Finding Home
Chapter 41
By Voodoo Queen
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Author's Note: Hello, Dear Readers! I hope you're all having a wonderful day. I have a new chapter to post so I'm feeling mighty fine. On a side note, does anyone care to commiserate on how tedious it is to find actual, legitimate lines from movies and radio to help poor, little Bumblebee speak? Extra kudos to you if you can identify where he's picking this stuff up! I love me some Bee!
To answer a question from Jess, I'm trying to stay away from holoforms...I don't want to make things too easy on them, ya know? Bot sizes vary depending on which continuity you're looking at. I've gone with the middle ground and decided that the twins are right around 15ft tall, give or take a few inches. Amy is around 5'6", pretty average height, and if you look at all the size charts and graphs floating around out there on the Internet it would put the top of her head somewhere right around their knees. So, while they're significantly larger than her, it's not monstrously so. I'm also operating on the assumption that being a much more technologically advanced species that they'd have some sort of system in place that would allow them to be at least partially aware of their surroundings even when they recharge since being completely out of it would leave them vulnerable. Like Sunny said, they're not going to smash her. So, worry not, my friend! Amy is safe...at least for now... **cue evil laugh** I hope that answered your question :)
Thank you so much to everyone who has decided to follow us along on this journey and especially to those who've taken time to leave a review and say hello: SunnyandSidesFemme17, Deimoss, Sweet Sprinks, 'Guest', monkeybaby, The Whispering Sage, jellybeanz513, Jaxrond, o-dragon, 'Anonymous', shizzlethis1, poppycakes, velociraptor4659, Jess, xIliadx, ElleGirl19, SoundlyManners, Iron-rays, Jinx's Remix, Bsmiles123, the everchanging
I love getting feedback from you guys! If I missed anyone, I'm sorry. Fanfic is being glitchy with the reviews again. BTW...I had to chop this in half or else it would have gone on forever :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, just my own original characters and plot.
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Sunstreaker had always been an early riser, especially when compared to his twin. Whereas Sunny much preferred to get up and get a jump on his day, Sideswipe would have been content to spend all morning lazing around in his berth if the ever present pressures of war fighting would have allowed him to. Instead of rolling right out of the berth as he usually did, however, Sunstreaker took a moment just to lay there and take in the morning as his systems ran through their obligatory checks and balances to prepare for the day. It was a small indulgence, true, but it one he rarely, if ever, allowed himself.
It really wasn't much different than any other morning he and Sides had experienced since they'd arrived on Earth. He lay in the same berth. The same four, galvanized steel walls boxed them in. The same pitted ceiling loomed over them. Everything was the same, yet nothing was. Besides the normal, familiar sounds of an entire military base waking up and coming to life around them, he was acutely aware of the soft sound of breathing right next to his left audio receptor. It was slow and rhythmic...soothing in its own strange, alien way. A very small change from the norm but with a huge impact nonetheless. He turned his head slowly, careful not to disturb the source of the sound.
The woman was curled up on her side facing him, mostly cocooned in her blankets. She was sleeping soundly and in the dim light of the room he could just barely make out the movement of her eyes beneath the thin lids that covered them. He wondered absently if humans dreamed the same way Cybertronians did with their tiny, little meat brains. If so, he wondered what they dreamed about. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He couldn't have cared less what other humans dreamed about. He did, however, wonder what was going on inside of Amy's boney, little head. Whatever it was, he hoped it was something good. Primus knew she deserved it.
As badly as he hated to do it, he knew he needed to get up. There were things he wanted to accomplish while he had the opportunity and though spending time with Sideswipe and the Squishie were definitely top among them, there were other things he needed to attend to first. Pulling air deep into his intakes and releasing it slowly, he rolled up to sitting, being careful not to disturb his berth mates. He took a moment to adjust the sleeping woman's blankets, recovering an arm that had worked its way out from beneath the warm layers and then tucking them in securely around her, before fluidly rising from the berth and leaving the room on silent pedes.
His first stop was the wash racks. The powerful spray of hot water and solvent never failed to rouse him completely and make him feel more centered. It was part of a ritual he'd crafted many, many vorns ago. He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd told Amy that he and Sides had basically been a couple of street urchins after their creators were killed. They'd been a couple of filthy, low-caste nobodies who'd had to resort to begging for scraps on a street corner just to survive. Unfortunately, in Kaon, the sight of a couple dirty, barely-younglings hustling credits on a grimy corner wasn't an altogether unfamiliar sight. He vividly remembered the looks of both pity and disgust on the faces of passers by. Given the demographics of the city, it was mostly the latter.
He couldn't stand the way everyone looked down on them, as if they were so much better than they were. No matter that they'd wound up in their position through no fault of their own. That they'd lost a loving home with two creators they'd absolutely adored to the callous negligence of the ruling dictatorship. No one cared. No one had given a flying frag. They'd had each other, though. It had been just the two of them against the world and he'd sworn to both himself and his brother they'd come out the victors one way or another.
Once they'd entered into the gladiator arena and had managed to scrape together enough credits between the two of them to rent a slag hole apartment, he'd taken whatever had been left from his share after the essentials had been taken care of and had purchased cleaning supplies and a can of wax. He'd spent over two groons in the wash racks, scrubbing and scouring his plates until they'd ached and he'd assured himself that every last particle of dirt had been removed. He'd buffed and polished until his armor had gleamed. It was a cathartic process, as if by removing physical residue he could also purge the emotional. It still helped to some degree and so what seemed to those on the outside to be an exercise in self-indulgence and vanity, in reality ran much, much deeper.
Sideswipe, on the other hand, had been thrilled just to have an actual berth to recharge in which, honestly, probably explained a lot.
Once he was satisfied, he turned off the spray and reached for a chamois cloth. He dried carefully, making sure to remove every drop of moisture. Walking around covered in water spots was just as bad as walking around covered in dirt in his view. Dried to his liking, he buffed himself until his armor shined bright. He decided to forego the wax this morning. His most recent coat would do another day. First task accomplished, he quickly packed his supplies away into subspace and exited the room.
His second stop was to pick up the morning rations. It was yet another habit borne of hard times. He never skipped rations regardless of whether he needed the energon or not and he always made sure his brother had his share, as well. There had been times in the past when they hadn't been sure where their next cube would come from. Filling their tanks had been a luxury they often couldn't afford. Even after joining up with the Autobots, knowing that Prime put the well-being of his troops even above his own and that they wouldn't starve, it was a practice he couldn't seem to get away from.
He entered the rec space which also housed the prepared energon supply. The room was empty except for the Autobot's CMO. Ratchet was usually the only other mech up and about this early, having his own list of things to do in order to prepare for the day. The doctor was currently leaning up against a support column, sipping at his own cube, and watching the morning news. He tipped his head in greeting as Sunny passed by on his way to prepare his and Sides' energon.
"Ratchet," Sunstreaker greeted in return, scowling back over his shoulder at the television. "How can you watch that scrap?"
Ratchet made an amused sound, "I enjoy keeping up on current events. Besides," he added, "I find the psychology of it all fascinating. A species separated from us by millions of light years and yet the same issues that plagued our society is present in their's, as well."
Sunstreaker snorted. "Different planet, same slag. Got it."
"Mmm..." Ratchet hummed, taking a sip from his cube and turning away from the television to look at the mech fully. "It's my understanding from speaking with Jazz that you and Sideswipe have a houseguest."
"Yeah," Sunstreaker didn't bother looking up from his task. "What's it to you?"
Ratchet looked pointedly at the mech, "Believe it or not, Sunstreaker, I care just as much about her health and well-being as I do any other member of this crew."
Sunstreaker vented, seemingly uninterested in whatever conversation the other mech was trying to have. "She's fine. Getting some much needed recharge."
"Good, good," Ratchet nodded, pleased. "Just make sure that's all she's doing. Just because she's sharing a room doesn't mean you're free to take liberties..."
"Liberties?" That certainly caught Sunny's attention, he whipped around to face Ratchet, "The frag you get off-"
"And now...breaking news..." A news alert flashed across the television screen drawing the attention of both mechs and cutting off whatever Sunstreaker had been about to say. A pretty, dark-skinned woman wore a serious expression as she gazed into the camera. "Authorities in Colorado Springs are reporting the formation a massive sinkhole following what the Colorado Geological Survey described as a minor earthquake in the area. The hole opened near what's known as the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The underground complex is home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. No confirmation yet on whether or not there are any casualties. Emergency crews are on the scene waiting for the area to be deemed safe to enter. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available." The woman shuffled the papers in front of her, "Coming up, what you can do to keep yourself healthy this flu season..."
Sunstreaker grunted, shook his head and turned back to the cubes of energon he'd been preparing, intent on ignoring Ratchet. It was too early for an all out altercation and he had things to do. He muttered, mostly to himself, "Fragging planet trying to kill itself. I don't know why we don't just take the slagging shard and leave."
"Because," the CMO stated as-a-matter-of-factly, his optics glued to the screen as a physician from Harvard Medical School explained how the flu virus worked, "It's highly unlikely the Decepticons would follow suit. This planet has plentiful natural resources. You know as well as I do that they'd have it stripped bare before the stellar cycle was over. It would be a complete wasteland. The humans would be decimated."
Sunny shrugged, "Not our problem."
"What?" Ratchet scoffed, turning his head to look at the mech as a commercial break started, "I was under the impression that you had a newfound appreciation for humanity given recent circumstances."
"Nope," Sunstreaker replied flatly. "Just for the one. The rest of them can go jump in a smelter for all I care. I still stand by my initial assessment that they're a bunch of grease stains."
"Lovely," Ratchet harrumphed. "And does Miss Doe know of your complete and utter disdain for her entire species?"
Sunny nodded as he gathered the cubes in preparation to leave, "She's well aware."
Ratchet snorted, "I'm sure that makes for some wonderfully romantic conversation for those quiet moments alone."
Sunstreaker smirked at the CMO as he breezed by on his way back out, "You'd be surprised."
He made his way quickly back to his and Sides' berth room to find Bumblebee hovering right outside the door. He hadn't forgotten that he now had another mouth to feed. He eyed the scout as he approached, "You get the stuff?"
Bee looked tired at being up so early but nodded at the front liner enthusiastically before producing a small styrofoam container for his inspection.
Sunny eyed it skeptically, "Is it good?"
Again, Bee nodded, a patchwork of voices replying, "A little...something...everyone...can enjoy."
Satisfied, Sunstreaker accepted the small package. "I owe you one."
"Don't worry..." the Scout's speakers crooned. "Be happy..."
"Right," Sunny turned away toward the door, effectively dismissing the younger mech when an idea suddenly struck him. He turned back, calling out to the scout who was moseying his way back to his own quarters. "Hey, Bee?"
Bumblebee halted, spinning back around, his head cocked in question.
Sunstreaker asked, "You still handling combat drills while Hide is in the scrapyard?"
"Oh, yeah..." Bee threw a couple punches into the air. "Parking lot, after school! It's on!"
A sly grin lifted the corner of Sunny's mouth, "Is Mirage still helping you out?"
Bee nodded, "I said hey, what's going on?"
Sunny shrugged, "Just curious."
With his processor turning that bit if intel over, Sunstreaker keyed in the door code and reentered his quarters. He quietly shut the door behind himself and took a moment to allow his optics to readjust in the dark. Silently, he crossed the room back toward the berth. He carefully deposited one of the energon cubes and the styrofoam container on the side he'd vacated, far enough from the berth's occupants that they wouldn't be disturbed or the contents spilled. He made a mental note that they'd need to find some kind of small table or stand to replace the larger one they'd discarded.
Turning his attention to the two beings closest to him, both still slumbering and seemingly without a care in the universe, he couldn't help the look of fond amusement that cracked his typically severe expression. Sometime during the course of his absence, Amy had turned over in her sleep, still tightly bound within her swaddle of blankets, and now faced his brother. Sideswipe had gathered the woman securely against his chest plates and held her tightly. He looked every bit like a sparkling clutching their favorite toy as if afraid someone would come along and try to take it away from him. Knowing how hard his brother could be to rouse on occasion, he pitied the woman...almost. They seemed content with one another, however, and so he let it be.
Sunny chuckled to himself as he knelt and felt around beneath his side of the berth. "Good luck with that, Squishie."
His fingers latched onto what they sought and he pulled the small palladium case from the crevice it had been wedged into. He sat back on his haunches, turning it over in his hands, his fingers tracing over the stylized characters that spelled out his name. Before he could second guess what he was doing, he snapped the case open to examine its contents. The brushes, a gift from Sideswipe, were the most expensive thing he'd ever owned and he'd probably never know how the mech had managed to scrape the credits together to buy them. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually put them to use but figured it had to be sometime prior to the fall of Tyger Pax...a long, long time ago.
Snapping the case closed once more, he tucked it into subspace and rose from the floor. Making his way to the shelving unit, he grabbed a data pad and quickly typed out a message for his brother. He retrieved the canvas sail from where he'd stashed it the night before. He left the data pad on the berth next to the cube of energon and the styrofoam container. He took one last long look at the berth's occupants to assure himself they were well before turning away, grabbing the frame he'd put together, and once again leaving the room
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"Sideswipe," Amy sighed, half in exasperation and half in amusement. "It's time to get up. Seriously. It's after nine..."
"Five more minutes," came his muffled reply.
A smile twitched at her lips, "You said that twenty minutes ago."
"Ames..." the mech whined, "It's Saturday..."
Amy released a long sigh. She honestly didn't mind the extra sleep. She'd been running on so little for so long that she forgot what a luxury it was to have a duty-free weekend and not have to roll out of bed before dawn. She felt well-rested beyond anything she'd experienced since arriving on the island, even more so than the previous occasions she'd spent the night in the twins' room. She'd slept straight through the night, no waking from dark dreams or disembodied voices. In fact, if she'd dreamed at all she didn't remember it.
She was actually very comfortable despite the fact she was bound up in the blankets like some kind of human burrito. She had managed to free an arm which really did nothing for her since Sideswipe had decided to cuddle her like she was a giant teddy bear. It was kind of cute, really...or it would have been had her bladder not been demanding to be relieved. She used her free hand to poke the mech on what passed for his nose.
"Sideswipe..."
The mech cracked an optic open, "Sweetspark..."
She flashed him a sheepish smile, "I need to use the bathroom."
Sides pulled away slightly, grinning sleepily, "Go ahead. The berth's waterproof. Most fluids wipe right off."
"Eww..." Amy scrunched her nose. "That's really gross..."
"Okay, okay. You win," Sideswipe chuckled, disentangling himself from the woman allowing her to escape her confines. "Humans and their tiny, little waste tanks..."
Amy threw her covers off and turned her attention to the empty side of the berth. She frowned, "Did you know Sunstreaker's gone?"
Sides nodded as he rose from the berth and stretched. "Yep."
"So..." Amy gnawed at her bottom lip. "Should we be worried? Do we need to go find him? He was pretty upset last night..."
"Nah. Sunny's always up and out early. He's always been that way." Sideswipe reached for her to help her to the ground, gesturing to the items his brother had left for them. "See? He even brought us breakfast. He's fine."
"Well, that's a relief," she sighed before teasingly adding. "He's an early riser and you're the lazy twin. Good to know."
"I'm not lazy," the mech mock pouted as he knelt and gently sat her on the ground. "I'm...relaxed."
"Uh huh," Amy laughed. "I can tell."
Sideswipe leaned forward, pressing his forehead to her's for a moment before settling back on his haunches and giving her a wink. "Do what you need to do, sweetspark. When you're finished we'll have some breakfast and decide what to do with the rest of the day."
Sides watched, feeling warm and content, as Amy went about gathering whatever it was that humans needed to start their day. It was the best morning he could remember in a very long time, possibly ever. The thought of waking up every morning next to someone you absolutely adored made his spark stutter happily. He'd hoped, certainly, but to actually have reached this point was more than he imagined being possible when he and Amy had accidentally zapped one another that first night. It was a moment he'd never ever forget no matter how long he lived.
"Ready," she announced as she waited patiently at the door for him to let her out.
He mentally noted they'd need to make human ease of access to their quarters a priority as he rose to assist. They didn't want the woman feeling like a prisoner or that she had to rely on them for her comings and goings and the heavy doors definitely weren't user friendly for someone of her size. He disengaged the lock and opened it for her to pass through.
"Thanks," she smiled up at him. "I'll be right back," she promised.
"I'll be here," he assured in return. He stepped out into the corridor with her, watching as she made her way to the end and turned the corner, vanishing from sight. His content smile crumbled into an anxious frown. He muttered worriedly to himself, "Don't frag this up, you slagger."
Sides retreated quickly back into the room, leaving the door ajar so she could get back in. He headed straight for the berth, quickly folding the blankets Amy had used and replacing the bedding on the shelves where she could easily reach it should she want them again. His optics did a quick sweep of the room, ensuring it was tidy, before landing on the berth once again. A bit of the tension left his shoulders. He loved his brother. Not only had Sunny brought him his morning ration of energon, he'd also managed to procure some breakfast for Amy and based on the smells emanating from the small container, it was something a little more substantial than Poptarts and a banana.
Sending a silent thank you to his twin for giving him one less thing to fret over this morning, he reached for the data pad that had been left and thumbed it on. He scanned over the note Sunstreaker had left and found himself smiling. It was more or less an explanation of where he'd gone off to. Sunny was good about things like that and it warmed Sides' spark to see his brother taking up his old interests. Sunny had also advised him to tell "the Squishie" good morning, ensure she ate, and that he'd see them both around noontime. He'd also mentioned a particular detail regarding "training" that had certainly piqued Sides' interest but that was something they'd take up later.
Placing the data pad aside, Sideswipe sank down to sit on the end of the berth. The time seemed to tick by slowly as he waited for Amy to complete her morning ritual and return. Excited though he was to start this first morning off together as what he'd already come to consider a family unit, he also had a bit of nagging apprehension in the back of his processor. They'd never gotten this far with a femme...emotionally speaking. Now that they were here, he couldn't imagine things any other way. It was both thrilling and frightening in a way he couldn't quite put into words.
There'd been a distinct pattern to their previous relationships, if one wanted to call them that. He wasn't entirely sure their exploits qualified, per se, but they were all he had to base their current situation on. There was always the initial intrigue when someone realized they were twins. It was typically what drew interest...the curiosity of what that could possibly entail. Then came what he'd heard humans refer to as the honeymoon stage. Everything would be fine so long as as they could keep their partner occupied which, admittedly, was never very long. It became apparent very quickly that, though they have may been twins, they were two very different mechs with very different personalities and very different needs. The final stage, when reality set in and it became apparent that being with them wasn't all endless fun and games, they'd find themselves right back at square one.
Just as he'd told Amy the night before, they weren't everyone's cup of tea.
The idea that she, too, could become overwhelmed, lose interest and leave worried him more than he'd like to admit. In fact, it was a fear that was always tucked away into the back of his processor. Sure, they'd exchanged spark energy with her on some level but that didn't guarantee that she found them engaging enough that she'd want to remain with them any more than was necessary for her own health and wellbeing. True, things seemed to be going well now but real life had already started to encroach on their little trio necessitating their new arrangement just so they could spend time with one another. How long would it be before she came to see them as more trouble than they were worth? He didn't even want to think about it.
If he could keep her busy, maybe she wouldn't notice how much work they really were...
"Back," Amy cheerfully announced as she finally walked back in the room.
Despite his worries, he felt his mood and concern lift considerably at her reappearance. His countenance brightened and he took a moment just to take her in. She'd redressed into civilian clothing—a pair of olive green pants and a long-sleeved black t-shirt that, at least in his opinion, complimented her quite well. She'd left her hair loose which, honestly, he preferred as he'd come to view that particular human attribute so far as she was concerned as something quite...exotic. He gazed at her adoringly, "Gorgeous as always."
"Thanks," Amy flushed pink. "I live out of a locker so my fashion options are kind of, uh, limited when I'm not working."
"If it makes you feel any better," he teased as he offered he a hand back up onto the berth, "we don't even own any clothes. Although, if we're talking armor," he added thoughtfully, "I did go through a red phase once."
"Really?" Amy looked the mech carefully up and down as she allowed him to lift her back up onto the berth.
"Mmhmm." Sides raised a brow plate at noticing her studying him, "What?"
"Nothing," Amy shook her head, smiling. "Just trying to picture you a different color."
"I find silver to be much more slimming," he chuckled as he settled himself on the berth next to her. "Speaking of which, I hope you're hungry because I think Sunny outdid himself. He says good morning, by the way, and that he'll be home for lunch."
Amy nodded in acknowledgment as she accepted the styrofoam container he passed to her. She cracked it open, her eyes widening slightly, "That's a lot of food..."
"Eat what you like," he advised as he punctured the seal on his cube of energon. "We're still getting a handle on this whole human food thing."
"Not that I don't appreciate it but, I can feed myself," she reminded as she lifted a forkful of pancake to her mouth. "I can grab my own food. Save you guys the trouble."
"It's no trouble, sweetspark," Sideswipe quickly insisted. "We're happy to do it. Really."
Amy chewed slowly, "Okay...if, if you're sure..."
"Positive," he grinned at her. "Oh, just so you know, I pulled a list of available activities from the MWR website. So, I was thinking that after breakfast we could get out and do a little exploring, maybe check out the Cannon Point Trail. Or, if you'd rather there's always movies in the lounge or video games. There's an arcade in MWR, I read. They also have pool tables and foosball and...
"Uh, Sideswipe?" Amy frowned.
"Tomorrow I was thinking we could..." the mech went on and on, reciting what seemed to be a never ending list of recreational activities. He apparently had an entire itinerary planned that accounted for her every waking moment.
She tried again, "Sideswipe?"
"I know, I'm really sorry that we're stuck on this island," he continued. "I know it can get kind of monotonous but i think if you really give it a chance-"
"Sideswipe!" Amy sat her breakfast aside, maneuvered herself up onto her knees and reached out, pressing her palms into the sides of the mech's face, finally silencing him.
"Ames...?" he looked at her, questioningly.
Amy smiled up at him softly, "You know you don't have to keep me entertained every second of every day, right?"
Sideswipe fidgeted, looking away.
Amy's frown reappeared, "What is it?"
"It's just..." He vented, "What if you get...bored?"
She looked at the mech incredulously, "Bored?"
"Yeah," he shook his head slowly. "I just...don't want you to get tired of being stuck here with us all the time."
"I am far from bored," Amy assured. "And I don't feel 'stuck'. I don't need to be constantly on the go to be happy. In fact, I guess I'm really kind of a homebody...maybe to spite the fact that I never really had one." She pondered that for a moment and shook her head. "I mean, I don't mind going out and doing things but I'm just as content to stay in. You don't have to go out of your way to keep me amused. I'm pretty low maintenance. Do you know what I'd be doing right now if I wasn't with you?"
Curious, Sides asked, "What would you be doing?"
Amy smiled, "I'd probably be holed up in the barracks reading a book."
Sideswipe looked slightly surprised, "Really? You like to read?"
"Very much," Amy nodded. "I always have. Read a good book and forget all your problems for a while, you know?"
"Huh..." Sides turned that bit of info over in his head and nodded. "Well...if you want, I have a few books backed up on data pads that I think are pretty good. I could run them through a translation program for you if you're interested in maybe reading them one of these days..."
"Really?" A bright smile lit Amy's face at the offer. The chance to share a bit of their culture, much as she had with Jazz and his music, was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. "That would be awesome! I'd love to read them! Thank you!"
"Whatever makes you happy, sweetspark," Sideswipe relaxed back into the berth, feeling marginally better.
Amy slowly returned her focus back to her breakfast and asked offhandedly, "Just out of curiosity, what would you be doing if you weren't sitting here with me right now?"
An idea struck him then. He grinned down at the woman, "I can show you if you'd like..."
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The morning had passed by quickly. Of course, time always seemed to fly by when you were wrapped up in something you enjoyed. Sunstreaker had forgotten how much he loved painting. There was just something about finding a nice, quiet spot, tuning out the real world, and just letting the imagination flow that he found to be soothing...liberating even. It had been much too long since he'd last indulged his creativity and he looked forward to the opportunity to do it again tomorrow. Right now, however, he had other plans.
He stood right inside the hangar doors, leaned casually up against the frame and waiting patiently. He'd pulled a polishing cloth from subspace and was occupying himself by carefully cleaning the few wayward drops of paint that had managed to end up splattered on his fingers and dried into the joints. It was one of the few occasions when he didn't mind being a little dirty. He was willing to make small sacrifices for his art and a smudge of paint here and there wasn't a huge one.
Out of the corner of his optic, slight movement caught his attention. He could feel someone watching him intently, perhaps too much so. He turned his head to see the strange, bespectacled redhead staring wide-eyed at him over the wall of her cubicle as if he'd just dropped out of the sky. Which, technically, he supposed he had but it didn't make it any less creepy. Humans could be disturbing, yes, but this one was more unsettling than most. Her rumored unnatural fascination with his species coupled with her reportedly "inappropriate" contact with Mirage, Jazz's warnings to steer clear of her, and the cringe-inducing conversation Amy had relayed to them made him even more wary than he normally would have been. In short, she made his plates crawl.
There was only one human he could stomach the thought of being close to and she definitely wasn't her. He narrowed his optics, shooting her an icy cold glare that was capable of freezing the blood in the veins of its recipient. The woman's eyes widened comically for just a moment before she dropped back down behind her partition and out of sight. Not wanting to deal with her again, he decided to step right outside the doors and out of her line of sight, posting himself up against the exterior wall to keep his vigil. He didn't have to wait long.
He recognized the sound of his brother's engine before he could see him. A mere few seconds later, Sideswipe was pulling up in front of the building. His driver's side door popped open and the Squishie came stumbling out. Her face was pale and she looked slightly rattled. She shuffled away from his brother's alt form on wobbly legs, pivoting back on her heel to watch Sides transform back into his bipedal form before shifting her attention to him.
"Hey," she shakily greeted.
"Let me guess," Sunny raised a brow plate. "Closed driving course?"
Amy nodded, "Y-Yeah..."
Sunstreaker smirked, "And how did that go?"
"It was..." she started, frowned, then shook her head. "I...I think I saw my life flash before my eyes..."
"Relax, Ames," Sides chuckled, kneeling down and pulling the woman into a gentle embrace. "It wasn't that bad. I'm a great driver. I've been shot, stabbed, sprayed with acid, and set on fire but, I've never been in a car accident. Admit it," he grinned down at her. "You had fun."
"Yeah, okay." Amy paled a bit further at his mention of acid and fire but reluctantly admitted with a soft laugh, "Despite the near death experience, it was maybe kind of fun."
"Told ya," he gave her a gentle squeeze and released her, rising to his wheels. "Next time, you can drive."
"Right," Amy rolled her eyes as the three of them began to meander back into the hangar. "Next time."
Sunstreaker's mouth twitched with humor. He paused in his movement and turned to gaze down on the woman. "So, I hate to do this to you, Squishie, but there's a little training business Sides and I need to attend to before we can do anything else."
"Sure," Amy nodded. "No problem. I completely understand. Like I told Sideswipe, I can entertain myself. Do what you have to do."
"Oh," Sunny smirked, "I intend to."
Sideswipe snorted in amusement and added, "It shouldn't take very long but if you want, I can swing you over by the mess hall first if you want to grab some lunch."
"I've had my fill of being driven around today, thank you very much," Amy teased the mech. "Besides, I'm still pretty full from breakfast." She turned to Sunny, "Thank you for that, by the way."
"Anytime," he answered easily.
She looked thoughtful for a moment, "If you don't mind, I think I'll go check in with Jazz. For some reason, he worries if he doesn't lay eyes on me at least once a day."
"Worrying about you is kind of his job now, Squishie." Sunny informed, "That's what Guardians are supposed to do. He's just really good at it."
"Yeah," Sideswipe agreed. "If he wasn't worried about you, we'd be worried about him. He thinks the universe of you, sweetspark...and he's not the only one."
Amy flushed, "Y-Yeah...I guess so."
"I know so," Sides cheerily replied.
"Well," Amy cleared her throat, "I'll, uh, just go then and let you guys handle your business."
Sunny asked, "Do you have your phone?"
"Yes," Amy confirmed, patting her back pocket.
"Good," Sunstreaker nodded. "We'll text you when we're done."
"Okay," Amy agreed with a smile and a nod. "I'll see you guys in a bit, then."
"Absolutely," Sideswipe winked. "Tell Jazz we say hi."
"Will do." Amy turned to wave at the pair over her shoulder as she made her way back out of the hangar the way they'd come.
Sideswipe sighed, "I miss her already."
"Yeah, well," Sunstreaker huffed, "Like you said, this shouldn't take long."
Sides quirked a brow, "You have a plan?"
"I'm going to do exactly what I said I was going to do," the yellow front liner states as-a-matter-of-factly. "I'm going to break his fragging face. He needs to learn to stay out of our business and leave her alone. She shouldn't have to listen to that scrap."
"Sunny," Sideswipe cautiously started, "I'm just as mad as you are but.."
"No buts," Sunny spat. "Trinket wants to run his mouth, I'm going to give him something to talk about."
"It's just..." Sides shook his head. "Things are going so well with Ames. I don't want us to frag that up..."
"We won't," Sunstreaker promised. "Training accidents happen. Prowl isn't going to think we'd be glitched enough to start a fight in front of a squad of Lennox's boys in the middle of a lesson."
Sideswipe smirked as his brother's plan became clear to him. "I know I've said it before but, Sunny, you're a genius."
"Yeah, yeah," Sunstreaker waved off his brother's compliment as movement out of the corner of his optic once again caught his attention. He turned his head in the direction of the motion, "The Pit are you looking at?"
That creepy fleshie again. What was her name? Macy? Marcy? Sunny really didn't care enough to find out. She was once again peeking over the top of her cubicle wall, watching he and his brother with wide-eyed fascination. She looked slightly flushed and something in her gaze didn't quite sit well with him. It was unsettling at the very best and at worst made him feel like he needed a good long scrub under scalding hot solvent.
"Well?" Sunstreaker demanded again? He glowered at the woman who, in return, shook her head vigorously in the negative before disappearing into her cubicle once again. He made a sound of disgust, "Fragging weirdo."
Sideswipe chuckled, "Be happy we didn't zap that one instead of Ames. Can you even imagine?"
"That's not even remotely funny," Sunny made a gagging noise. "Don't even joke about that."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Everybody was Kung-fu fighting," Bumblebee's speakers announced. "Those kicks were fast as lightning..."
The scout missed not being able to speak in his own voice. He knew Ratchet was doing his best with his limited supplies to fix it, but being effectively mute and having to rely on sound bites to get his point across could be inconvenient. That was especially true at times like this when he was trying to give specific instructions but he was making due with what he had to work with. Truthfully, he was greatly enjoying being back amongst his teammates. He was especially enjoying filling in for Ironhide while he was on the mend. He wasn't certain the Weapon Specialist would approve of his training methods being the hard aft that he was, but he was having fun and it seemed the new recruits he was instructing were enjoying themselves, too.
Having Mirage around helped, too. The mech didn't like getting his hands dirty if he could help it but didn't seem to mind being used for demonstrative purposes so long as no real damage was incurred. He was also helpful in the he was able to voice for Bee some of the more intricate concepts that radio sound clips didn't do justice. Currently, the infiltrator was helping him illustrate the fastest way to knock a mech off their feet in order to neutralize a threat and/or, in a worst case scenario, buy time for a strategic retreat. Small as the humans were, he was teaching them to improvise in order to accomplish the task.
"Head, shoulders," Bee indicated, pointing to the corresponding body parts on Mirage. "Knees and toes," he finished. He then pointed to the area on the mech's abdomen right below where the navel would have been were he human and tried to emphasize that area as his center of balance. "Gravity is working against me...and gravity wants to bring me down..."
"So..." a soldier spoke up. "That's like, his tipping point?"
Bee nodded enthusiastically and pointed at the man, "Ladies and gentleman! We have a winner!"
Mirage chimed in, "Enough force will make your nemico bend forward like, how you say...a punch to the intestino."
"Bang, bang shooting like a firing squad," Bee agreed. "Big guns blew me away." He continued on with his lesson, gesturing to the backs of Mirage's knees with a chopping motion. "If I hit 'em high, hit 'em high, hit 'em high...and you hit 'em low, hit 'em low, hit 'em low..."
"It is then easy to knock them off their piedi by buckling their knees," Mirage translated.
"Blast 'em in the stomach then blast 'em in the knees," another soldier spoke up. "Seems easy enough but...what do we do once they're on the ground?"
Bumblebee nodded in response to the man's question and paused a couple seconds before answering, "Now don't y'all, not for one second, think I won't just bust yo' head open..."
"Morto." Mirage clarified, "Make sure they cannot get back up."
The gathered humans nodded in solemn understanding.
"And it goes a little something like this..." Bee looked to Mirage who nodded that he was ready.
The humans stepped back, giving the mechs room as the scout and the infiltrator squared off for a demonstration. It was all very by the book...Bee wouldn't dare break Ironhide's rules where safety was concerned. The two moved around one another, coming into striking distance. Mirage threw a half-sparked right hook toward Bumblebee's face which the scout caught with his left hand, forcing Mirage into opening his center up for attack. In one swift move, Bee jabbed the mech in the abdomen causing air to whoosh from his intakes as he bent double. The scout spun away slightly, using his elbow against the back of Mirage's head to force his momentum to keep going forward while at the same time swinging his leg out and catching the mech right behind the knees.
Mirage's knees buckled and he went crashing to the ground in a cacophony of sound. His impact made the hangar floor tremble. Before he could right himself and scramble back to his feet, Bee was standing over him. One of the scout's pedes planted itself squarely between his shoulders, pinning him to the ground. Rather than fight back as an actual Decepticon would no doubt do, Mirage lay still as the scout finished his demonstration by forming his index finger and thumb into the shape of a gun and pointed at the back of his head.
"Bang," a voice from Bumblebee's radio announced. "Yer dead." He looked to the gathered soldiers, standing victoriously over his fallen training adversary. "If it bleeds, we can kill it."
As he bent to help his sparring partner back up onto his pedes, the sound of a slow clap drew the scout's attention. The humans that had been surrounding he and Mirage paled and backed away a few more feet. Bumblebee was confused for a moment until he turned to see Sunstreaker ambling toward the group, his brother skating slowly along next to him. The look on Sunny's face told him that this wasn't a social call and the mech's questioning earlier in the day came flooding back into his processor. A look at his sparring partner told him all he needed to know. The look of dread on Mirage's face was as clear an indication as any that the mech had been sticking his nose where it didn't belong.
Honestly, Bumblebee really liked the twins and got on well with them. They may have had a somewhat checkered past but they were good mechs, though not the easiest pair to get close to. He knew, however, that there were certain individuals who, though good intentioned, for some reason or another wouldn't or couldn't just let them be and it was a constant cause of friction. Their relationship with Jazz's adopted human, whom Bee had decided he also liked very much, seemed to only exacerbate the issue and that was one fight Bee refused to get caught up in.
The soldiers surrounding them made a hole, allowing Sunny and Sideswipe into the very midst of their training group before closing back in around them. The yellow front liner marched directly into the center of the crowd, coming to a halt right in front of Bumblebee. Sunstreaker looked the young mech up and down appraisingly while his brother made a circle around the group. Sideswipe appeared to be greeting the humans but Bee had a sneaking suspicion that he was actually wrangling Mirage who looked as though he was searching for a way to escape from the group unnoticed.
"Very nice, Bee," Sunstreaker complimented the younger mech. "Excellent take down."
"Thank you," Bee nodded. He took any praise from the former gladiator straight to his spark as a high honor. "Thank you very much."
Sunny then turned to Mirage with an almost sinister sneer. "Or should I say...bravo?"
Mirage fidgeted nervously, "Grazie..."
"I dunno, Sunny," Sideswipe shook his head. "I mean, yeah, Bee was on point, but Mirage..." the mech made a tsk sound. "You looked kind of slow. Didn't really put up much of a fight, did you?"
"It was just for show," Mirage defended, backing slowly away. "For demonstration. Now training is over and I must go."
"You can't leave now," Sides insisted. "Sunny and I just got here..."
Bumblebee looked wide-eyed and panicky, "We don't want no trouble..."
Sides continued his slow circuit of the training area, rolling close enough to clap the young mech on the back in a jovial manner. "It's no trouble, Bee. Sunny doesn't mind helping Mirage brush up on his hand-to-hand. I mean, who better, right?"
Bumblebee decided to take the mech's seemingly innocuous statement as a friendly word of caution not to get involved in whatever was happening. He nodded slowly. "You may be right..."
"No," Mirage protested, vehemently shaking his head. "I do not need help."
"Oh, you need help," Sunstreaker disagreed with a dark grin. "You need lots of it."
End of Chapter 41
