Hello Dear Readers! Here's the next chapter. There's a lot going on here and I was originally going to break it up but you've waited long enough for some action!
Thanks to my wonderful reviewers; L3nNy, ScarletSea, lostariel0716, and TomRiddlesTwin.
Now, I shall proceed to hide in the nearest hole for the next few weeks (you'll get why at the end)!
Erin used a nearby palm tree for balance as she deepened her post-workout stretches. It was nice to get some time away from the twins to think. Working-out helped the woman focus her thoughts without letting her mind wander too much, something that was happening at an increasing frequency. But she could cope. Of course, she could. So what if every night she woke up in a cold sweat from either fear or dissatisfaction. That was nothing. There was just a lot of thoughts to shuffle through. Part of Erin wished she had a confidant. Sure, she could discuss the measures she was taking against Division with Franky. Their relationship had actually improved since she filled him in. And his behind the scenes communications were providing the edge she would need whenever shit hit the fan. But espionage was easy compared to the other things on her mind.
Perhaps, she could talk to Ironhide about it? But creeping embarrassment kept her mouth firmly shut on the matter. Had she been attracted to people before? Affirmative. Had she felt protective over others, both physically and emotionally? Less frequently, but still a yes. Had she felt both feelings those towards the same individuals?
That was what constituted love, right?
So, humoring herself, Erin tried to consider what her options could be moving forward. She could ignore her feelings and continue on. That was meant to be the easy route. All she would have to deal with were the dreams. She could probe how serious the twins' feelings were and move on from there. Or, she could take the leap and confess. The latter certainly seemed like the last thing she would do, but no concept left a satisfactory feeling. Perhaps she should swallow her awkwardness and go to Ironhide. Was her love life any of his business? No. But she trusted him. And he seemed to care enough to listen. He also had the wisdom to tell her how fucked up in the head she has to be and convince her to forget those feelings all together. Yes, Ironhide would work. She just needed the mech alone.
Erin looked over to the weapons specialist who, after sparring with Erin, had moved on to instruct Bluestreak. His native Tarnian accent was familiar to the woman's ears. She and the old weapons specialist had been practicing most of the afternoon. It didn't take long for Bluestreak to show up and start watching. Not that it was uncommon for her sparring to attract a crowd, especially when Sunstreaker wasn't there to scare everyone off. On that particular day, only Bumblebee, Lennox, and Epps had joined the viewing party.
Even more interesting, it seemed Sideswipe wasn't her only stalker. Ever since Bluestreak was brought back to the island, he had been following her around. Whenever she didn't seem busy, he'd talk her ear off, asking questions about seemingly everything on Earth. He still couldn't speak English, so it was good practice for her, communicating with him only in Cybertronian. She had already shown improvement. Along with his speech issues, though, was the fact that he couldn't download any data whatsoever on Earth or the human race. Everything was new and unexpected to him. So, he had a lot of questions and she was the only human around who could help. He could have gone to his fellow Cybertronains, but he seemed determined to seek her out each time. Also, she was the only one among them who was decent at singing. His frequency of requests even outmatched Sideswipe. He had no idea what she was saying, but he seemed to enjoy listening to her music nonetheless. There was something about his bright blue optics that made Erin unable to say no, so she would indulge him whenever he asked. Which was nearly every day.
She didn't mind. And she had grown used to him following her around. He was bad at sneaking anyway, worse than Sideswipe. The day before, she had been finishing up her run when he tried to watch from out of view, too shy to approach her alone. It was kind of cute. She greeted in the gentlest tone she could manage, talking to kids wasn't her strong suit. He had managed to learn his name in English, so it was the one word she could greet him with. She pulled out her data pad as he approached and typed, "Here for another round of questions?" and sent it to his comm link.
He nodded, giving her a small smile. She'd never expected a Cybertronian to be so timid and skiddish around her, but it was endearing to witness. -Is now a good time?- he asked in his native language, making sure to use the simplest version of each word for her benefit.
She nodded and leaned against the tree to get comfortable. This happened every day in the week since Ratchet let Bluestreak out of the med bay. Whether while on a run, in between practicing with the twins, right outside the barracks, or in the rec room; he seemed to be there.
"Why are there so many of these?" he asked, touching the bark of another palm tree.
Typing away, she said also spoke her answer out loud, "They are called palm trees." there wasn't a Cybertronian word for palm tree, but photosynthesizers was a word, modifying it with sigils for with 'organic' and 'from earth', basically meant 'plant'. "They produce oxygen which is used by other species such as humans to vent. Some also grow organic fuel and provide shelter for different organic creatures."
-You consume from them?- He shuttered his optics in surprise. -What kind of fuel do they make? It can't be like energon. We get that from below the ground. But I guess earth doesn't have energon naturally anyway. Ratchet makes it himself from some kind of earth fuel. It doesn't taste very good, but it's better than nothing.-
All things considered, that was a small ramble for the mech. He seemed to be doing his best to hold back for her benefit. Whenever he got long winded, he forgot to use simple modifiers and Erin struggled to translate. "Yes, we get fuel from them." She answered, "Humans have a wider variety of organic fuel that come other organic sources." She looked at the palm tree, trying to imagine the mech's wonder. She was certain Cybertron had some kind of decorative landscape. There was something called the Ibex forest. She remembered Mirage going on about Turbo fox hunts there. But Earth's trees must look different from what Bluestreak experienced.
Actually, Cybertron was decimated a while ago. How much of it did Bluestreak get to see? Erin wanted to ask, but she was hesitant to bring up such a sensitive topic with the youngling.
Bluestreak gave the tree another glance, staring at it in child-like fascination. Erin's eyes wandered to the mech's rifle. It never left his side. She'd seen him practice at the firing range with it, beating every record, both human and Cybertronian. Ironhide was none too pleased to see his own best record shattered. He was certainly a skilled sniper, but too young. No one should have their childhood stripped by war.
So, the next day when she finished sparring with Ironhide and found the mech instructing Bluestreak, she couldn't help but cringe as the little mech crumpled pathetically to the ground, a massive black pede planted over him.
Ironhide coaxed him up again and let him get into a ready position. His arms hung inward, clearly protecting his center, but too tight to actually counter. Ironhide lunged for him and the small mech dodged much better, quickly backpedaling outside of the mech's reach. Erin winced. Wrong move. Ironhide was a weapons specialist, he needed to be fought up close where he couldn't use his cannons without damaging himself.
Ironhide barked for the youngling to come back and attack, causing the grey mech to flinch. He stepped forward, light on his pedes, and attempted a right jab straight at the senior mech's hip joint. The thought was right, hit him somewhere off-balancing- though there were only so many places Bluestreak could reach- but it was easily caught by Ironhide. Bluestreak put all his strength into that punch, lurching him forward into the black mech's poised fist. Again, Bluestreak hit the ground. At least the welds on his side were holding up. It had only been a day since Ratchet approved him for 'light exercise'.
Ironhide shook his helm, clicking and whirling at him in disappointment. The session went on like that, Bluestreak skillfully evading, but having nothing to follow up with. He got a few good hits in, but nothing substantial, especially against an opponent nearly twice his height. After he made a sizable dent in the earth from his repeated failures, Erin stepped forward.
"Ironhide, maybe I could be of some assistance?"
It wasn't uncommon for Erin to help Ironhide in demonstrations for human soldiers. Sideswipe even joked that she was his T.A. not that he entirely knew what that was. So, the black mech didn't hesitate to turn to her and nod. "Youngling's all yours."
"Thank you." She replied cordially. Not just anyone could interrupt his training sessions, Erin knew. "Could you translate for me?" she asked. Ironhide turned back to Bluestreak, telling him to listen up. "What was your training like?" she asked.
Erin was thankful for her growing familiarity with the Cybertronian language, leaving it easier for her to translate when Bluestreak answered, still sitting on the ground. -We didn't have formal training by the time I joined. - he explained with a small frown, looking embarrassed. -Cybertron was nearly lifeless and there weren't enough mechs on the front lines so I learned as I went. That's one reason why I became a sniper. My guardian said I had a natural talent, and my wings help take in… data.- Erin missed some details but guessed he was describing environmental readings. -Almost all my training went into that. My guardian only taught me a bit of self-defense, but he said I should try and run if it comes to a helm to helm fight. Not that he was a coward, he just knew I didn't have enough time to learn advanced close-combat and so many Decepticons were skilled at it, he wanted me to keep my distance That's I heard him tell Prowl, at least.-
If only Prowl was back on the Island, perhaps he would have more insight into the youngling's training. "You have a wise guardian, but I agree with Ironhide's assessment." She stated. "There's no doubt in your sniping skills, but you should enhance your close-combat. Tell me, how large was your guardian?"
-About the same size as Sideswipe.-
"And how did you fair against him?"
-The goal was mainly to get away, so I never really beat him in a match.-
That was about what she had expected. "With your size, you should be taught by someone who knows how to fight larger mechs." Jazz would be the ideal frame type, but Erin hesitated to call upon him. The mech had become incredibly aloof ever since Prowl left. Though, the scowl on his faceplates had started forming far earlier. If his mood were to slip in front of Bluestreak, the small mech could be further traumatized. "Ironhide," she addressed the translator "if you don't mind, I have an idea for helping him."
The weapons specialist nodded, "Do as you like, I trust your judgement." That was high praise coming from him.
At the edge of the field was her target, Epps. He appeared to be casually conversing with Captain Lennox, an easy grin on his unsuspecting face. Erin walked up to the pair, quickly catching their attention. "Sergeant, could you lend a hand in a demonstration for Bluestreak?"
His once happy face fell. "Oh no, I'm not planning on being your punching bag again." He took a step back, the coward.
"We haven't sparred in months, sir." She tried to speak sweetly and nonthreateningly, but that wasn't exactly for forte. "Besides, it's just a demonstration."
Lennox clapped a hand roughly to Epps' back. "Yeah man, it's just a demonstration." He smiled knowingly.
"Why don't you go." The man asked his friend.
Erin's fake tone quickly dropped as she grabbed the man's forearm. "Because Ironhide will kill me if I break his charge, and you're bigger, come on." He didn't fight much as she pulled him back towards Bluestreak.
"Now, Bluestreak," she addressed the youngling, nudging Epps to stand in front of her, "watch carefully. You already have down the most important rule for fighting a larger opponent; staying safe. You can evade well, but now you only want to do it temporarily to stop immediate attacks." She nodded to Epps, and he responded with a heavy step forward and a series of four punches, all of which Erin evaded by stepping back or to the side. On the fifth punch, she continued her lecture. "Instead of running away, you want to close the distance, minding your helm." She stepped forward, past the extension of Epps' hands and jabbed hard in his side, making the man crumple towards his center. "When you're close, you want to hit hard where they're most sensitive, then disable their mobility." She rounded a kick to his leg, causing it the buckle. "Use their weight against them." She lifted a leg and planted a hard blow against him, pushing him further down where he was already falling. "Once they are off balance, don't let up, take the advantage until you have a fatal opening, or they are completely immobilized." With Epp's face near the ground, the grabbed the back of his head and pushed it towards her knee, stopping just short of smashing them together. Taking a step back, she offered the man a hand. "The key to this is to notice where your opponent shifts their weight. When Epp's punched with his right arm, more of his weight shifted to that side. Everything I did after that was to push him further off balance."
Epps brushed the dust off his uniform, grumbling to himself in a low voice. Erin thanked the man for his assistance and let him march back to Lennox, who was on the ground, laughing. Bumblebee was nearby, playing a cheering crowd noise.
"Now," she addressed the small mech directly, "try this against Ironhide. He's strong, but top heavy. Get him off balance."
Bluestreak, with wide optics, turned to face his sparring partner once again. Erin quickly advised adjustments for his stance and servo position. After he was ready, Ironhide gave him an easy right hook. Bluestreak dodged but was too slow on advancement and was met with a knee joint to the chest plate. It was apparent Ironhide wasn't going too hard on him, not that anyone would point that out to the weapons specialist. Bluestreak managed to stay standing and got in a ready position again.
"Don't hesitate." She called out as Ironhide gave the translation. "Envision where you want to go and what you want to do."
On the next attack, Bluestreak managed to approach easily, but his strike was too weak to affect the behemoth before him. Luckily, he managed to dodge and stay on his pedes that time. He twisted himself away from Ironhide before moving in for another attempt. The next time, he destabilized the larger mech with a kick to his less favored leg. A follow through had Ironhide stumbling but the mech quickly recovered and knocked Bluestreak away.
"Much better!" she called. Ironhide didn't translate but by the proud look on the youngling's faceplates, he didn't need to.
The training session went on like that, Bluestreak showing several signs of improvement. Most important though, his confidence was boosted. The usually meek autobot stood tall and smiled excitedly, even as he got up from being knocked down. Erin was looking forward to watching his progress.
Soon, the training began to wind down. Erin found herself staying there far longer than she had planned, watching Bluestreak and giving pointers whenever she deemed fit. Eventually, the mechs were finished sparring and Ironhide was giving Bluestreak a review of what they went over.
Erin heard Lennox approach from the sidelines, coming from what was deemed a safe distance for any reasonably sane human, onto the sparring field. "Want to stop by for dinner tonight? Sarah's making burgers."
It had been a while since she went to the Lennox household for a meal, an Mrs. Lennox was always a welcomed conversationalist. Even better, she'd surely have time to catch Ironhide alone. "Sure thing, the usual time?"
"You know it." He turned to Ironhide. "Can you tell Bluestreak he's invited too? He still hasn't met Sarah or Annabelle."
Seeing Bluestreak nod, having already picked up on that human trait, Erin dismissed herself for a shower. She had stayed later than planned and had someone waiting or her. Jogging all the way back to the barracks, Erin didn't take her usual path in case Sideswipe was hoping to run into her. She couldn't have any distractions yet. When she made it to her room, Franky was already there, sitting on her bed. His foot bounced nervously as he stared at the entrance.
As soon as Erin closed the door, he was on his feet. Before words could rush out of his mouth, Erin silenced him with a quick hand motion. She opened her side drawer and reached for the signal disruption device Franky had provided. Nothing they said could be recorded and no one listening in would be any the wiser.
Franky, unable to hide his worry, blurted out, "What took you so long? Have they said anything to you?"
"Quiet." Erin muttered, not wanting anyone to overhear. "Sparring practice went late. And no, why?"
"They contacted me."
The fresh fear on his face told Erin this was recent. It was no secret he was terrified of Division. "Is that rare?" she asked, hiding her own worry.
"I'm only supposed to speak with them if I suspect you're on the wrong course." Franky explained.
Did Division figure anything out? "What did they say?" Erin asked, tone serious, but hiding her worry.
"Just that your orders are changing."
Well that was fucking vague. "To what?" she hissed.
"They didn't specify." The man shrugged, clearly uncomfortable.
Taking a calming breath, and trying not to further upset her ally, she stated, "I haven't heard from them since they ordered radio silence."
Franky gulped and seemed to steel his nerves. "Be ready then." He stated ominously.
"I will." She promised. There was nothing else she could do but wait for what came. Besides, there were other matters to consider. "And what's your progress?"
The change in subject seemed to be a welcome one as Franky went took a breath. His hands shook less as he moved on to his report. "24 said some of the codes are ready, but he doesn't want to implant any bugs in the accounts too soon, in case someone notices one." 24 was a master programmer, and he had a great surprise planned, ready to infect Division's largest banking accounts. He was the easiest agent to turn against Division, since he trusted Erin far more.
"What about the market fix?" Division didn't play as heavily in the stock market as similar organizations, but many of the allies they are most reliant on did.
"It'd hard to do without a solid timeline, but we have a contender. C Tech, that partner from Russia, they seem to invest heavily in oil." Franky reported. "We think they also bought the recipe for energon off Division. It seemed they have found an efficient way of synthesizing it."
"The recipe I gave them was actually for Sideswipe's high-grade. Its less combustible than actual gasoline. There's a chance Mirage took the method to Division when he left, so we can't be sure what C. Tech has. Where is the oil?"
"They have their hands all over OPEC."
Perfect. According to previous reports from Erin's closest allies at Division, their organization had a slipping grip on the region. "I want to hear about any and every agent that crosses through there." If she could turn a few agents there, she could topple C. Tech's financial structure and thus weaken their ability or willingness to aid Division. Especially if they found out Division's agents were responsible for a sabotage. Maybe she could get information on their energon production to the autobots, if she was lucky.
"It won't be easy." Franky stated. "Not all Division facilities have transparency like that and we only have agents in a few locations on our side."
"Then we'll need to collect more facilities." Erin stated. Division was a large operation, and even she didn't know how many locations they had. She only had influence in three of them, using her past connections.
"What we're doing is already dangerous." Franky countered. "How many people do you want to risk recruiting?"
"We can't do this unless we gather a large force." She explained before moving on to more concerning matters," Now, taking out C. Tech in the market won't be enough. Their weapon production is their primary connection with Division. And if they are making energon as well, they are probably making energon-based weapons."
"Most of their factories are underground, and there's too many to hit."
"Have 24 look into their suppliers." A breakdown on their supply chain could shatter Division's access to weapons.
"Alright." Franky responded, all business by that point. "Anything else?"
"Yes. I want 24 to leak a mission report to the Canadian government." Before Franky could outright refuse, she continued to explain, "They don't have any Division facilities on their land and if the governments communicate between one another, it shouldn't be traced back to 24."
As unsettled as the man seemed, he nodded. "What report?"
"July 25th, 2010. Qatar. Code 3331. Along with any other mission made against the US."
"You only want to hit America?"
"The US is one of Division's biggest patrons. That should be enough." She explained. "Besides, if several countries retaliate at once, Division will know there's a mole and put up their defenses." Canada's close relationship with America should lead to an exchange of information. If the US gains intelligence of the mission against their own soldiers, they would likely retaliate. "That should be all for now. Keep me posted."
"Will do."
With their meeting over, Erin left, taking her shower cady as she went. Franky would exit much later in case there were any witnesses. Erin was dizzy. It had been a year and a half since she first arrived on Diego Garcia. Before, her longest mission had been a mere three months. When she decided to betray Division and forgo the label 56, she thought she would feel free. As much as she wanted to be Erin, 56 was still needed to hold back Division. She still had to lie and steal and kill. Even if it wasn't from the Autobots, she hadn't changed like she wanted to. What would the twins think of her if they knew what she did everyday?
The twins. From one thing to the next, Erin's concerns shifted once again to what seemed to be her greatest problem. Her twins. Taking down Division from the inside seemed to be easy in comparison.
Only an hour after discussing ways to orchestrate a massive coup, Erin found herself sitting down as a dinner table, acting like everything was normal. Bluestreak was there, excitedly talking to Annabelle. He hit it off with the child immediately. Annabelle, unsurprisingly, handled his Cybertronian even better than Erin could. Lennox, not knowing a word that was spoken, was shining with pride at his daughter. It was sickingly sweet.
They had all just finished dinner. Annabelle somehow managed to eat while completely distracted by her new friend who was excitingly telling her about the places he visited in space. Mostly asteroids and moons, all lifeless, but beautiful nonetheless. Wisely, he kept out any details of the war. Annabelle was far too young to hear such things.
Ironhide, meanwhile, spoke with the adults, telling them about the progress made in new recruit training. It was harder to find qualified candidates. Even though Silas had his own motivations, he did provide valuable recruitment aid for N.E.S.T. Luckily, Ironhide, with the occasional help from Erin would whip all newbies into shape. Another topic was on Erin's upcoming enrollment in the Basic Leader Course for her eventual promotion to Corporal. She had managed to reach Specialist fairly quickly, even without a higher education, thanks to her skills. Not that rank meant all that much to her. Apparently, when she reached Corporal, Prime wanted her to lead her own team. It would be a new unit within Team Prime comprised of the twins, herself, and couple more humans. Her own work with the twins was considered enough of a success for the team to be expanded. When she had more than two years' experience, she would likely be bumped up to Sergeant. It was odd. Being in the military felt less like a farce and more like her actual job. She was actually considering her future promotions as if everything wouldn't eventually go to hell when she made her move against Division. Perhaps she would find a way to work everything out.
"Erin!" Annabelle, managing to say her name right for one, caught to woman's attention. "You never told me you could sing!"
Snapping out of her thoughts she gave the girl a confused look before redirecting her attention to Bluestreak. Of course, the mech told the young girl. "Well, I sing sometimes." She answered plainly. Sure, she would sing for Bluestreak and the twins, a few others had heard her in passing around the rec room, but five was a bit much of an audience for her.
"Oh, don't sell yourself short." Lennox chirped. "I've heard your little concerts for your boyfriends before."
Erin actually flinched at that. "My what for my what?"
Ironhide's booming laughter overtook whatever response Erin could add.
"Erin," Annabelle asked with sparkling eyes, "Sideswipe and Sunstreaker your boyfriends? Are you going to marry them?"
That left both Lennox and Ironhide practically rolling with laughter. If Mrs. Lennox wasn't there with her brat, Erin would have cussed.
"No, your father was just making a bad joke. The twins are I are just friends." She explained dryly, trying not to flat out growl at the girl. Why did anyone like kids?
Mrs. Lennox gently smacked her husband in the shoulder. "Stop teasing the woman." Her chastising wasn't very convincing, given her own amused smile.
"Sorry Erin!" Lennox apologized after regaining some composure. "I was just giving you a hard time."
At least the man seemed to be genuine. On the other hand, both Mrs. Lennox and Ironhide gave Erin knowing looks. Just how many fuckers knew there was something unspoken between her and the twins? At least Bluestreak looked confused. That was a conversation that didn't need to be translated.
Annabelle didn't seem to notice Erin's change in attitude. Instead, she leaned over her father to get closer to the woman. "Can you sing a song?"
"Now sweetie," Lennox gently nudged Annabelle off the seat. "Let's not put her on the spot. Why don't you go play while mommy and I clean the table?"
The girl looked disappointed but didn't argue as she headed over the Bluestreak. Although the mech hadn't understood the conversation, she still gave Erin a hopeful look. Right, he was the one who brought up her singing to begin with. Damnit.
"Alright." She muttered, "One song."
Annabelle was practically shaking with excitement when she hurried back to grab Erin's hand. "Over here!" she tried to drag Erin to the edge of the deck. "You stay there!" She hurried down the stairs to where Bluestreak was sitting and- without hesitation- climbed onto his leg. Bluestreak held a servo around her, making sure she didn't fall. Once the girl was settled, they both looked up at her expectantly. Apparently, the deck was meant to be her stage.
That was just too awkward for the woman, so she sat on the top step. A bit more comfortable, she chose a song; "All day, starin at the ceilin' makin' friends with shadows on my wall. All night, hearing voices tellin' me that I should get some sleep, because tomorrow might be good for somethin'. Hold on, feelin' like I'm headed for a… breakdown. And I don't know why-"
"What's this slag?"
Erin paused when Jazz rounded the corner. His faceplates were twisted in contempt. "Jazz, what are you doing here?" The mech felt off. It was obviously one of his worse days. He was hardly seen when he got in that mood.
"Not that it's your fragging business, but Ratchet's forcing me to fill all the energon dispensers." He motioned towards the corner of the house where Erin knew the Mrs. Lennox kept a stockpile for guests. "I just got tired of hearing that melodramatic scrap you were singing."
"Back off Jazz." Ironhide stomped up to tower over the silver mech. "Watch what you say around Annabelle."
Erin looked over to see Bluestreak and Annabelle with varying displays of fear. The mech didn't understand what was being said, but could clearly read the room. In the short time he'd been on the island, he quickly learned Jazz was not the same as he once knew him. And he was only getting worse as time passed. The youngling stayed seated, but wrapped his arms around Annabelle and held her protectively. He had good instincts.
The standoff between the grown mechs lasted only a few moments before Lennox walked back out of the house. "What's going on here?" he demanded.
Jazz silently turned and walked off. His servos were clenched tight enough to make a creaking sound as he eventually turned a corner and was out of sight. While Erin didn't miss Prowl venting down her neck, she wished he was back and keeping Jazz under control again. Or he could have just taken Jazz with him. It's not like the third in command was doing much commanding anymore.
After the tension slowly flowed away, Lennox was the first to speak up. "Ironhide, what was that about?"
Before the mech could respond, Bluestreak stood up, child still in his arms. -Annabelle, why don't you show me around your home?- Giving a cautious look to Ironhide and Lennox, he skirted around to the other side of the house. Good, he knew to distract her while the adults spoke.
"Jazz was acting off again." Ironhide explained. "Same as usual, but I didn't think he'd bring that up around Annabelle." The mech sounded surprisingly calm, but when Erin looked closer, he had murder in his optics. It didn't take a genius to know he was very protective of his charges. The last thing he wanted was for Annabelle to be around an aggressive Jazz.
There was plenty Erin could have said, but it wasn't her place. Ironhide and Lennox were superior officers, after all.
"I don't want to bring up anything to Prime right now." Lennox sighed. "Do you think Jazz would talk to you? I don't know what you would ask him, but we can't have him acting up around here."
"Prowl's the only one that's been able to get through to him. I'll send him a comm." Ironhide explained, shaking his helm, "I wouldn't even know where to start. I hardly recognize the mech Jazz is now."
"Thanks, pal." Lennox dropped his shoulders before turning back to his wife who was standing in the doorway.
As the man went back inside with her, their whispers barely audible, Erin felt bad for both him and Ironhide. They looked so defeated to see their comrade in such a state. But as they said themselves, there was only so much they could do without stirring up trouble for Jazz. Besides, Prime and Ratchet already knew of his worsening condition. He had been completely pulled from all combat training exercises under the guise of needing rest. Erin knew it was for the protection of the soldiers he was meant to train with. A violent incident would scar the relationship between the Cybertronians and their host governments.
With Lennox out of sight, Erin realized she was alone with Ironhide. It wasn't the best timing, but she could work with it. "Ironhide," Erin caught the mech's attention, "could I have a word?"
The tired look Erin caught hinted that he was either aware what she wanted to discuss or still worried about Jazz. "Why don't we go for a drive?" he asked, suggesting the former, before transforming and opening the driver's side door for her.
With less hesitation than usual, Erin took up the offer and the two stayed silent while the mech drove them towards the beach. It wasn't until his bumper was nearly hanging over the water did he stop.
"Well, scraplett, let's hear it." His grumbling tone almost made Erin laugh at the irony. Was he just as uncomfortable as she was?
"I'm pretty sure you already know what I want to say." She answered cryptically.
"Then go on and say it."
Well shit, it was even more awkward than she feared. "I need your advice." She finally grit out. "I like the twins. A lot. And I don't know quite how their feelings for me round out but…" She had no idea where she was trying to get with that point, but one thing was certain, "I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this."
"Do they make you happy?"
He woman paused. That was not the expected response. What should she say? It was too complicated to wrap up with a simple yes or no. But, she could still answer honestly, "More than I ever thought I could be."
A mechanical sound akin to a sigh came from the mech's engine. "A blind retrorat could see they have a shine for you as well."
"What do you think I should do?"
"What do you want to do?"
Again, not an anticipated reply. He wasn't shutting the idea down. All Ironhide seemed to care about is how she felt. And that's what mattered right? He she and the twins felt? It's not like she cared about how other people would see her. Their judgment didn't matter. So, what exactly was it that she wanted to do? Erin had long realized that her feelings for the twins were not unidirectional. Their interactions with her changed how she felt about herself as well. 56 really was dead in her mind, perhaps before she even decided to kill that part of herself. Before, she was empty, just following directions but not interacting with the world on any emotional level. But with the twins, she felt something, not only about them, but about herself. They made her want more for herself. She wanted to be happy, to find peace. Indifference was the cage they released her from. And what was holding her back from letting them know she reciprocated? Erin had the chance to be the woman she wanted to be. And that woman did not idle and sit in fear. No, she was dynamic and willingly formed bonds with others. The twins had cracked the shell, it was about time she lent a hand. "I want to chase this feeling." She admitted.
"You're a smart femme." The black mech stated firmly. "Trust your instincts. Sure, this whole thing may be insanity, but at my age, you'd see crazier." His tone turned a bit softer, "Just know, if those two lug nuts do anything to hurt you, no one will find their remains."
Surprisingly, Erin felt a lot better. What if she could make things work with the twins? "Thanks, Ironhide."
"Anytime, sparklett."
Sideswipe happily sauntered into the hanger, Sunny's 'prize' grumbling on his shoulder about needing to work on a revenge strategy. It didn't fool Sideswipe. She was leaning comfortably over his helm, regardless of the slight increase in pulse at being off the ground. At least she was getting better with her fear of heights. Sideswipe preferred having her at optic level anyway. It made her seem less small.
Rin had been walking back from the Lennox dwelling when Sideswipe and Sunny found her. She seemed to be lost in thought, a frown crossing her face. That just wouldn't do. Sideswipe fully planned on snatching his femme up but Sunny got there first. It seemed he had only grown more and more receptive to Rin's touch, so Sideswipe couldn't be too upset. Once they got to the hanger, the silver mech managed to get Rin back of course. He also caught her trying not to smile at their antics.
When the three entered the rec room, Sideswipe quickly got his ration of energon and passed another to his brother. He was feeling good. He had his twin, he had Rin. He placed her on the ground near the mech-sized benches before plopping onto the ground while Sunny opted to sit on one of the seats. After a quick second of thought, Sideswipe scooped Rin back up and gently placed her on his wheeled pede which was resting on its side.
"Sorry for kidnapping you." Sideswipe lied, giving the femme a flirty wink.
"I was on my way to look for you anyway." She shrugged it off. "But, next time, just ask me to hang out with you. Haven't you already had three reports made against you this month?" She did have a point. There were even rumors among the humans that the twins were holding her hostage over something.
"It's not our fault." Sunny replied.
Sideswipe saw Rin's questioning look and decided to elaborate. "Most humans are afraid of us no matter what we do. They already think we're up to no good, even if we aren't doing anything." While Sideswipe found that he got along well with several humans on the island, there were still those who were suspicious of their intentions. A warm smile crossed his faceplates as he looked down to their human. "Although you never seemed to be scared."
He continued to stare longingly at the tiny being on his pede. How could something so small have such an effect on him? Sunny must have seen the look on Sideswipe's faceplates because he shot him a warning glare. Sideswipe just rolled his optics. He had not yet noticed the change in the femme's posture, to something more closed off.
She only tipped her head enough to meet his optics with one eye. "Of course I'm scared."
…
That admission had both mechs speechless. Sideswipe notice how she didn't say she 'was' scared, instead she is. Even Sunny looked confused and hurt before he quietly muttered to himself.
:Sunny?: Sideswipe poked his brother through the bond while still looking down at Rin. Was Rin really afraid of them after so much time? Had they been wrong about their relationship?
Rin then looked down with what seemed to be guilt. "How can I not be?" Her statement stamped into Sideswipe's processor but not as much as what she said next. "Imagine yourself in a human's position." She started, not meeting his optics. "You feel small and weak and outclassed in every technological field."
A comm request momentarily distracted Sideswipe but he ignored it, more important things on his processor. Questioned burned Sideswipe's glossa, but where would he even begin. "If you were so scared, then why were you nonchalant when we first met? Pretty calm reaction to seeing a Cybertronian for the first time." he said with a weak smile at the memory. That confidence was what caught his attention to begin with. She didn't act shocked like humans did when they first saw him. Had it been an act?
Rin's eyes, focused on something past him, narrowed as she considered the question, or was it the answer? "Because… you're not the first Cybertronian I ever met. I knew what to expect." She waited for a second before continuing. "Before I came to this base, I was on a mission with my old team. I can't say where or when, but we came across a Decepticon. He thought we were N.E.S.T soldiers and attacked us. I fought back… and killed him. Afterwards Colonel Bishop found out about the attack and recommended I join N.E.S.T." She finished with an emotionless stare.
Sideswipe tried to wrap his processor around this, quick firing questions:
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Hadn't they built up trust?
"It was top secret because of the mission I was on at the time. I shouldn't be telling you this now, even."
"How long ago did this happen?" Why did they never hear about another Decepticon attack?
"A year before I came to Diego Garcia."
"…" Sideswipe was struggling with this. He glanced up to his brother who still held the bond tightly closed. He was staring at the ground, away from Rin. He could imagine what his twin was feeling though. He felt it too; the distress of knowing their friend was hiding something like that from them. Did Prime even know what happened? Sideswipe tried to find comfort in the situation. So her first experience with his kind was that horrible situation. She must have hated him when they first met. The best he could think of was that she was still sitting there. Another thought came to him. "If you and your team fought off a Decepticon like that, then why didn't the others get recruited?"
"I was the only survivor." The look Rin gave Sideswipe could have shattered his spark. It held so many thoughts and emotions. The memory of her fallen comrades, the offlining she witnessed and the confusion that came with it. He also saw the determination to fight as well as the fear of doing so. The first time she saw a Cybertronian, he slaughtered her friends. The second time she met one, she chatted with him- Sideswipe- while smiling. Why? And then she was sitting on his pede, exposed, surrounded. What did she think when she first met Sideswipe? What had she thought all this time? What was she thinking at that very moment?
The questions Sideswipe had burned with new ferocity until he couldn't hold back. He hesitantly asked, "You aren't… really afraid of… the two of us, are you?" he finished with a wince. It made sense to have a general caution around Cybertronians in general. She was small, and had several dangerous encounters with their kind. But he and Sunny had to be the exceptions. It was different with them, right?
The femme's eyes widened just a little before narrowing back down. "I don't think I can say whether I fear you two." At that comment Sunny's side of the bond burst open with bottled up feelings of pain and dread; however, Rin wasn't finished yet. "I am aware that you are far more powerful than I am." She stated, looking down, "I am insignificant in size compared to you, you could easily kill me with any of the weapons attached to your frame. It could even be an accident with a misplaced step or a flick of the wrist." Her gaze rose and held steadily with Sideswipe's as each word burned a deeper hole in his spark. All these things were true, but he hoped he wouldn't hear them from her, not after all the time they had spent together. "However," she started with the same look in her eyes, "I know you would never do it. Every day my life is quite literally in your hands and I know you would never hurt me…" She thought for a moment before continuing, "I will always trust you two, whether it is with a mission or with my life." She finished looking down, "I'm sorry, I can only give you my honesty."
Sideswipe brought his gaze to meet his brothers. Through the bond they exchanged a flurry of thoughts and feelings before they settled on one thing. Simultaneously, both twins looked down to their human, their brave human. Even Sunny admired her courage in both her trust and her honesty. She had apologized, but was there even anything to forgive? Of course, she was intimidated, she should be scared out of her mind! Nevertheless, she chose to befriend them.
There was only one thing left on Sideswipe's processor. He wanted to be closer to her. It pained him that he couldn't give her a real hug, but he could still try. His digits curled around her waist as he picked her up, being as careful as he had always been. He settled her on the table and kneeled before it, servo holding her against his chassis, close to his spark. Sunny chose that moment to finally move. He came close to his brother and hesitantly reached towards her. He used the back of a digit to rub up and down her side, waiting for a rejection of some sort. Instead she sighed and leaned into his touch. There was just enough space between Sideswipe and Rin for him to see a small, almost hidden smile on her lips.
After a few content moments, Rin glanced back up to the loving look Sideswipe held. "Are you okay with all that?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course." Sunny answered with a sharp vent while Sideswipe merely nodded. She looked back at the yellow twin and sighed. "There is one more thing." She muttered, face turning a pinkish shade.
Scrap, was she getting sick? Sideswipe brought her closer to his faceplates to better inspect her. What did she mean? Before he could ask her anything he was frozen by the hand on the side of his faceplates. She leaned in close and Sideswipe could feel her breath on his lip plates before a gentle contact was made.
Sideswipe stayed rigid, shock overwhelming his processor. After a second, she pulled away and looked up at him, her face turning even more pink. Ah, that's what the color meant.
"What…" he felt like he was about to glitch. She kissed him? That was good, right? But wait… What? "I'm so confused." He managed to voice his thoughts.
Rin's eyes widened in shock. Why was she the one acting surprised? "Oh, I… I thought that… Oh no." Horror settled into her face. "I misread… I'm so- Oh god." A hand covered her face as she looked away.
Frag! Frag! Frag! This was the moment he'd been waiting for and he was screwing it up. Sideswipe put his servos up and shook his helm. "No, no! I just wasn't expecting that after what you said earlier."
The femme didn't look at him and didn't show her face. Primus, he embarrassed her. What should he say? Should he just kiss her? "I'm sorry." She muttered into her hand.
"No, don't be!" Frag, what should he do?
Sunny planted a firm servo on Sideswipe's shoulder as amusement bubbled on his side of the bond. Soon, it spilled over into physical laughter, shaking his entire frame. What was so fragging funny? The femme looked up at him, dismay still clear on her expression. "You are a mess, squishy." Sunny managed to enunciate through his fit of laughing.
"How's that supposed to help?" Sideswipe questioned his brother angrily. The femme looked even more upset than she had before. Rin, I like you too! Why was that so fragging hard to say.
"But," Sunny added, sounding more sobered, "so are we." He met her eyes with a gentle smile even Sideswipe hadn't seen in vorns. He got down to her level and brushed her shoulder with a careful digit. "What this idiot is trying to say is that you didn't misread anything. We feel the same way."
Rin opened her mouth only to immediately snap it shut.
Shoving hesitation out the airlock, Sideswipe finally moved. He once again wrapped a servo around Rin's back and pulled her close. Longing ached in his spark, demanding that he continue the kiss he had ruined, but he waited for her to look up to him. When she did, worry was still clear on her face. Primus, she was cute even when embarrassed. "Perhaps you could give me another shot?" he asked hopefully.
She inhaled sharply. "Ok." She managed to say, sounding far less confident. He'd have to do something to fix that;
Sideswipe felt her soft lips touch his unyielding ones. Finally. Primus, she was actually kissing him! At first, he didn't want to move, worried about hurting her. But as she turned her head, getting a slightly different angle, he felt desire to do the same. He managed to deepen the kiss, reveling in her alien softness. He didn't want the contact to end, fearful he wouldn't get another chance.
Soon, curiosity struck his as he wanted to explore more. His mouth traveled down to her chin, leaving heated vents as he continued to her neck with gentle kisses. He hung onto the feeling deep in his spark that ignited when she let out a pleased sigh. He wondered what it would be like to kiss more of her, to feel all of her.
Reigning in his desire a bit he continued with another kiss to her lips. One digit of the servo holding her absentmindedly stroked her side.
Sideswipe wondered what would happen if he allowed his glossa to meet Rin's lips. What would he taste? But before indulging himself, he felt a push over the bond. Fair is fair. Sideswipe pulled back ever so slightly from Rin but she fully ignored his initial attempt and moved forward to ghost another kiss to his lip plates before taking her own chance to explore, this time traveling to his neck cables. The feeling sent shivers down his struts. For a second, Sideswipe forgot about his bother when he felt a sharp jab over the bond. He was getting impatient.
With an exasperated sigh, Sideswipe lifted his helm out of Rin's reach, aching for more. Instead he got a short glare from the human. Her eyes clearly stated, 'I never said you could stop'. He opened his mouth to say something before another servo wrapped around her and pulled her away. Sideswipe shot an identical glare to his brother.
Sunny merely turned his shoulder to Sideswipe, hiding the human from his view. Impatient fragger.
-Scene Change-
Sunstreaker held the femme in his servo for a second, questioning what he was about to do. She was so small, what if he hurt her? What if she was more scared of him than she was of Sides? Of course, she was. What if she only wanted his brother? That would make sense. Sunstreaker focused down on her and studied her features. Her eyes were half closed and she seemed to be in a dreamy state. Sides did that to her. What could he do? Her eyes looked up into his optics and the instructions he read in them were clear. Don't just sit there, do something.
Sunstreaker set her back down on top the table. This brought the femme just below his faceplates. He tilted his head down and to the side to get a good look at her, his digits still curled around her back. Her chest was inches from his own chassis and he was again reminded of her size.
"What do you want?" he asked, the most unsure he ever was with a femme.
"I want you to stop hesitating and kiss me already" she growled.
His past amusement bubbled up again. "Hehe. You sure?" he had to ask.
All doubt melted away as her hand reached up to his chin. He couldn't help but lean into the touch. Control slowly began to slip away from him as a deep rumble filled his vocalizer. He knew he was not nearly as gentle as Sides. Femmes were usually either attracted to his brother's sensitive side and lover's style or Sunstreaker's own intense lovemaking. Never had a femme wanted both outside of a single night. Nevertheless, he held her close, and kissed her deeply. He did not wait long to slide out his glossa and taste her as his brother had telegraphed a desire to over the bond.
With both passion and precision, he forced her head back further to expose her neck. Feeling with his lip plates, he experienced her soft skin. Soon, he was losing himself in her scent.
His servos felt along her back, the dips in her muscles and along her spine. So foreign, yet all close enough to a Cybertronian structure. He felt her legs which shook more as his fingers traced upwards. He rubbed small circles into the sides of her thighs with one finger and he considered a more intimate exploration. However, he decided that would wait for another day. This was a previously untraveled situation, and the femme would not be going anywhere, so it was best to take this slower than he normally would. Another day of this wouldn't be so bad either.
"Sunstreaker" the squishy sighed as she seemed began to lose control of her already shaking legs.
Sunstreaker reacted to support the femme as she relaxed in his grasp. He then heard a soft whine from Sides who had walked around the table to get a better look. He stared longingly at the two of them and poked at the bond. Getting the message, Sunstreaker opened it to allow all tactile sensations to flow freely from him to his brother. Side nearly lost his balance as Sunstreaker relived the feeling of touching her body. When had they ever reacted this way about a femme before? Dozens of orns of pining could do that to a mech, apparently. His silver twin rested his helm on the table as he watched his brother end his assault on the squishy's neck to reclaim her lips once again. Sides reached out a servo to gently trace his digit along her back, unable to go any longer without some form of contact.
Sunstreaker was content feeling the squishy's body and his brother's love over the bond. He didn't even hear the large door to the rec room open. He was only alerted when the intruder made a sound like a track skipping. The femme froze and Sunstreaker couldn't help but let out a low growl as he possessively pulled the femme directly against his chassis. Sides's gaze darkened as he protectively held a servo to her back while glaring to the door.
There stood little Bluestreak, optics wide as he stared at the three. He was obviously fazed by the spectacle before him.
He stuttered a bit before saying, -S-Sorry to interrupt, but you three are needed for a mission. Uh… Prime said he tried to comm you but… I guess you were busy.- What could have been a long ramble was quickly cut off as he snapped his mouth shut and dashed out the door.