Chapter 72 - Tussling
(RPOV)
"Will, you have declared this a day off?" Optimus rumbled down to the Major. Ratchet glanced at him curiously, the Prime sounded downright sly.
"Yeah..." Will stated curiously.
Ratchet watched him in amusement as Optimus straightened and turned to his Weapons Master.
"Good, Weapons Master Ironhide I declare you to be a femme thief!" Optimus rumbled in a mockingly stern voice.
Ratchet couldn't have kept his face straight if he wanted to, oh, the game was on.
"Oh! You gonna play that game youngling!?" Ironhide shouted back with a broad grin.
"We are playing that game decrepit!" Optimus called back to him with a smirk as his unit scrambled to stand. He leaned down, lightning fast and scooped the three femmes into his arms mid-step. "Thus do I enact revenge!" he bellowed, two long strides and he was out of the hangar and running with the femmes squealing with laughter in his arms.
He had Arcee.
Oh it was on!
"Return her at once miscreant!" Ratchet bellowed at the youngling rip of a Prime, howling with laughter and scrambling after the larger mech.
"The hell!?" Will shouted behind him. Feh, Bumblebee was on it. Ratchet pulled all the stops, modifying his armour slightly and for once using the ridiculously light gravity that abounded this planet. The femmes were already free of the mechs, Arcee cradling Kae and laughing as Chromia cheered her lover on.
Ratchet snorted and scanned the fight for a second before launching himself into the air. He knew the twins would be using it tomorrow to damage themselves further, but for now, that youngling rip had to go down!
Of course the problem with a flying tackle into a Prime, means you're going down as well. In a moment, Ratchet was flat on the ground.
"Ratchet, you do that and you are going to dent my armour," Optimus rumbled with a snort. "I will have to pull it out myself, which will scratch my paint, and then Kae will be pissed at us. Is that what we want? Pissed off Kae?"
"Is it sad that you're threatening me with a human femme?" Ratchet snorted, knocking the Prime off with Ironhide's help.
"No, it's sad that we'll actually listen to the threat of pissed off Kae," Ironhide rumbled with a snort, messing with Optimus' armour even as the bot fought to reach the weapons master.
"For the virtue of my sister!" Bumblebee shouted the next second, launching himself onto Ironhide.
"Give me but one ally!" Optimus roared gleefully, Ratchet's spark soared to hear that tone returned to their beloved Prime's voice. "Give me but one friend among the hoards of miscreants and shall my reliant remain safe above my mark!"
"Ratchet!" Mikaela shouted.
"Kae!" he grunted, shoving Optimus.
"Gimme my pack!" she bellowed. Ratchet stopped for a moment and thought about it. Optimus was kind enough to wait. He'd have her body built soon, and it was rare for the chance for a good scuffle to come along. She'd be a bot soon anyway...
"Not too big!" he shouted, tossing the pack to her, he nodded to Optimus and they began again.
(MPOV)
I began laughing as Ironhide began running toward the enormous grass field where the targets were set up.
"Thus do I enact my revenge!" Optimus' voice roared behind us. Ironhide spun around.
"Your mate is cheating my niece!" Ironhide roared, laughing as he stood firm. Optimus stood in front of us, holding the femmes as they cheered.
"Your femme for mine," Optimus growled, I could see him fighting to keep his face straight.
"To their safety," Ironhide growled back at him, gently setting me down.
Arcee whizzed forward and scooped me up with a grin.
"Girls stay together," she grinned. I laughed and balanced myself in her arms slightly as we settled in to watch. I couldn't help but cheer my guardian on as Chromia did Ironhide.
"Oh, my bot comes after all," Arcee murmured gleefully. I flinched slightly as my mentor caught my guardian in a flying tackle. "They stop the second someone is hurt," Arcee murmured in my ear. "The gravity here is ridiculously light anyway."
I immediately felt better, watching as Optimus teased my spark father before Ironhide helped him get the larger off. I had to admit, my uncle was damn good about using his smaller size to his advantage in close quarters.
And then, my brother, my dear, sweet-sparked little-brother tackled the weapons master, freeing my beloved.
"For the virtue of my sister!" he shouted as a war-cry.
I'd have to polish his armour later, my dear little-brother.
"Give me but one ally!" Optimus roared gleefully, my heart soared to hear that tone. "Give me but one friend among the hoards of miscreants and shall my reliant remain safe above my mark!" he turned and saluted me before going after Ratchet again.
In that instant, I well and truly wanted nothing more than to be that ally beside him. I could see in Arcee's optics her desire to fight beside her Ratchet anyway.
"Ratchet!" I shouted.
"Kae!" he grunted, shoving Optimus.
"Gimme my pack!" I bellowed. Ratchet stopped for a moment and stared at me, Optimus patiently waiting for his attention to return to the tussle at hand. I could practically see my spark-father's processes as he debated himself. And then, the sweetest sound.
"Not too big!" he shouted, tossing the pack to me, he nodded to Optimus and they began tussling again.
"I'll be back in a sec!" I said with a broad grin, squirming out of Arcee's arms and taking off at a full sprint for the hangar, strapping the pack onto my back and activating it. I recognized what Ratchet meant about the silver in my spine as the neural-fibres connected to them, way less annoying.
"Kae!?" Chance bellowed.
"I am not missing this one!" I shouted through a broad grin, sprinting through the group of soldiers.
Destination, flight deck.
I centred myself for a second before quickly flashing energon through the flight deck and calling an exoskeleton and armour around myself, modelling it after a smaller form of Arcee's original. Smaller than my little brother still, but about right for tussling. The readouts Ratchet had programmed to show in front of my eyes said it was well within the safety factors. I grinned and jogged lightly to the hangar door.
"Holy shit Kae!" Will bellowed.
"What the hell!?" Epps demanded with a broad grin.
"Practice," I laughed, "Coming Jolt?" I bellowed over my shoulder, reaching the clear zone and taking off at a full sprint. The speed of the suit-lengthened strides was exhilarating, in moments I was tackling my spark-father.
"For the safety of my Guardian!" I bellowed gleefully, messing with his helm as he lightly batted me away. Arcee whizzed toward me, laughingly making to protect her consort. Optimus was above us the next second, reaching a hand down.
I caught his with the suits' and began cheering as Optimus lightly pulled me into the air, I caught his shoulder and spun.
My Guardian settled me across his back with the ease he did his weapons, and I locked myself in place, feeling as though it were the most natural thing in the universe.
"That's adorable!" Flareup shrieked as Optimus and I settled into a fighting stance. Back to back. We were ready for anything.
(WPOV)
"Will, you have declared this a day off?" Optimus rumbled down to him. Will did a double-take, the Prime sounded downright sly.
"Yeah..." Will stated curiously.
"Good, Weapons Master Ironhide I declare you a femme thief!" Optimus rumbled in a mockingly stern voice, standing straighter and turning to look at Ironhide.
"Oh! You gonna play that game youngling!?" Ironhide shouted back with a broad grin.
"We are playing that game decrepit!" Optimus called back to him with a smirk as his unit scrambled after them. He leaned down, lightning fast and scooped the three femmes into his arms. "Thus do I enact revenge!" he bellowed, two long strides and he was out of the hangar and running with the femmes squealing with laughter in his arms.
"Return her at once miscreant!" Ratchet bellowed the next moment, even as he howled with laughter and scrambled after the larger mech.
"The hell!?" Will shouted.
"Don't even worry about it!" Bumblebee laughed, onlining his holoform gleefully. "If they were being serious about it they'd be coaching the challenge in formal Cybertronian and walking side by side to the battle ground, not playing keep-away."
"Which speaking of, if you'll excuse us," Sideswipe added with a snort, clapping a hand on the smaller scout's shoulder. "We have a sister's virtue to maintain, and I believe I shall attempt to avenge a certain fiery femme while we're at it."
Bumblebee promptly began laughing, running after Sideswipe at high speed, the twins hot on their heels.
Will ran to the hangar doors with his soldiers behind him to see the bots all making war on each other.
"It's our equivalent of roughhousing," Jolt's holoform stated, standing shyly beside him.
"How come you aren't in on the action?" Jerry asked curiously, looking at the bot as he stood rather shyly amid the soldiers.
"I... I have a lot of difficulty playing," Jolt murmured in an embarrassed tone.
"Is it okay if we ask why?" Jacobs asked gently.
"I was held captive by Decepticons for a couple of vorn," Jolt shrugged quietly. "They roughhouse as well, but the bots stop the second someone gets hurt... they don't..." Jolt froze for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Our Prime has been very kind to me, he tolerates my shortcomings and still offers me to join them absolutely." Jolt glanced down with a smile. "He just invited me to join them over the primary."
Will watched in surprise as Kae sprinted through the group.
"Kae!?" Chance bellowed.
"I am not missing this one!" she shouted over her shoulder.
Will snorted. Standing in the hangar would be a damn good way to miss the action. There was the sound of light footsteps jogging back. Will glanced around.
"Holy shit Kae!" he bellowed. Kae was in a suit, looking like a bipedal Arcee in armour.
"What the hell!?" Epps demanded with a broad grin.
"Practice," Mikaela laughed, weaving her way delicately through the group. "Coming Jolt?" Mikaela bellowed over her shoulder as she sprinted back to the group in the new suit.
"So go," Jerry grinned.
"No..." Jolt murmured, shaking his head sadly. "I have a great deal of difficulty remembering that it is simply a game. Play... play is difficult to remember at times."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Will asked the bot as kindly as he could, the soldiers were grouping around bot and holoform, Jacobs caught their eyes and butted his shoulder to Jolt's leg. Standing side to side, a non-violent, non-pitying companion.
"When I was captured," Jolt stated quietly, "they obscured my mark, and branded me with the Decepticon shield. The two together made me a slave, an... an abomination." the bot shuddered slightly before his eyes flicked up to watch the group.
"Arcee saved me," he murmured. "Just before the message that the baroness had evacuated her entire sector and destroyed her neutrality made it through the communications, she used her rank and butted her way right into Shockwave's complex and purchased the twins and I away from them. They thought at first that she'd broken her neutrality to their side, so they sold us to her and let us go scott free." Jolt laughed softly. "I... I was terrified of coming here, it is an insult to a Prime for his caste's mark to be defiled by another, which was what the Decepticons did when they branded me their slave..." Jolt trailed off, looking fondly at the group.
"Look at that," Chance murmured. Will turned to watch Optimus fling Kae into the air, settling her across his back and getting into a fighting stance instantly, the group froze for a second before the 'battle' started up again, Kae and Optimus fought together seamlessly.
"A guardian and reliant fighting together in battle," Jolt smiled. "Absolute trust belongs to the one who has your back."
"They just fight back to back like they've done it for years. That's commitment." Will murmured, watching as they separated, battled and rejoined without a moment's hesitation.
"So what happened?" Jacobs nudged him, grinning.
"Arcee brought me here regardless, saying she knew this Prime," Jolt smiled. "And she was right, our Prime is kind, he did not command me to destroy the mark the Decepticons branded onto my spark-chamber. He said that I can be rid of it, and that he'll gladly return my marks to me, but only when I am ready."
Jolt looked around as the soldiers looked at him curiously.
"Taking a mark is painful, but it is a pain that we gladly accept, often the joy of taking a mark supersedes the pain. But removing a mark is... it's a true agony, even when it is a blessing to be rid of it. I mean, technically a healer like Kae could remove it without it hurting too much but..." Jolt shrugged.
"Still aren't ready?" Jacobs asked kindly, laying a gentle hand on Jolt's leg.
"Well, no, I'm ready to get rid of it, I just don't want..."
"Don't want to ask her?" Will asked in amusement. "Why?"
"She belongs to Prime," Jolt muttered embarrassedly. "And sometimes a healer can't remove a mark without it getting etched on them, can you imagine how awful it would be to have Kae get branded as a Decepticon slave?"
"I can't tell if that's a point or not," Jacobs frowned. "You said sometimes, I'm pretty sure Kae'd take the risk, it's Kae."
"Yeah, but something like that is a formal request," Jolt murmured, his holoform looking down and blushing furiously. "Which means I'd have to ask Prime permission to ask his reliant to repair me at her risk."
Will frowned in thought for a moment, Optimus tended to be pretty forgiving when he made social faux pas, he glanced at Jacobs and felt his eyebrows rising. The enormous african winked at him with a smirk. Evidently he was thinking the same thing, his right hand lifted up slightly and made a quick gesture.
"I'll take the shot."
Will nodded and raised his own hand.
"I'll take the heat."
Jacobs shrugged, an obvious 'if you want.'
They both turned back to watch as the bots finally seemed to conclude their battle. Will couldn't hold back a snort of laughter as Optimus let himself get dragged to the ground by Bumblebee and the twins. He was on his knees when his arms flashed out, catching all three of them and dragging them to the ground with him, the entire group howling with laughter.
A few minutes more and the bots rose, the twins apparently hadn't tired of the game yet, they both grabbed onto Prime's legs, sitting on his feet and seeming to try to trip him up. Optimus looked down at them for a moment, reached down and settled them a bit more securely before he began striding back to the hangar with a cheerful unit walking and joking beside him.
"He really is an incredible Prime," Jolt murmured gently as the soldiers chuckled at the ecstatic twins clinging to their Prime's legs as he carried them, seemingly without effort. Will was grinning like a madman, he couldn't help it, Optimus looked like an enormous father doting on his children with a gentle hand resting on Bumblebee's shoulder.
Kae was bouncing around in her suit, the femmes all teasing each other within their own little group, shoving each other gently and obviously laughing at what was being said.
Will ran through everything that Jolt had said and glanced at Jacobs, the man glanced at him and winked again. He held steady for another moment until the group reached a line he'd obviously decided on.
"Hey Kae!" he bellowed.
"Hey Jacobs!" Mikaela called back, grinning down at the man.
"Jolt's got a question he needs to ask you!" the man bellowed. Oh sneaky, nice call, Will thought musingly. That was a guarantee that Kae would pester Jolt until he broke down and asked.
"Jaacooobsss!" Jolt protested immediately, sounding rather petulant.
"A-yeah?" Jacobs grinned up at him. "You'll find that we humans call that 'cutting through the red tape'."
Will glanced up at Mikaela, her eyes were narrowed at the Marine. She glanced at Arcee and whistled. Will jumped when he realized she was speaking in another dialect when Arcee whistled back.
The twins immediately released their hold on Prime's legs as the deep tone that said he was irritated began humming softly from his chest.
(MPOV)
"You'll find that we humans call that 'cutting through the red tape." Jacobs stated cheerfully, I felt my eyes narrow. I glanced at Arcee.
ƒWhat could Jolt ask that he would need to ask Optimus first?ƒ I asked worriedly.
ƒFormally,ƒ Arcee trilled back calmly. ƒJolt would ask Optimus' permission to ask you to heal him. And he would formally, because he needs a brand removed from his spark chamber, which could be potentially etched onto you as you remove it. So he asks your guardian first.ƒ
I frowned.
"Auto-bot Jolt," I stated calmly, disconnecting from the suit and casually levitating it to join the flight deck again. "make your request."
"Kae..." Jolt started, trailing off with a blush showing in his optics. He looked rather pleadingly at Optimus. I could hear a tiny amount of anger resonating from his spark as he looked at Jacobs.
"Optimus," I stated sternly, his optics flicked to look at me.
ΩThere is danger to you in this.Ω he rumbled flatly.
ΩThere is danger in all that we do. I do not interfere in your command, my beloved guardian, please do not interfere in my primary function.Ω I replied softly. I waited patiently as he quickly re-synced his processors. He held my eyes and nodded. I turned and looked at Jolt.
"If you are ready," I stated gently. "Make your request, Jolt."
The bot stared at me for a long second and nodded, he knelt down and prostrated himself before me. I opened my mouth to protest.
ƒDon't protest,ƒ Arcee whistled to me softly. ƒYou hate people bowing to you as much as I, but don't protest a formal response.ƒ I glanced at her and nodded. I turned again and looked at Jolt, carefully reading the information scrolling across my eyes. Directions.
I walked forward and gently laid a hand on his helm.
"Rise, Jolt," I murmured.
He sat up on his knees.
"Healer, humbly this servant asks to be repaired," Jolt began softly. "For four vorn I have borne the hated mark of our enemies branded upon my chamber. Your servant would beg that it be removed."
He sat back slightly and looked at me with sad optics, obviously expecting me to deny him. For once, I felt pleased to disappoint the bot's expectation.
(APOV)
Arcee watched as the technician prostrated himself in front of Kae, she opened her mouth, obviously ready to protest such a position.
ƒDon't protest,ƒ Arcee whistled softly. ƒYou hate people bowing to you as much as I, but don't protest a formal response.ƒ
Kae glanced at her and nodded before she turned again and looked at Jolt, she was looking at the middle distance, visibly processing information.
A moment and she walked forward and gently laid a hand on his helm, and Arcee couldn't help but smile her approval.
"Rise, Jolt," Healer Archangel murmured.
He obediently sat up on his knees.
"Healer, humbly this servant asks to be repaired," Jolt began softly. "For four vorn I have borne the hated mark of our enemies branded upon my chamber. Your servant would beg that it be removed."
He sat back slightly and looked down at Kae with sad optics, obviously expecting to be denied. Arcee could feel her sisters quietly sending a prayer up to Primus that Kae wouldn't deny him. The poor bot had suffered enough already.
"Auto-bot Jolt," Archangel stated calmly. "Know that this healer does not require servants, she requires friends, family." she walked forward and carefully climbed up his leg and chest to touch his face. "Jolt," Mikaela murmured gently, smiling at him. "Know that you shall never have to beg something from me. Simply ask, and if it is within my power I am pleased to help you."
Arcee vented a relieved sigh, admittedly enjoying the human expression.
::. We say it again.:: she murmured over the primary. She looked up at Optimus. ::. You have incredible taste in femmes.::
Optimus smiled slightly, even as his spark hummed worry.
Jolt just stared at her, the expression of a bot fully prepared to swear eternal allegiance to a superior. His chest plates slid open, baring his spark chamber to her.
Kae reached to touch it for a second before pulling back. Arcee frowned, she was changing her mind? That was cruel...
She turned to Ratchet, disengaging her energon pack.
"I don't need the pack for this," she murmured gently, removing the straps and handing the pack to the Medic, she turned back and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Every bot watched in astonishment as energon began to glow beneath her skin, her marks shining brilliantly as Kae reached forward and laid gentle hands on Jolt's chamber. The sweet, bruised spark-body of the technician gasped in shock as energon flashed through him, damages that he had refused repair on mended perfectly as his spark-chamber healed.
"It does not hurt, why does it not hurt?" Jolt choked out, swaying, Arcee whizzed to his side the next second, supporting him with Bumblebee and her sisters. There was a scent on the breeze, a familiar, terrifying one.
Burning flesh.
Arcee looked at her newest sister in horror as she frowned in concentration, the Decepticons mark burning itself into her shoulder, the healer released a final surge of energon and Jolt sat in shock, looking in horror as Mikaela smiled at him gently before descending his frame and standing upon the ground.
Optimus was snarling softly. Mikaela looked at him.
"Steady," she told him firmly, She turned and strode away from the group. In the bright sunlight she knelt gracefully on the ground. Arcee onlined her holoform and ran after her.
"That is unnecessary, Arcee," Mikaela stated calmly, her eyes were closed. It was a fresh shock as the skin beneath the hated mark of slavery began to blister.
"Sweet Primus," Ratchet choked.
"What's happening?" Will gasped.
"Her very body is rejecting the mark," Ratchet murmured, his tone impossibly torn between horror and awe.
Kae chose that moment to reach back and swipe a clawed hand across her shoulder.
The skin peeled away like armour before the heat of a plasma rifle.
"Weapons Master Ironhide," Mikaela barked, levitating her own skin into the air.
"Healer Archangel," Ironhide growled.
"Destroy it," she barked sternly. Arcee watched in admitted satisfaction as Ironhide brought a cannon online, blasting the host-less mark into carbon and a bad memory.
The entire area stood in absolute, shocked silence for a long moment.
"Well, that's that then," Mikaela stated cheerfully, rocking to her feet and walking toward Arcee. She turned her back again. "Or rather, did I miss any of it?" she asked with a small frown. Arcee immediately winked her holoform to stand with her sister, carefully inspecting the bleeding, exposed muscle of her sister's shoulder. However none of the mark remained.
"It's clean," Arcee choked softly, moving aside so that her consort's holoform could attend to his spark daughter.
"A bit dramatic, don't you think Kae?" Ratchet snapped at her.
Mikaela snorted.
"When you do something, you do it right," she stated airily. "Besides, that's a burn, scale of pain that is nothing to that gunshot you patched up for me."
"For the love and patience of Primus himself..." Ratchet started up.
"In my place you would do...?" Mikaela interrupted him in amusement. Ratchet rolled his optics.
"The same Primus damned thing, but the point stands, it takes precisely one thirty-second the amount of time for me to replace a plate of armour as it does the nanites to repair your skin." he grumbled irritably.
"But it does repair," she stated in amusement as Ratchet finished dressing the open wound over her shoulder.
"Yes it does repair," Ratchet sighed. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to continue working on your body so that when you accidentally destroy this one I've got a backup." he whacked her good shoulder irritably before the holoform winked out.
"Now then," Kae grinned, she turned to Jolt and jogged back to the bot. "Did I miss anything?" she asked seriously, climbing back up his chest to look into his face.
"No..." Jolt whispered. "I am... I am... whole..."
"Good," Mikaela smiled, pulling herself up to kiss his brow gently. "I will not have my family suffer when it is within my power to heal them."
"Go get some recharge," Optimus rumbled gently, leaning down to collect his Kae and gently touching Jolt's cheek.
Arcee couldn't help but smile at the unit as they lightly reached out to touch Jolt's shoulders, helm and hands: reaffirming him as one of their own.
The smile on his face was absolutely beatific as he transformed and parked in his place, dropping into his recharge.
"What am I to do with you?" Optimus rumbled softly, looking at his Kae in his hands.
"Roll your optics, grumble about the impossible nature of femmes and move on with life?" she suggested innocently. Optimus snorted.
"Only you know me that well," he rumbled in a soft, contented tone.
"Ratchet and Ironhide know you just as well," she stated with gentle amusement, scampering up his arm to settle into what every last earthbound bot referred to as her spot... behind Prime's back, of course.
The major was sliding down the communications catwalk ladder the next moment, running toward them.
"Alright boys bots and Femmes!" Will shouted with a broad grin, "We got our marching orders, we've got a new HQ in Washington! We roll out in two days!"
"Do we get our own rooms!?" Bee shouted with a broad grin.
"Yeah we do!" Jacobs shouted, eyeing the blueprints Will handed him. "There's a couple of extra rooms too!"
Arcee glanced at Ratchet and couldn't hold back a smirk.