Hello! This is a rather short chapter and it was originally part of a longer chapter, but I broke up the two. Thus, the next chapter is almost ready and will be posted soon!
A special thanks to my wonderful reviewers; Teletraan, mary123ciel, Momochan77, Cinematronix, (Guest), THE Ellie, (Guest), .Princess, KayleeChiara, Anonymous, (Guest), SolusPrieLightblast, and ImpartingAbyss
Enjoy!
Erin carefully inspected the new weapon before her. She had carefully laid it on the solid ground within the temporary tent she and her human comrades were occupying while in Texas. It was rather cramped, but nothing she couldn't handle. They had just returned from the end of their guard shift so her fellow soldiers had yet to file in for lights out. She wanted time to check out her blade without prying eyes. She had already given it a fairly thorough inspection before, but in the flurry of activity since landing, she only had time to acknowledge its weight on her arm.
The moment they landed, all personnel moved out from the airstrip, convoy vehicles and autobots alike carrying gear across the highways until they reached their destination. The night shift guards started their rotation while Erin and the others set up camp. As soon as they were finished, it was their turn for guard duty. All was quiet during their shift, including little chatter from the twins. They seemed more focused than usual. It could have been due to the prospect of coming across an insecticon once again; even just one had devastating abilities. As their shift came to a close, Prowl took over, leaving Erin and the twins to eat and rest.
Erin glanced around the tent for any of her bunkmates. Twenty four men could fit in each tent, though they were nearly shoulder to shoulder. She had it better than the twins, however, whose cover could only fit their alt modes. Sunstreaker had complained in the past about how uncomfortable it was to recharge in alt form and apparently it wasn't entirely healthy either.
The soldier's mind continued to wonder to the twins as she felt along her new weapon, checking for where connections were and how they operated. It remained deactivated, she wouldn't turn on such a dangerous tool in a crowded area, but she could still admire parts of the blade. Though the designs were different, she could see where Sideswipe's own choice weapons inspired this new one.
Erin remembered when she first brought her weapon concept to the twins, to get their input. She had worked with dual edged blades before, and was hoping to adapt cybertronian designs into it. The original drawing closely resembled a haladie. Sideswipe was the one who recommended a wrist mount, rather than the back sheath she was considering. When she brought up concerns over safe storage, Sunstreaker was said she should have the blades fold in on themselves like Sideswipes'. After hours of discussion and drawing on Sunstreaker's data pad. They finally had a product to pitch to Que. When the scientist saw the designs, he was almost too excited. He and the twins went back and forth, discussing energon storage locations and output power. Erin tried her best to pay attention to the jargon, though she later had to ask Sideswipe to clarify some points. She had to admit, it was pretty fun working with the twins. And she was satisfied with the end result.
A part of Erin wanted to gather the twins and find a secluded spot to test out her new device, before she was required to return it to Prowl. But it was an inappropriate time. She and the twins had to focus solely on the mission at hand.
Setting the blade in a designated holding case, she settled down to get some sleep as her fellow soldiers began filing in for lights out. She cringed as the men clambered over her and each other to find their bunks, mere mats on the ground with inches between. The sound of starchy sheets being pulled around and gear hitting open spaces on the floor vibrated through Erin. The odd cough or mutter all seemed to be inches from her ear. The constant presence of others never left the forefront of her mind. She wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. But, at least she could give her body a moment to rest. She never fell asleep on the flight over so she had missed any chance at rest the night before and exhaustion weighed her down.
As minutes ticked by, her fellow soldiers began snore, the round racked Erin's ears. Suppressing a sigh, she turn over, trying to find a relatively comfortable position. She felt the half-thrown sheets of another soldier slide over her. Quietly, she tried to kick them off as the Texas summer heat baked the cramped space.
Erin tried to distract her mind with ambient thoughts but she could never shake the discomfort of having her back facing so many people. She'd dealt with conditions like this before, but in her defense it had been a while, and she never got much sleep in those situations either.
A foot brushed against her leg and Erin quickly reminded herself not to strike back. Glancing over her soldier, she saw her neighbor entirely asleep, sprawled across his bunk and half over hers. Erin moved to the very edge of her designated space, trying to avoid contact with anyone. She was left with only inches between her and the back of her other neighbor. It was going to be a long night.
Counting the minutes pass, Erin once again turned in an attempt to find comfort, but never reaching her goal.
A sharp 'pss' sound came from outside the tent. Focusing her hearing, she listened for the sound again. A familiar voice greeted her, "Pss! Rin, come out here."
Without putting much thought to it, Erin climbed out of her bunk and slowly made her way outside, trying to avoid stepping on anyone. When she made it out of the tent, a cooling sprinkle of rain welcomed her.
She was greeted by the sight of her two teammates, towering over her. Lights around the camp reflected on their armor, leaving them only half covered in shadow.
"What's up?" she asked sleepily, noticing how alert the mechs looked. In fact, they not only seemed lively, but worried. A panicked thought of an attack jolted across her mind but reason quickly quelled it. If there had been an invasion of any sort, the twins would have raised an alarm, not quietly come to her.
Sunstreaker looked away, his arms crossed. Sideswipe suddenly seemed to find his pedes rather interesting as he failed to give any kind of response. With a sigh, she stepped away from the tent and motioned for them to follow her. She could hear their steps as she led them to a thicker part in the forest.
She nodded to the camp guard they passed. For a moment, it appeared he would ask what she was doing up, but a quick glance towards Sunstreaker made him blanch and shut his jaws tight. Sometimes it helped to have a natural deterrent like him around.
When they finally gained enough space from everyone else for some privacy, she turned back towards the mechs, placed her hands on her hips, and looked at them expectantly. "Well?"
The twins looked at each other for a brief moment before turning back towards her. Sideswipe kneeled down to shorten the distance between them. "Well," he parroted, "we were wondering… if you were… recharging well?" the silver mech wouldn't look at her in the eye.
Exhausted, Erin made no attempt to hide her irritation. "So you got me out of bed, to see if I was sleeping?"
"Primus." Sunstreaker muttered, pushing his brother out of the way. "Just give her a straight answer." He turned his attention to Erin, quickly looking her over. "This fragger over here," he nodded towards Sideswipe, "assumed you wouldn't be getting any rest with all those males around. So, he wanted to offer… other accommodations."
"We know you can be on edge when trying to recharge," Sideswipe added, "so we thought we could help."
A mix of annoyance and shame crossed Erin's mind. They were right, after all. She'd never fall asleep like that. But Sunstreaker was being rather assumptive. Focusing on him, she shot back, "This is not a slumber party, we are at work, resting between shifts. Who gives a damn whether I'm stuck with a bunch of men or not?"
Sideswipe quietly stated, "Well, it's not exactly safe-"
Before he could finish that thought, Erin raised her hand, effectively cutting him off. "Really? Do you honestly think I can't look after myself?"
The silver mech quickly shook his head, "We don't think that!" He added, "But why do you have to be the only one who cares about your wellbeing?"
Erin's retort was caught in her throat. She didn't want to argue with them. "Look, Sideswipe," she replied in as soothing a tone as she could manage, "I really am fine. I understand you're concerned for me, but you don't have to be." Taking a breath, she conceded, "Yes, you're right that I can't sleep well there, but I can deal with one lousy night."
Sideswipe looked down. "I know you can take care of yourself, Rin. I didn't mean to insinuate otherwise. Honestly, I would feel more comfortable knowing you are resting safely."
"Sides, I'm a soldier, and your teammate, not your charge. I've always been able to look after myself." Adding a bit of lightness, she continued, "Besides, if I can manage around you two, I can take a few human guys."
"Right." Sideswipe's optics darted around nervously.
Erin looked at him questioningly, then realized how he must have taken her words. A shot of embarrassment coursed through her, she didn't mean to refer to their intimate intentions. Pulling her thoughts away from that blunder, she looked up at the sky. The sputtering of rain had ceased and Erin could see stars dotting the sky between the breaking blackness of the clouds. "Since we're already out here, I may actually stay out." Glancing over to Sunstreaker, she knew no one would dare question her with him around. They wouldn't even approach.
Sideswipe seemed to perk up. "Would you mind if we stayed with you?" He asked with the hope of a child about to get his way.
Thinking for a second, Erin asked him, "Won't Ironhide assume you're up to no good when we finds out you're gone?"
"Let him get his tailpipe in twist." Sunstreaker shrugged, showing no concern over whatever abusive words the mech would throw their way.
"Alright," she settled down against a tree, feeling for where the thick roots could best support her, "you win, I'm out of the tent." Luckily, there hadn't been enough rain to leach into the soil, giving her a fairly dry spot to rest.
Both mechs compacted into their alt modes. Sideswipe, however, opened his passenger side door. "Rin, why don't you recharge with me, I can help keep you cool."
It was true that even at night the heat was blistering. Of course, Diego Garcia was no Antarctic, but the air conditioning kept the edge off during the hottest months. Erin knew she shouldn't indulge him, but, acting against logic, she simply nodded her head tiredly and climbed in. He closed the door behind her as she curled up in the seat which leaned far back enough to almost make a bed. The white comforter he always carried was neatly folded in his driver's side seat. Gratefully, she took it and wrapped the soft fabric around her as cool air blew around her. "Thanks Sides." She yawned.
"That's twice now you've called me that." The mech nearly whispered.
Having never realized her slip, she quickly apologized. "Oh, sorry."
"No, it's ok." Sideswipe said smoothly, "I like it, actually."
"Well," Erin state, not sure what to say next, "goodnight."
"Goodnight sweetspark."