.
"No." Erin replied firmly as she headed forward to their intended destination.
Sunstreaker got to his pedes and took two hard steps towards the soldier. "Do you really think you can keep up like that?" he laughed darkly as his servo gestured to all of her. "Femme, you look like you just crawled out of a smelter."
"Come on," Sideswipe added sweetly, "Don't you trust us?"
Erin was getting the distinct feeling that the twins were getting really skilled at the good cop, bad cop routine. She considered the mech's question. It was not that she didn't trust them. She knew by then that they would not hurt her. Well… at least Sideswipe wouldn't. But the churning weight in her stomach convinced her to stay on the ground.
Sunstreaker, apparently, had other plans. He scooped her up and held her securely in one arm. Thankfully, her throat was too sore to let out the squeak that tried to break through. Her stomach dropped and vision narrowed. Erin tried to get it over with and jump down but Sunstreaker brought his other hand over her, keeping the woman pinned. Without another word, he continued forward, a shocked Sideswipe following his heels.
Essentially stuck in his arm, Erin couldn't help but close her eyes, hoping it would limit the dizziness. There was a very real possibility that, if she were to throw up, Sunstreaker would drop kick her a thousand feet. Unconsciously, she gripped a small crevasse in Sunstreaker's chassis. It helped make her feel slightly more grounded. Slowly, her fear began to wane. The rhythmic pulsing in his chest and the warmth of the hand blanketed over her encouraged her to relax.
She wouldn't fall. If she did, the hand hovering over would catch her. She wouldn't hit the ground. Erin chanted the thought like a mantra.
Her headache eased without the light from which that the servo shielded her. The ebbs of consciousness slowly fell away as she slipped into fevered dreams.
Erin was rocked from side to side. She sat straight in the hard seat, holding onto the harness over her shoulders to avoid flailing her limbs about. The noise in the space was near deafening; massive engines snarled as they soared through the sky. The dim lights of the place flickered as they banked a hard right.
She sat with her back to one wall, facing the row of trainees on the other side. They all wore the telltale black armor that adorned all members. Only, their faces… what were their faces like? Where were they? Above the neck of the night black gear were featureless visages. No mouths, no eyes. There were slight ridges where their noses should be. The barely present light cast shadows where small indents seemed to be. A black helmet adorned each head, hiding any hair.
Erin looked to her side, the row of faceless trainees continued. At the end was a taller form, two dark green stripes adorned each upper arm of his otherwise black armor. Their trainer was also faceless. She turned her head to the other side, her right… or was it her left? Another black set of gear, only this person had a face. Or was it a mirror? Erin looked into the other form, it was her face, only she never remembered looking so beautiful. The body attached to it leaned protectively close to Erin. Was that really her face? Was she making that expression? Eyeing the faceless row before her with suspicion?
No. There was no mirror. This was her sister. What was her name again? Cora. That seemed right. Her name must have been Cora. She was here now, so everything must be alright. They were stronger together. They had each other's backs.
The instructor stood, a weak mumbling sound, muffled by the stretch of skin over his mouth, came from the man. Automatically, Erin reached down to grab the pack between her legs. It's weight unnoticed in her tight grip. The trainees unbuckled their harnesses and pulled the packs on, adjusting the thick, new harness all pulling the straps tight.
A shrieking noise echoed through the belly of the plane as the instructor opened the side hatch. The black forms began to line up. Without preamble, the instructor grabbed the collar of the nearest trainee and shoved them out of the plane. The second nearest person automatically stepped towards the hatch. This one needed no assistance in jumping out. They continued onward, seconds falling between each jump into the thick blackness.
Eventually, it was Erin's turn. She yearned to hold Cora's hand. The wind whipped her face, pushing and pulling her at the same time. Hesitation was not allowed, she had to jump. Half a second ticked by as she barely had a moment to regard the darkness she would leap into. An insistent nudge came from behind. Cora prompted her forward. 'Just jump before the faceless instructor shoved her out. Do not show weakness.'
Following her sister's silent instructions, Erin bent low and fell through the hatch. A moment of weightlessness carried her behind the plane. She looked up to the receding vehicle. Behind it was a flurry of bright stars bowing to a large yellow moon. Its beams lighted the sky and reflected off the clouds below.
Her momentum shifted downwards, slowly, as the sound of the plane receded. She said goodbye to the disk in the sky and looked down to greet the light clouds. Only their shadows seemed to grow. A second before she met them, their black mouths opened to swallow her up into darkness. Her body finally registered gravity as she was torn out of the sky and thrust through wet blackness.
Barely visible dots of lights wisped away as she was dragged further towards the cold slab of rock called Earth. Desperate, she looked around, not a soul was there. Her sister was gone, the darkness consuming her.
Her form broke through the clouds as Earth reached up to take her. Erin gripped the lever on her harness, pulling with terror. The pack tore open, parachute tumbling out. The second it pulled tight, the line snapped, flying away from Erin half a second later. She pulled the backup parachute. It too snapped, the remaining line slashing across her exposed cheek.
Gravity seemed to shove her down with all its strength. Her mind froze as ice and fire mixed and steamed in her veins. Her stomach flipped and her heart beat in rhythm with the wind whipping her ears. Falling, death called to her from below…
A force hit her from above, shoving her even closer to the earth. The force's arms turned her around to face the sneering black clouds. But below them, was the only face that mattered to her. Determined stubbornness glanced down at Erin's pack. Hands quickly undid one buckle, replacing it around a strap on her own harness. Erin and Cora fell towards the earth, chest to chest, sparing a glance into each other's eyes.
Cora pulled on her parachute. It shot above them like a rocket and quickly expanded to block Erin's view of the cruel sky. The jarring force slowed them. They continued at a weakened decent, Cora holding onto her sister. Erin, chanced a tear-filled glance towards the ground, stomach clenching at the sight. She snapped her eyes shut and hid her face in her twin's bosom. Cora held her close, a silent promise to never let go.
Awareness returned to Erin more easily than the time before. Her body swayed soothingly. Memory flowed into the forefront he her mind. She was sick. It was patchy, but she could recall the unnatural heat. Her feverish mind was limited by the illness. She hadn't been able to take care of herself. An image flashed behind her eyelids. Sunstreaker.
Erin's eyes shot open as her heartrate accelerated. She was in the air, laying limply in a mech's arms. Only this one was silver.
The mech looked down at her with relieved optics. "Hey sweetspark. How are you feeling?"
"Vertigo." She deadpanned. "Could you put me down."
All forward motion stopped as he knelt down. "Are you sure you can walk on your own?"
"I'll be fine." Her legs were wobbly at first, but she willed herself to stand straight. Erin could feel her strength returning. The fever must have passed. "Where are we?"
"According to google maps, we are a few meters from a body of water called Twin Lakes. We figured if we could sneak you to a camp ground, you could radio for transport."
"You can access the internet?" She questioned.
"Yeah, most of our subsystems are still down, but I got that back after I rebooted."
Her eyes narrowed. That long? "Can't you just hack into Lennox's email or something? He should get a message alert on his phone."
Both mechs froze as they considered her relatively simple solution. Apparently, they had not thought it. So much for the inventive twins.
Sunstreaker growled through his denta, "So we've been trudging through this organic dump for nothing?"
Erin couldn't help it, she weakly laughed.
"What's so funny, squishy?" the yellow mech eyed her darkly, arms crossed.
"Nothing." She shook her head, smile still lighting her face.
Like Ironhide would, the mech harrumphed and looked away. Erin was not sure whether it made him look childish or elderly, but it was amusing nonetheless.
Sideswipe also managed to see the humor in his twin's attitude as he was smiling softly. "Come on, Sunny, it could be worse." He tried to reason.
"How?" the warrior snapped back. "And don't call me that!" he turned back to his brother, interior frame fans audible with pent up heat. "We're stuck on an alien planet, surrounded by organic filth and practically disabled after being attacked by tiny fleshies! How could it get any worse?"
The tide of anger went unnoticed by the silver twin. "We'll be contacted by Lennox soon and have transport back to base. Hatchet will get us fixed up and if anybot gives us smack about being beaten by some humans," he glanced down at his smaller companion, "we'll sic Rin on them. That'll teach 'em." He grinned wildly at her and looked back up to his brother who seemed to have calmed down, probably enjoying the thought of watching Erin kick ass. Violence was his forte after all.
Erin, on the other hand, stared back at Sideswipe incredulously, playing along. "And why would I go along with that?"
He crouched down near her. "To prove humans are stronger than they appear." His grin turned lopsided. "And to defend your mechs' honor."
Ignoring the last comment, Sunstreaker added, "We can't do anything with her 'till she heals up." Erin got the sense one of the two were not fully aware of what their conversation might be implying.
"Then," Sideswipe stood back to his full height, "you'll just have to bash their faceplates in until she's back in fighting condition."
"I'd like that." The yellow mech grinned, already revved to take down any mech with a witty comment against him or his twin.
Sideswipe seemed pleased at the turn in his brother's attitude, if his smile was anything to go by. He paused, looking out among the trees. "And there could be worse places to be stuck." He added.
"Really?" Sunstreaker asked flatly, "Do you not feel the rotting matter in your armor seams?" His entire frame shivered, a few specs of dirt falling from hidden places among his midsection.
"Don't tell me you think this is worse than the Vox mines? Or when we had to hide in the Sea of Rust?" Sideswipe stepped forward to a tree and, with the natural power of a Cybertronian, easily snapped off a thick branch at optic height. "Besides, the view's nice." He dropped the branch and looked through the opening.
Sunstreaker also looked in that direction and seemed to relax. "It's ok, but we're not here for the view."
Erin, being of a smaller stature, couldn't see what they saw, and her view was obstructed by a few large rocks and bushes. All she could see in that general direction was the sky.
Sideswipe, noticing her troubles, bent down and offered a servo. After Erin made no move towards him, didn't give up. "Come on, Rin. Do you really think I would ever drop you?" his voice was sweet and gentle, like he was trying to talk an animal out of hiding. But with falling on her mind, there was no room for her embarrassment or irritation.
Instead, she took a calming breath. There was no reason why she couldn't trust them, after all, they both carried her while she slept. "Just, for a second… ok?" Her voice sounded far meeker than she intended. At least she was able to reason that it was due to the illness that had weakened her.
With the utmost care, Sideswipe gently scooped her into his servos and rose to a full standing height, holding her close against his chassis. Erin's head swam with vertigo and she instinctively groped for something to hang onto, which happened to be the seam right in the middle of Sideswipe's chest plates.
The mech seemed to shiver at the touch. "Uh, Rin, I know we're close and all but…"
Erin fisted her hand around the edge of the armor, feeling small wires at the edges of her fingers. Another shiver alerted the soldier as to what the mech had been implying. Her hand shot back as if it had been burned. "Sorry, I… uh." Another wave of vertigo cause her to clamp her mouth shut and close her eyes, leaning back in against Sideswipe.
The silver mech, on the other hand, sounded fully amused. "You didn't have to stop, it was just getting good." Erin couldn't see it, but she easily imagined him wiggling his optic ridges suggestively. The gaging sound Sunstreaker made only helped to reinforce her theory. "Come on, Rin, there's nothing to be afraid of. Look, the view's much nicer up here."
Taking a deep breath, Erin slowly opened her eyes, only to see metal. Her face was buried against Sideswipe's neck. Her face heated with embarrassment. She really needed to get over this fear if she was to work with these 'bots. Steeling her nerves, Erin turned her gaze towards where Sideswipe had been looking. It really was rather pleasant. There was a small dip in the land, dotted by stones which reflected the sunlight to the underside of the trees. Everything shined brightly with smooth earthy tones. And the sky was a rich blue, dotted with quickly moving ivory white clouds. The 'bots really did get a better view up there.
After a few moments of appreciation, Erin felt a chuckle rumble in Sideswipe's chassis. "I have to say, Rin, I like this skittish side of you. It's cute."
Another wave of embarrassment hit her, almost stronger than the vertigo. "Just, put me down." She tried to sound short and angry, but instead her voice trembled, eliciting another chuckle from the mech. But he did as she requested and set her back onto the solid earth. Once her feet touched the ground, Erin felt her confidence snap back. She stood straight and regained her composed visage.
Sideswipe refocused his attention to Sunstreaker, "I bet it would make a nice painting."
Sunstreaker's optics flashed for a second, before his scowl returned. "Not in the mood." He responded darkly.
Erin's interest was already piqued, though. "Painting?"
Sideswipe smiled widely, "I never mentioned? Sunny's an artist. The best from Cybertron."
"Don't call me that!" Sunstreaker snapped with a bit more venom. "Shut it, fragger."
Erin, ignoring Sunstreaker's outburst, turned towards the mech, "Seriously?"
The warrior didn't even make eye to optic contact with her. "It's none of your business, squishy." he grumbled back to her.
Sideswipe nudged his twin, "Come on Sunny, don't be shy."
"Don't call me that!" he snapped back, not gracing the latter comment with a response.
"Just show her one piece." The silver mech pushed.
"I can't," he rolled his optics in a rather human gesture, "my data pad was corrupted by that virus."
Erin's focus was quickly turned with that admission, "It affected items in your subspace?"
Sideswipe regained focus with the change of conversation. "Yeah, I've never hear of a virus that can do that before. That weapon they hit us with was top of the line advanced."
Erin's eyes wandered as she considered these sudden technological advancements. "Even if Mech studied Arcee's remains, as Silas implied…" she paused, noting how Sideswipe flinched at the blatant statement. She'd forgotten just how dire losing any of their of their kin was for them. Even Sunstreaker looked down at the mention of the two-wheeler. "Nevertheless," she tried to get back on track, "would they be able to develop such a weapon? Knowing the current extent of human technology, it seems unlikely."
Sunstreaker was the first to recover from the dark turn. "You think they're getting help?"
Sideswipe piped in, "From the decepticons."
"It makes sense." Erin replied.
Sunstreaker shook his helm. "No one hates fleshies more than the 'cons, they'd never work with them."
"Even out of desperation?" Erin questioned.
Sideswipe placed a digit against his lip plate in thought. "Perhaps he's a neutral."
"I can't imagine a neutral coming anywhere near either faction." Sunstreaker scoffed, "Besides, no one with that technology would not have been recruited already."
"We need to keep an open mind." Erin reasoned, "Guys like Silas are opportunists. As long as it furthers his own agenda, he could put his pride on the sideline and claim to work for the 'cons, rather than being in a partnership."
Sideswipe nodded, "We need to at least consider the possibility."
His twin looked less than please. "As if we had it bad enough." His arms dropped in exasperation, "We came to this planet to bash 'con helms, not get stuck in fleshy matters."
Erin grinned cynically at him. "And I didn't join the military to fight in an alien war, but that's how life goes."
Sunstreaker returned the expression, having once again calmed. "Touché, squishy."
It took an hour for Lennox to respond, apparently they were trying to find ways to contact them. Sideswipe said he explained Colonel Bishop's double-cross and provided their coordinates and medical conditions. He also assured Erin that, with his programming skill, he could make it so that the message would only open on Lennox's exact device. That way, they should be safe from Silas intercepting the message. When the Captain responded, he said transport was on its way to a civilian airport. There were only so many military personnel with authorization to know of the autobots and the nearest were in Nevada. Still, the trio would have to retrieve a big rig and cargo unit to transport Sideswipe, who still couldn't transform, to the airport. Either that, or wait even longer for aid to find them.
Sunstreaker stood stiffly, optics trained on Erin. His faceplates were impossible to read. "Once we get to the road, I'll drive you to the truck leaser."
Sunstreaker take Erin in his alt-mode? He must really have been desperate to get back to base. Admittingly, he could have made her walk. Transport would not arrive for ten hours, giving Erin eight to retrieve the truck and return. The leasing company was only ten miles away, a distance she could make in a few hours, given her condition.
Sideswipe stayed where he was, hidden, but near the road that would likely be abandoned long enough for him to crawl into the trailer. Erin peeked out from the cover of shrubbery lining the road.
"All clear." She called back to Sunstreaker.
The mech ambled over to the concrete and transformed. An appreciative rev came from his engine. Erin walked up to him, but his passenger door remained closed.
"Sunstreaker." She placed a hand on her still bruised hip. "Can you please let me in?" She did not want to ride with him, but they would both have to deal with it if they wanted to get back home.
"But you're filthy." He grumbled.
She shot back, "So are you." Erin reached for the door handle only for Sunstreaker to suddenly reverse five feet.
"What did you say!" his voice was nearly masked by the heated roar of his engine.
Erin mentally chastised herself for angering the homicidal robot. "Look Sunstreaker," she raised her hands in a placating gesture, "The only way for us to get out of here is for us to get the truck. Humans are slow at covering distance and, last time I checked, Lamborghinis can't drive other vehicles, so we need to work together on this. It'll only be for a little while, ok?" she slowly approached him again. Mindlessly, she added, "I'll make it up to you later."
"A wash."
"What?" Caught off guard, Erin fumbled for a coherent response. "Like, a wash, wash?"
"And a wax." Sunstreaker's tone was demanding and left little room for argument.
"O-ok." This was completely new. He actually wanted her to touch him? "When we get back to base, I'll give you a wash and wax." Her own tone was still disbelieving.
Sunstreaker's door silently opened, showing a black interior, darkened by windows so tinted, she could barely catch the light glowing through. The main source of illumination came from the console, which glowed an intense yellow and reflected off the glossy seats. The overall display was rather impressive and elegant.
She took a step forward, right as Sunstreaker revved his engine, causing her to freeze. "Don't. Touch. Anything." He grit out.
Erin, though not one to be pushed around, refused to answer and instead seated herself. Her hands rested respectfully in her lap as the door slammed shut roughly next to her. After a second of thought, she reached over and grabbed the seatbelt. Sunstreaker growled a warning, but Erin responded with a sharp glare to his center console. "Unless you want squishy oils smeared all over your interior, I'll be using the seatbelt." She stated as she pulled it across her chest. Sunstreaker responded by pulling the strap a bit too tight against her sore ribs.
Suddenly, Erin was crushed against the seat as the Lamborghini shot off. Any scream that might have left her lips was dragged down by sheer force. Erin could not see the scenery passing, in the dark cabin, only the minute flickers of light periodically being blocked by trees and hills. The roar of the engine and the sounds of Sunstreaker's hood slicing through the air cut out any other noise.
For some reason, Erin did not feel as weary around the mech as she normally did. She was still scared shit out of her mind, but by then that was a normal state of things. Something about the air around the 'bot was different. She settled herself against the seat which felt much stiffer than Sideswipe's. Erin could have sworn she remembered the road being covered in potholes and uneven patches of concrete repairs. But the drive was so smooth, it was as if they were gliding. The growl of Sunstreaker's engine was almost musical as he shot down the road. It was different from how it normally sounded, although before she had only ever heard it from the outside. But still, the ferocity wasn't quite there.
"Sunstreaker," Erin vocally prodded, straining her voice to be heard over the roaring engine. She continued after receiving no response, "You wouldn't happen to just be showing off right now, would you?" She cracked a sly smile.
The vehicle suddenly decelerated, crushing Erin's still tender robs against the seat belt. "O-Of course not!" Sunstreaker's engine stuttered slightly before continuing at a far more subdued pace, "Can it, squishy."
Wisely, Erin did not push her luck with a response, but a small smile still played on her lips. It seemed that something really had gotten through to the mech. So it appeared the apology back at the brig wasn't just a fluke after all. Closing her eyes, she allowed her body to relax. The seat was hard and the strap across her made her wounds ache, but she smiled nonetheless. It seemed that the big, rough 'bot wasn't all animosity after all.
When they arrived at the truck rental facility, Erin was left with the awkward situation of climbing out of a dirty yellow Lamborghini, whilst covered in blood, and getting a big rig. Lennox had told her the rental was already payed for, but the men were not informed of the situation being military related. She just needed to pick up the keys. If these truckers suspected a military skirmish in the area, the news would be all over it and reporters might try to comb the area for a scoop before government agents could gather intel on Mech activities. She needed to play this right.
"Sunstreaker, I'm sorry about this, but I have to leave my pants and shoes with you." Erin quickly tried to explain as she used her blade to cut a sloppy 'V' into the front of her shirt.
"What! Why the frag do you think I would let you do that?" he seethed, voice booming through the cabin. The vehicle's entire frame shook with revulsion.
Erin sighed as she tried to brush out her hair with her hands. "Look, if these guys find out I'm military, the media will be all over this. That means I need to hide most of my uniform. Once I get the keys, I'll grab the stuff. I'm sure you can last a couple more minutes." She then tore the sides of her shirt and tied the bottom ends back together, making it look like a home cut sports shirt. Wearing a sports bra helped finish the look. She tore off the pants, trying not to allow the heat of embarrassment color her cheeks. Stripping while sitting inside of one's alien partner is rather awkward. Underneath her pants, as always, she wore spandex shorts, which would be perfect for this disguise.
"No! No, no, no! Stop it! You are getting your oils all over my interior! So help me Primus, I will crush you!" The car tilted violently to the side as the door opened, forcing Erin out and onto the ground. Her aching wounds paired with the fresh scrape marks she received.
"Damn it, Sunstreaker!" She quickly tried to hide from view of the windows where the employees could no doubt be watching. "You can't blow our cover like that! What kind of 'robot in disguise' are you?"
"The kind that will not stand for a fleshy rolling around in my interior!" he hissed back. His engine revved threateningly, showing that, if she didn't play her cards right, he might just run her over.
"All right." She tried to calm him down while dealing with her clothing, trying to keep it in a single pile. She glanced over his hood and, saw two men staring through the windows. She darted back down, hoping she hadn't been spotted. She'll be damned if she lets their cover be blown because of the twenty foot child next to her. "Just stay here and don't move. Is it acceptable that I hide the clothes behind you so our audience over there doesn't see it? They won't be touching you."
Sunstreaker made a sound akin to sighing. "Just, hurry up." He replied in a more subdued tone. Honestly, he sounded tired, and Erin couldn't blame him.
"Don't worry," she whispered, "We'll all be home soon."
Erin placed her jacket around her shoulders, stood, and wiped her hands off on her shirt, making it look as if she had been working on the tire while she had been crouched over the vehicle. She could see the spectators approaching her. Before they could reach Sunstreaker, she moved around him and met them halfway. Begrudgingly, she put on her best dumb smile and waved weakly at them.
Using her best spoiled girl accent, she greeted them. "Hi, um, like, daddy said he contacted you about renting a truck for me." She played with her hair and pretended to be chewing gum.
"Ma'am." One of the men approached her with a worried look in his eyes, "are you all right? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Erin made sure to add shrill inflections in her voice. "Oh, no. I'm sorry I, like, look like such a mess. This is, like, so embarrassing." She made no effort to look embarrassed, instead she rolled her eyes like a spoiled brat. "It's not that bad. I was, like, on my way back from a volley ball match, you know, like, racing, and my boyfriend, like, crashed into me when there was, like, a deer on the road. My car was, like, totally wrecked so we need to take it back to daddy's shop in Cali." She was also grateful, for once, Sunstreaker was with her instead of Sideswipe. The silver mech would never let her live this down.
"Is your friend ok?" the second man, who was rather tall and gauntly, asked.
"Yeah, he's ok, he's, like, military and stuff so he's super tough." She smiled and showed off the jacket over her shoulders, as if her 'boyfriend' had placed it there. It served as a good prop to cast a shadow over the bruising on her sides, making them unnoticeable.
It took some sweet talking, but Erin eventually had them convinced to give her the keys. 'Daddy' had provided an impressive payment, which was enough to bribe the men to give her the truck without even really looking at her license. When the tall man had in in his hand, his eyes glazed over it, before focusing back on Erin's scantily clad form. It was also enough money to keep them "hush, hush" over the entire event.
Once she had the truck, she ran around Sunstreaker, grabbed her extra clothes, and climbed back into his cab, not without protest. She managed to convince him to drive into the back of the trailer so she could drive him out of view. A mile down the road, she let him back out. Erin followed Sunstreaker back to where they would meet Sideswipe. She was fortunate that the yellow mech didn't shoot off on his own like she suspected he would, considering she didn't know the way back. By the time they met up with the silver twin, night had fallen. As expected, there was no traffic on the road, which was fortunate because Sideswipe literally leaped out of the forest. Apparently, he was too impatient to wait. Why Erin expected anything different, she did not know.
Sideswipe regarded Erin, who had left her loose clothing in the truck's cab. "You two seem to have gotten off well." He smiled slyly.
Sunstreaker transformed, his optics providing just enough light to make out his facial features and chest plates. "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled.
The silver mech pointed at Erin, "You leave with her, then return her half naked with torn clothes" his optic ridges waggled suggestively, "Sunny, I didn't think you had it in you."
The yellow front liner roared as he leaped at his brother, tackling him to the ground. Erin stood off to the side, face slightly reddened by the unexpected comment, watching as Sunstreaker punched his laughing twin. It didn't look like he was doing any real damage, so Erin decided not to intervene. Sideswipe seemed to be enjoying himself, even though he was receiving quite the beating. Within a few minutes, the pair were done with their sibling squabble and Sunstreaker stalked off a few yards to mutter to himself.
Unfortunately, while Sideswipe was eager at first, upon actually seeing his mode of transportation, he became suborn like a child. Apparently, when he heard her say that he would be moved in a trailer, he did not think he would be moved in a trailer. So there Erin was, out on an open highway, with one giant alien robot watching her try to coax another into his ride. He sounded like Sunstreaker, complaining about how grimy it would be. The yellow mech had far less patience and tried to forcibly stuff his twin into the trailer. Fearing that their scuffle would destroy their mode of transportation, Ein pulled out her pistol and shot out two low burst which dinged against each twin. She then scolded both of them. Sideswipe stared down at the ground in at least a semblance of humility. Sunstreaker crossed his arms and looked off to the side, practically throwing a fit. At least he held himself in check, rather than trying to step on her. Eventually, Sideswipe was loaded into the trailer and the group drove off to the airstrip. They had a long flight ahead of them, after which they would likely go through several hours of medical checks and debriefings. Not much to look forward to, but at least the worst of it was over.
Although, she would have to wash Sunstreaker soon.
Right when they reached the airport, medical personnel were on the scene, checking over Erin. The mech's were given the all clear to walk around. Sideswipe stretched gratefully once he was free of his confines, but his happy expression fell when he saw their plane.
"Great, more cramped spaces." He mumbled about soreness in his struts and how he just wanted to get all four of his wheels moving again.
"Give it a rest." Sunstreaker grumbled, "At least we're going to be back in the wash racks soon." He was surprisingly calm, considering his usual temperament. His focus turned more towards Erin, face taking on amused features, "Besides, we've gotta get her home to 'daddy'." He mocked.
She had a feeling it would take her a long time to live that down.