March 8, 2016. It's international women's day today, a day to reflect on how far we've come as 50% of the species, and a lifetime to reflect on how far we still need to go. Today I give a shout out from my own little spot on this tiny rock hurling through space, to every non-fictional female protagonist, to every feminist, to every woman who calls out for their right to vote, to every mother, sister and daughter who calls out for equality, and every man who has the balls to stand behind her.

Chapter 204 – The Long Tuesday: Entertainment Commencement

(MaPOV)

"I don't like it." Sentinel stated flatly.

"I know you don't," Mala stated patiently. "I don't like giving them any kind of technology but-"

"Not that," Sentinel stated in an exasperated tone.

"I know my love," Mala chuckled softly. A flash of red caught her eye, Mala straightened somewhat and caught his holoform's eyes. "Now remember what I told you," she stated cooly. Sentinel vented a sigh through the heater vents and turned the holo to face the road once more, driving the final two miles before pulling to a stop outside his lecture hall. In silence, Mala climbed down from his cabin, 'hesitantly' accepting the aid of his holoform.

If only to keep her modesty in the severely cut pearl grey pencil suit.

"Are you absolutely certain you do not wish an escort?" Sentinel asked worriedly, lightly holding her hands. "Any number of the bots would be more than willing to take you wherever you wish to go."

Mala almost kissed that mech. Almost.

As it was she purposely 'forced' herself to remain still. To not fidget.

"Thank you, Sentinel, but I'd prefer some privacy to do my shopping," Mala stated in a cool, precise tone. He was watching them again, the nondescript, sallow faced and sandy haired man in wannabe military blacks. Wannabe military, with hints of dishonourable discharge in his stance.

Sentinel looked so hurt, it took her a bit more effort than it usually did to not reach out and soothe his fears. She'd have to make it up to him later.

"I'll be back," she stated patiently, moving to leave. Sentinel reached for her, the holoform stepping after her as she moved out of reach.

"Please," he stated quietly, lightly touching her face. "Yours is such a fragile frame in an extraordinarily perilous world. Please be careful."

"I've made it this far," Mala stated in a casual tone, turning her back and striding toward the street proper and the line of taxis waiting for fares. It was true, Mala thought idly as she walked, Kae had been absolutely correct in her phrasing of it as well; far more than her lineup of human companions, this time, there was a definite pull.

The pull that said: 'Stop, you've bruised his pride, go back and tell him you care.'

She couldn't though, and Sentinel knew it. He didn't like it but he did know that her actions were for the benefit of the sandy haired man watching her movements whenever they were in public.

"Downtown, please," Mala told the cabbie patiently. She pursed her lips slightly, reviewing the expressions that had crossed his holoform's face.

"Where downtown, ma'am?" the man asked her curiously.

"Oh anywhere," she stated idly, then she smirked slightly. "Actually, somewhere I can get some proper lingerie, please."

"Going shopping Ma'am?" the man asked with a broad grin.

"I believe I shall," Mala stated in a smugly airy tone, lightly fanning herself with the little black credit card Arcee had pressed into her hand.

"This one is mine, and this one is Sentinel's," 'Cee had stated with a small smirk, writing two pin numbers down and handing them to her. "If you wish to purchase something to surprise Sentinel with use mine."

"What happens if I use his?" Mala asked curiously before she caught herself. "Oh don't be ridiculous I'm not destitute!" she'd stated in protest, trying to hand the card back.

"Then the transaction is immediately logged, and Sentinel is made aware of it. It is at times considered foreplay among us," Arcee stated blandly, idly folding her hands behind her back.

Mala blinked, and stared at the femme. Arcee grinned at her.

"Before you say it: No, you are not for sale. When a bot's guardian protocols are activated there's an element of provision to it. When you accept gifts from your guardian it is not a transaction, they consider it a sign of your acceptance of their service, and that there's the potential that you'll ask them for something else; maybe even something they'll enjoy as well."

"So if I use Sentinel's card?" Mala had asked curiously.

"Then it's you actively allowing him to provide for you, saying that you accept him being your guardian. It hurts their feelings when you don't accept, even when the guardianship is fully platonic. Sentinel will know what you're buying with his card, be it lingerie, bath products, clothes, particular foods..."

Mala shot a rather suspicious look at the femme.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Arcee grinned at her. "That's why I gave you my number as well, I am not your guardian; I'm saying go get yourself some replacements for the stuff Shockwave destroyed, and the things you didn't bother to bring because the flight back to London you had intended to be on left two days ago."

"I took the ground bridge four days prior, right into my apartment," Mala argued in amusement.

"That has absolutely no bearing on the matter," Arcee sniffed airily, the femme's holoform flickering lightly in a Cybertronian head toss.

"You said he considers it foreplay?" Mala asked with mocking gravity.

"That depends entirely on what you buy," Arcee had smirked at her, un-phased. "Think of it as dropping little notes, and whispering little hints of what might happen when you see each other again. What's the human phrase? The suspense will kill him."

Mala smirked to herself as the driver dropped her off at the door to a mall which stated it was the Fashion Centre. Promising.

"Will you require pickup ma'am?" the cabbie asked politely.

"No, I should be alright, thank you," Mala stated calmly, handing the man the correct change and a wee tip for not getting them killed.

In the corner of her eye, the flash of red, Mala didn't need to look to know he was there. Privately, she hoped he'd hurry up and inform Cain of her whereabouts already, Durga only knew how long they expected her to carry a bloody rifle about in her purse. Mala glanced down at the bag and rolled her eyes slightly.

For such a massive, almost ungainly bag, it at least had the decency to be stylish. Why Chromia had it in the first place was quite beyond her. Even though the size differential made it a rather fetching clutch for the femme, anything she might possibly fit into the bag she reputedly kept in subspace.

That way she didn't lose it.

Regardless, Mala strode patiently into the mall proper and took a cursory glance at the map. Then she smirked, if they were going to make her wait then she was going to teach them a lesson in manners.

The sallow faced man made his appearance again, casually following her as she made her way to a café, sat at the table and smiled at the little waitress.

"A pot of tea, please, in china. Four cups." Mala stated calmly.

"Some biscuits with that ma'am?" the girl asked with a smile. Mala beamed at the familiar accent.

"Please, what part of England dear?"

"London," the girl grinned before glancing up at a person waving at her. Mala smiled patiently as the girl pottered off to drop off a bill and ring a customer through. Any number of people passed, the majority not noticing, though more likely not caring that a sallow faced man was tucked into a corner, busily pretending to be reading a newspaper.

Fifteen minutes and the girl returned with a pot and tray, laying the table properly in front of her, and happily reminiscing of the shop she'd worked at across the pond before taking her leave again.

Patiently, Mala nibbled at one of the biscuits as Cain's security men inconspicuously tucked themselves around the perimeter.

Or attempted to, at any rate. Mala recognized at least two of them, but she didn't let that show in her own eyes. No sense in giving up the game just yet...

"Miss Kulkarni," Cain's voice stated with quiet pomposity.

"Ah, there you are," Mala beamed at the man, looking up as he towered over her. Or attempted to, anyway. Now Sentinel, there

was a mech capable of a decent tower! "Please, sit, tea?" she asked sweetly, pouring the man a cup before he could say either way.

Cain entirely failed to keep the resigned look of irritation off of his face. Mala restrained herself from rolling her eyes, and shot his impending arguments down with a perfectly benign, innocent expression.

"Please," he stated, choosing to play nice with her. Good boy. "What news of the other woman?"

"Her name is Sim, what that's short for I have absolutely no idea," Mala began calmly, taking a sip of her tea. "She's a dear little thing, although who she's matched with I've not the faintest idea, rather a number of them interact with her quite regularly, though no one more than the next. You know my mother always called tea the universal solvent, she said that all of the problems in the world can be solved with it."

"You don't say," Cain prompted her, barely keeping the sneer off of his face. It still touched his tone. Inwardly, Mala smirked. "So it's confirmed they have taken another healthy woman from the human race."

"Blind though, poor little sweetheart, I dearly want to know how she manages in such a noisy place," Mala stated musingly.

"They took in a blind girl?" Cain demanded incredulously.

"Indeed, to be perfectly frank, Cain, I don't know if removing her from their care would be appropriate. I'm quite certain the little girl doesn't have any family to care for her anymore," Mala stated in a perfectly saddened tone. "I had the chance to speak to her, she has no desire to leave."

"Prisoners regularly become attached to their captors, Mala," Cain stated in a tone which was far too suave to be properly gentle or kind. "We refer to it as Stockholm syndrome."

"Oh I've heard of that!" Mala stated with widened eyes, blatantly faking an 'ah hah!' moment. No surprise showed in Cain's eyes, merely a bit of the resignation again. "You should drink your tea, good for the nerves it is," Mala added patiently, taking another sip of her own. "Certainly I need my tea considering what's in my purse at the moment. I was certain the entire time we were driving to the hall that Sentinel was going to find it and take me directly back to base."

That caught his attention, Mala inwardly smirked as Cain froze, the look on his face shifting from resigned to curious to calculating. Mala took another sip of her tea, patiently waiting for the man to catch up with her.

"What do you have for me, Ms. Kulkarni?" Cain purred at her, lifting his un-doctored tea and taking a large swallow.

"The soldiers were all carrying them around the base," Mala stated in a soft, conspiratorial tone, looking warily down at the bag she'd carried through the mall. Cain followed her gaze as she reached down and lightly shifted the satchel open somewhat. "I thought they were just guns, but then they started firing them in the indoor range, they shoot light beams!" Mala whispered in a stunned tone.

Cain gave a curt gesture, and one of his men came over, bearing a sizable duffle.

Mala kept her face perfectly neutral as, under the tablecloth, Cain retrieved the rifle Wheeljack had presented to her and reverently tucked it into the duffle.

"Ms. Kulkarni you've done a true service to our race," Cain informed her, lightly taking her hands. "Now, my man says that you're still quite cool toward Sentinel, I know it's highly distasteful but you must gain his trust. Wrap him about your fingers Mala, seduce him if you are able-"

"I don't know about that Cain," Mala frowned at the man, playing up her part as best she could.

"I would never ask it if I didn't believe it necessary," Cain stated in a soothing tone, holding her hands firmly as she tried to pull away. "But for the sake of Sim, for our species you must try."

Mala shot the man an exasperated look before she nodded with a resigned look on her face. Cain cupped her cheek for a second before he collected the duffel, carrying it as furtively as one might the golden goose as his security men fanned out ahead of and behind him. Mala watched them for a moment before she turned back to her tea.

"Weird sort, these americans," the little waitress commented.

"Truth, my love, truth," Mala replied with a little laugh, glancing up at the girl's name tag.

"Refill on your pot?"

"Please," Mala smiled at the girl as another woman in the same uniform waved, trotting toward the register while peeling off a light sweater. "And bring yourself a cuppa if you've a mind."

"You know I believe I shall," Wendi stated cheerfully, clearing Cain's china and silverware before striding to the back. "You're late Cam! I've already clocked out you owe me chocolate!"

"God bless the girl who takes a slice of chocolate cake in lieu of giving me a ten minutes' overtime paperwork headache," Cam stated with a mocking sigh, resting a hand over her heart.

Mala smiled and took another sip of her tea, contentedly settling back to watch the chaos of life in another country.

(OPOV)

Optimus looked rather sceptically at the flight deck.

"That's what I thought," his Kae murmured in an amused tone, leaning idly against his side. Optimus looked down at his mate in amusement as she wriggled lightly into the circle of his arm.

"And you are certain this is a good idea?" he rumbled with a snort.

"You're the one that said Annabelle could go into space if she wanted," his Kae informed him with a low laugh. "Are you really going to incur Ironhide's wrath for disappointing his favourite hatchling?"

"Femmeling," Ironhide growled.

"Femmeling," Kae agreed gravely. "Besides, this way we can kill two birds with one stone-"

"Why would you wanna do that? I mean when they drop that white stuff on you it's kinda mean 'cause it eats your paint away why do you think they do that? Either way it's not very nice to kill-"

"It's a human phrase, Bluestreak," Kae stated with a small smile. "A throwback from more primitive times, it translates to accomplishing two tasks with one action."

"You're going to have to be extraordinarily careful," Chromia stated firmly.

"You expect any less from me, sister?" Kae asked in a hurt tone.

"That thing only protects them when it's in the atmosphere," Ironhide growled.

"You're right, it needs an upgrade," his Kae stated gravely.

"What's going on?" Will asked curiously, walking into the entrance bay.

"My Kae has informed me that should Annabelle become the youngest human to leave Earth's atmosphere as she so desires, that we take several others along in our combined form." Optimus rumbled down to the human patiently.

"You're taking my daughter into space?" Will asked flatly.

"You didn't ask Will first?" Kae asked the next second, she reached out and lightly cuffed Ironhide.

"I was gettin' to it, didn't want to raise my little niece's hopes without knowin' if you lot would," Ironhide grumbled.

"If you let my daughter come to harm I'm taking the suit's cannons to you, you know that, right?" Will threatened him mildly. Optimus looked gravely around the gathered, mildly astonished at the sheer number of threats which had occurred in the space of a few short breem. Mildly. He had conversed with the wrecker councils on frequent occasions...

"Understood," his Kae answered gravely, then she turned and began striding toward the med-bay.

"Where you going niece?" Ironhide rumbled curiously.

Optimus chuckled and idly reached for the flight deck, transforming it and casually handing the cannons to Ironhide.

"For all the time that I have been bonded to her, it still astonishes me how quickly my Kae moves from thought to action. The flight deck requires proper upgrades and testing if we are to take humans outside of the atmosphere entirely," Optimus rumbled in amusement, collecting the last three and following Ironhide into the armoury.

"Where the slag did this come from!?" Will promptly bellowed. Ironhide jumped and looked down.

"It's always been here," he rumbled with a grin, settling Optimus' spare weapons into their proper place. "Ever since Kae expanded the central." Optimus lightly settled his own load into their cradles and turned, striding to the flight deck and re-arranging it to be carried more easily. That was carried into the med-bay and set in the open floor space his femme indicated to him.

"Right then," his mate murmured, Optimus watched his Kae in amusement as she promptly connected to the flight deck – the cables she rarely used snaking out from beneath this plate of armour and that – then in astonishment as it began to grow.

"How the slag?" Mudflap demanded in shock as a pair of spacer charges emerged beside the atmospheric engines, then ducking as a few plates of spare metals whizzed from Ratchet's 'wall of stuff,' immediately glowing and re-shaping themselves the second they connected with the platform.

"Why did you not add the charges before?" Optimus rumbled curiously.

"Because it was only you and I before," his Kae murmured with a small smile, disconnecting. "We're going to need more boost if we're carrying a heavier load."

"Where the slag did they go!?" Will's voice bellowed, no doubt scouring Ratchet's storage bay for any trace of the armoury.

Optimus chuckled and lightly shouldered the deck, integrating into it easily as his mate's spark initiated their systems analysis.

"Shall we?" she asked in amusement.

Optimus grinned and strode to the entrance bay again, taking a cursory observation of Ironhide grinning at Will as the man attempted to ascertain the location of the armoury – repeatedly appearing then disappearing from Ratchet's storage bay – then out into the bright sunshine. He turned and caught his mate, crushing her to his chest as her frame shattered, integrating into his own once more. He quickly cycled his vocal processors, ensuring that his moan of pleasure was known only to his mate.

Humans were odd like that, and there were any number of soldiers scattered throughout the area.

His Kae took control of their body the next moment, blasting their combined frames up into the atmosphere synchronistically to the flight control's indication to do just that.

::. This is Aerial Prime requesting clear airspace for experimental atmospheric exit and re-entry.:: Kae stated over the comms patiently, idly adjusting their vectors to match the human's traffic patterns. Optimus watched their systems in fascination, even occasionally looking outward at the sky above and ground below.

~Ready?~ his mate asked with a bright smile.

Optimus chuckled and held on a little bit more tightly as his mate rolled several times in the air, then she changed her mind and ceased, continuing to fly through the atmosphere.

~Kae?~ he asked curiously.

~I need more data, and aileron rolls with Anabelle on board are going to be a no-no~ his mate murmured musingly.

::. Aerial Prime we're reading you still in the atmosphere, what's your status?.:: control called out.

::. Aerial Prime responding, I need to run further diagnostics of our frame, please advise on clear atmospheric paths.::

::. Acknowledged, proceed south at mark one eight zero.::

Optimus watched their vectors interestedly as their frame began shifting minutely, tightening up the cabin between them even as they continued screaming through the atmosphere.

A pair of nondescript holoforms onlined within their cabin the next moment, the human-intrinsic data immediately showing on their heads up display.

~Right then~ his femme grinned, their engines began cycling up somewhat more. ~Ready?~

Optimus chuckled again and held onto his mate for dear life as their pace increased, boosting to escape velocity before their nose turned up to the stars, when his atmospheric engines began to strangle for lack of air the secondary engines came online, even as his mate's own engines switched from air-pusher to spacer charge. Once again, the last of the atmosphere gave way to the celestial dance. Optimus watched it with awe for a moment before he turned to the HUD, carefully reviewing the bio-stats of their 'human passengers' as their frame began shifting once more, improving their form for spaceflight.

~We will more likely than not have to carry a few spare tanks of oxygen for the humans~ he informed his mate patiently, observing the levels within the tiny bubble of atmosphere they two had captured.

~Agreed~ his mate murmured, then she grinned. ~But at least we have the specs up to date~

Optimus smiled and lightly, questioningly touched the controls. His Kae beamed at him as he assumed control over their vectors, smoothly directing their body to orbit the earth well out of the way of the various satellites the humans had positioned around their planet.

~You've been holding out on me~ his mate murmured in an amused tone, her spark nuzzling against his gently.

~I did arrive by spaceflight pod~ Optimus reminded his mate in amusement.

~You did, you then announced your arrival with a sonic boom to raise the dead~ His Kae teased him gently. Optimus laughed and onlined his own holoform, pushing his human form throughout their frame to observe their tester 'forms.

"Well we seem to be holding the air alright," his Kae stated thoughtfully, her own holoform floating patiently from portal to portal, the sensitive 'flesh' of her human frame testing for any possible currents.

"Indeed," Optimus rumbled musingly, observing their test-forms' restraining systems. "I would suggest further modifications of the seats for launch however."

"Agreed," his Kae stated firmly, their systems running yet another diagnostic.

::. Nest Base Washington to Aerial Primes, do you read me?.:: Lena's voice called out cheerfully over the Primary.

::. Aerial Primes responding.:: Optimus sent patiently.

::. Canna go flying now!?.:: Annabelle's voice rang out the next second. Optimus smiled as his mate chuckled.

::. Flying yes, up into space not quite yet, we have a bit of work to do still.:: his Kae responded with a smile.

::. The Directors are calling again.:: Will's voice stated patiently.

::. We shall return planet side presently, please inform the Directors that I will be available to them in approximately twenty minutes.:: Optimus informed the man calmly as his mate lightly resumed the control over their systems, diving into the atmosphere the second the Earth-space control allowed it.