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Chapter 73 - Headquarters
(IPOV)
Ironhide blinked his holoform to stand beside Jacobs, looking at the blueprints with the human, an idea struck him, and he had to fight to not smirk... visibly.
::. Do you need help packing up?.:: Ironhide sent over to Optimus with a smirk.
::. What are you up to?.:: Ratchet sent curiously.
::. An advance force to scope out the place, and set up your spark-mate's apartment beside her chosen guardian's wouldn't hurt either.:: Ironhide smirked, opening the comm fully.
Ratchet flicked his holoform to stand beside Ironhide's and burst out laughing.
"I call dibbs on that room," Ratchet grinned, pointing to to quarters across from the Prime's.
"And that's the med-bay there, across from the entrance," Will chuckled.
"With permission, I'd like to get there first," Ironhide rumbled, "start getting the place set up properly."
"Communications are headed in there first, you want to go with?" Will grinned at the weapon's specialist.
"It'll be an easier move if most of us head out," Bee stated with perfect innocence.
"I agree with the scout," Sideswipe grinned. "Let's get the first wave of stuff over there."
::. Ratchet, Optimus, quick take her for a drive or something, I wanna surprise my niece.:: Ironhide added with a silent smirk.
"Kae, we'd better run a quick inventory," Ratchet stated calmly.
"On it," Mikaela grinned, jumping into Optimus' hand and immediately getting into the work area, she began sorting files and paperwork.
"Nice," Ironhide murmured to Ratchet before the Medic winked his holoform out. "Will, I have a request of you."
"Nothing bad I hope," Lennox chuckled.
"May I borrow your wife? She seems like the perfect person to decorate Kae's new home," Ironhide murmured, pointing to the blueprints.
"We put Optimus in this one?" Will asked, almost bouncing as he grinned at the schematic. A little bit of tweaking and it would be perfect for Kae. "I'll call Sarah..." he glanced at his watch and whooped. "Right now."
(MPOV)
The hangar was filled with high spirits for the next two days. Everyone was packing, I looked at the workspace I'd shared with Ratchet for three months with tears in my eyes.
"Not that much will change," Ratchet said quietly behind me. I turned to look at him in surprise. He smiled gently. "You will still be my spark-daughter, and I would truly appreciate it if you continued to be my assistant."
"Aw Ratch, now I am crying!" I wailed, throwing my arms around his neck.
"You looked like you need a good cry, what's got you down?" he rumbled, rubbing my back.
"I was just looking at our workspace, and thinking of all the time we've spent here together. We're moving!" I exclaimed. Ratchet snorted and wrapped an arm around my waist.
"We're moving to a better workspace, one with more room," he rumbled in my ear. "We'll all have private rooms which I know you'll appreciate eventually, Ironhide does snore."
"Is it weird that I'm going to miss 'Hide's snoring?" I laughed.
"Little bit," Ratchet laughed. "Especially if you knew that he only snores when he's still interfaced with Chromia."
I fought to keep my face straight as Ironhide's holoform winked in beside us. Chromia followed him a second later, looking completely innocent.
I couldn't do it, I burst out laughing and caught Chromia in a hug.
"What's this for?" she laughed, wrapping her arms around me.
"For being the best sneaky bitch I have ever had the honour of knowing," I grinned up at her. "You have to tutor me, I'm begging you."
"Oh don't you worry about that!" Chromia giggled, pulling me in tight. "The three of us are going to train you up right." she murmured in my ear. We both turned to look at Optimus as he stood at communication central with his arms crossed.
I struggled to not let my eyes rove over his form, the way the surrounding light danced over his sleek frame.
"Pace yourself," Flareup stated brightly at my shoulder, "Looking at him is like looking at a full meal." I jumped and turned to shoot a wry glare at her.
"Oh hush!" she laughed, "we're tutoring you on one condition."
"What's that?" I asked curiously, Flare wrapped an arm across my shoulders and brought her mouth to my ear.
"You tutor me on how to fight so I can catch the optic of that big brother of yours." she giggled.
I stared at her and began laughing, dragging her into a hug.
"Deal," I murmured before turning back to watch Optimus as he moved with a fighter's grace. Enormous, powerful, predatory fighting grace. "Gods fuck that's sexy," I murmured before jerking myself back to task.
"C'mon you guys! We're rolling out in an hour!" Will shouted, looking at the minimal progress Ratchet and I had made packing up our med-bay.
"A med-bay is the last packed and the first set up," Ratchet stated firmly. "Between the two of us, we'll have it on the plane in ten minutes."
I looked at his holoform curiously. He smirked and offlined his holoform, leaning down and handing me my pack.
"Telekinesis is made possible by the application of-?" he grinned at me.
"Breaking down minute amounts of energon into high density light waves, thereby creating an easily controlled forcefield around the objects." I grinned, relaxing my muscles as the neural fibres wove their way into my system. I looked at the workspace and memorized the layout. I took a deep breath and brought a gentle field online. Every single piece of equipment lifted off gently and drifted to it's place.
"Holy shit!" Epps shouted.
I let a grin cross my face as I delicately lifted Ratchet up too.
"Kae!" he bellowed before he began laughing.
I carefully balanced everything on itself and looked at Lennox with a shit-eating grin. "All packed up sir, where am I putting it all?"
"That way!" Ratchet laughed, turning to float on his front. I followed his directions and marched out of the hangar, setting him carefully down before I directed everything to follow him onto the C17. Ratchet reached down and picked me up, carrying me back into the hangar with a broad grin. We stopped and looked at our denuded work area, evident only by a couple of lifts and a work-bench that we never used.
"Well, now what?" I asked sadly.
"Hey! Do that thing with this thing!" Epps shouted, standing on the communication central catwalk.
"Um... kay," I sat in Ratchet's hand and frowned at the catwalk.
"What?" Epps asked curiously.
"I'm trying to figure out how to un-bolt that thing. Levitating is easy, swirling tiny bits in a field is... trickier... unless..." I lapsed back into silence, frowning. I turned and caught sight of a tool kit. I snapped a field around it and began fiddling. Optimus glanced over at the random tools flying around me and began laughing.
"Use the fifth Rell complex as a counterbalance." he stated with a grin.
"That's what that friggen means!" I shouted as Ratchet lightly set me down. "Epps, get down from there." I calmly picked him up and made to set him carefully on the floor as Chance howled with laughter.
"Don't set me down yet!" he bellowed, getting into a superman pose. I laughed and delicately flew him around the hangar for a few moments as even Will laughed. I set him down again and turned to the catwalk.
Communication central lifted gently from the floor and slowly shattered.
"Struts here!" Lennox grinned. I delicately sorted each piece out and directed them to go lay where the soldiers wanted them. I looked around communications central for a second, looking for anything else that needed to be done.
"Alright! Final sweep, everything and everyone out!" Will shouted with a grin.
"Climb in, Kae," Optimus rumbled, rapidly transforming and opening his door for me.
"Where we going?" I asked curiously. Optimus chuckled and took the coastal road. I smiled and cuddled into the seat. He transformed again, cradling me in his hand as he walked the final few paces – for him – to our spot. He sat carefully, depositing me on his shoulder.
"I thought you would like to come up here one more time," he rumbled gently.
"I haven't had the chance lately to tell you just how sweet you are, have I?" I murmured, leaning against his cheek gently.
"That is anti-freeze, you probably should not be drinking it." Optimus murmured. I looked up at him incredulously as he turned his head carefully to look at me with an absolutely straight face and tone. I burst out laughing, shaking and fighting to keep my balance on his shoulder.
"I can't believe you just said that!" I laughed, struggling to breathe as his laughter rumbled around me. He rose and strode back down the incline, walking along the road back to the base. I sat on his shoulder cheerfully.
"I would be remiss in my duty as your guardian to not warn you," he chuckled.
"That thirty foot auto-bots with sparks of gold are dangerous to my health?" I shot at him with a grin.
"Really, I should have warned you of that the second I met you," Optimus rumbled sadly.
"I call drone shit," I told him with a smile. "If perchance, you had warned me that you're dangerous to my health, what precisely do you think I would do?" Optimus looked down at me and sighed.
"You would do the same Primus damned thing all over again," he rumbled.
"Damn straight," I grinned.
"I have trapped you to me," he stated quietly.
"You regret it?" I asked him softly.
"I regret causing you pain," Optimus rumbled gently.
"You regret causing me to be a pain?" I asked innocently. "Because I can honestly tell you I've been a thorn in the side of humans far longer than I've known you."
Optimus snorted and glared at me.
"You are twisting my words... oh touche." he grumbled.
"I did not stab you!" I protested with a grin, "hang on, let me kiss it better."
I dropped down into his chest before he could stop me, leaning gently against his spark chamber and covering it with kisses as he moaned.
"Mikaela behave!" he rumbled.
"Oh really?" I asked, running ticklishly light fingers over his spark chamber and frame, "you want me to behave?"
"At least until I have you in my room!" he growled softly as a massive number of softly glowing cables crept toward me, binding my hands and playing with the sensitive points of my skin until I was gasping. He promptly deposited me into his hand, a low chuckle rumbling from his chest as I glared weakly at him for stopping.
"Holoforms are one thing, but a massive burst of energon on a plane is not a good idea," he rumbled with a grin.
"Evil!" I laughed. "and I'll bet I absolutely stink now."
"You smell absolutely intoxicating," Optimus rumbled softly, the vibrations of his voice shooting straight to my abdomen once more.
I grabbed my bag and followed Chance out to the plane. Jetfire waved at me before transforming and taking off. I climbed into Optimus' cab once we were in the air and continued sewing Anabelle's christmas present, never noticing when I drifted off, comfortable and safe with my guardian.
I woke up as Optimus' engine roared to life.
"Sleep Kae," he rumbled gently, "we are almost home."
I nodded drowsily and cuddled into the neural-fibres that created my hammock.
"Kae," Optimus rumbled softly, his holoform touched my cheek.
My eyes snapped open.
"Welcome home Kae," Optimus whispered, gently taking my hand and leading me from his truck form into what seemed to be a restricted area.
"Have to set up the Med-bay," I yawned.
Optimus laughed quietly.
"That can wait until morning," he rumbled gently, "I want you to see your new home."
He pulled me gently through a door, I stopped dead.
A kitchen, living area, fireplace!?
"Sweet Primus!" I squeaked, gazing around at the multitude of small, homemaking touches that made the room an absolute dream.
"Will's wife, Sarah, had an absolute ball decorating it," Optimus rumbled with a small smile, "she says that when you are settled in we are to have a housewarming party."
I began laughing softly, wrapping my arms around his holoform's waist.
"It's absolutely incredible," I said with a grin.
"Good, now, here's another thing." he rumbled, drawing me forward.
"What?" I asked curiously. Optimus' holoform pulled me through another door into an enormous bay. Optimus crouched down toward me with a grin.
"I hope you do not mind sharing quarters," he rumbled.
I began laughing, jogging toward him and climbing up his arm to press a kiss to his faceplates.
"This place is incredible, thank you." I said seriously, kissing him again.
He laughed and cupped me in his hands.
"Thank Ironhide, it was his idea, now go get some recharge," he ordered firmly.
"I slept on the way here," I protested immediately, feeling my brain kick into high gear. "Ratchet'll have my head if we don't get the med-bay set up! Oh crap, where the hell is the med bay?"
Optimus snorted and straightened, settling me on his shoulder and walking through the immense doors into a corridor.
"This wing is the housing complex," he rumbled calmly, there were a dozen immense doors up and down the corridor with smaller doors interspersed between them. "Communication central is at the other end, entrance bay is here, and the med-bay is across from it, here." Optimus chuckled, delicately setting me down on an enormous berth. Ratchet bustled in a moment later, carrying the red case of parts.
"There you are," he grumbled as I jogged along the berth and caught a handy, dangling chain so that I could swing over to his shoulder.
"Sorry Ratch, Optimus was trying to get me to sleep," I laughed, landing lightly on the medi-bot's shoulder. "I dunno what's up with that bot and sleeping, seriously," I added, grinning at Optimus.
"It's because deep in his spark he's a filthy sack-rat and he knows it." Ratchet stated placidly before roaring with laughter.
"It is a sad day when my medical officer and my ambassador use Decepticon tactics." Optimus rumbled in an absolutely deadpan tone. The right ear could hear the amusement behind it though.
"Wait what now?" Lennox asked, walking into the chaos.
"Prime's bitching that we're ganging up on him," Ratchet rumbled with a laugh, walking back toward the entrance bay.
"Grousing," I piped up with a broad grin, "A Prime never bitches!"
Optimus snorted and headed toward communication central as Ratchet handed me my pack again.
"Still don't get it," Epps called out, "one of these days I'm going to be around for the entire thing and either die laughing or realize that the lot of you have weird ass senses of humour."
"When that day arrives, Epps," Ratchet stated with a grin. "You will die laughing at just how perverse a sense of humour it takes to put up with us."
"Then how the hell...?" Lennox demanded, trailing off and looking at me as Ratchet set me down on the floor.
"I was raised by a unit of five soldiers," I stated blandly, "There is not a single joke in this world that I have not heard."
"Oh really? Then what did the blond's right knee say to her left?" Jacobs called out from beneath an enormous box.
"Nothing!" I called back, onlining the pack and delicately lifting the box of instruments from Jacob's shoulders. "They've never met!" There were dozens of laughing groans throughout the bay.
"Is that why you dyed your hair?" Epps shouted over to me.
"I happen to be naturally brunette!" I shouted back, directing the nanites to wash my hair bleach blonde on a whim. "Besides, blonde makes me look like an angel."
"False advertising," Ratchet added as the men hooted with laugher.
I stuck my tongue out at him and carefully picked out every box of med-bay equipment and parts, delicately adding them to my flight load and following Ratchet back to the Med-bay as the nanites darkened my hair again.
I closed my eyes and directed every piece to it's natural place as Ratchet laughed softly.
"Last down, first up, now go to bed," he rumbled down at me.
I disconnected the pack and stretched, catching view of a screened off berth.
"What've you got there Ratch?" I asked curiously.
"Whatever excuse will keep you from peeking," Ratchet replied with a grin.
"So it's my body?" I smirked up at him. He laughed.
"Yes it is, and you don't get to see it until it's done. Bad luck to look at your body before you take it over as your own." Ratchet stated firmly. I looked up at him uncertainly. "It's true!"
"Okay Ratch, I won't look," I chuckled. "Who'd'a thought, superstitious Auto-bot. Now I've seen everything."
I crawled up on an empty berth and sat down, looking around myself in bemused fascination. This place was huge.
"Well now what do I do?" I asked with a frown.
"Now, you go settle into your personal quarters and report back here when you get back from christmas celebrations, we're getting a new shipload of vehicles that need fixing." Ratchet grumbled.
I laughed and swung over to land on the Medi-bot's shoulder.
"See you in the morning Ratch, don't stay up too late," I pecked a kiss on his chin and jumped onto his hand, letting him set me down on the ground.
"Be off with you!" he grumbled, I flashed a grin at him and heard his laughter as I wandered around the corridors, checking out my new home.
I made it down another corridor before stopping dead.
No way. I began laughing softly and shook my head. Well, that'll be fun. I wondered what Optimus knew about this place when they'd selected the rooms.
I wandered into my common room and smiled at the decorating job Sarah had managed. A generous kitchen, fireplace, enormous coffee table that on second inspection was an asian dining room table. Comfortable sofa, two chairs, a half dozen enormous cushions. The stark white of the walls were broken by black shelves and a smattering of red and blue vases. I wandered across the room and looked through the screens.
"Oh, my, god," I whispered. Someone knocked on the door adjoining Optimus' quarters.
I walked over to it and opened it cautiously.
"Don't do that!" I laughed. Arcee looked at me curiously.
"Don't do what?"
"Knock, if you're coming in through Optimus' quarters don't knock." I grinned. "Now who the hell told Sarah to give me a hammock?"
"That one was me," Flareup giggled, "although you might want to take a look at the bed Cee and Chrome picked out with her before you decide to always sleep on the hammock."
"This way!" Chromia sang cheerfully, dragging me toward the screens and sliding a panel open on a bed made of dreams.
"Oh you are kidding me!" I gasped.
Enormous circular wooden frame, queen sized bed.
"And if you don't make that bed rock at least once while we're here I will be very upset with you," Arcee murmured in my ear.
"You evil, wonderful femmes," I moaned appreciatively. Chromia giggled.
"Now," she stated with a smirk, "your first lesson, dear spark, is that Optimus has a few dozen processors that he would love to let you blow out. Don't you ever be shy about jumping your bot's interface cables..."
(RPOV)
Ratchet watched his apprentice wander out of the med-bay and looked around the area with a smirk. Now this was a proper med-bay. He walked toward his spark-daughter's new body and knelt down, opening his spark chamber and sending his prayer out on a stream of energon.
::. Primus.:: he called out silently. ::. Grant us the knowledge to heal, give our beloved Kae the strength to power her new body. Grant me the patience, optics and steady hand to build her strongly.::
He rose and uncovered the blank form, thinking of his assistant. Her temper and patience. Strong and delicate hands. An image flashed through his processors, he grabbed hold of it and smiled, onlining a welder and hacking her iPod, listening to the music she usually listened to as she worked. He noted with surprise moments later that his motions were being governed, moving to the beat of the music. Just as she did... it would truly be a shame for her to lose the fluid, graceful way she moved... Ratchet smiled and worked on her legs. After a few hours he pulled away, looking down at the blank form in understanding.
Because above all else, their Kae was patient, exalting quality over speed.
He knelt down and prayed again before he covered the empty body carefully and drew the curtains around it.
It was late, he would recharge and begin again in the morning.