Chapter 190 – The Other Half
(JoPOV)
Jolt hummed patiently, a few processors devoted to receiving any communication from the bases. The human frequencies were being scanned by the computer banks Soundwave had idly built in his off time.
Which left him free to smile and listen to his Lena's spark as she laughed, she was a vibrant, grass green this week, green with white and gold.
Jolt smiled, his mate frequently grew bored as to what colour she wished to be that week.
Sunstreaker frequently grew bored when he was not patrolling or painting.
Ironhide was torn between being relaxed that he wasn't the target of Sunstreaker's paintbrushes and apprehensive that he was simply waiting for the right moment for the next 'perfect' paintjob.
And you could tell because Chromia kept bursting out into random fits of giggles.
Jolt glanced over as one of the human computers whirred to life.
"This is fire Chief Taylor Fifth Devision requesting any available Auto-bot assistance!"
In an instant, Jolt was linked into that computer.
"This is Auto-bot Jolt, please state your emergency and location," he called back, aloud and over the frequency.
"There's a fourteen car pileup, a water main exploded under New York Ave! The road's all buckled up we need help out here!" the man shouted back.
That was near Sentinel's Hall.
::. Jolt to Prowl!.:: he immediately rapped out.
::. Responding.::
::. Explosion near Sentinel's hall, the humans need help.:: Jolt called out, sending a rapid data pack across the primary. Location, cause, and everything he knew to the second. Over the connection he knew Prowl was already in gear, en-route to the accident.
Jolt settled back then, waiting.
Prowl would make a report the moment he got there.
It was Prowl.
What Jolt wasn't expecting, was the content.
::. Prowl Reporting!.:: the mech shouted across the Primary. ::. Shockwave spotted, requesting immediate backup!.::
Jolt froze.
His only salvation, he could still hear the Primary. Prowl knew he'd freeze, the mech was kind in his own way, particularly when it came to glitches.
Over the Primary, effectively cutting out his need to relay information, Ultra Magnus was already rolling. Sentinel was reporting his readiness the second the humans in his hall were safe.
Bumblebee and the femmes were now rolling out of the complex, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Mirage driving in from their own positions.
Then, then his Lena was there, beside him.
~Jolt!~ she murmured. ~Disconnect, let me in.~
Obediently – he couldn't not obey the spark of his mate – Jolt receded his cables, and felt his mate settle down beside him.
::. This is Technician Lena in Washington base!.:: she called out immediately, contacting the NASA and Nevada bases. ::. Reporting Shockwave attacking-.::
::. Where is that slagger!?.::
::. On our fraggin' doorstep!.:: Lena snarled right back at the flier's voice.
::. Delta Trine en-route!.::
Jolt felt a small pang for the trine, even as their name was spoken.
They were a flyer trine of two; their third caught between life and death somewhere in the galaxy.
A slag bride. Kept so weak that they had no hope of finding her direction with the pull. No grounder but he knew it, either, it was one of those things that Shockwave had made him incapable of. All of them.
He couldn't speak of other's experiences for them.
But then.
~Can I say it?~ Lena whispered to him. Jolt looked at her, she would not announce it before asking the trine members themselves...
Jolt nodded and relaxed as his mate and other half braced him against his shortcomings.
(SyPOV)
Wingnut was recharging, her spark a soft, quiet hum amidst the myriad ambient sounds of this new place.
Symphony was exploring her new quarters, before her guardian had departed he had arranged her living quarters and his own with great sympathy for her, so Symphony explored with confidence; still wary of tripping of course, but everything in the world was there to trip on. She had met and 'seen' a couple of the soldiers, too, their faces were the strong, stern type of fighting men.
But their voices were kind, cheerful and welcoming.
Speaking of.
There was a soft tap at the door, Wingnut's spark whirred to her online sound.
"Come in?" Symphony called out curiously.
Three sets of footsteps, one set was soft enough to be human, the other two the far heavier, lengthier strides of the Cybertronians.
But also, the sound of tires, the soft, squeaky-pop sound of tread making contact with the ground and frictionally releasing as the surface propelled the bot forward.
Three tires on the ground, that had to be the femme trine that Wingnut spoke of in hushed, respectful tones, their forms the small, 'two wheeler' motorcycles akin to Wingnut herself.
One spark-song she recognized immediately. Bumblebee.
The scout was larger than Wingnut, smaller than Ace, but his spark was a sweet harmony, a tenor hum matching a tenor voice that chirped from time to time.
He was funny too.
The other sparks were familiar but not, spark-tones she had heard during the Auto-bot's meeting, but whose names she hadn't put spark-tone to yet.
Or faces.
"Good morning Symphony," A female's voice stated. "I hope we aren't intruding."
"What are you doing in the middle of the floor?" Bumblebee's voice chirped curiously.
"Good morning Bumblebee, Arcee, Chromia, Flareup, no, you are not intruding, I am simply exploring." Symphony replied patiently.
"I thought your vision was obstructed, child," a second female voice commented mildly. There were dominant overtones in that voice... Arcee?
"I hear the footsteps of one human, two Cybertronian biped frames, and three separate tires upon the ground, Bumblebee's spark is loud enough that he is one of the Cybertronians in biped form, although I am unsure of whom the other two are. But three separate single tires upon the ground marks three two-wheelers together. Logically, the femme trine."
"Loss of one sense in humans frequently causes a heightening of the others," another female voice commented with a smile.
"Clever girl," a fourth voice added with her own smile.
"But you know you're gonna bump into Soundwave's berth in about seven steps right?" the fifth female voice asked curiously.
Automatically, Symphony raised her hand to the height of her chest and took six more steps until her hand reached the smooth metal wall.
"Thank you, I was going to bump into that eventually," Symphony remarked patiently, running her fingertips along that metal wall. Walking right meant she would circle to her own living area again. Walking left would bring her to the door.
"Aren't you worried about hurting yourself walking about willy-nilly?" Bumblebee asked curiously.
"Ace made sure there's nothing sharp for me to stumble into," Symphony murmured patiently, one corner, turn right, another corner turn right, three steps and she lightly caught the edge of the easy chair and settled herself onto it.
"Who's Ace? I don't recall any of the soldiers in residence having that nickname..." one of the female voices murmured with a small frown.
"Symphony calls Soundwave Ace," Bumblebee's voice chimed in cheerfully. By the sound, he'd taken residence on Ace's berth already.
Eyes weren't necessary, Symphony could feel the curiosity in the short silence.
"His spark's normal tone is a chord pitched at A, C and E," Symphony announced to that silence.
"That's adorable," the third female voice announced with a smile.
"Now then Symphony," the dominant voice announced patiently. "I thought you may wish to know the femmes occupying the base with you-"
"That and we're dying to get to know you," the fifth voice added.
Anyone could hear that cheeky grin.
"You guessed correctly, I am Arcee," the dominant voice announced herself calmly.
"I am designated Silvermoon," the first voice stated patiently. "Bonded mate of Prowl, and carrier to Bluestreak."
"I assume you'll identify us by voice first, I'm Lena, the second Human-born," the third voice announced with a smile.
"My designation is Chromia," the fourth voice stated calmly, the squeak-pop of her tire and doppler effect on her voice announced the femme moving forward and settling down close by.
Symphony caught the sound of the femme's spark, a sound that seemed individual to each which comforted her. But more, the particular note of Chromia was comforting of itself.
"I'm Flare," the fifth voice finished cheerfully. "Welcome to NEST, are you hungry?"
"Thank you, no, the soldiers brought me to the cafeteria earlier," Symphony smiled at the femmes.
"Good," Arcee's voice stated gently. "Now then dear, how are you settling in? Such a change must be quite a shock to your systems."
"I might have wished that Ace didn't have to leave so quickly, but the people here have been very kind," Symphony answered patiently. "I do have some questions though-"
"Hold that thought, Symphony I'm sorry; my Jolt is frozen, I need to go take care of him," Lena's voice announced in a worried tone, followed by a few rapid footsteps which quickly disappeared.
"I'm so sorry dear, we'll answer your questions as soon as we can," Arcee added. "Now." Then, the sound of mechanics, the hissing of hydraulics and light clunks, similar to the sound of her guardian assuming another form.
"We'll be back soon!" Bumblebee's voice called out, he sounded like he was already at the door.
Then, silence. Symphony rose and continued her exploration.
"This place is noisy," she commented patiently.
Wingnut grunted agreement.
"What's wrong?"
"Shockwave has turned up, he is attacking near to this place," Silvermoon's voice stated flatly. "They're going after him."
Another name that Symphony couldn't put a face to. But by the way Wingnut's spark was humming, the name meant a bad thing to her. The kind of name that Symphony didn't want a face to put it to.
"Who's Shockwave?" Symphony asked calmly, lightly running her fingertips along the high, arching circle that formed the ring of her bed.
Ambassador Banes had fascinating taste when it came to furniture, not one piece was shaped like the others. The mattress was rectangular, as most tended to be, but the frame was a massive oval.
It was a fascinating piece of construction, and when she sat on it, it moved like her father's boat had once done.
"You don't even want to know," Wingnut's voice glowered softly. "He's a bad mech."
"What qualifies a good mech and a bad one?" Symphony asked patiently.
"He slags bots, and he builds slag-brides, he pretends to be a scientist... well... I guess he is kind of a scientist, but he doesn't give a slag about the bots he experiments on..." Wingnut glowered. "He hurt Papa."
Symphony nodded. Lugnut was a kind personality, both when he had been locked in youngling mode and now; anyone that caused harm to Lugnut was bad indeed.
(SePOV)
Every human was safe, they were being led by soldiers into the safe areas.
For such tiny creatures, the humans were good at what they specialized in.
"Sentinel! You're free to engage!" one of them called out to him. Sentinel nodded. Normally he would have taken offence that the human dare give him an order.
But it wasn't, and Sentinel understood that of the humans now.
They were simply informing him that they had the situation covered, he could go to the next one.
So he did, transforming beside the medic and roaring off to the co-ordinates of the enforcer. High overhead twin jets screamed through the atmosphere.
Aerial backup.
That still required some getting used to.
It was a short drive, the human drivers giving way to him as he informed them of an emergency. It was another point to these humans: the correctly coloured flashing light and they got out of your way, the populace accepting the signal as that of an emergency.
Sentinel felt pride for the unit as he came on the scene, Prowl had taken damage already, but the enforcer was on the perimeter of the battle, Arcee tending his wounds even as her mate transformed and strode quickly to their side.
Sentinel himself transformed, drawing cannon and blade as he strode into the thick of the battle, idly sweeping the cutting ends from the twisted scientist's destroyer off with his primary sword. More of those tentacles began to go for him, so much the better.
As his sister Prime frequently stated, it saved him having to go to the attacker.
Shockwave himself turned to attack him, the scientist wouldn't be able to help it. Sentinel was the highest threat in the area. He smirked at the smaller mech, blades whistling through the air as the smaller still Auto-bots made sure he didn't take damage from behind.
Fighting with trustworthy mechs and femmes watching your back was an invigorating, rather pleasant exercise. The fliers had landed on the other side, letting off cautious, idle, yet still well aimed shots into the destroyer. With so many fighting together, Sentinel took some pause.
By no means did his arms cease to move, to defend, however he wondered at the scientist's gambit. To what purpose could he possibly hope to gain from this excursion?
Curious, Sentinel snapped a forcefield online, surrounding the cyclopian mech with it and tearing him from his perch atop the destroyer.
Without it's host to direct it, Driller fell still.
It took simple moments to disarm the mech, one servo idly grasping the throat of the other, Sentinel dangled the smaller above the ground.
"What did you hope to gain by this?" he asked curiously, glancing around at the destruction.
"To remind the humans that you are not solely our targets," Shockwave grinned at him manically.
Not Shockwave.
Up close, it was immediately apparent that this was not Shockwave.
He was too small. His helm had been changed, a signature override allowing the smaller mech access to the destroyer.
That same signature override was responsible for fooling the scans. Driller screeched then, diving back into the earth, no doubt heeding the signal of it's master.
"We will not leave the humans alone, they are your allies and our enemies, and the enemies of Decepticons will be terminated!" the mech howled with a broad grin, even as the signature faded.
A somewhat shaky Prowl was striding toward him then, Ultra Magnus behind.
"Ultra Magnus, escort Blowpipe to holding," Sentinel commanded, handing the renamed imposter over to the mech. Then he turned and glowered down into the hole rapidly filling with water.
There was no hope of tracking Driller through that muck.
The water itself was a problem, already it was eating away the foundations of the area. In human terms: a 'sinkhole' was rapidly forming.
So he quickly got down into the hole itself, sourcing out the cause of the water and working to cease it.
A pinched off end of the pipe would serve for now, humans were screaming, the pitches of terror tripping his protective circuits.
"Autobots!" Sentinel commanded. "Get the humans to safety!"
Around him, some five of the human's vehicles were being swallowed by the water and muck, the human passengers trapped within.
That did not require processing.
The closest he laid hands on, digging fingers deep into the fuselage extending out of the front where a mech's circuitry would have been stored and hauled it toward the edge. The front end propped up on the edge, he caught hold of the rear and grunted, lifting and shoving the vehicle out of danger and into the hands of Prowl and Bumblebee, the two immediately digging out their own handholds and dragging the car further away from the growing hole.
Then came the next, and the next, until the five vehicles in the hole were there no longer. Sentinel glowered at the ruptured water pipe, the pressure beginning to negate his first attempt at stemming the flow. The water was slowly beginning to force it's way out. But far more troublesome for him, it was creating a deep muck which he was now having a great deal of trouble exiting.
Regardless, he glanced around, then by some small prompting of spark-sense scanned the area and found a sixth car, completely swallowed by the mud.
Driller had pressed it there. It's position making it the one he should have pulled out first.
In a panic, Sentinel lunged for the vehicle, catching hold and hauling it to the surface. He could not see inside, and did not know what he would find. The water main chose that moment to burst open once more, causing him to stagger against the new force as he dragged the car toward safety.
There were living creatures in that vehicle however, whom would no doubt be in dire need of aid.
"Ratchet!" he shouted, struggling against the mud and spraying water. He was tired, the weight of the mud fighting against him as he shoved that final vehicle out of danger. He caught hold of the edge of the hole and hauled himself out somewhat, sitting on that edge and digging his fingers into the side.
The second the doors gave way a single human femme came out with a great deal of water.
She was screaming. There was no anger, simply fear.
That required no processing.
Sentinel onlined his holoform and caught hold of the woman, dragging her against his chest as she shook and screamed and sobbed.
Ratchet looked over at him and nodded, scanning the woman.
::. She is in shock and hysterical, recommend maintaining your holoform thus, it's the best thing for her now.:: the medic informed him patiently. Sentinel nodded and tucked the woman a bit more closely against his holoform, onlining a few extra processors as he scanned the area.
Paramedics were everywhere, as were their ambulance conveyances.
Then something that proved useful for once.
A truck was caught in the traffic, it had the markings of the human's city works.
More importantly? There were pipes on that truck.
Sentinel edged toward that truck and reached out, lightly catching hold of the uppermost pipe. It was of the correct dimensions and material for him to repair that main with...
"Oi! What're you doing!" the human in the front of the truck bellowed.
"There is a water main ruptured still," Sentinel rumbled flatly. "This pipe is of the correct dimension to repair it. Or do you wish such a precious resource as your drinking water to continue degrading the road?"
The man blinked at him for a second, then pulled down a tiny box on a wire.
"Dispatch this is unit five oh eight reporting one of the robot guys wants a pipe out my load here."
"Is he going to fix that line? Give him whatever the hell he wants!" a voice shouted back through the radio. Sentinel smirked somewhat, far more efficient.
In moments the man was out of his truck, popping the straps that held the load in place.
Delicately, Sentinel fished the pipe he wanted from beneath those straps and turned. He spent a moment ensuring that the crying femme in his holoform's arms was still functioning properly before he dropped into the hole again. It was a moment's work then, the water cleaned the mud away from itself, a quick slash of a plasmic edge had the damaged end shorn away, pipe pressed tightly the next second against the molten edge.
Instant weld.
The next was trickier, the line broken off beneath the ground. Sentinel rolled his optics at it somewhat and grimaced, glancing around as he enabled the fire-truck accoutrements of his earthen alternate form. It was beyond strange to utilize the water gushing from the pipe, circulated throughout his systems to clear away the earth in his way.
But he accomplished it regardless, baring the pipe then splicing it. He looked at the finished product critically for a moment then shrugged. The humans would have to see to the finishing touches, and certainly purge the systems.
But at least the resource was no longer spilling where it did not come to use.
"Why can't I hear your heartbeat?" the woman in his holoform's arms asked in a shaky tone.
"I am not in possession of a physical heart as humans are, this is my holoform." he replied calmly. "The note you are likely to hear from this shade in place of heartbeat and breath is the recurring echo of my spark-tone."
Tiredly, he hauled himself out of the pool of mud and particulates and settled on the edge again, watching critically as the remaining water began it's slow, patient quest of finding the path of least resistance.
"You're huge," the woman murmured in an astonished tone.
"That is a matter of perspective," he replied patiently, idly shifting the arms of his holoform to cradle her more effectively as she calmed, and slowly became animate herself.
"The brotherhood says you're a demon, why are you being so kind?" she asked softly.
Sentinel looked down at the femme and allowed himself a small smile.
"We are demons only when the task of evil is necessary, my first duty as a Prime is the care and protection of those weaker than myself, no matter their species."
(BPOV)
Bumblebee continued dragging cars into safe areas, the emergency was over, but that didn't mean he couldn't help out the humans a bit with the cleanup.
Sentinel had already begun repairing the pipe, but Bee was busy tearing doors off to pay too much attention to it.
Ratchet was scolding Prowl, which was kinda unfair but that was Ratchet.
He scolded you even when you weren't hurt.
Bee looked around for the next thing to do and jumped.
He was finished already, the humans had already begun cleaning up the mess, the injured were being driven away. The fliers glanced at each other before taking off, streaking toward their headquarters.
He couldn't help but shudder slightly as he recognized the two. Delta Trine. A trine of two members, and anyone who asked them where the third was, or why they didn't simply call themselves a duo, or a couple, was in for a sound beating.
That's what Blue said anyway, and Blue had been on the Decepticon ships for some time, watching the in-fighting between his guards.
There was a massive difference though, because there was a third thread between them. Usually if you asked a seeker where his trine was, he'd glance in two directions, following his threads before telling you to mind your own business.
But there was a third thread, reaching out and terrifyingly weak, it made him wonder why the two weren't already out looking for their weakened third.
That's what the seekers were renowned for doing.
Bee shook his head and looked around again before starting.
Sentinel had a woman cradled in his holoform's arms.
And there was a thread.
Bee blinked, and immediately brought several processors online, memorizing the woman's face and bio stats before running that face through the human's data banks.
Bee needed to attend to some serious scheming, because without a doubt the woman would go home soon, and Sentinel would allow her to...
"Please," Sentinel rumbled quietly then. "Allow me to escort you to your living quarters."
Bee grinned as the woman smiled shyly at the holoform.
This might actually be easier than he thought.
"And what pray tell, are you grinning at?" Sentinel's voice rumbled the next second. In an instant, Bee straightened his face.
Too late.
"Uh..." he started, then pointed to the woman.
Sentinel stared at him.
His faceplates, pit, his body was frozen.
Which would be fine; except for his optics.
Sentinel was staring at him, optics speaking first of confusion, then stunned astonishment before they completely blanked out.
"Slag!" Bumblebee shouted as the massive Prime's holo blinked out and he began tipping over.
Sentinel was gonna be pissed
"How the slag did you make Sentinel glitch!?" Ratchet demanded with a snort, quickly striding over and catching hold of the bot's frame.
Bumblebee buried his faceplates into a hand, keeping an optic on the woman standing and staring at the drama in front of her. Her face was equally stunned.
Although that was probably because she'd almost fallen over when the holo winked out... her face finally registered on his scans.
"What the hell?" Shyamala Kulkarni finally said aloud.
"Uh..." Bumblebee began. "Long story?"