She Thinks She Needs Me: Part 2

I was hoping that this latest mess the Decepticons created would be something that could simply be handled. Move over I was hoping that it would be something that would not prompt Angel into getting involved. Its times like this that make me wonder if Primus really does have a sick sense of humor like every one says. The incident was not simple, nor was it something that didn't provoke her. The thing that it turned out to be was a mess right smack in the middle of her home state, Kentucky.

The readouts were just coming up on the screen when the two of us walked in there. She proceeded to go over and some how convince Prowl to give her the data pad, and then she began going over it. I walked up to the screen and read over it. As usual it disgusted me just how low Megatron was willing to go to get what he wanted. This time he was willing to hold half of the eastern part of the nation for ransom against his setting of his newest "idea".
The idea just happened to be going into a place where the human military stored old canisters of nerve gas and blowing them sky high, if the president didn't give up the energy that he wanted. I was just in the process of looking up the location of this place when I heard a strange noise come from Angel and her data pad clattered to the floor. All of us at the command console turned around and stared at the girl, and the expression that had come across her face. It was somewhere between rage and utter panic.

"Angel?" I asked.

"That monster! He wouldn't! He couldn't!" She choked up at me, "Who told him?"

"What are you talking about?" Prowl asked.

"That weapons depository! Prowl its in Kentucky!"
Prowl's own optics went wide for a second and then he turned back to check all of this. I was about to ask him if it was right when I caught the look on his face. It was. There was no question about it.

"Angel," I called to her and she turned to look at me, "What do you know about this place?"
She shook her head, "Just what I've been told by other people. But that's enough."

"So what exactly is stored there?" Prowl asked from behind me.

"Exactly what the reports say, Nerve gas. Left over from some of the wars that we have fought in, they couldn't burn it, or find any other safe way to get rid of it. So they stored it there until something came about that could."

"And now Megatron has his optics set on that." I looked back to the screen for a second and then looked down at her, "is there any thing that your government can do Angel?"

"I don't know! We have some strange people up there now, some of them are good some of them would rather have the stuff blown sky high than give into him!"

I could tell right then that she was getting more and more stressed by the second, she was worried about all of the people that she had living there in that state. Despite the fact that many of them misunderstood her, or had flatly mistreated her, she was still worried. This meant I was worried, and that chances were, I was probably way to emotionally involved in this mission for my own good. I should have sent someone else to take care of it, Let Prowl or Ironhide handle the mess. I doubted though that Angel was just going to stay here in the ark and wait for us to handle this. So I came to a decision.

"Prowl, I need you t organize a unit," I paused and looked down at her again, "contact me when it's ready. We're going to go deal with this."
I could tell my second was less than thrilled about this but he did as I asked him and nodded to me. That left me a few moments to try and get Angel calmed down enough to be rational about going into this.

"Angel?" I said her name and she managed to stop staring at the read outs and look up, "Come with me for a second."

She shook her head like she was trying to get it clear and then took off after me out the door. We made it back to our quarters and I changed my size so I could be on a level with her.

"Now I want you to listen to me Okay?" she shook her head yes and I continued, "What's going on in your home, we will handle it. He's not going to get away with any of this. But I need you to keep cool, and not go off half cocked on me."

"Optimus, he's going to…" She looked up at me her face showing the first signs of getting ready to cry.

I put my hands on her shoulders and did my best to help steady her, "Listen to me Angel. Megatron isn't going to do anything, understand? But I can't stop him if I have to worry about you getting hurt. So … promise me that if I let you come… you will not go and do something stupid."

"I can't just let him do this…"

"I don't want you to, but I don't want to see you get killed either."

Some of her hair had fallen down over her right eye and I pushed it back. She still looked like she was about to cry so badly. She did seem to understand what I was asking her though.

"I'll try Optimus, I swear I'll do my best to try." She put her arms around me and I hugged her too.

"I dunno what I would do with out you." She told me, "Thank you for caring, and being so wonderful."

She held on to me like she was about to drown, I guess that was what she needed right then. I don't suppose I will ever get up the wherewithal to tell her that right then, I needed to be held as much as she did.

Just the though of her going into danger, facing some thing like Megatron in a fight, scares me. She does not now, nor probably ever will realize how strong she her self is. I need that, I need some one who has that. I need her so very badly.

We could have stood there like that all night I suppose. Once again the comlink went off calling us or me at least back to reality. I let go of her and started to head back.

"Go on," She called, having composed her self for the moment, "Go and get them ready. I'm going to toss together a back pack here and then I'll be ready too."

I nodded to that and took off to the main command center. Several people there were just looking at me like they knew what was going on in my head. I guess they did, I never tried to hide it really. Ironhide and that ridiculous slag eating grin of his, walked up to me.

"So chief? Ya bringing the lil lady with ya?"

"I have to Ironhide," I grinned back at him, "I would very much like to keep my bearings intact. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I told her she couldn't come with me, she'd find away to remove them one at a time."

"Ouch! Well boss, ya sure do go for the saucy ones I'll give ya that much."

"Not so much as you might think old solider, she's got a soft side too."

"Oh I bet, just make sure yer not copping any thing on that soft side in public!"

I could feel my self start blushing over that one and I mock glared at him, "You're just jealous."

He tossed his head back and almost fell over laughing at me, "Nope boss, that ones all yers! I don't think I'm Mech enough to handle that lil' ball a nerve."

"Well thank you for that assessment Ironhide, I'm sure she appreciated it," I grinned and looked down at the girl in question, "right Angel?"

Now it was his turn to blush and whirl around to face her, "Uhhh… Miss Angel.. I ahhh... I mean….uhhhh…."

"Gee," She grinned innocently at him, "I didn't think Autobots could fit those big feet into their mouths."

I had to laugh at that. Thankfully she hadn't taken any of that the wrong way. Still Ironhide didn't know that and she managed to get a bit of mileage out of it before she broke down and started cracking up at the look on his face. The others that had been in there got a good laugh at his expense too and I have to admit, considering what we were all about to drive into. A good laugh was worth a lot of money right then.

The commotion died down for a few minutes and I caught the look in her eyes, she was still worried. Close to being terrified as a matter of fact, but be it for my sake or the sake of the rest of the Autobots, she was putting on a very good act. A few seconds later the last two members of the team, none other than Alyssa and Wheeljack, made it into the main base and all of us piled outside. Then took off and headed east for Kentucky.

I honestly had no idea what was a head of any of us right the, we just had to get to Kentucky and we had to get there as fast as possible. Hopefully it would be fast enough and something could be done.