Chapter 211 – The Inculcation Conundrum
(MPOV)
I dimly brought an optic online then shut it down again, nuzzling my face a bit more closely to my mate's spark chamber. Oh nine hundred, Friday morning. My internal chronometer stated that we had been in deep recharge for just under sixty hours, the lighting in our quarters was already well on it's way to bringing itself up to day-mode, and my personal logs and schedules were clamouring for my attention.
But my mate was still dozing, only conscious enough to pull me a bit more tightly into his chest, his spark gently trying to convince mine to return to the same state of recharge as he was. Normally, the fact that I had been asleep for sixty hours would have been enough to make me cringe, but more and more, I was becoming accustomed to the day cycle my mate had adhered to for well over twenty millennia.
Beside my helm my Optimus' spark hummed softly, lulling me into a state of deep relaxation with the promise of absolute safety in his presence; his arms holding my frame tightly to his own with the gentleness which time and again belied his extraordinary power. It was ridiculously comfortable; what little circulatory system I possessed was protected by my exoskeleton, defying any sort of numb limb.
I hummed softly and vented a quiet sigh, my seemingly endless to-do list was clamouring for my attention again, but I had absolutely no intention of moving from this spot. A soft tapping sounded at the door, the distinctive reverberation of human flesh and bone meeting thin metal. I ignored it, praying that Ratchet would bluntly inform the knocker that Optimus and I were still recharging.
The knocking sounded again and I lightly polarized my frame, magnetizing myself to my mate and thereby ensuring that no-bot could drag me from my spot.
Well... Sentinel probably could, but I was certain that he knew better... mostly.
The soft squeak of a hinge denoted the sound of a human entering. Drat.
"You awake yet Kae?" Will's voice whispered.
"No," I mumbled in my best groggy tone.
"Do I need to re-schedule your appointments?" Will asked in an amused tone, footsteps announcing his casual entrance into our quarters.
"Next week," I mumbled, turning my face slightly so that my optics would be wholly blocked by my mate's frame. Beside my audio-receptor my Optimus' spark began to hum the sounds of him rousing.
"C'mon Kae, Ratchet says you've been awake for twenty minutes already," Will informed me cheerfully. "Sunstreaker and Sideswipe woke up an hour ago and Bumblebee still won't tell the twins that they have a spark-thread linking them to Anabelle until you're there for him to hide behind."
What?
"The slag?" I demanded as my Optimus rolled onto his back to blearily look at Will's head poking up over the edge of our berth.
"I am smarter than I look," Will stated in an amused tone. "And once I had two and two put together it really didn't take that much effort to twist Bee's arm into spilling. However my point stands: Bee won't tell the twins unless you're around for him to hide behind just in case Sunstreaker flips a switch, and I have an entire base full of potential hazards that are just going to be exacerbated if the twins can't get their processors in sync."
"You are taking this with remarkably more grace than we were projecting," my Optimus rumbled calmly.
"Well, Sarah's a bit irritated, particularly on the point that we're basically allowing a polygamist union to be arranged for our daughter while she's so young," Will stated tiredly, striding onto our berth and casually crawling into my mate's palm until he was comfortably lounging with us. "It's been an interesting couple of days in my head, but personal feelings aside my hands are tied right now: I can't send my girls home with the house tented, there'd be mutiny if I sent them to live in a hotel for the next three months, and the twins are going to be increasingly dangerous to be around if they can't sort out their processors. The safety of every spark and soul on this base is my responsibility."
"The tribulations of leadership," my Optimus murmured quietly. Will nodded in tired agreement.
I sighed, curling up against my mate's side for a moment before stretching and pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw.
"I suppose blowing your processors and knocking you back into your auto-recharge is going to have to wait until later," I informed my mate in an amused tone, carefully moving to crawl over him and off of our berth.
Optimus chuckled and used his free arm to drag me down onto his chest for a moment, pressing a lingering kiss to my lips. In that position I simply couldn't resist opening my chamber against his and pressing a light, secondary charge load through him. I pushed myself up somewhat and observed my mate critically for a moment as he lay reposed in automatic recharge before I smirked.
"The hell?" Will demanded, sitting up to look at my mate's darkened optics, his faceplates frozen in shock.
"Charge-load re-boot," I stated cheerfully, lightly levering myself off of our berth and summoning my armour. I leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to my mate's lips, lightly resettling my wings before straightening. "I suppose we'd best go face the music, coming?" I offered him my hand and smiled as Will immediately clambered into my palm. I synced my processors for a moment and smiled at my mate as his optics came online again. "I'll see you later, beloved," I murmured, my spark flaring lightly as my mate returned my smile with his own.
"I shall count the seconds," he murmured in gentle amusement.
I turned and strode into the corridors, lightly flicking my proximity sensors online and accessing the Primary. The twins were in the entrance bay, and mere moments from driving through the ground-bridge to resume their world-wide patrol. Bee was in central.
::. Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, may I have a word?.:: I sent to them patiently.
::. We were just...:: Sideswipe began hesitantly.
::. What are we supposed to have done this time?.:: Sunstreaker demanded impatiently.
::. Nothing that I've heard of yet, have you a guilty conscience that you'd like to assuage?.:: I asked in amusement, striding past the entrance bay and looking at the twins as they transformed, watching me with wary optics as the bridge cycled down again. ::. Will you join me in the central, please?.:: I added patiently, striding toward the central myself.
Across our sibling bond I could feel my little-brother's anxiety ratchet itself up several notches, I gently caressed his spark across that bond, re-affirming my promise that he would not come to harm.
"If it's about that desk on your desk we've already told the Prowler a half dozen times over that we have no idea where your armchairs have gone," Sunstreaker immediately grumbled as I settled myself into my place in the Central, Bumblebee immediately shifting from his spot to my Optimus' normal place, tucking himself into my chest-plates.
"I believe you," I stated patiently, lightly depositing Will onto Bee's leg struts before calmly wrapping an arm around his shoulders, my free hand finally came to rest delicately on my knee. "However at the moment that is not what we wish to discuss with you."
"'We?' Has Sentinel finally won the argument for you to start adopting the royal plural?" Sideswipe grinned at me as Ironhide stomped his way into the central, making a beeline for the energon dispenser.
"If Sentinel ever wins that argument and I start acting like a pompous jackass, I'll have your oath here and now that you'll shove a plasma round up my aft," I glowered. Bee chirped beside me at the same time that Ironhide snorted mid-swig, the resultant bit of energon dribbling down his faceplates quickly swiped away; the twins were smirking at me.
"Well what's so important that you couldn't just ask over the primary then?" Sunstreaker asked in a somewhat more mollified tone. I calmly looked down at my little-brother.
"Well... uh..." Bumblebee began quietly.
"What? Did we take one of the countries you wanted to patrol?" Sideswipe asked curiously.
"No..." Bumblebee mumbled.
"You have a spark-thread," Will stated bluntly. "With my daughter."
Beside me, Bumblebee flinched slightly. Ironhide snorted in his place in the Central.
"Really?" Sideswipe asked with wide-opticed incredulity. "We're her guardians?"
"You can't be serious, them!?" Ironhide demanded with a derisive laugh, looking at Bee and pointing to the twins.
"If this is your idea of a prank it is in extremely poor taste," Sunstreaker growled in a deeply offended tone. "The potential of a spark-mate is not a topic for jest, and raising a mech's hopes-"
"It's true," Bumblebee stated quietly, eying Sunstreaker warily.
"We get to be guardians!" Sideswipe immediately shouted in an exulting tone, lightly whacking at Sunstreaker and looking around excitedly. "We'll drop her off at school and pick her up again and take her on adventures and make sure she's refuelling properly and-"
"Oh don't be so naive Sideswipe," Sunstreaker snapped, catching his twin's servo and dragging it parallel to their torsos once more. "They aren't telling us so that we can formally assume the role of 'Belle's guardians, they're telling us so that we don't pose even more of a threat to the humans on base until they can ship us back to Cybertron to try to break the thread. Let me guess, we're leaving in the next bridge-window?" he added, glowering at me.
"NO!" Anabelle's voice shrieked as I opened my mouth to respond. The girl made her full appearance around the door the next moment, scampering across the central to catch hold of Sunstreaker's foot; the mech instantly froze in place for fear of the girl's hands being caught in his spokes; Sideswipe catching his brother's armour to steady the mech on those tires. "You can't take 'Steeker and Sidey away from me! I won't let you!"
"Anabelle," I began patiently. "Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were scheduled-"
"I won't let you take them anymore than you'd let somebody take Unka Oppamus away!" Anabelle shouted at me, scrambling up Sunstreaker's struts to a spot she could firmly attach herself to. I looked worriedly up at the twins as agony began resonating from their sparks.
"What do you mean break the thread?" Will demanded from Bee's leg.
"It was a barbaric practice they did in the old vorn, feuding families and families of different builds would separate the individuals who manifested spark threads." Bumblebee stated flatly, his spark beginning to buzz with anger. "In the early stages of the thread's development the filaments are delicate, the thread gets stretched with distance and if it isn't strong enough the filaments could tear-"
"It never did anybot harm," Ironhide grumbled.
"How would you know!?" Bumblebee fairly shouted at the mech. "The thread between you and Chromia got stretched so thin I could barely see it but it never broke! The sparks that had their threads broken became shadows of themselves and the thread never recedes; even after one dies or they're bound to another the thread continues reaching!-"
"It's not up to us, 'Belle," Sunstreaker's holoform was murmuring in a tone struggling to hide it's grief, gently disentangling the girl from his ankle. Or trying at any rate.
"I won't let you!" Anabelle shouted again, fairly glueing herself to Sunstreaker's ankle.
"-None of you even see the threads! You've never seen how awful a broken thread looks as it flails in the open void trying to find it's lost end!"
"What'dya mean Chromia and my spark-thread!?" Ironhide bellowed. "You knew we were connected and you never bothered to say any slaggin' thing!?"
"Enough!" I barked into the din of shouting mechs and screaming child, lightly touching the voice of command.
Silence.
"As you will all note on the rota, the schedules have not changed nor will they," I stated coldly. "Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, you will return to Cybertron-"
"NO!" Anabelle shrieked.
"-with the rest of us, twenty orn – which is ten months Anabelle – from now as the schedule dictated," I continued, looking sternly at Anabelle for a second. "Unless you decide to volunteer for the terran guard with Magnus' unit we will carry on as planned," I continued, looking at the twins. "You were correct in one aspect only, Sunstreaker, we are telling you this now so that you do not unknowingly snap into a protective state and pose a threat to the base-"
"Like you did last night…" Ironhide rumbled in a musing tone.
"-however the jurisdiction regarding the extent of your guardianship duties is no more my own here than it would be on Cybertron," I continued, shooting my uncle a reproving glance for interrupting me. "That decision belongs solely to Will and Sarah and you all know that," I finished sternly, glowering around myself.
::. Well spoken, young empress.:: Sentinel informed me on our private comm. I shot him a mildly withering glance.
"And the point is moot regardless," Sarah stated calmly, sitting demurely in Sentinel's hand with Mala as the mech strode carefully toward his place in the Central.
"What?" Sideswipe asked curiously.
"Why?" Sunstreaker asked suspiciously.
"Because the only school with room for late admission and currently capable of handling Belle's intelligence level is in California, which means that when the tent finally comes off of the house it'll be for the sake of taking pictures for the realtor," Sarah informed the bots in Central tiredly.
"But-" Sideswipe began with wide optics.
"Mr. Hastings just called me to confirm it. I'm sorry, but for the sake of Belle's education we need to move across the country," Sarah finished quietly.
"But you can't go!" Ironhide fairly whimpered.
"Momma I don't wanna!" Anabelle pouted.
"And I don't want to have to turn down the post of base-nurse that Ratchet just finished offering me, but needs must Belle," Sarah stated firmly, nodding to Sentinel as he gently lowered her to the ground. "They're expecting us to show up within the next two days or we'll be past even their late-admission deadline, which means we need to pack while your father books us a flight," she continued, striding toward the twins.
"Why not just take the ground-bridge?" Sunstreaker asked curiously.
"What?" Sarah asked curiously, looking at the mech.
"Why not just take the ground-bridge?" Sunstreaker repeated himself.
"Okay, let's try what is the ground-bridge?" Sarah clarified patiently.
"It is a highly controlled, energon driven wormhole which defies your human laws of physics to allow for the near-instantaneous transport of matter from one point in space to another, bypassing the speed of light. The ground-bridge is a lesser powered version of my own space-bridge," Sentinel immediately informed the woman, Sarah looked only slightly less confused.
"It's the swirly vortex that 'Steeker, Sidey and Unka Ionhide drove into the base through when we got here momma," Anabelle piped up cheerfully, finally allowing Sideswipe's holo to lightly disentangle her from Sunstreaker's ankle.
"I think I know where you're going with this," Will piped up in an amused tone. "Ah! Don't look at me, Anabelle's raising is Sarah's jurisdiction; always has been, always will be and I know better than to contradict my wife," he added as the twins immediately turned to him.
"What?" Sarah asked with narrowed eyes.
I raised my free hand to cover my vocal processors against the laugh at the stunned look on the woman's face the next moment. Sarah was stunned, because Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had simultaneously turned and gracefully gone down to their knees before prostrating themselves in front of her. Sunstreaker's holoform was doing the same at her feet, Sideswipe's still standing only so that he could continue to cradle the girl fairly glued to his holo.
"They are behaving properly for once, as is becoming for a pair of mechs requesting the honour of guardian status," Sentinel commented quietly. I glanced over, Mala was lounging comfortably in his hand once more, the weight of her torso supported in it's semi-upright position by that of Sentinel's holoform.
"I don't know about the prostration," Mala stated in a cool, precise tone, turning slightly to catch Sentinel's optics with a mildly disapproving look.
"Mmn, custom dictates in this case that one lowers their helm beneath the level of the creator's spark. It is rather difficult to manage with the size variance between our races," Sentinel replied in a softly amused tone.
Mala nodded slightly and turned back to the drama, idly resettling herself into the circle of Sentinel's holoformatic arm.
The twins stayed right where they were, absolutely silent and waiting for Sarah to recognize them.
"What... what are you doing? What are they doing?" Sarah asked in an unsure, deeply uncomfortable tone. In an instant Bumblebee's holo was standing beside her.
"Don't panic," Bumblebee immediately stated firmly, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. Sarah jumped slightly then looked at his holoform worriedly. "This is how we approach someone to address a formal request, they won't move until you tell them to rise."
"Rise?" Sarah stated weakly, looking at the twins again.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe rose to their knees, looking quietly down at her.
"You need to give them permission to speak," Bumblebee murmured gently.
"You have permission?" Sarah murmured unsurely.
"Sarah Jane Lennox, Bonded mate of Colonel William Lennox, daughter of Rosalie and Alexander Smith, Healer second class, Femme creator of Anabelle Elizabeth Lennox: respectfully do we, Sunstreaker of Kaon, and my brother Sideswipe of the same, creations of the All-spark, Predators first class, adopted siblings of the Lady High Protector Archangel Prime-"
I resisted the urge to roll my optics slightly and smiled as Sarah shot a confounded glance at Bee.
"Don't worry, you don't have to memorize it," Bumblebee murmured with a little smile as Sunstreaker continued to recite both his and Sideswipe's rankings. "Etiquette states that formally, all of your titles and theirs are to be listed, it takes way less time in high common, believe me, they're saying it in English for your benefit and Will's."
"-Do humbly petition you for the privilege of assuming the role of guardians to your cherished creation-"
"Not like a legal guardian," Bumblebee murmured when Sarah opened her mouth. "It's just the closest translation."
"Never encroaching upon the rights and duties of either you or your mate, Anabelle's creators, but offering assistance and support in any and every way we can," Sideswipe picked up. "With every respect due your status do we bare our sparks before your judgement."
(IPOV)
"With every respect due your status do we bare our sparks before your judgement," Sideswipe finished with his twin in a quiet, humble tone. Ironhide nodded slightly; across their betrothal bond Chromia was watching the feed he was sending to her with a light touch of surprise in her spark, but not much. Her attention wandered back to watching her surroundings as she idly patrolled along the narrow mountain roads in Burma. Apparently, the views were spectacular; the drivers insane.
Sunstreaker had never crossed him as a likely candidate for a nephew in bonding, Sideswipe maybe, but as the mechs knelt in deference to his human brother's mate Ironhide couldn't help but watch with something akin to approval. Not that he'd let it show of course.
"Could you give me a more in-depth translation of guardian, Bee?" Sarah murmured, glancing at the holo.
"It's kinda the same way that Optimus was Kae's guardian, or like how Ironhide is Will's guardian," Bumblebee immediately began with a smile. "It's not like the legal guardian stuff here on earth, where the guardian assumes the role of the child's parents, it's more literal. A guardian is a body-guard, a companion, a caretaker second to the hatchling's creators, a confidante... any and every role that Anabelle needs them to fill at any specific point in time they will do - even if it means doing something she might not like for the benefit of her health and well-being - they'd only do that if you or Ratchet told them to," Bee added quickly, grinning at Sarah. "If you allow them to manifest the guardian's bond, it means that 'Belle's health and happiness will thereafter become their first priority, their programming will automatically adapt to whatever she needs."
"But, you two don't have time to cater to 'Belle's every need," Sarah stated with a frown. "Don't you have your duties to attend to still?"
"There's two of us," Sunstreaker's holoform shrugged.
"But Bee said she'd be your first priority," Sarah frowned.
"It don't cripple a bot," Ironhide rumbled with a snort of amusement, grinning at the femme. "You're forgetting that we can simultaneously run as many functions as we have processors again Sarah."
"We'd still go on patrol," Sideswipe stated with a small smile. "But where our patrols have always been little more than something to do-"
"-An exercise in long-distance endurance, or routing out a Decepticon for the sake of picking a fight because we're bored," Sunstreaker continued. "Our actions would not be hindered, but our reasons for performing our duties will change."
"A guardians bond isn't a form of distraction," Sentinel stated with a small smile, glancing down at Mala. "The bond simply refocuses a mech, it makes us stronger."
"But what it all really boils down to, is that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe have volunteered to be your on-call babysitters Sarah," Bumblebee grinned at the woman. "If you were to take up semi-permanent residence at the base, or even stayed in your farmhouse you could be Ratchet's base nurse after all!"
Ironhide perked up slightly, Bee'd made a good point there.
"Sunstreaker and I would take turns taking Belle to school, and staying in the area to be certain that someone was nearby in the event of an emergency," Sideswipe stated hopefully.
"But then what happens when you return to Cybertron?" Sarah asked worriedly.
"We will not," Sunstreaker stated gravely. Sarah turned shocked eyes on the mech, and Ironhide couldn't blame her.
"Of all the bots on this base you're the one with the strongest desire to return to Cybertron!" Sarah informed Sunstreaker in a stunned tone.
"Until the orn that Anabelle is no longer our reliant we will remain with her," Sideswipe stated solemnly.
"Archangel has kindly allowed us the option of remaining with the Terran guard, and we shall assume those duties with pride to protect the home planet of our reliant," Sunstreaker finished in one of the most properly dignified tones Ironhide had ever heard from the mech. "A guardian is not a guardian for an orn, we are guardians for life, and whether it is for the single vorn which your race survives, or if her spark demands a body stronger than that which she is housed in, we will remain beside and behind her for so long as she allows us."
"Please momma?" Anabelle asked softly.
Ironhide looked at his little niece with a smile, she had impeccable manners when it was called on her; he had yet to hear Sarah deny her child when asked so politely.
Sarah was silent as she stared at the twins staring back at her with hope in their optics and eyes. She took a deep breath, and looked at her mate.
"Will?" she asked softly. Will promptly climbed down Bee's leg and strode to the femme, winding a gentle arm around her.
"It's your call either way, Sarah," he murmured. "I'm not going to contradict you."
"But your opinion is?"
"Can we do a trial run without damaging your circuitry and protocols?" Will asked curiously, looking up at Sunstreaker.
"What?" Sideswipe asked in confusion.
"I mean can you assume the role of Belle's guardians for a week or two without actually tripping the circuitry? Kind of a test run so that Sarah and I can get a better grasp of the situation and how you'd perform your duties?" Will clarified as Sarah looked at him with relief in her eyes.
"Such things were common in the old vorn," Sentinel commented patiently. "A period of time to allow for a better understanding of the personality of the mech in question and to determine if the proposed guardians were genuinely worthy of that role. If after your trial period the Colonel and his mate determine that they do not wish you for their creation's guardians I have the pertinent sub-routines required to reverse the programming."
"We can do that," Sunstreaker instantly nodded.
"We can definitely do that!" Sideswipe added cheerfully. "Which makes the first order of business taking you to California and getting you enrolled into your new school!" he added, poking Anabelle's nose with his own.
"Why do I still gotta go to school?" Anabelle demanded with a pout. "Why can't you and Steeker and Unka Ionhide teach me?"
"Because your earthen cultures demand a certain number of hours spent in formal education before your knowledge will be considered genuine," Sunstreaker informed her firmly. Sarah was beaming at the mech the next moment, it was a good argument; Ironhide almost wished he'd come up with it. "Besides that, spending time among the humans within your own age group – yes even though you are far more advanced – is a crucial step in both your sociological and psychological development."
Anabelle huffed slightly in Sideswipe's holo arms but raised no argument. The femmeling's objections obviously stymied by Sunstreaker's blunt logic.
::. I didn't know you even had it in you.:: Ironhide sent to the young predator with a grin.
::. Every mech has a guardian's protocols locked in his circuitry somewhere.:: Sideswipe replied in an offended tone.
::. No, I mean the ability to logically shut down Anabelle's arguments. Usually takes me a few breem.::
::. You are her uncle, and we her guardians.:: Sunstreaker stated, his tone casually proud once more. ::. An uncle's place is to be wheedled upon and to spoil the creations of his siblings within reason. It is the role of a guardian to see to the health and well-being of his reliant above all else.::
Ironhide couldn't help but smile somewhat indulgently as the twins transformed, Sideswipe's holo delicately tucking Anabelle into Sunstreaker's modified passenger seat as Sunstreaker solicitously settled Sarah into the driver's side; the pair driving out of central toward the ground bridge. Ironhide grunted somewhat and stood, striding over to collect Will, the man grinning as he watched the twins driving off.
"What?" Ironhide rumbled suspiciously.
"Twenty bucks says Sarah accepts the twins for Anabelle's guardians and becomes base nurse," Will stated cheerfully, squirming into his hand.
"You sure?" Ironhide rumbled hopefully.
"Do I ever make bets I have any chance of losing?" Will asked innocently.
Ironhide grinned.
A/N:
My dear readers,
No, this isn't a note of Hiatus, or cessation of writing, but in all honesty I must admit I'm stuck. At the mid-point of Chapter 215 to be precise, I need one scene. One little ±2000 word scene properly built up to, and skeletally outlined which glowers with sullen blankness at me as sentence after rejected sentence materializes and disappears. Thousands of words precede this scene, and thousands more follow. In my desperation and frustration with the fickle plot bunnies came the muse with a thought, a thought of such magnitude it stunned me. Might not I follow in my predecessors footsteps and issue a challenge?
Oh hell why not? At worst nobody responds. Thus I make it so:
Dear readers, I offer a challenge. ±2000 words
Topic: Chance is flying with Firelight, and on a whim he's bringing her to his home in Australia to meet his family.
-Written in the point of view of Chance, Firelight, or an OC relative.
-*Possibly* contains the phrase "Damn it Janet, _ won the bet/pool/wager."
Bonus points for authentic Aussie slang and attitudes, the winner is saving my ass by finishing a stubborn chapter for me so I can carry on with fleshing out the rest. Obviously the winning Author gets full Kudos and annotation for their material.
~K
P.S. the 1200ish word buildup to said scene is available on demand.