Chapter 102 – Weasel Baiting
(OPOV)
Chris Moreshower grinned.
"My only objection will be you making me leave," he stated, rubbing his hands together.
"Oh excellent, would you be so kind as to meet Galloway at the entrance with Will and casually inform him that Optimus is already somewhat irritable today and not actually speaking english? I'll be translating."
"Done!" Chris howled, jumping to his feet and making for the entrance bay.
"Wait up!" Will grinned.
"Hold up!" Kae stated quickly, straightening and scampering to the shelves. She pulled down a small bundle of almost useless neural fibres and connected to them, rapidly creating something from them as she walked toward the soldiers.
She knelt down and offered two tiny speakers.
"Quick, midges," she grinned.
Both Major and General grinned viciously, collecting the earpieces and quickly installing them. Mikaela offered him one as well.
"So you can hear what I'm coaching everyone with," she smiled. Optimus grinned and lightly set the speaker above his auditory receptors as the men strode to the entrance bay.
"Anything we should know?" Ironhide grinned, settling down beside Optimus.
"If you guys are okay with it, I'll coach you silently," Mikaela stated with a grin, tapping her temple. "Or speak aloud in common if you can manage it, Optimus, no sense in having your senior officers left out of the game."
Optimus smirked at his Kae as Ratchet and Ironhide let loose identical evil grins.
"Be careful," he rumbled quietly. Mikaela grinned at him.
"Just remember, sit, look irritable and look like you don't understand what we're saying," Mikaela smirked at him.
"Game on," Ratchet snorted.
"Straight faces," Kae grinned before she shifted her exo somewhat to make it look ever so slightly more imposing as she strode back to Optimus' body.
Now what the hell are you doing in your hatchling form?∂ Ironhide asked irritably, looking at Optimus.
∂to continue functioning, at the moment the only plus of not letting Ratchet offline me for a couple of days is watching Kae play.∂
∂Agreed,∂ Ironhide snorted.
Hey Ironhide?∂ Mikaela called out curiously. ∂It just occurred, you're usually all for making sure everyone is equipped, but you're just as stringent against humans getting weapons... why?∂
Everyone who I deem capable of properly handling those weapons,∂ Ironhide grunted sternly just as the General, Major and Director walked into the med-bay.
"What the hell!?" Galloway demanded.
"Good afternoon, Director, how are you today?" Mikaela began calmly, turning to look at him, her exo shifting slightly as she did.
"Why the hell does she get to use auto-bot technology!? What the hell are you on about 'Optimus Prime is rather tetchy today!' he's unconscious!"
"No, he's over there," Mikaela stated blandly, pointing to him. For the sake of her game, Optimus decided to get things rolling.
∂What are they saying?∂ he rumbled in his best irritable voice.
Did you actually want me to translate? Nice call, love.∂ Mikaela stated calmly. ∂I'm going to explain the game.∂ "You're going to have to forgive us, Director, Optimus has been in desperate need of an overhaul for the past several months. He's insisted on remaining active however, so he split away from his body and is currently sitting beside Ironhide in his regressed form. We unfortunately couldn't leave him enough processor power for him to speak or understand much more than ∂Common.∂"
It was remarkable just how sincerely truthful she sounded.
"Oh great, now I need somebody to translate everything!" Galloway grumbled.
Optimus had a hard time keeping a straight face as his Kae began silently coaching his senior officers. Her hands never stilled. Astonishing.
"Which is why he's here instead of communications central," Ratchet shrugged. "Kae's the best translator you can hope for, Galloway."
"Why her?" Galloway pouted.
"Because Optimus keeps slipping back into his online language," Ironhide snorted beside him.
"Online language?" Will asked curiously.
"The language he spoke when he came online, you would refer to it as a..." Ironhide trailed off with a frown, he looked at Kae, and she didn't even coach him to do it.
Seamless.
"A birth language, or a first language." Mikaela supplied calmly.
"Right. Except half the time he's speaking the language of the Primes." Ironhide finished in a full grumble. "Which none of us know how to speak."
"Fine, tell him that first off, the President of the United States needs to speak with him face to face next week." Galloway grumbled. Mikaela turned toward him.
Potus wants to talk to you next week, So I'm going to have to polish you up properly. Wednesday?∂ Mikaela translated calmly.
Wednesday,∂ Optimus nodded.
"Wednesday?" Mikaela parroted him, looking at Galloway.
"Fine." Galloway grumbled. "Second, I've been informed by the General here that Prime is still refusing to share any kind of weapons technology, and he stated that would not show favouritism but you're happily walking around in a metal frame very obviously of their design. Would he care to explain that?"
∂Oh he's setting this up perfectly,∂ Mikaela stated calmly, looking at Optimus. ∂First off I need a good no from you, beloved. Say whatever you want.∂
∂Tell that weasel precisely this,∂ Optimus growled. ∂I stated that I will show no favouritism to any one nation to the extent of changing the status quo of your planet. I will show favouritism to my beloved fiancee, whom I trust with my life and secrets absolutely. Precisely that.∂
"I speak in direct translation," Mikaela stated calmly. "I stated that I will show no favouritism to any one nation to the extent of changing the status quo of your planet. I will show favouritism to my beloved fiancee, whom I trust with my life and secrets absolutely. ∂Optimus that is quite possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever said about me.∂"
Ironhide snorted beside him.
∂That's because you've never heard him talking about you behind your back,∂ the weapons master drawled cheerfully.
Mikaela rolled her eyes at the weapons master before looking back at the circuit she was working on.
Like clockwork, Galloway began shouting.
"That's not a good enough excuse!" the Director bellowed, he took a deep breath.
∂So how do you intend to bait him?∂ Optimus rumbled irritably. ∂his yelling is grating on my auditory receptors far more than usual.∂
∂Like this, keep talking.∂ Mikaela stated calmly. "Director Galloway!" she shouted right back at him. "I speak in direct translation of Optimus Prime. 'Director I grow weary of your continual ranting so I offer you this single-' WHAT!?" Optimus watched his Kae in awe as she began speaking, her very face becoming a tool in her story telling. She held up a finger to the humans in the room and turned directly toward Optimus. "Sorry." ∂What? Keep talking Optimus, make it wordy, I'm running out of translation space, finish with an ordering tone.∂ she stated quickly, her tone completely alien to the words. She sounded absolutely shocked.
∂What are you up to, my beloved Kae.∂ Optimus rumbled calmly. ∂We all know you're getting your revenge on the director in some way shape or form. You've got everyone on the edges of their seats wondering what you're doing. Now hurry up and do it!∂ he finished firmly.
∂Perfect,∂ Mikaela stated, nodding in an almost defeated manner. She turned to the humans. "I speak in direct translation of Optimus Prime. 'Director I grow weary of your continual ranting, so I offer you this single opportunity to get your hands on the technology you so lust after. If you yourself can operate my beloved Kae's exoskeleton enough to walk it out of our headquarters, your government may keep it."
Beside him, Ironhide snorted.
∂My niece, your mate is a femme to be proud of,∂ he rumbled flatly, looking at Optimus.
∂I need about three sentences more.∂ Mikaela stated, her tone sounding precisely as though she were protesting his order.
∂It is not enough to win, you need to make them cry. Is that your tactic my Kae, the weasel could not stand the sight of a needle entering your flesh.∂ Optimus rumbled calmly. ∂Let me guess, in the interest of fairness you're going to tell him precisely how you use the exo.∂ Mikaela nodded.
"In the interest of fairness," Mikaela continued, looking at the Director. "My Kae will instruct you on the precise operation of her exoskeleton."
::. Ratchet, advise against the experiment as first medical officer.:: she whispered over the primary.
::. Thank you.:: the medic commented silently. Optimus had a hard time keeping his face in it's mask of irritability.
Mikaela was seamlessly prompting his senior officer's natural reactions.
"As first medical officer I cannot condone this experiment," Ratchet stated sternly.
"And why is that?" Galloway stated gleefully. The weasel looked like he'd been given the best gift in the world.
"I do not like allowing even Mikaela to use the pack-" Ratchet began.
"Because you don't trust her enough?" Galloway asked gleefully.
"Because of the damage it does!" Ratchet growled at the Director. The man paled slightly but continued on.
"What damage? She's walking about!" Galloway stated quickly.
"Mikaela runs the constant chance of overloading her neural network," Ratchet growled. "The nanites that Optimus provided to heal her can only do so much! Mikaela died from the damages in Egypt, and the only thing that brought her back was the collective sparks of the original six working together to guide her back from the well of all-sparks! I can't fix a burnt out brain!"
"But you've modified it from it's original state so that she can use it safely," Galloway shot back at him.
"Well... yes..." Ratchet stated irritably. "But there's no telling-"
"So let's have it then," Galloway grinned at Mikaela.
"Very well," Mikaela sighed, she shot a quick glare at Optimus. "But let it be said for the record in english and Cybertronian that I still think this is a terrible idea."
Verbal, political artwork in it's purest form, Optimus thought proudly.
"What, don't want to share?" Galloway sang tauntingly at her.
Mikaela shrugged and disconnected herself from the exoskeleton. It shattered into it's component parts as it always did.
"The hell!?" Galloway immediately shouted. "You broke it!?"
"No, it just does that," Mikaela snapped. "The exo isn't a singular piece of equipment you can strap on and go, it's an extension of yourself! You wouldn't be able to use it with my settings if your life depended on it. You have to connect to it and assemble it yourself."
"Well how am I supposed to do that?" Galloway snarled.
"I use the light pack," Mikaela growled. "Now, I'm going to disconnect and reconnect so that you know what's happening, got it?"
Mikaela promptly punched the button on her left glove and began grimacing as the neural fibres retracted from her skin.
Galloway promptly turned green as he watched the few visible wires withdraw from her flesh. Optimus looked a bit more closely. The fibres were slightly different now, pulling at her skin more, you could see her flesh ripple and redden in irritation as each barb released.
"Well, at least I can get rid of the shirt now," Mikaela grumbled, taking the pack off and stripping her jacket off. She quickly strapped the pack back on over the tank, clearly showing all of the reddened, irritated patches on her skin. "Alright, now to activate the light pack," Mikaela stated perfunctorily, staring Galloway down, "you press this button on the left gauntlet and try to relax your muscles as much as possible."
She pressed the button and turned her back to Galloway.
"Connection is initiated automatically," Mikaela stated flatly as the neurals crept out of the pack and along her back again, automatically seeking the places they entered and pausing until the last was in place. "Standard areas are the base of the neck and spine, however further connections span through the limbs, hands and feet for optimal neural pickup. Ratchet, do you think you can condone a pain-" Mikaela grunted as the neurals dove into her flesh. She took a deep breath. "Pain killer for the Director here? The first few times connecting burn something fierce. Now-"
Mikaela turned to look at the Director, rolling her neck and flexing somewhat. Which caused her joints to pop. The director looked ill now. Optimus noted an astonishing thing, Mikaela had directed the neurals she'd received from Jetfire to begin creeping along her neck and jaw above her skin.
"Director are you paying attention?" Mikaela snapped at the man as the neural fibres continued creeping up her jaw toward her eye.
"They're... your... eye," the Director whimpered, pointing to her.
"Yes, it connects to the optic nerve. You want the weapons function of the light pack don't you? The neurals connect to the optic nerve to provide a direct information feed and targeting," Mikaela snapped as the neurals began forming a targeting eye, the thicker neurals began pressing into her eye socket. "What of it?"
The Director fainted.
Mikaela stayed still for a long moment, staring down at the man before punching her arms in the air victoriously.
Optimus snorted and glanced at Will.
The soldiers were looking rather pale.
"What?" Mikaela asked cheerfully, levitating the Director onto one of the cots as the targeting eye smoothly retracted and retreated back into her skin.
"Kae... you... that..." Will stuttered.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side if that's you're idea of dissuasion," General Moreshower stated weakly, looking at Optimus.
"My idea nothing," Optimus snorted. "That was all Kae."
"And well played." Ratchet snorted as Kae shifted her pack connections slightly and integrated into her exo again.
"So it doesn't..." the General started weakly. Kae looked at him calmly.
"Doesn't...?" she prompted him.
"Doesn't actually go in your eye?" he choked.
"Oh no, it does," Ratchet shrugged, "but only when she's using weapons applications. I told you I don't like having her use it, the damage it does is ridiculous."
"Then why..." Moreshower asked weakly.
"I'm building my daughter a new body," Ratchet shrugged as Kae returned to working beside him. "She needs to practice moving about the way we do, or she'll never be able to stand. Do you remember what I told you the first time she used it, Will?"
"You said that we had three options," Will stated musingly. "We could..." His voice became choked. "We could kill her, maim her or change her."
"We're still maiming her, but it is less dire now that we are changing her," Ratchet stated calmly. "Kae could you run a current through these circuits here?" he glanced up toward the cot Kae had deposited the director on. "There is no sense in playing dead, Director, your vitals indicate a return to your full function."
"Alright," the director whimpered. "Miss Banes would you be so kind as to walk your exoskeleton to the entrance for me?"
"I'm a bit busy, Director," Mikaela stated coldly.
"But...!"
"There are reasons Director, that I have not divulged anything that Optimus has informed me of. I have told you countless times that my loyalties belong to him, now you have the temerity to ask a favour after you've spent so much time trying to get rid of me?"
"Miss Banes I was wrong to speak so badly about your father and-" Galloway started.
"You're damn right you were!" Mikaela snapped, turning around to glare at the man. "And seeing as Liams gave you the picture of my unit I would suggest you tread lightly. It was my duty to keep our unit's secrets. You know about duty Galloway, but you do not know of my life. So I ask you to please desist that line of argument."
"But why!?" Galloway shouted almost desperately. "Why are we not allowed to know the weapons technology! We have the same enemies!"
"Because you have not met my criteria," Ironhide grunted.
"It's your call!?" Galloway almost shrieked.
"In part," Ironhide growled. "I am the Weapons Master to Optimus Prime. It is my duty to observe every sentient creature requesting weapons and equip them accordingly."
"What are the criteria? Why does Miss Banes have weapons?" Galloway asked in a stunned tone, looking up at Ironhide.
"Do you truly wish to know?" Ironhide rumbled intently.
"Well, I do," Moreshower stated intently.
The weapons master looked at Mikaela.
∂You can go ahead and ream them out, Ironhide.∂ Mikaela stated calmly. Nobody expects you to sugar coat what you say.∂
"Then sit down, shut up and pay attention, I don't like repeating myself," Ironhide growled.
"And don't expect him to sugar coat it," Will added quietly. Optimus bit down a snort.
Moreshower nodded and watched the weapons master intently.
"First, a weapon can not be passed on by any other than a master," Ironhide growled. "Such as it was on Cybertron, and such are our laws throughout the universe. To my knowledge not even the Decepticons have broken this rule. If I could be certain that this law would not be broken, I would have outfitted select of your soldiers already. However, by your own orders, Will is constrained to share our technology with his superiors. I do not blame him, I blame you."
Optimus observed the humans intently, Galloway was beginning to look furious again, however Moreshower was nodding intently.
"Second," Ironhide rumbled sternly. "The primary difficulty you will have with our weaponry is the necessity to attach a mind directly to the power, a power which can drive the bearer insane. Given the ability to repeatedly fire a targeted blast slightly less than one of your atomic bombs, even bots have difficulty not letting it get to their minds."
"But..." Moreshower frowned.
"If you do not believe me, then believe that it was my greatest error ever training Megatron to be a master," Ironhide snarled. "There was a time when his presence was much like Will's."
Silence.
"Third. Any and every bot or sentient creature must prove to me that they are capable of handling the power inherent to any weapon which I outfit them with." Ironhide growled. "Point in explanation Mikaela!" Ironhide barked.
"Ironhide?" Mikaela stated calmly, turning to look at him.
"Bring cannon ∂alpha omega one∂ online now!" Ironhide barked.
Mikaela obediently focused for a moment, forming one of the more powerful cannons from her neurals and part of her exo.
"Now fire it!" Ironhide barked.
"No." Mikaela stated sternly.
"Explanation!" Ironhide growled.
"Cannon style ∂Alpha omega one∂ is powerful enough to bring the complex down on our heads with two shots, there are no armed enemies here," Mikaela barked sternly. "Firing is ill-advised, it is pointless destruction. Permission to disengage Sir!"
"Granted," Ironhide nodded to her. She returned her cannon back to her frame and turned back to helping Ratchet.
"Each individual must be capable of firing with knowledge and conscience," Ironhide growled, nodding to Mikaela. "Up to and including defying a direct order to fire that weapon. Furthermore, both the individual and the group must be capable of accepting that each weapon is intended for a specific purpose."
∂Mikaela, please translate,∂ Optimus rumbled. Mikaela turned and nodded. ∂We the auto-bots, after close study of your planet, race and culture are forced to conclude that any weapon we provide Earth's governments, even during a time when you face a common enemy would be turned upon each other, even as they were on Cybertron.∂
"I speak in direct translation for Optimus Prime," Mikaela stated calmly. "We the Auto-bots, after close study of your planet, race and culture are forced to conclude that any weapon we provide earth's governments, even during a time when you face a common enemy would be turned upon each other, even as they were on Cybertron."
∂You have asked, many times why I have refused your request for weapons. Understand that it has become my primary duty to protect your planet and it's residents. Even if it is from yourselves.∂ Optimus continued, pausing occasionally to allow Mikaela to translate.
Ratchet straightened after Kae finished speaking.
"Speaking as First Medical Officer, the title passed to me upon the offlining of my superior, we have witnessed the death of our world. It is a vision that should never be witnessed, not once. And never twice." Ratchet stated quietly.
"Why didn't you say so before?" Moreshower asked in a hushed tone.
"You did not ask," Ironhide growled.
"Arcee was the last of us to leave," Ratchet stated quietly as Arcee strode in.
"We fought to the last bot to protect our world," Arcee stated quietly, looking at the humans. "In the fog of war it's hard to see beyond the next leg of the mission, or the next punch in the fight. We did everything to save Cybertron, but when the fog finally lifted... there wasn't much left to save."
∂We have vowed,∂ Optimus rumbled softly, looking into the eyes of the humans. ∂that such devastation shall never again come to pass, even amid the fog of war and politics.∂ He fell silent and listened to Mikaela's translation, her voice and tone on par with the gravity of his words.
The silence that settled throughout the med-bay was broken only by the soft breathing and heartbeats of the humans.
"I... With your permission," Galloway murmured softly, finally looking at the bots with a semblance of respect. "I'll leave you to your recuperation. Will you be operational come Wednesday?"
"I will," Optimus nodded.
"Buh!?" Galloway squeaked.
"Put in his place," Ironhide snorted, looking down at the man. "Would you wish to deal directly with you?"
Galloway stayed quiet for a moment.
"...No," he muttered, shaking his head. Without another word he walked out of the bay.
Kudos to anyone who remembers where Arcee's line comes from! :D