A million thanks to my dear sweet Betas, and a billion to WolfKidBirdGirl for allowing me to borrow her brotherhood. If you haven't read her story 'We All Fall Down' closely followed by 'Queen of the Machine' do it. Do it now.
However in the meantime:
Chapter 157 – Returning to 'Normal'
Eight hours later I took off again, leaving Switzerland. President Obama's support had been incredible, not only was Sentinel now hosting his seminars, but the United States was going to be hosting the international science, technology and cultural convention to augment it. Sentinel's lectures were going to spearhead the human race's drive into the newest era. Actually, the conference had run an hour late, several countries stating that they wanted to be the host nation.
Eventually, I'd simply stood up and stated that if it was going to be this popular, we'd simply have to make the convention annual, hosted with the same rules as the Olympics. But for now, speaking for the Auto-bots, if Sentinel was to be delivering lectures we needed to be near our own headquarters for security sake.
And that had wrapped that up.
Sentinel was going to be the figurehead of learning.
I hoped I could convince him to enjoy that.
As we walked out of the conference, the President had kept a straight face.
The second I had transformed and everyone was loaded up though?
"That was brilliant!" he'd exploded.
"Ow," I grumbled, rubbing my holoform's ears.
"Oops, sorry," he stated apologetically.
"Stuff happens," I shrugged, then grinned. "But in the meantime, let's go home, I wanna go to bed soon."
The men laughed and took their seats, settling in for the flight. Several dropped off to sleep almost immediately. We flew for an hour, the men in the cabin either sleeping or reading.
Quite the compliment, actually, not one was gripping his armrest.
"Hey Kae," Cole Westfield grinned. I winked my holoform online beside him.
"Cole?" I asked calmly.
"Care for a little bet?" he grinned. I looked at him in amusement.
"Bet on what?" I laughed.
"The unofficial name of the convention." the man grinned.
I thought for a moment and smirked.
"The I-NERD."
"That's it?" he demanded.
"The Inter-National Exposé of Radical Design." I smirked.
"I LOVE IT!" Cole bellowed. The various men in the cabin jolted awake as I winced, rubbing my holoform's ear to get the point across.
"Sorry!" he whispered sotto voice.
I snorted.
"Go back to sleep Cole," I laughed softly.
He nodded cheerfully and dropped off again.
Five hours of flight, bloody headwind now, I finally landed at DCA and safely deposited the men into the custody of their various bodyguards.
I shook myself somewhat more awake, took off again and landed at headquarters.
Primus I was tired, maintaining the same damned alternate form so similar yet different from my own was tiring.
At least now I was in sync with Optimus.
I shook myself again, trying to stay awake long enough to either refuel or fall into my berth. Optimus, Sentinel and Ironhide were striding toward me the next moment, Will riding on Ironhide's shoulder.
"Hey boys," I yawned. I didn't need to yawn, hell, I didn't need air. But I'd spent so much time feeling human as a holoform it was pure instinct kicking in.
"How was the politics?" Optimus rumbled worriedly, reaching out and cupping my cheek.
"Same as always, the annoying people were annoying, the good speakers were as fiery as ever, a couple of dignitaries glared at me for being bigger than them, the usual." I stated with another yawn, I couldn't help but tease them. "The flight was good though, didn't run into any birds, although I think one of those spiders that spin their little parachute things got wedged in the flight deck again..."
"Kae!" Optimus rumbled in exasperation.
"I'm sorry, I'll clean it out," I stated innocently.
"Kae!" Sentinel demanded.
"Hmn?" I murmured innocently.
"What of my sentence?" Sentinel demanded.
"Oh, that?" I asked cheerfully. "As it turns out, Sentinel, you're now spearheading an international convention devoted to science, mathematics, culture and technology technically hosted by the United Nations, it's being held in Washington here, but most of the other countries are actually quite jealous that you're in the United States at the moment. Just remember, the President needs you to initially look reluctant to host your seminars and thus spearhead the human race's drive into the future of understanding the universe around us, you're supposed to be being punished, after all. Oh, and we've been invited to the White House for dinner on Thursday."
The two male Primes stared at me in gleeful shock. Ironhide looked at them for a long moment and burst out laughing. Will, sitting on his shoulder was laughing just as hard.
"But those wheels don't start rolling for another orn," I yawned. I shook myself awake again and disconnected from the flight deck. "Right now we have somewhat more of a worry. According to the President the Brotherhood of Man is getting stronger, and they're rapidly developing weapons to disable us, love."
Optimus frowned.
"On the plus side, he has Sabre infiltrating the organization, but it's gotten to the point that he's worried that there is the possibility of Decepticon claws worming their way into the Brotherhood. He was hoping that one or two of us could meet up with Sabe and provide backup." I stated calmly. "I was thinking perhaps Mirage?"
Optimus crossed his arms with a frown, thinking.
He nodded finally, looking at me.
"I shall have to ask Mirage if he is willing," he rumbled patiently. "Particularly if he is to be attending to curb duty for a while with Sabre. But the President and you are correct, if there is Decepticon involvement, then your assassin friend is going to need backup."
"Since when do I need backup?" a familiar voice called out with a snort.
"Since there is the possibility that you would be facing one of us down," Sentinel stated with a growl, looking down at the human intruder.
"Speak of the devil and he shows himself," I laughed. "And Sentinel is correct, if there are Decepticons in cahoots with the Brotherhood then you're going to need some serious firepower and speed behind you if you're made."
"True that," Sabre snorted. "Which, by the way? Does Shockwave ring any bells? I keep hearing it in the context of a bloody name."
"The Decepticons have become involved," Optimus rumbled darkly.
"Oh good, does that mean I get to kill people again?" Sabre asked cheerfully.
I shot him a withering glance.
"Hey, that leader of theirs is clean cut, charismatic and getting powerful. It's annoying, a nice little fall down a lovely set of stairs would do him good." Sabre stated innocently.
"It never occurs to you to keep them alive and kill their image first, does it?" I snorted. "What good is having a radical martyr?"
"Ugh, stupid martyrdom," Sabre pouted. "Takes all the fun out of life."
::. Mirage, could you come to the entrance bay?.:: Optimus sent calmly.
"Yo, I'm already here," Mirage stated cheerfully, wandering in and looking down at the humans with a grin. "Who's gonna go kill stuff without me now?"
Sabre promptly stared at Mirage.
"Yo little man, didn't nobody tell you is rude to stare?" Mirage grinned. "I know why you're staring of course, it is because I look damn good. But your eyes are going to fall out, and you need those for aiming."
"Him, I want him for backup!" Sabre stated immediately. "I like him."
"Backup what?" Mirage asked warily.
"Infiltrate the Brotherhood of Man," Optimus rumbled calmly. "It is curb duty, unfortunately, but there is the possibility that Shockwave has become involved."
"That cowardly abomination is still alive?" Mirage asked with a glower, he began grinding his hands together, fist into palm. "Prime, permission to go spend the next several months on curb duty just for the chance to pound that tar spitting little pitspawned excuse of a-"
"I caution you, Mirage, the humans are developing methods of disabling bots," I stated sternly, catching his optics.
"Right, 'cause between the little man and I they're even going to know that I'm a bot," Mirage snorted. "As if."
"Permission granted then, Mirage," Optimus rumbled. "On the provision that should you find Shockwave, you call for backup-"
"Don't need-" the bot started.
"For cleanup, Mirage," I snorted. "The brotherhood is likely cannibalizing everything they can get their hands on, if you tear him limb for limb we need to clean it up. And it's a lot easier to keep track of the pieces while you're tearing them off."
"Oh... right... but he's mine," Mirage stated firmly.
"Unless he has learned some new tricks," Optimus rumbled. "I will not risk your life on a mission of revenge."
"Deal," Mirage snorted. He looked down at Sabre. "What is your name little man?"
"Sabre," he snorted.
"Well met Sabre, I am Mirage," he made an elegant bow and transformed into his alternate form. I found myself impressed, I could barely sense anything from the bot.
Sabre was staring at him again.
"I... have always wanted..." he muttered, tentatively reaching out and running his hands over Mirage's armoured bodywork.
"If you are going to do that, do it with a pad o' wax little man," Mirage snorted. Sabre looked at me with shocked eyes as I laughed at them.
"Look at that Sabe, you've got a partner after all," I giggled.
"My partner is a Ferrari 458 Italia auto-bot," Sabre moaned.
"Get in already!" Mirage snorted. "Less talk, more spy."
Sabre was grinning like a madman as he slid behind the driver's seat.
"Let's see how you handle the speed before we let you drive," Mirage smirked at him.
"But there's the potential that I'll get to drive," Sabre moaned, stroking the steering wheel. "If I'm dreaming don't you dare let me wake up."
"If you want dreams-" Mirage snorted, roaring his engine to life and squealing out.
I shook my head with a laugh and felt my energon reserves dip another notch toward the danger zones.
The enjoyment of watching the assassins getting along had distracted me from the drained exhaustion, but now they were gone.
"I. Am going to bed now," I groaned. "Oh, the cleanup crews in Chicago have relented, by the way, the wreckers are clear to go in and help out love, when I wake up I need to go ask Gouge if he minds sounding out the ground for them."
Optimus nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to my temple.
"Good recharge young warrior," Sentinel stated cheerfully, clapping a hand to my shoulder. Tired as I was I almost fell over. The bots looked at me worriedly.
Optimus scanned me and snorted.
"Kae, how many times have I told you to not run yourself to nothing?" he demanded, lightly scooping me up into his arms.
"I lost count, ask Ironhide," I mumbled, burying my face into his shoulder.
"What do I do in the meantime?" Sentinel demanded with a grin.
"Well, you figure out what the humans have learned so far and build up a syllabus of what all you're going to teach," I murmured. "Then you're likely going to have to break those down into eight hour or less seminars, humans do need to sleep quite regularly."
Sentinel nodded cheerfully and strode toward Communications.
Optimus chuckled and held me a bit tighter, carrying me to our quarters. He set me down gently and I disengaged my armour, haphazardly levitating it toward a corner. I'd deal with it when I woke. Optimus snorted in soft amusement and levitated my armour to a different corner, his own joining it.
"Finally," he rumbled softly into my auditory processors, gathering me close to his frame. I cuddled against my Optimus and blissfully dropped into my recharge beside my mate.
(SePOV)
Sentinel was grinning like a youngling, he knew he was, but that wasn't the point. The point was that his young friend's mate had not only pulled his sorry aft out of the pit and smoothed out the nightmare of human politics.
But she had effectively insinuated him into this new world as a teacher.
Brilliant.
They were off recharging now, Primus only knew the young femme deserved it.
"Technician Jolt?"
"Prime?" the technician asked quietly.
"Would you be so kind as to connect me to the sum of human learning?" he rumbled calmly.
"Uh..."
"Problem?"
"We don't really have a lot of our knowledge in digital form yet," one of the humans called out apologetically.
"Then where do you keep your knowledge?" Sentinel demanded.
"Libraries?" The man asked calmly, looking at his fellows.
"Library of congress would probably be your best bet," the female... Jolt's Lena stated calmly. "I need to go there anyway, Jolt and I can take you."
Sentinel smiled at the femme.
Jolt grinned and reached for her, she stepped into his palm with an absolute of trust, smiling at her bot and squirming onto his shoulder. She turned to look at him sternly.
"Have you got a human holoform yet?" she asked firmly.
"No..." Sentinel rumbled irritably.
"Well then we're going to have to hit the med-bay so that Ratchet can outfit you," Lena stated firmly.
"Why?" Sentinel demanded sternly.
"You mean other than the fact that even your alternate form isn't going to fit through the doors of the Library? There's the fact that there are still a lot of humans who don't like you at the moment. I don't know about you, but reading is rather difficult when people are shouting at you," the femme stated flatly.
That was true.
"Very well," Sentinel nodded. "You raise an excellent argument, Technician Lena."
The femme looked surprised at that. Sentinel couldn't help but be somewhat amused at that.
"Come now," he stated calmly. "I am capable of being a rational being."
The humans just stared at him, he rolled his optics.
"Madness aside, he was a brilliant leader," Jolt piped up defensively.
"I thought you served under Magda?" Lena stated curiously.
"Yeah, and all the while we served under him we kept hoping that Sentinel would knock some sense into him," Jolt snorted.
"I really should have," Sentinel glowered. "How that bot ever managed to be Prime is beyond even me."
"And that's saying something," Jolt stated cheerfully. "Come on then, to the library!"
Sentinel turned and made to walk out of the communications room.
"How did you guys become Primes?" one of the humans called out curiously. Sentinel turned to look at the man.
"We onlined, were born, with the knowledge of our fathers. Others, such as myself earned the title after being born a commoner." Sentinel stated calmly. "The onlined Primes, the sons of Primes were capable of denying being Prime, because the knowledge remained latent in our sparks until another Prime 'reminded' us of it. In Optimus' case, however, he onlined and barely hours after his casting, his father reminded him of his knowledge, and instructed him how to conceal himself."
"Why?" Lena asked curiously.
"He was born into a war that I was fighting," Sentinel stated calmly. "His father instructed him to remain hidden so that he would survive. He was given a set of chest-plates, formed to mesh and appear as though it were his protoform. And when asked, even when I asked, Orion Pax maintained his story that he had a weakened spark chamber. The result of coming online during an epidemic of the tremblies."
"Tremblies, when you can't control your own motor controls, they fight each other, fatiguing your frame." Jolt added quietly to the humans. "It leaves you weak, and when younglings get it, it can prove fatal."
"So not like the chicken pox," Lena stated calmly. The bots looked at her. "It's an illness that you only ever get once, when you get it as a child, it's easily overcome, but as an adult it is far harder on the system."
"If only," Jolt sighed. Sentinel nodded.
"It's kind of too bad you guys couldn't be vaccinated for it," Lena stated musingly. Sentinel stared at her.
"Vaccinated?" he asked curiously, turning to stride beside the technicians.
"Yeah, when you introduce a far milder form of a particular illness, or an already dead form of it to the immune system. It helps build the immunity of the individual." Lena shrugged. "They started doing it when they discovered that people who had had cowpox, rarely even contracted smallpox. Cowpox was incredibly easy to overcome, but smallpox left a person dead or disfigured."
"Fascinating," Sentinel murmured, almost to himself. That was another topic that he added to his growing list. In mathematics, the humans were far behind. Perhaps that was because they had spent far more time learning how to survive.
It would be a fascinating study.
They stepped into the Med-bay and Ratchet glanced up from a servo irritably.
"Now what's happened?" the Medic demanded. Sentinel couldn't really blame him, he'd been like that for vorns. More often than not? That demand was replied to with a list of injuries.
"I find myself needing a holoform after all," Sentinel stated calmly.
The medic nodded, looked around for a moment and picked up a data-pad, tossing it to him before turning back to the servo.
Typical Ratchet.
Sentinel quickly scanned the information on the data-pad. He had to give the medic credit, it was a rather simple function, drawing coding from the comfort settings of a bot's metals.
He quickly assimilated the data and projected a human form on the work table, his projected features had he been created human. Sentinel eyed his projected form critically and grunted. It was an accurate enough rendition, a strong jaw beneath short cropped silver fur, high standing zygomatic bones to support his optics, and the expressive brow ridges which had marked his own faceplates unique. His optics were the same, however. The blue of Auto-bot standing. Finally, he projected his mind through the human medium.
Sentinel looked down at his human hands, then up at himself, at the medic, and the two technicians. The body was surprisingly strong, comfortable. The warrior's build he and his fellow Primes had had to adopt in times of war.
"So that's what you'd look like as a human," Lena grinned, leaning forward on her Jolt's shoulder. Sentinel raised a brow... eyebrow at her.
"Does this pass inspection?" he asked calmly. Well, at least his voice was the same.
"Absolutely," Jolt's holoform grinned, winking in beside him. "Quick test, can you feel this?" the technician took his hands.
The sense of touch in these humans was strangely accurate for all that their frames were covered in skin. He mentioned that.
"We feel with nerves in the skin," Lena stated in amusement. "Although speaking as a human, you might want to change the clothes a bit.
Sentinel looked down at his mantel curiously.
"Blending in means dressing the same," Ironhide rumbled from the door, he onlined his holoform beside Sentinel's.
Wearing absolutely none of his insignias.
"Gotta blend in," the weapons master smirked.
Sentinel stared around himself and shrugged, a moment's concentration and he shifted his clothing. They felt wrong, they did not flow.
"Hold up!" Lena called out. She scrambled down Jolt's arm and accepted the holo-pad from her mate's smaller form. She began typing hurriedly. "I think I have what you need," she muttered, holding up a picture of a jacket rather like his mantel.
Sentinel created it quickly.
It flowed, far more appropriate.
He strode the length of the worktable, testing the holoform for a moment before nodding.
"It will serve," he stated calmly.
"Good, let's roll," Jolt's Lena stated cheerfully.
Holoforms winked out and the sole human in the room jumped into her intended mate's hand. Grinning broadly.
Sentinel couldn't help but wonder why.
So he asked.
Lena grinned at him.
"I want to see your reaction to the Library," she grinned. "If it's anywhere near as good as Optimus' reaction I'm golden."
Jolt promptly began laughing.
"Yeah, but Optimus was an archivist, he breathes libraries," the tech snorted.
"But Sentinel is a teacher!" Lena stated wide eyed. "above all else a teacher will always be a student, and where better place for a student than the library?"
"Ooh, true," Jolt grinned, transforming around his potential mate and starting his engines up.
Sentinel watched her curiously, transforming quickly and following the smaller technician out of the headquarters and into the humans' city.
A relatively short drive, and the technician parked, his holoform winking online and taking his Lena's hand. Sentinel parked and onlined his holoform, checked that his clothing was the same that the bots and human had agreed worked for him, and got out of his own cab. He strode toward them and looked at Lena.
"You think philosophically," he told her calmly.
"I try, but Jolt still kicks my aft at chess," Lena stated cheerfully.
"You hold your own with a single processor," Jolt snorted. "When you're a bot I have no doubt we're going to spend orns playing logic games in the mindspace."
Lena grinned and wound her arm around the technician's waist.
"It's this way," she smiled at Sentinel, the holo and the human walking down the human pathways alongside the vehicular ones.
"If your data is not digitally stored, how do you have an archive?" Sentinel asked curiously, following the technicians up a set of stairs.
Lena grinned and opened the doors, ushering him through them.
Sentinel strode forward a couple of paces and looked back at her.
"Close your eyes," Lena grinned at him. She took his holoform's hands and Sentinel was surprised to find them soft and gentle. No wonder Jolt liked her so much. Sentinel shrugged and closed his eyes, letting the human lead him forward.
"Another one?" a stranger's voice asked with a laugh.
"Yep!" Lena's voice stated cheerfully.
"Go straight through, we'll use the big guy's pass today," the woman laughed.
"Thanks Mary!" Jolt grinned at her. Sentinel followed the technician's femme's lead, walking forward.
"Steps down," she told him gently, remarkably kind, it meant he did not need to stumble down them.
She released him and turned him slightly.
"Open your eyes," Lena stated gently.
Sentinel obeyed and stared around himself in awe.
Thousands, thousands of books lined the walls, thousands more sat securely in shelves along the floor- Floors! Floors and floors of thousands of books, just waiting to be read! A modestly dressed human female walked toward him hesitantly.
"Um, hello," she stated quietly, offering him the auto-bot salute.
Sentinel smiled and accepted her arm, finding a friendly, if shy individual.
"My name is Mary, welcome to the library," she stated quietly.
"She's the best archivist ever," Jolt added with a broad grin, Mary looked at the bot and smiled shyly.
"Anyway, if you need help finding anything, I'm at the desk there," she stated gently. "I don't know if you want a specific section, or if you're going to take Optimus' approach and start from one corner and read to the other."
Sentinel beamed at her, he couldn't help it. He loved archivists, their reverence for their data and charges was truly honourable.
"Would you be so kind as to show me to the scientific archives?" he asked with a smile.
"Absolutely," she smiled at him. "It's this way."
Sentinel gazed around himself happily as he followed the woman through the library.
"Alright," she smiled at him. "This section is biology and human life sciences," she walked a bit more. "This is chemistry, mathematics, physics, and what we have for Astronomy at the moment." she winked at him. "Of course I don't know how interested you'll be in that section, to hear Optimus and his brain trust debating over those books is the kind of thing a person should be recording for the sheer inherent learning in a single sentence."
"Optimus has been here for six of your years and he already has a circle of the learned around him," Sentinel chuckled, shaking his head.
"Is that a bad thing?" the woman asked shyly.
"No," Sentinel snorted, eyeing the books cheerfully. "If there is anything in my pupil that I truly admired, it is his love of having intelligent and learned individuals of any species around him." Sentinel smiled fondly at the memories of his young friend.
"You're Sentinel!" Mary gasped.
Sentinel jumped and looked at her warily.
"It's an honour to make your acquaintance, Sir," she stated, she looked frankly awestruck.
"You are not..." Sentinel stated warily.
"Well, nobody really got hurt in Chicago," Mary shrugged. "But after listening to the bots that come here speaking of you, and getting to understand them. Whatever you did, you guys did it because it was necessary."
Sentinel stared at her for a long moment before straightening, he bowed to the archivist, anything less would be unworthy.
"Thank you, Archivist Mary," he rumbled gently. "Your belief in us humbles me."
Mary beamed at him and patted his holoform's shoulder.
"Anyway, I know that look in you lot's eyes, I'll leave you be to gleefully read your way through the archives as Optimus puts it." she giggled.
"He always did love a good archive," Sentinel chuckled. "Thank you for your assistance, Archivist Mary."
"You know where I am," Mary smiled at him.
Sentinel smiled and turned to the bookshelves as she walked away.
He reached up and took down the first book, noted the way the humans went to the centre of the library, where there were comfortable looking tables and chairs.
He sat down and opened the book.
And flipped a page.
And flipped a page.
In moments he was finished.
He stood up and set the book back where he had gotten it. He turned to see Mary beside him again. She looked like she was trying not to laugh.
"I'll tell you the same thing I told Optimus. If you're going to read those books so quickly, take the cart so you aren't wearing holes in my floor." she laughed, offering him a rolling bookshelf.
Sentinel beamed at her and promptly took down two shelves worth of the books as Mary covered her mouth with a hand.
Sentinel looked at her worriedly. There was laughter in her eyes. He relaxed and grinned at her.
"This should cover a couple of your hours, at any rate," he stated, looking at the book-laden cart and pursing his lips somewhat.
Mary began giggling as she walked away again.
Sentinel cheerfully wheeled the cart back to the empty table and began reading his way through the sum of human learning.
"Mind if I sit here?" an older gentleman asked with a small smile, indicating the table.
"By all means," Sentinel rumbled absently, gesturing to the chair.
"You read the same way a friend of mine does," the man stated amicably. "Of course, he flips through the pages somewhat slower, says he's savouring it."
Sentinel snorted.
"That sounds much like a friend of mine, as well." he stated with a small smile.
"Oh, hey does he happen to be Optimus?" the man grinned.
Sentinel looked up in surprise.
"You are one of his brain trust?" he asked curiously.
"Hey Mr. MacKin," Jolt stated cheerfully, setting down his own pile of books.
"Jolt, what have you done with your Lena?" Mr. MacKin asked sternly, looking around.
"My beautiful Lena is once again taking her time choosing which book she wishes to read next," Jolt laughed. "I long for the day that her patience becomes my own."
Mr. MacKin laughed and turned to Sentinel.
"Just so you know, I'm not targetin' you, but forgive an old man for not wantin' to stand up once again." the man grinned, holding his hand toward Sentinel.
Sentinel stared at it and jumped as Jolt offered him the information.
A human greeting. Fascinating.
Mr. MacKin was frowning slightly, pulling his hand back.
"My apologies," Sentinel stated immediately, holding his hand out. "I am afraid that I am still unfamiliar with your human cultures. Our most excellent technician just gave me the pertinent information for this... handshake?"
"Well if that's the case call me Willy, everybody else should, at any rate." the man shook his hand. "Which on that note, quit calling me Mr. MacKin, Jolt. That's my father."
"If I had a penny for every time I heard that..." Jolt's Lena murmured with a small smile, settling down beside his holoform.
"You'd have a dollar, and an irritable Willy MacKin at your insistence on calling me mister." Willy stated with a snort.
Sentinel smiled, looking around himself again.
This. Was a lovely place.