A quick note before we begin, I'm off for the family Christmas, so no internets *sigh* At any rate, double update today, because I'm terribly late with the first and I won't be able to update over the coming week. However, I shall see you in the New Year. Happy Holidays everyone! :)
Chapter 121 - Mindspace
(MPOV)
I onlined my optics to the sweet sight that I wanted to see for the rest of my days.
Optimus had wound himself around me again, pinning me tightly in place in his recharge. I squirmed slightly and brought our chests together, reaching with my spark to caress his chamber lightly.
Out cold, he moaned, pulling me a bit more tightly against him as his spike inflated between my legs, nosing at my valve. I gasped as he thrust, seating himself firmly as he began to wake, staring at me incredulously.
"Morning," I whispered.
"Did I wake you?" he rumbled worriedly.
"Nope," I grinned, rocking my hips against his and kneading the tension from his neural fibres as he moaned. My spark flashed out to caress his, teasing, coaxing him into overload. I stretched up and caught his lips, swallowing his gasping roar of completion.
His fans roared as he came online fully, staring at me with the dearest mix of incredulity and relaxed contentment.
"Morning beloved," I murmured, feathering kisses along his frame. "You don't have to get up for another hour. But I know how much you like dozing for that hour."
Optimus hummed contentedly and rolled to his back, dragging me with him.
"Eventually, I will succeed in being the first one to wake," he rumbled softly, stroking my frame lightly.
"And then we're never going to get anything done," I teased him lightly.
"Mm true," he rumbled with a snort. "But it'll be worth it to watch you overloading before you're fully online." his eyes turned wicked as they began stroking and teasing the sensitive areas on my frame. "To watch your eyes flash online in surprise before they darken with passion as you overload in my hands."
I suppressed a shudder as his voice washed around and through me, his spike nosing at my valve again.
"I have... to get...ooh... to work," I protested weakly.
"Call in sick," Optimus rumbled with a low laugh. I glared down at him wryly as my systems began focusing entirely on responding to the binder cables now teasing my couplings. I gave in with the feeling that I hadn't even reached the battle field as the first of his cables connected fully, moaning at the sensation.
Optimus rolled again, laying me on my back as he invaded my body one cable at a time. At ten I was gasping on the edge of overload as Optimus began plying his inarguably favourite skill, holding me on the edge of overload.
I began whimpering, begging for more as he leaned down, delicately feathering kisses down my neck and shoulder as I arched into him.
"So impatient," he teasingly chided me, reaching down and running a finger lightly around my valve.
"Oh gods please," I whimpered, bucking into that hand. Another two cables connected into my sides.
"Mmm, perhaps I should resize my spike until it's too big for you to take, and pound you with it anyway," he rumbled directly into my auditory receptors, my legs spread further. "Or perhaps I should just leave you like this," he added mischievously, withdrawing a cable as I whimpered in protest. "Leave you wanting more for the rest of the day, and see what mood you are in by this evening."
I could feel the voice of command beginning to raise itself into my vocal processors, and began struggling to not use it.
"Use it," Optimus rumbled softly, the tone of an incubus as another cable connected. "Where we are safe." I struggled against it for another second and realized something, a new way of controlling it.
"Optimus Prime, my Optimus, why do you tease me so?" I whimpered, easily pressing down the voice of command in favour of prolonging his game. I looked up at him and caught his optics, communication in a look. "Please," I whispered, "please frag me, Optimus, I need you." I spread my legs a bit wider beneath him in mute appeal.
With a small smirk, he delicately slid into me and froze, leaving me impossibly caught on the edge.
"For the love of all the gods!" I begged, filled absolutely and throbbing around him, he withdrew his spike in the space of a spark-pulse.
"Look at me," he commanded smugly, my optics brightening to watch him desperately.
"Please," I whimpered.
"As my beloved wishes," he rumbled with a smirk, sheathing himself again with a powerful thrust and blasting my awareness amidst the stars.
(OPOV)
Optimus watched with smug pride as his Kae overloaded in his hands at one thrust, the lights flickering around them as the circuitry struggled to keep up with her, he leaned down and kissed her throat, reaching up and stroking her face as her optics began to brighten somewhat. Her spark hummed beneath his own, the sweetest of sirens' songs.
He smirked down at her and thrust again, revelling in the shocked pleasure radiating from her spark as another massive pulse of energon flowed through her.
::. Can I have my assistant, or are you busy?.:: Ratchet sent over the primary wryly.
::. We're busy charging batteries.:: Optimus sent back smugly.
::. Drone scrap!.:: Ratchet sent back, laughing ::. That last surge damn near blew them up. You'd best start remembering to create solid cells or you're going to bring the entire base down.::
::. Something to do then.:: Optimus snorted, looking down at his Kae as she writhed beneath him, throbbing around his spike. He thrust again and she shrieked, another surge wracking through her frame.
Shocked, Optimus scanned her as she reached up, holding him tightly through her overload, pressing a fraction of the energon surging through her back into him.
In moments he was overloading, all thought blasted aside and thrusting with abandon into her perfection. He could feel her struggling somewhat, onlining a processor and controlling her own overload. The Primary exploded in shocked exclamations as the central's cathedral expanded, cells of energon growing from the branching neural fibres.
His processors snapped back into focus as Kae clung to him, drained and slowly shutting down into an automatic reboot, her spark flickered for a long second before humming back to it's usual strength.
Terrified, Optimus disconnected from her gently, picking her up and almost running to the Med-bay.
∂I don't understand!∂ he bellowed at Ratchet, feeling like a bloody youngling. It didn't help that the old medic took a rapid scan and began laughing.
"What's got your processors in a twist? That's not your first NFO," Ratchet laughed.
"Ratchet!" he demanded sternly.
"You're interfacing with the host of the All-spark," Ratchet snorted as Will pelted in behind him. "What did you expect? Go get your spark-bound's armour, I would have thought you'd manage to do that while you were still on your honeymoon."
"Ratchet!" Sideswipe hollered the next second, carrying an impressively dense cell, the predator and his brother using a forcefield just to keep themselves upright. "Check it out! She made the cathedral bloom!"
"She what!?" Optimus demanded.
"She made the cathedral bloom! C'mon! You gotta see it Prime!" Sunstreaker grinned broadly, he looked at Kae still recharging in Optimus' arms. "Better yet, let's bring little sister in to see her handiwork, it's a great place to wake up!"
He turned around and scampered back toward the central. Sides grunted and sent the cell to rest in it's place to power the med-bay.
Optimus stayed frozen in the middle of the med-bay, cradling his Kae.
"Ratchet-" he started again. The medic looked at him in amusement and promptly made his way out of the bay toward central. He frowned.
"Ratchet she overloaded so strongly her spark almost went out," he growled, taking a couple of rapid steps to catch up to the medic.
"Uh huh, and?" Ratchet grinned up at him.
"I am not bragging!" Optimus snarled, "she didn't automatically drop into a recharge cycle! She was controlling the energon excesses! Every last rell running through her system without a spark-bypass!"
"She what!?" Ratchet bellowed. Finally.
"I what?" Kae mumbled in Optimus' arms, cuddling into him before onlining with a start. "Why are we naked in central?" she asked, looking up at him with a pout.
"Because you made it bloom, gorgeous creature!" Flareup called out cheerfully.
"Kae, didn't you put in a bypass?" Ratchet asked sternly.
"Mmn hmn," she nodded, lightly squirming out of Optimus' hands and running a rapid systems diagnostic, flushing a tiny amount of energon along a slightly damaged transistor line and resettling her limb controls and balances. She stretched up to lightly caress one of the veritable vines of neural fibres before turning to grin at Optimus. "I really gotta get rid of that damned thing, I almost went out before the nanites could fix it."
Every last bot fell silent, staring at her. Prowl's optic was twitching madly.
"What?" she laughed, walking forward and cupping Optimus' face. "I used the damn thing like you instructed me to, and it was honestly easier keeping my personality separate from critical mass than trying to keep critical mass away from my spark."
Silence prevailed throughout central as Optimus continued to stare in shock at his spark-bonded. Kae began to frown slightly.
"We're worrying, why are we worrying?" she murmured.
"You... you could have..." Optimus choked.
"Could have what?" she asked in exasperation. "What am I missing? Besides my armour," she added, turning to point at Ironhide. She froze, staring at the weapons master as he sat frozen and heavy, supporting a terrified looking Chromia.
"Kae, you need to make damned sure you govern the amount of energon running through your spark," Ironhide rumbled in a choked voice.
"It wasn't running through my spark," Kae frowned, "that's the problem, my..." she trailed off, doing another rapid self-diagnostic. "Damnit Ratchet, what's the word I'm looking for?" she asked irritably, turning to the medic.
"For?" Ratchet asked in a muted voice, sitting down heavily. Kae rolled her optics.
"This bit," she said patiently, baring her spark chamber and opening it, with light fingers she pulled out a burnt out bypass transistor and tossed it to the medic. "I told you, I damn near went out before the nanites could build a new one."
Optimus stared at it.
(MPOV)
I flashed around at the sound of my spark-bonded falling and rapidly got beneath him.
"Optimus!" I half-shouted, bearing his weight to the bench and settling him down, I knelt in front of him. "Primus sake tell me what's wrong!"
"I could have killed you," Optimus choked out. "For the sake of a bit of fun I could have killed you."
"I'm not dead," I stated patiently.
"I could have killed you," he whispered, reaching up with shuddering hands.
"But you didn't!" I told him sternly. "Snap out of it, beloved, I'm not dead."
"I could have killed you," he whispered.
I glanced over my shoulder to see the rest of the bots beginning to fall apart along with their Prime. Prowl looked ready to glitch, Sunny and Sides were staring at the transistor in Ratchet's hand in horror. I sighed and turned back to Optimus.
"Optimus Prime," I stated, lightly caressing the voice of command. "Calm yourself and look me in the optic!"
~Come back to me~ I whispered to his spark. He reached out and clung to me. ~No matter where we are~ I whispered to him. ~I'm not dead, I'm not dying, I'm right here~
~I could have killed you~ he sobbed, clinging to me.
I reached out with my own body and lightly shattered, integrating into him absolutely.
Optimus ceded control of our body, and we looked around calmly, resting against the vines and offering both binder cables and couplings.
Bumblebee held back, looking unsure.
"All of us, little brother," I stated gently and glanced down at Will.
(WPOV)
"I'll... um..." Will started unsurely, gesturing behind himself. This looked serious, and curious as he was, he really really didn't want to intrude on something so private.
"No, you may stay if you wish," Optimus' voice rumbled quietly, "Your point of view is welcome."
"Er... how?" Will asked curiously. The mech smiled and lightly touched the vines, the motions an elegant mixture of both Optimus and Kae. The vines began to glow softly, reaching gracefully toward him, the next moment he jumped to see them coil into an incredibly comfortable looking sofa. Well hell.
"In dreams," Ratchet shrugged lightly, "that's a holoformatic suspension unit. All you really need to do is sit, or lay down, and it will..." he trailed off with a frown, looking at Kae. "How do I explain it..."
"Without sounding bonkers?" Mikaela's voice asked as the mech grinned at the medic. "Admit it, you're an autonomous robot organism from the planet Cybertron-"
"Who transforms into an emergency response hummer, speaking to the soldier you've scolded for not taking proper care of myself and I actually listened to you." Will snorted, grinning up at Ratchet.
"Let him have it," Ironhide snorted. "If he can accept that we actually exist he'll forgive us for not coming up with precisely the correct phrasing."
"Psychic chair." Mikaela finished cheerfully. "Or at least, the upgrade to how I entered the..." she frowned, it was weird that as one, she still seemed to turn to Optimus.
"The best translation would be mindspace, just... not drug related." Optimus rumbled, he seemed to glance down at her curiously.
"So not LSD related," Will stated in a half serious tone.
"No THC, either," Kae grinned. "It'll connect to your neural network, just, instead of neural fibres going into your system, like they did mine, it'll be a holoform sending and receiving the information, you'll see, hear and feel the mindspace, but it won't send more than your mind can handle. So you won't have the potential of frying your brain or having wires touching you."
"Nothing drilling through my skull," Will stated patiently.
"Nada." Kae grinned. "That's why I said psychic."
"I'm in, am I allowed to flump?" he grinned.
"Flump away," Kae laughed. Will promptly dropped onto the sofa and closed his eyes. Except he didn't. He frowned, eyes definitely felt closed. He reached up, rubbed his face carefully, yep, eyes definitely closed, but he could plainly see his hand. He looked up and jumped. A flat plane of light, and around him, difficult to see against that light were ghosts.
Not ghosts, sparks, wavering and changing form, but obviously separate, except for the two completely intertwined to his right. Had to be Optimus and Kae.
"Wow, he's a natural at it," Ironhide grinned. At least, Will thought it was Ironhide.
"Hold up," Ratchet stated patiently, materializing just as he did as a holoform, "solidify your forms you glitches."
"That's just cool," Will grinned, he looked down and around. "Nice choice of sofa, too." he looked up again as Ironhide materialized alongside Chromia. "Wait hold up a second, you're mech form, how far away are you that we're the same size?"
"Size doesn't really matter here," Bumblebee chuckled, standing up and striding toward him, his mech form reached forward then jerked back quickly. "Scrap, sorry man, my bad."
"Hawhat?" Will asked in an astonished tone.
"Well, you're old enough to choose your first, not exactly the kind of thing a bot pushes in on," Bee shrugged.
"Wait that's what you meant by firsts!?" Will asked in shock.
"Either Bumblebee or Ironhide would probably be the best," Ratchet stated patiently. "Remember what I said about minds, the first night Kae was on base?"
"It's better to touch the mind of a friend, rather than a colleague," Will murmured. He looked down at his hands again. "I'm looking at my own mind?"
"Well, your hands," Bee grinned. "You wouldn't believe the freaks that some bots get when they look in a mirror around here."
Will snorted, he couldn't help it.
"Oh and before you think it aloud," Bumblebee added with a laugh, "No, we wouldn't be having sex. When you touch my hand, you might get a flash of my own thoughts and memories, and I'll more than likely get a half decent look at yours, but I won't go looking."
"Deal man," Will grinned, holding out his hand and correcting himself instantly, except not. "Shit, I'm not trying to target you." he frowned.
"Different connotations to different situations." Bee laughed, reaching down and gently taking his hand.
Will was definitely glad he was holding it gently.
"Sorry, I'm trying to think as blandly as I can," Bee murmured, pulling him to his feet. The next moment, Will was clinging to Bee as he stood in empty space.
"Aw scrap, somebody put a floor in the bloody place right?" Bee grumbled.
"Sorry sorry sorry," Will stammered.
"No no, not your fault," Bumblebee laughed, "Sorry, between contact and all that, I forgot to explain." he patiently morphed into his human holoform. That was way easier to sort, Bee gently wound an arm around Will's waist. "Here we are whatever we wish to be. Size doesn't matter. Eventually you learn how to block out and hold back your thoughts. Otherwise we'd go insane. Look, right now we're in space, we could be floating, falling, flying, standing, whatever and wherever you wish to be. Personally, I like a good floor."
He stomped and the light twisted into a good, solid wood floor.
Will looked around and grinned. Mech and human forms both sat around a good sized room, Chromia's human form leaned casually against Ironhide's heavily cannoned frame.
"I, have always wanted to do this," Will murmured, striding across the floor. He stopped and held up his left arm. "Never really did get to shake your hand." he stated calmly.
Ironhide grinned and threaded his forearm through Will's, pulling back strongly.
"So this..." Will stated in an impressed tone.
"Is where the magic happens," Chromia giggled.
"You, are a dirty minded femme," Ironhide retorted with a snort.
"No, I just like suggesting the possibility of dirt," Chromia trilled. "It's up to you to put it there."
"You were thinking it," Ironhide grinned.
"Which is why you said it," Chromia grinned, reaching up to kiss his jaw.
"Story for another time," Ironhide chuckled, cuddling his Chromia a bit closer and looking sternly at Optimus. Will turned to see the final set of sparks coalesce, Kae and Optimus' metal forms. Optimus was wound tightly around his Kae still as she sat across his lap. Her hand had snaked up to cup his cheek as they read each other's eyes.
"I could have killed you," Optimus rumbled quietly.
"You could have," Mikaela murmured gently, "But you wouldn't. You know that I could have stopped you at any time."
"And then what? You'd fry," Optimus stated quietly.
"Energon in it's solid state-" Mikaela began calmly.
"Is cold," Ratchet stated softly. "But you can't survive as solid state."
"Which is why it's rather pleasant to have all of the heat that Optimus causing me to overload causes," Mikaela stated placidly. She looked at her bot with amusement in her optics. "You keep me alive Optimus. If you were trying to kill me, I'd be dead. I fried a transistor, in a safe environment. I found the flaw and fixed it."
"That's them arguing nowadays, boring right?" Bumblebee murmured, rolling his optics... eyes... optics...
"Dude, pick a form," Will snorted.
"So right, fill in the blanks?" Bumblebee grinned.
"For the human? Yes please," Will grinned.
"Right, so Optimus and Mikaela were interfacing, and Mikaela basically had..." Bee frowned slightly, looking at Ratchet.
"She burned out this part, here," Ratchet picked up the narrative calmly, Will watched interestedly as a diagram of a spark-chamber floated in the open space. A piece came away and floated over Will's hands.
"So this is what, a governor?" Will asked curiously.
"Essentially, it keeps the proper amount of energon running through our sparks, so that we aren't walking around overloading every second of the day." Ratchet nodded.
"But..." Will started.
"Too much of a good thing." Ratchet added. "Too powerful of an overload, when it's uncontrolled, could neutralize a spark as easily as Kae neutralizes neural fibres."
"Gotcha, so Kae had a heart attack while you two were interfacing," Will stated calmly.
"You seem incredibly calm about that," Optimus rumbled irritably.
"Yeah, 'cause humans do it constantly, if we're doing it right," Will shrugged. "Bet you didn't know that Ratchet." he grinned at the mech. "During sex the cardiovascular system is put under one hell of a lot of stress, every now and again, if it's strong enough an orgasm would basically cause everything to freeze for a second. If you're healthy enough your body just starts right back up again. If you're not, you don't get to contribute to the gene pool anymore." Will snorted.
"We call them NFO's, Near Fatal Overloads," Ratchet snorted. "When too much energon runs through a spark and almost puts it out. Kae's was different though, she fried her bypass governor. Once it trips you're supposed to pass out, not keep going."
"It didn't simply trip, it completely fried out," Mikaela snorted. "If I'd followed it and passed out how was I supposed to keep energon running through my spark?"
"Then that's the real conundrum, isn't it?" Ironhide snorted. "We just need to work out a better system for you."
"Especially seeing as I was overloading with a fraction of the energon running through you," Optimus added. Kae smiled and nuzzled closer to him.
"I already worked out the system," Mikaela murmured, she changed the diagram of the spark chamber floating in front of Will. "I'm probably going to need your help finishing it though Ratch."
"Oh now that's some serious old-school shit!" Mudflap piped up with a grin, jabbing Skids in the ribs.
"Classic," Skids grinned.
"And how do you know that?" Ratchet asked with amusement. Both of them began blushing furiously, looking anywhere but at the medic.
"Oh go on," Sunny grinned.
"We, uh, we kinda downloaded Cybertronian anatomy from your databank," Mudflap mumbled.
"For," Ratchet prompted them with amusement in his eyes.
"Well, I kinda..." Skids started, he trailed off and looked at his feet.
"So I could take care of my brother if we had to go," Mudflap stated suddenly, glaring around himself. "We all know that if we have to leave planet again we're too big a group to go together."
"'Flap and I'd be a liability," Skids continued firmly. "So we'd either have to break off from the group after launch or stay here silently. Either way, we want to know how to take care of each other for when..." he trailed off, looking at his twin.
"About time," Optimus rumbled patiently.
"So you can stop tearing each other apart just to get me to fix you again," Ratchet added with a snort.
"Aw damnit!" Skids grumbled.
"You know you could have just asked," Ratchet told them with a laugh.
"But... you guys were being..." Mudflap started.
"So secretive? That's so that I don't find out stuff," Will grinned. "Can't blame them, either, humans are the wildcard at the moment. Which sucks, I really wanna know the difference." he added, pointing at the spark-chamber diagrams.
"Don't tell on me," Ratchet snorted, rising and walking to stand beside Will. "This is a beautiful re-make of the older spark chambers, we had to change when the war started, and energon sources started becoming truly scarce. The new chambers allow us to create energon from other fuel sources, this is... a step up transformer, I suppose," Ratchet mused. "When Mikaela overloads, she begins with a tiny amount of energon and heats it up-"
"No, I've never managed that," Mikaela piped up calmly.
"What?" Optimus asked curiously.
"I've never managed to produce enough heat on my own," Mikaela stated calmly. "When you start up love, you send out one hell of a lot of heat," she smiled at him tenderly.
"You always did run hot," Ratchet snorted, grinning at Optimus.
"So in other words," Will grinned, "you're using the male-female model to produce."
"Just as Mico did," Kae smiled, cuddling against her Optimus.
Optimus groaned and held her tightly.
"Only you," he rumbled softly.
"Onto lighter topics?" Kae murmured gently, reaching up to cup his face.
"Perhaps not lighter, but others, certainly," Optimus rumbled.
"So you guys are still prepared to leave," Will stated quietly.
"Well, the war continues, we gotta be, don't we?" Sideswipe shrugged.
"That ain't right," Will growled. "Bee, Skids and Mudflap are just kids!"
"I know," Optimus rumbled heavily, looking around at his unit. "So were Flare, Chromia, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe..."
"We had to separate, when we escaped Cybertron," Sideswipe stated quietly. "I made that mistake, by the way, don't blame Sunny."
"Aaww Sides," Sunny stated quietly, hugging his brother. "It's not your fault, and quit calling me that."
"We had to go in groups of two," Ratchet explained quietly, "to avoid detection."
"Arcee pulled us out," Mudflap added, looking with respect to the femme's spark. "Skids and I made her life a real pit for a while there."
"And us," Flare added with a low laugh.
"And me," Jolt murmured shyly.
"Contrary to popular belief, I do have a great deal of patience for younglings," she stated in an amused tone. "You both did well enough, we're alive."
"Yeah, 'cause you kept us that way," Skids grinned at her.
"Prowl, while we are here, what was your last status report," Optimus rumbled quietly.
"Grim," the bot sighed, he looked at Will and morphed into a human form.
"You're a cop?" Will asked curiously.
"Enforcer, sort of the same thing," Prowl shrugged, he raised his hand and the room dissolved into a scene that left Will both astonished and grieved.
"That... that..." he whispered.
"Seen from my size point of view," Prowl stated quietly, his voice obviously struggling to remain clinical, "while we were flying the Xantium out." they passed over what appeared to be the wreckage of a building. Will felt a lump form in his throat as Chromia began crying softly.
"The hatchery," Ironhide choked.
"Don't look, Chrome, Flare," Prowl murmured sadly, he looked up at Will. "You may not wish to see either."
"Let me see," Will stated quietly.
"What happened?" Prime asked hoarsely.
"That's Central!" Arcee shrieked suddenly.
"We couldn't save them," Prowl choked. "We hid among the other fliers with a false launch code. Their faces will be burned into my processors to the end of days."
Will watched in horror as bots were roughly herded into the square and executed.
"Cybertron is lost," Prowl whispered, bowing his head. Will couldn't help but reach out and grasp the spark's shoulder.
"Cybertron is not lost," Mikaela's voice rang out sternly. Except not. There was an odd duality about her now. Will looked up to see even Optimus staring at her in shock. She rose and split apart, somehow maintaining her same size.
"Mother what am I to do?" Mikaela's voice asked softly, she solidified back into her mech form then seemed to think better of it, sliding back into her human frame.
"You will heal, as I shall instruct you, daughter," the spark stated firmly. "The home which I built of my bones must not be allowed to die so."
"How do I heal what has been destroyed?" Mikaela asked softly. The second spark materialized somewhat and patted her cheek.
"Do unto them, what they have done to me," she stated quietly. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to stay for a while in this lovely little cathedral you've built." she reached up and cupped Mikaela's face gently. "Beautiful child, gladly would I ease the suffering that you have felt as you bore my mind within your own."
"But we have work to do," Mikaela stated firmly, seemingly in counterpart.
"Choose your timing well," the spark nodded. She turned to look at the bots as they all knelt, heads bowed respectfully around her.
"Oh, and tell them to quit doing that," she added with a pout.
"They can hear you," Mikaela stated wryly.
"But they are yours to command," the spark stated in a puzzled tone.
"I do not command," Mikaela stated sternly.
"You will have to, child."
"No," Mikaela stated firmly, "I will ask, and I will barter, but the command belongs to my Optimus, and shall remain that way."
"With the exception of emergencies or when I don't feel like it," Optimus rumbled quietly, glancing up at Kae with a wicked twinkle in his optics.
"You're a prat," she told him in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Ope, we've got incoming!" Sides called out.
"Time to return to reality," Bumblebee stated apologetically.
Will nodded and made to open his eyes.
"NO!" Bee practically shouted, covering his eyes. "No you gotta get back to your body first."
"Well shit, how do I do that?" Will asked in a shocked tone.
"Here, I'll bring you back," Bee snorted, leading him by the hand. "Sorry, this might be a bit intense, I'll try to think as blandly as possible."
"Think of space," Will stated with a snort.
"That's not bland," Bee snorted, carefully guiding him to sit down. "Okay, now you can open your eyes."
Will obeyed and looked up at Jacobs.
"Dude, you back now?" Jacobs asked in a shocked tone, waving his hand in front of Will's face.
"Yeah, I'm back," Will frowned. "What the hell Jacobs?"
"You opened your eyes for a second there, looked like a complete zombie. You know, lights are on, nobody's home." Jacobs stated worriedly.
"Don't worry about it, he was with us," Ratchet snorted the next second, retracting binder cables and rising.
"Where now?" Jacobs asked curiously.
"The mindspace, no LSD or shit involved," Will grinned, standing up and staggering.
"Slow down cowboy," Bee played the soundbyte cheerfully, onlining his holoform to catch Will's arm. "To and back takes it out of all of us first few times."
"Will!" Mikaela called out just as he made to go.
"Kae?" Will looked up at her respectfully as the Primes' bodies split apart.
"So we going driving or what?" she grinned down at him. "I did promise to teach you how to ride after all."
"Not till you take me flying!" Chance called from the door with a broad grin.
"Then let's go flyboy," she grinned at him, standing and waving her hand.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping Ratchet out?" Will asked curiously.
"New orders," Ratchet grinned, "Come on then, Skids, Mudflap. If you want to learn, now's the time."
The twins scampered after the old Medic gleefully as Kae smiled at them gently.
"So now what?" Will asked curiously.
"Grandfather's taking a couple of days to recharge," Mikaela shrugged, "I'm taking scout duty for him. So we need to get any passengers suited up."
"Where!?" Chance shouted gleefully.
"I'll meet you in Med bay," she stated with a smile, "I need my armour."
"As always," Optimus rumbled, standing with her.
"If I crash you're going to kick my assplates," she stated with a smile, reaching up to kiss his jaw. "Of course that'll be after Ratchet puts me together again and tears me a new access port."
Optimus snorted and swung at her gently as she skipped away. She caught his hand and dragged him toward herself.
"And of course, after you've finished fussing over me and taken your femme whipping like a bot," she added with a smirk, lightly whacking his side before scampering off.
Will stared up at Optimus with raised eyebrows.
"You're going to let her get away with that?" he asked with a laugh.
"Wait for it," Optimus rumbled with a smirk.
"Oh, and after you're finished playing with the new access port that Ratchet rips me," Mikaela added, poking her head around the door before disappearing again.
Every present human head whipped to stare first at her, then at Optimus again.
"When my wife says that, standing stark naked in the doorway? She is going to get away with anything she damn well wants." Optimus snorted, looking down at Will.
"Amen," Will agreed before he burst out laughing.
"Now if you will excuse me," Optimus rumbled with a snort, walking toward the doors.
"Where you headed?" Will grinned.
"Have you ever noticed just how fascinating it is to watch a woman dress?" he rumbled cheerfully. "I need my armour. It is a weakness of mine, I feel practically naked without it."
Ironhide began howling with laughter and Jacobs punched his hands into the air.
Yeah, today was a good day when Ironhide was laughing.