Ever have one of those mondays? Yeah, sorry for the late-ish update. I blame monday. Review anyway? Please? Pretty please with energon goodies on top? :D

Chapter 117 – The Flier

(MPOV)

A hand was banging on the door.

I onlined a processor and groaned.

"Stop pounding on my door and come in!" I called out tiredly, carefully extracting myself from Optimus' arms. He groaned somewhat as I rose. I leaned back down and pressed a gentle kiss beneath the sensitive auditory receptors. "Go back to your recharge my beloved," I whispered, "I will return."

Optimus onlined his optics for a moment before he nodded, exhaustedly slipping back into his cycle.

I walked into the corridor and onlined my holoform.

"What?" I groaned. The holoform felt human again, human and ill. I sagged against the wall and rubbed my eyes.

"Kae, I need to ask a really really big favour," Barry said in a desperate tone.

"Sit Rep," I sighed.

"Someone's targeted POTUS, we don't know who, how or why but we need to get him to the bunker ASAP," a grey haired man stated firmly. "We are hoping your unit could provide the transportation."

I stared at the three men incredulously, Will standing behind them, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Gentlemen, the soldiers and bots have just returned from another dead-end campaign, they're tired." I said in an icy tone.

"Angel please," Barry said in a strained tone, I looked at him closely. "With you as the ambassador to the Auto-bots it'll look good," he muttered to my holoform.

"Fine, c'mon," I said irritably, summoning my armour and walking on silent feet toward the entrance bay. "Are we driving or flying?"

"Flying," the man said impatiently.

"Very well, Major, see if you can get General More... Moreshower on the phone to clear me some airspace," I commanded quietly, yawning.

"How do you intend to fit fifteen men into your cockpit?" Will muttered worriedly. I sighed.

"You remember at the hoover dam," I murmured back, "When the cube just sort of shrank?" Will nodded, I offlined my holoform and strode in front of the men.

"Similar to that," I said patiently, I began folding myself outward. A small plane still, mostly hollow with enough room to fit perhaps twenty. I felt vaguely ill at the feeling of all that hollow space but clamped down on it, opening the door and extending the steps down. "Let's just get this over with," I grumbled quietly. Barry and the grey haired man boarded quickly.

"To DCA," the man growled, "On the double,"

I sighed, taxied out and took off, checking my flight frame and strengthening it here and there as we went.

::. Archangel this is Major Lennox.:: Will called over the radio.

::. Will.:: I said quietly ::. This feels dreadful, my armour is stretched to nothing, I'm going to be relying on temporal forcefields if anyone fires on me.::

::. Are you doing alright Kae?.:: he asked worriedly.

::. Let's just get this done.:: I said just as quietly, I opened the comm and began the routine. ::. DCA this is Archangel requesting permission to land.::

::. Archangel you are cleared to land on runway three, taxi in to bay five.::

I obeyed wearily, coming in for a smooth landing and taxiing in to the bay. A man pumped fuel into my tanks. I scanned it and groaned, bloody green. I waited for a long moment after they disconnected and altered my conversion unit to put up with the grade.

::. Major Lennox, please be advised that they've refuelled me with 100/130.:: I sent irritably.

::. Oh for the love of all that's holy.:: General Moreshower called with a groan.

::. I can still use it.:: I stated with a sigh ::. I'm just advising.::

::. How the hell are you supposed to run on that? You've got one hell of a specialized set of engines.:: Lennox stated angrily.

::. I changed my engines.:: I groaned. ::. It honestly feels like I've had someone else's legs sewn into my hips, or a bad match on my organs.::

::. I'll have Ratchet on standby anyway.:: Lennox growled. The Vice President, several Secretaries and their aides were quickly boarded.

"Where's the President?" I asked with a frown, onlining my holoform to walk out of the cockpit to stand in front of the officious, grey haired man.

"The Vice President will be stepping in for him for this drill," the man stated coldly. I turned furious eyes on Barry, the only thing that saved his hide that second was the sheer look of shocked fury in his own eyes.

"You pulled my god-daughter away from her recovery for a drill!?" Barry stated in an icy tone.

"We wish to precisely see her capabilities, and her loyalties." the grey haired man stated coldly. "As such we shall continue the drill."

I snarled softly behind him and walked back into the cockpit.

"Tell me when you're ready to go," I snapped over the speakers, the men sat down quickly as a harried looking driver hooked up roughly to my front tires and proceeded to taxi me out onto the runway.

::. Archangel you are cleared for takeoff.:: the control tower stated quickly.

::. Once this guy is off of my front tire.:: I called back patiently.

::. Archangel there's no-one on your front.:: the control tower stated. I onlined my holoform to look at my tire.

::. For fuck sake!.:: I growled ::. Control this is Archangel, there is a tow bar still attached to my front.:: I walked my holoform to it and snarled. ::. Well, how absolutely endearing.::

::. Archangel what's your status?.:: Moreshower called out worriedly.

::. General they fucking hotwired the tow bar.:: I snarled ::. Rigged to blow in twenty minutes, I'm disconnecting it, request you get the bomb squad down here to pick it up.::

I onlined my holoform again in front of Hanson.

"There's a bomb on my front." I stated coldly.

"Well take it off and keep going," he grumbled, flicking his paper open.

::. They're on their way.:: General Moreshower called out in a horrified tone. I saw a truck rolling toward me at high speed as I levitated the tow bar off of my tire and cut the power to it. I handed it to a half dozen suited men with a nod and waited for them to get clear before firing up my engines.

The fuel tasted absolutely awful, dirty. I onlined my holoform and crossed my arms in front of the grey haired man again, holding it steady as I launched myself

"What are the co-ordinates?" I demanded irritably. He visibly jumped to see me standing in front of him again.

"One hour circle and back here again," the man grunted, turning a page. I shot a significant glance at Barry and launched myself a bit faster into the sky. I walked my holo back into the secluded flight deck and offlined it. I levelled out and coasted along my heading.

And then the texting started.

'This is a sweet plane'

'Did u c the designation'

'Archangel'

'Sounds like a chick'

'Fallen angels r made 4 good times'

The first aide got up and went to the bathroom.

And jacked off.

He returned to his seat and opened up his phone.

'mile high club XD' he sent.

Then the second got up, a third, a forth, jacking off and spraying my mark. I could feel the residues remaining as they hastily wiped away the evidence before walking back.

::. Will, General, we're cutting this short. Now.:: I stated over the comm furiously as a fifth stood up.

I dipped heavily in the air and turned around, making my way back to the airport as men called out their surprise.

::. Archangel we're reading an unauthorized change of course.:: control called out.

::. Clear a runway.:: I commanded brusquely.

::. Archangel you are not-.::

::. I said clear a goddamned runway!.:: I snarled, circling the airport. The fifth stood back up again and walked toward the bathroom. I onlined my holoform on the mirror and stood with my arms crossed.

"Oh shit, look at that," the guy murmured, poking at the screen, "It shows porn on the mirror too! This is fucking awesome!"

"I am not, in fact, pornography," I snarled, "I am the sentient avatar of the plane you and your little buddies decided to join the mile high club in with your hand."

He went pale and all but ran back to his seat as I stalled mid-air and brought my speed right down, landing on the runway the panicked control tower had cleared. To hammer in the point of the furious, terrified texting I onlined my holoform, not allowing any of the environmental factors to affect it as we came in for a slightly bumpy landing. I taxied rapidly into the hangar as the grey haired man jumped out of his seat.

"How dare you disobey orders!" he bellowed at my holoform. "Do you have any idea who we are?"

"You are Director Jacob Hanson, head of the secret service, divorced wife and two children. Now for the bonus, do you have any idea who I am?" I bellowed right back at him. "All of you out, Now!"

"Do as she says Hanson," Barry commanded quietly.

"I do not take orders from a Petty-Officer!" Hanson bellowed as the VP and his entourage quickly ran down the ladders into the protective custody of Hanson's men.

"Honorary Petty-Officer," Barry snarled, "you just dragged a civilian out of her sickbed to play your little games."

"Now get the hell out of me," I snarled furiously.

Hanson snarled and left.

"Angel I'm so sorry," Barry said immediately.

"Just fix it, Barry," I grumbled. He nodded and hesitantly patted my shoulder before quickly running down the steps. I immediately transformed back into my bipedal form and shot a glare at Hanson and the cowering, 'inexplicably' terrified aides. I leaned down, crouching on one knee to Hanson's level.

"And for future reference," I snarled at him, "I am neither a toy nor a slave to your command! Your own regulations dictate that the second a bomb is detected on a grounded plane, you evacuate the plane. Not just pull it off and keep going!"

I took three quick steps and launched into the air, going fighter and blasting into an almost vertical liftoff. The radio began making one hell of a din as I entered both the military and civilian radars. I shut it off, accelerated to mach one well outside the zones and flew directly back to base, landing heavily on the military tarmac and staggering toward the buildings.

I felt nauseated, exhausted, and filthy. Systems diagnostics were flashing red across my eyes, and I knew my optics would be showing the same. Will was running toward me with a red-faced General Moreshower behind him. I could smell the pheromones of anger drifting on the light breeze.

Couldn't deal with them now, too fragile. I drove myself to continue forcing my body to keep moving. A processor devoted itself entirely to the litany of 'don'tcollapsedon'tcollapse'

"Mikaela! What the Fuck was that?" Will was bellowing, I walked directly past the shouting Major and General and into the entrance bay.

"Off, get it off," I began muttering aloud, staggering into the wash bay. I began struggling to shrug out of my armour, losing the protection at odds with the damage reports and red alerts flashing across my systems. I began to give up, and entirely forgot to shut off my vocal processor.

(RPOV)

Ratchet heard the shouting and immediately ran toward the SOS that began flashing through the systems. Optimus was moving down the corridor as quickly as he could without breaking something or someone. He ran into the entrance bay and saw a horrifying sight.

Kae was babbling in hysteria, fighting with the preservation circuits and trying to get her armour off. She was staggering, engines clogged, her conversion matrix struggling to deal with a dreadful mix of fuels in her tanks. Her processors were close to shorting out, and by no means in a good way. Her eyes were red.

::. It's not the madness, it can't be!.:: Ratchet transmitted in a panic.

::. We still have to treat it as though it were.:: Ironhide rumbled in a horrified tone, backing carefully away from her.

"Help me, please, somebody help me!" Mikaela suddenly cried out, "get it off, make it go away! Please, somebody please..." she collapsed in the wash bay, sobbing and still struggling against her own armour.

Optimus was striding toward her as quickly as he could with Ratchet on his heels, he hauled her into a sitting position and extended binder cables through her chest plates.

"Kae," he rumbled in a gentle, commanding tone, "Kae open up."

"Optimus make it go away," she sobbed, grasping at his arm as her chest plates opened automatically. Optimus extended the cables directly into her spark.

"What the fuck is going on?" Will shouted in a horrified tone.

"Mikaela-" Ratchet started before every sentient being in the bay jumped in terror at the enraged roar that ripped out of Optimus' vocal processors.

Ratchet scrambled to understand the infuriated information packets and let loose his own bellow of rage. He turned to the Major and General and onlined a holographic information circle. Will was immediately reading it along with a dozen techs.

::. Arcee, Chromia, Flare, we need you! NOW!.:: Ratchet bellowed over the primary, he sent the information packet along.

The Femmes were whizzing through the corridor the next second, dodging soldiers with Bumblebee and Sideswipe running behind them.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God." General Moreshower stated in an icy tone.

"Just for the record, before the shit storm starts," Will said in the mild tone he'd picked up from Optimus – the one that said that there would be blood on the ground – "precisely what does the panel with that particular engraving normally encompass?"

"That particular engraving is Mikaela's own mark," Ironhide snarled, he opened his chest to reveal his spark chamber and his own mark. "This is mine," he rumbled furiously, "it is my name, my signature, it encompasses precisely who I am, it represents my spark, my soul."

"We are sexual beings," Flareup snarled, onlining her holoform as the femmes immediately whizzed to Mikaela, "Every sentient creature is at some level."

"But we as a unit, a culture, do not condone rape or sexual harassment without proper consent," Ratchet added in a snarl. He knelt down on his spark-daughter's right and immediately did a full systems scan. Optimus read the readings directly from Ratchet and looked down at his Kae.

"Kae, you're safe," Optimus rumbled gently, "Archangel Prime, remove your armour to allow for medical attention." he commanded gently. The preservation circuits snapped off and Kae immediately released the forces that bound the armour to her protoform. Ratchet immediately levitated them to the side of the bay as Optimus wirelessly turned on the hazmat shower. Warm, neutralized water flushed down from the multitude of pipes as the purification systems kicked into gear. The Femmes were beside Kae the next second.

"Let us help you dearspark," Arcee murmured softly as Kae's sobs lessened, she nodded slightly against Optimus' chest.

Optimus did something then that few had truly seen. He shrugged out of his own armour, down to his protoform and levitated it to the side. He pulled his Kae a bit closer and rocked her as she sobbed against him. Ratchet, Ironhide and the Femmes followed suit immediately. Sideswipe and Bee close behind.

"Kae," Optimus rumbled softly as their bodies shed away a multitude of grime beneath the warm spray of water. "Kae I promise, I will never allow that to happen again."

Ratchet reached out and gently touched her shoulder.

"May I work on your engines daughter?" he asked gently. Kae hiccoughed and nodded, uncurling slightly from Optimus.

Ratchet immediately got to work, draining away the disgusting cocktail in her fuel lines and letting the purification system shunt it into an analysis tank. He purged her lines with water and watched with a small smile as she began to convert a small amount of the hydrogen and oxygen into energon, flushing it along her systems.

"That's my girl," Ratchet murmured gently as Optimus cradled her a bit more closely again. The Femmes went after her with pads, cleaning away any possible grit or grime, Optimus accepted one gravely and gently cleaned her spark chamber. Her optics onlined again to look up at him with remorse.

"Don't you dare," Optimus rumbled firmly, reaching up and cupping her cheek.

"Only you know me that well," she whispered and began sobbing again.

The water continued to spray, washing away the last of the soap and impurities. Optimus rose, carrying his Kae in his arms and glancing at Ratchet.

"We stay together tonight," Arcee stated firmly. Optimus nodded.

"Will you bring my armour?" he looked at Ironhide.

"Yes sir," Ironhide rumbled immediately, he levitated the masses of plate armour behind the close-knit unit as they walked en-mass to Optimus' quarters.

Ratchet neatly stacked his armour in the open area that had been Kae's human quarters and crawled up onto the berth beside Arcee.

Every protoform pressed tightly together, binder cables snaked out from limb to limb. Ratchet joined the physical collective and shut down his motor controls.

::. You're alright Kae.:: Arcee murmured gently as the young, gentle sparked Femme hesitantly accepted the cables into her interface array, her spark clung to Optimus', resonating with guilt, fear and desperation.

Optimus' spark held her just as tightly, it was a fresh shock to see just how close of an energonic match they had in each other.

::. Not tonight.:: Optimus murmured gently, reaching up and stroking his Kae's face, she pressed herself a bit more tightly against him and obeyed his quiet order to go to her recharge cycle.

Ratchet woke first and carefully disconnected himself. He called his plate armour to his protoform and walked toward communications central. Will immediately turned to him.

"Ratch! Ratchet is she okay!?" Jacobs called out worriedly.

"Mikaela will be alright," Ratchet stated calmly. "The danger of her dropping into stasis lock is past."

"You all stayed together last night," Will said quietly.

"We joined last night into the collective," Ratchet stated patiently. "Our protoforms physically connected to allow our sparks to communicate directly. No it's not an orgy."

Will opened and shut his mouth a few times.

"Think of it as a physical representation of a sharing circle," Ratchet sighed, "with the nine of us completely connected to find strength in each other and prevent Kae from isolating herself. We know each other completely."

"When was the last time you did that?" Will asked softly.

"When Nova and Alia were killed," Ratchet stated neutrally. "Optimus, Jazz and Ironhide pulled me away from the madness of spark-rejection."

"The aides are being disciplined," Will stated quietly, "The CIA and Secret Service are seeing to it. Barry's interrogating them personally."

"Thank you, Major," Ratchet rumbled firmly and turned to go.

"Are you leaving us?" Will shouted desperately.

"For a day or two," Ratchet shrugged, "we're still alert for emergencies, just don't call us out for another damned training drill, Kae just about fell out of the sky she was so pissed off. A bomb stuck to her ankle, bad fuel and a bunch of idiots having a wanking session over her mark? I'm astonished she didn't just transform mid-air and dump the lot of them, Primus knows I would have."

"Then why...?" Will looked confused.

"Did Kae have such a bad reaction?" Ratchet sighed, he walked over and leaned on the catwalk, crossing his arms to look at the man. "You try being dragged out of your beloved's arms without yet having the chance for a proper sleep, fly a bunch of assholes around in your abdomen with nothing but melted butter, dirt, soda and alcohol in your stomach and having to change the shape of your very bones just to open up enough room to fit the assholes. They weren't wanking on her skin, they were wanking on her muscles, her bones, her identity. Five days into getting used to an entirely new body. She has a lot of memory space to get used to. Thirty six of her brains, really. She is over forty times her original size now, with just that much more sensory input."

"How do you mean?" Will asked in a subdued tone.

Ratchet peeled back the armour on his wrist to show the protoform metals.

"To you this is metal," he shrugged, pointing to the bared, living metals of his wrist, "For me, this metal is my flesh, my bones. I feel touch precisely the same way you do along these metals. Our armour is just that, armour, dead metals that we adjust the same way you do your clothing."

Chance, standing beside Ratchet's leg looked somewhere between throwing up and getting a gun. Jacobs already had his gun in his hand and was looking around for something to shoot.

"At ease," Ratchet murmured gently. "Save your bullets for when we need them."

"A bunch of assholes insult our Kae on one of the deepest levels, practically an act of war and you're telling us to save our bullets?" Jacobs growled.

"Because that worked out just so well for Helen of Troy," Mikaela murmured behind Ratchet. He spun around, shocked to see his spark-daughter awake and moving about already.

"Kae, you should be resting," Ratchet stated firmly.

"Rest is for the dead, we have work to do," Mikaela stated patiently. "I've got jeeps to service, and the new arrivals haven't had a proper physical in vorns."

"I still want to shoot something," Jacobs growled.

"Go shoot a paper target," Mikaela commanded, she looked Jacobs in the eye and grinned, holding her hands out and drawing cannons with the speed Ironhide did. "Besides, I called dibs." she brought her hands back and crossed her arms, smirking.

The humans in the room stared at their Kae in shock for a long moment until Jacobs burst out laughing.

"Yeah, alright fine, but I call shotgun, how's that?" Jacobs grinned up at her.

"Done deal," Mikaela snorted, she looked thoughtful for a second and looked at Will. "Although if any humans decide to come scouting with me, we're going to have to bring in some decent G-suits."

"You're staying!" Will half shouted, looking up at Kae with relief written all over his face.

"Will, you guys are my unit," Mikaela stated gently, onlining her holoform to stand amidst the group of soldiers. "I'm not going to abandon you guys because of the actions of a couple of idiots."

Will promptly walked forward and enveloped the holoform in a hug. He pulled back a few moments later and looked down at Kae critically.

"You need to go get some rest," Will ordered firmly, "there's nothing on the on the menu that can't wait. If there's an emergency we'll call you guys out, promise."

"Besides, if you start working it means I have to," Ratchet added. "The first few days after a bot's casting are incredibly special to their guardian, you wouldn't deny Optimus and I the chance to be smug about you, now would you?" Ratchet grinned at his spark-daughter. Mikaela laughed softly and reached out a gentle arm, draping it over his shoulders.

"Take a couple days," Will grinned, "It takes you guys that long to recharge properly, doesn't it?"

"When we're doing it properly," Ratchet snorted, laying a gentle hand on Kae's back.