Chapter 99 - Alliances

(MPOV)

Day six.

I thanked Primus, again, for the neural fibres Jetfire had given me. Despite Optimus, and Ratchet's ardent protests, I glanced at the chronometer and noted the one hundred and twentieth hour spent in the air being logged in the flight deck's mainframe. Five days ago, Jetfire had joined me in the airspace, the two of us splitting the continent between ourselves and scanning in grid formation.

I was over Russia now, having taken the northern latitudes in deference to Grandfather's extreme dislike of cold.

::. Jetfire to Archangel.::

::. Really?.:: I snorted. It didn't seem to matter how many times I told him to call me Kae – everyone else was over the radio – he insisted on calling me by my formal designation.

::. Get used to your name youngling.:: Jetfire snorted ::. Nae luckdown here, what's your status?.::

::. I've got nothing.:: I sighed, covering my last section of longitude.

::. We've covered the blasted continent, I think your lot are gonna have to do it the old fashioned way.::

I sighed irritably. He was right, of course.

::. Archangel to NEST.:: I sent with another sigh.

::. NEST responding, anything Kae?.:: Jolt's voice asked quietly.

::. Not a damn thing.:: I sighed ::. We're going to have to do this old-school, patch me through to Barry?.::

::. Yes Ma'am.:: Jolt immediately stated.

::. And quit calling me Ma'am.:: I added.

::. Would you prefer 'Sir?'.:: Ironhide's voice rumbled with a snort. My lifeline, where Optimus, Will, Ratchet and I had been arguing about how much time I was to be in the air at any given time, Ironhide had relentlessly teased me, helping me stay more alert.

::. Barry's asleep in guest quarters, under orders to not be roused unless we find it, he'll be awake in another two hours.:: Jolt sent apologetically the next moment.

::. That's fine.:: I sighed. Wow, I'd beaten Barry in the staying awake contest. New record.

::. Get on home Granddaughter.:: Jetfire added ::. Catch some recharge, you're gonna need it if you're gonna pound ground for a while.::

I nodded tiredly to myself, murmuring an affirmative.

::. Optimus.:: I sent quietly ::. Could you get General Moreshower to clear me some airspace? I'm coming home.::

I could practically feel my Optimus' relief at that announcement, the moment the words were said, the airspace clear over, Russia, then the UK I turned west, blasting my engines as hard as they would go, another two hours and I caught sight of the Washington monument. I slowed down, five minutes and I was landing, two seconds after my feet touched ground I was in my Optimus' arms.

"Hey," I murmured weakly.

"Kae, you have run yourself down to nothing, again," my Optimus scolded me gently, turning and carrying me into the entrance bay.

"I know," I mumbled. He gently set me down beside the remainder of the deck and I disconnected, using up what felt to be the last of my energon re-integrating everything into the flight deck.

Optimus gently lifted me into his hands, bearing me gently to our quarters.

"I gotta report in," I mumbled. My body was aching, no longer distracted by operating the flight frame I could feel my muscles protesting having been practically immobile for the past six days.

"Barry, Will and General Moreshower already have your verbal reports, we have been monitoring your condition continuously."

"Mmn," I murmured, curling up in his hand. The only thing keeping me running now was the neurals.

"My Kae," my Optimus sighed gently, striding into his quarters and settling down on his berth. He lowered his hands to the ground and winked his holoform online, scooping me into his arms and carrying me to my human-sized quarters, straight into the shower.

"Mind reader," I murmured, burying my face into his neck. "I know I stink when you carry me straight to decon." Optimus snorted softly and laid me down on the berth, wirelessly turning the water on as he carefully peeled me out of the clothes I'd thrown on six days ago.

"It never occurs that I am simply grateful that you are alive and allowing me to see to your maintenance?" he rumbled gently, tossing my clothes aside and beginning to run a soaped sponge along my legs. After so long spent in the skies it felt like pure, unadulterated paradise, especially with the way his holoform's thumbs dug gently into my muscles.

"Have Barry's men gotten anywhere with the groundwork?" I murmured tiredly.

"Mm, they have found several leads as to MECH's whereabouts, one base in the United Kingdom, which has been abandoned, as you know. Most of their warehouses appear to be in North America. For now, we are simply praying that MECH intends to use the soaeletron for power production."

"Has Jolt been running probabilities?" I murmured.

"He has," Optimus rumbled quietly.

His tone said it all, he was praying the technician was wrong, and knowing Jolt, the technician himself was praying he was wrong. Optimus gave me a gentle nudge, and I obediently rolled over, moaning softly as his hands massaged the soaps into my back. I idly noted that they were the same scent as the perfume he adored, but frankly? I was simply too tired to tease him for it. Optimus seemed to notice that, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss just below my ear.

"Sleep my Kae," he murmured gently.

"No doubt we're going to be right back at it in the morning," I murmured tiredly. Optimus sighed, the tone denoting his regret that I spoke the truth. I reached up and weakly caught his hand with my own. "It's going to be okay, my beloved."

"So long as you are with me," he murmured gently, stroking my hand before gently cupping my wrist. I smiled somewhat, allowing the neural fibres to go to his call, forming the heavy bracelet that was their alt-mode.

"Always," I whispered, falling asleep between one thought and the next.

(OPOV)

Optimus watched with a small smile as his Kae fell asleep between one word and then next, content that she was safe and whole. He delicately slid her neural bracelet from her wrist and pocketed them. He rinsed her body clean before shutting the water down and gently towelling her dry, she did not rouse as he lifted her into the holoform's arms, bearing her gently from the human-sized decontamination chamber and through the screens.

"Optimus- OH!" Will exclaimed, sitting on her sofa with General Moreshower and Director Matteer. He was covering his eyes the next moment, right beside the General and Director.

"I will return momentarily," Optimus rumbled in amusement, gently bearing his Kae to her hammock and laying her down. He cocooned her there, suspending the mosquito netting around her as she preferred when she was not asleep on his chest before walking back into her main area.

"I am so sorry Prime!" Will exclaimed quietly, the three males were blushing furiously, it took Optimus a moment to understand why.

"Why your cultures find such discomfort in your own bodies is beyond me," he snorted softly, settling down in the chair he had claimed for his own.

"Oddly enough? Beyond us as well," Chris Moreshower snorted softly, settling back into his spot again.

"What news?" Optimus rumbled quietly.

"Well, I've got every man and woman that has even the remotest amount of training available poring over anything we can find on MECH's past movements," Barry stated tiredly. "I don't know what else to do, we've got the list of their old warehouses..."

"Galloway's being even more of a prick than usual," Will added grumpily, rubbing his face. "I am infinitely tempted to sick Kae on him when she wakes up."

"Better the devil you know," Moreshower grunted irritably. He pursed his lips somewhat as Barry snorted quietly. "Mind, when you do sick Kae on him, make sure Optimus video-tapes it, I wanna watch."

Barry's phone rang and he snapped upright, immediately lifting the cell to his ear.

"Matteer," he barked. Optimus sat back somewhat, politely ignoring the tiny voice emanating from the cell, eavesdropping was not generally his habit, after all.

Barry listened for a moment then grinned, then frowned. "We can't get anything on their lines!?"

Optimus shifted forward slightly, Barry glanced at him, and the light of an idea lit his eyes.

"Hey Optimus, how are your lot at tapping phone lines?" he asked curiously. Optimus smirked slightly, utilizing the trick Jazz had once taught him.

"How do you mean, Director?" he asked calmly. Through the Director's phone.

"How the hell did you do that!?" Barry shouted in shock, staring at his phone. "This is supposed to be a secure line!"

Optimus snorted and morphed his holoform into a scale model of his proper form.

"Call it a quirk of our race," he rumbled placidly. Will was bright red, mechful... Manfully struggling to not laugh aloud.

"Janet get to communications and prepare to patch fully to NEST communications," Barry stated into his phone.

"Uh..." the female voice started worriedly. Barry glared at the phone. "For god sake Director quit glaring at the phone! It was your own rule ten years ago that cut the outgoing on this thing!"

Barry glared at the phone regardless, then sighed.

"How big are the doors again?" he asked in a tired tone.

"Um... the standard eight by ten garage door?"

"How small can you transform?" Barry looked at him curiously. Optimus reached up and covered his face, desperately struggling to not laugh. Where he was good at linking to computers, Jolt was the master.

::. Jolt, would you be willing to temporarily re-locate to the CIA computer towers?.:: he sent gently.

::. ... do I getta go now?.:: the technician asked innocently, evidently struggling to not sound too eager.

"I will send Jolt, where I am skilled, he is a master of technology," Optimus rumbled in amusement. "And he is quite a bit smaller than I at even my most compressed state."

The humans in the room were beaming at him the next moment.

(JPOV)

::. Jolt, would you be willing to re-locate to the CIA computer towers?.:: the Prime sent suddenly.

Jolt just about popped a processor, he'd caught scent of that tower block in the ether a few months back, the technician in him had been fairly itching to go visit it!

How do you ask a host race if you can go play with a computer system that wasn't outwardly admitted to exist in the first place? You just don't ask, then welp, up and sudden your leader asks if you wanna go play with it. Jolt kept waiting for the scrap to get scattered again, no way he could have this much luck all in a row.

::. Do I getta go now?.:: he asked cautiously. Then, then the Prime was smiling at him.

::. I would suggest, for your personal comfort that you bring one or two of the NEST technicians with you, you may leave when ready.::

Jolt already knew who he wanted to ask.

"Hey Lena!" he grinned as the femme walked into the room. "Wanna go hack the entire world from the CIA databases?"

Lena froze and stared at him, obviously processing that.

"Oh see now you're just yanking my chain," she snorted.

"Totally not," Jolt grinned at her. "The CIA found MECH's phonelines but they can't bug 'em so they want me to go hook up to their computers do you wanna come with?"

"YES!" Lena shouted, running toward him. Jolt immediately transformed and opened his door for her, she slid in and he drove to her quarters.

"Probably need some stuff right?" he grinned, winking his holoform online in the driver's seat.

"Two minutes!" Lena sang, scrambling from his alt-form and into the tiny human-sized door.

Five minutes later she was slinging a duffle bag into his trunk.

"That was five minutes," Jolt teased her.

"I don't have an internal chronometer," Lena shrugged.

"Huh, true," Jolt mused, immediately driving to the entrance bay and through the doors.

(MPOV)

I opened my eyes with a small smile. I was cocooned in my hammock, the netting delicately suspended over me. My dear bot. There were soft voices coming from my common room, it took a moment, but they registered as Barry and Will.

They sounded excited.

"I wonder when Kae's gonna wake up," Barry muttered.

"I'm awake!" I called out. "Gimme a minute!"

I swung out of my hammock and snorted. Of course Optimus wouldn't bother putting me in pyjamas. Made getting dressed a bit faster though.

"What's the sit rep so far?" I called out from behind my screen.

"We found them," Barry called back. "Your fiancee is a genius, and I need Angel."

I rolled my eyes and took off the casual wear, switching into my leathers.

"Director Matteer," my Optimus' voice rumbled the next moment.

"Optimus," I called back calmly.

"Kae, you just woke up from six days non-stop!" he rumbled worriedly. I strode out from behind the screen and caught his holoform.

"I love you too," I murmured. "However rest is for the dead, literally in this case."

Optimus sighed and looked down at me with concern in his eyes.

"Beloved," I murmured, hauling myself up by his shoulders. "You just made sure I got a damned good recharge, I'm in good condition. All I need is a bite to eat and I'm good to go."

My Optimus sighed somewhat and nodded.

"Right, where are they at?" I asked calmly.

"Maine."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."

"You wanna drive?" I murmured with an impish grin, looking at my Optimus. His answering grin was frankly wolfish before he purposely straightened his face.

"It has been some time since I have ventured from headquarters," he rumbled in a mockingly musing tone.

"Well we should get you some fresh air, now shouldn't we?" I grinned at him.

(OPOV)

Optimus relaxed as his Kae controlled their vectors, his fiancee was remarkably competent when it came to handling his alt-form, and frankly? He wanted to do a long-haul, simply because now, he had a human he could trust to drive him when he grew tired of focusing on it. Ironhide was proximitying him, as had been the Weapons Master's habit, and Bumblebee was well ahead by now, gleefully wearing his CIA plates as he scouted around.

"Penny for your process?" his Kae murmured in amusement.

"It is nice to be out again," he rumbled cheerfully.

"Oi! Watch the rocks youngling!" Ironhide sent with a snort.

Optimus snorted and sent a signal to his tires to tighten their treads, the roads were good, he didn't need as much grip at the moment. Of course that sent several little rocks pinging out.

"Youngling!" Ironhide thundered the next moment.

"You do not need to be so close to proximity," Optimus rumbled with a snort. Mikaela was giggling slightly.

"I do to use that tailwind of yours fat-aft, need I remind you you have double the tanks?" Ironhide rumbled irritably.

Optimus jumped slightly, he had forgotten his Weapons Master's now limited fuel reserves. He immediately scanned for a gas station.

"My apologies, Ironhide," he rumbled contritely, gently taking control of the vectors with a light twitch of his steering wheel. His Kae leaned back with a smile, curling her legs against his seat. He pulled into the station and Ironhide pulled ahead, immediately going to the pumps. "You should have mentioned it sooner."

Ironhide snorted softly as Will climbed out with stiff legs, shaking them out as he lightly began filling up Ironhide's fuel reserves.

"Hey Kae, got a drop?" Ironhide rumbled the next moment. Mikaela smiled and immediately climbed from his cab.

"Nice topkick man," she immediately began, directing her comments to Will for the benefit of the passerby. She laid a gentle hand on Ironhide's armour. "Smooth ride?"

"Yeah, unless he's in a mood, then you can be certain your back's gonna suffer," Will snorted. "That your rig over there?"

"Yeah, real beast isn't he?" Mikaela stated fondly, looking at Optimus.

"Sorry I was dragging in your tailwind there, almost empty," Will added calmly.

"Heh, well I certainly wasn't planning on making a fast stop," Mikaela laughed, Optimus chuckled softly as the two of them kept up the pretence of a flirt.

"So where you headed?" Will grinned.

"Oh, headed up to Canada to pick up a load," Mikaela shrugged with a smile. "The two of us decided to take a detour, see a man about some lobster, and yourself?"

"Going up to see some family, you always talk about your rig like it's alive?"

"Yeah," Mikaela laughed gently, turning to look at Optimus fondly. "The big guy and I have been through some real rough patches together, but he's always pulled me through. Sometimes I could swear that he's alive and watching over me."

Optimus was having a damned difficult time keeping a straight face. Ironhide was snorting softly, concealing the sound with the ticks of his engines cooling. The pump clicked and Will immediately went in to pay.

"You good?" Mikaela murmured softly.

∂I said drop, not full tank∂ Ironhide retorted with a fond grumble.

Mikaela chuckled and gently patted his armour.

"Have a good drive man," she smiled at Will as he emerged again, she strode toward Optimus and leaned against his side, watching as the pump continued to fill his tanks. She glanced at the progress and shrugged, calmly climbing into his cab and grabbing a canister of wipes from her duffle.

Optimus couldn't help but chuckle somewhat as she began idly wiping the bugs from his grill.

"Now, you are simply spoiling me," he informed her gently.

"You mean as you did me last night?" she murmured in amusement. The pump clicked, but she ignored it, opting to wipe the final few bugs from his bumper before tending the pump. Optimus watched his femme with a smile as she walked into the store and paid for the fuel with his card, he could hear the respective males around her trying to flirt, but such things had no bearing on his mood now, Mikaela flirted back somewhat, but hers was the stance of a femme flirting more to keep in practice.

Because his ring rode proudly on her finger. His Kae smiled at him as she walked back, one of the males was following her.

"Hey baby," the man smirked at her. "What say we go for a ride together?"

"Thank you, no, I have places to be," Mikaela stated patiently. The man continued following her, and reached to catch her as she climbed up.

"You sure I can't catch a ride?" the man wheedled her, his pheromones bespoke a man on the hunt for a mate.

"Well..." Mikaela murmured. "Why don't you ask my husband?"

The man's face fell as Optimus rapidly winked his holoform online out of sight in the sleeper.

"Ask me what?" he rumbled curiously, making a pretence of yawning.

"Nevermind," the man muttered, retreating.

Optimus smirked slightly as Kae caught his holoform by the back of the neck, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Go back to sleep baby," she murmured in a sultry tone.

"It's more fun when you join me," he murmured with a smirk.

"Stop tempting me," she smirked right back at him, settling into the driver's seat again.

"Indeed, who am I to tempt you?" Optimus rumbled cheerfully as his Kae lightly touched the ignition, a little zap of energon had him moaning the next moment. He started up his engines and his femme directed his vectors toward where his Weapons Master had disappeared.

Two more hours of driving, and all banter had gone. Optimus pulled into the area and parked in a blind spot. He winked his holoform online as his Kae began climbing out of his cab.

"Please," he murmured softly, holding her hand. Mikaela looked at him. "Please be careful." His beautiful Kae gently squeezed his hand and pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

"Nothing, and no-one will ever keep me from you," she murmured.

Then, she was out of his cab and disappeared in the shadows.