Finding Home
Chapter 47
By Voodoo Queen
XXXXXXXXXX
Author's Note: Hello, Dear Readers! I hope you're having a marvelous day. As for myself, I've been doing a lot of writing since we've had a lot of snow and I want to stay inside where its warm and dry. Hurry up, spring! Anyway, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read the stuff my imagination coughs up. Thanks to those who have followed and faved and especially to my amazing reviewers for keeping me motivated: bonnieandjangolove, Anon, Anonymous, 0rainbowcookiez0, shelby20125, TomRiddlesTwin, SolusPrimeLightblast, Cinematronix, 'Guest', monkeybaby, Brianna, TC Howl, KayleeChiara, shizzlethis1, honees, Kitkaboo, the everchanging, Kyoryokuna1113, Altiria-Aty
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, just my own original characters and plot.
XXXXXXXXXX
Friday came faster than anyone could have expected. The nervous energy around the base combined with the furious push to ensure Diego Garcia was as well protected as possible had made the time fly by. All the preparation and planning, however, seemed a moot point when all seismic activity, save those natural to a living planet, suddenly went silent after three more 'attacks'. An underground base near the Colorado/New Mexico border town of Dulce as been hit, as had the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. All activity seemed to be limited to the southwestern quadrant of the continental United States, however. There should have been a sense of relief at the distance separating Diego Garcia from the epicenter of Decepticon interest but it seemed to only serve to ramp up the tension.
Decepticons, however, were the least of Amy's worries at the moment.
She paced the end of the corridor, her nerves frazzled as she watched the contractors exit the space that housed what was left of the Allspark. They'd been coming in and out all day with various tools and instruments, trying to find the source of the strange sound Amy had heard a couple days prior. It was late afternoon and they were finally wrapping up their inspection of the ductwork and ventilation as well as the refrigeration unit. As most of the men filed passed her, nodding in farewell, the foreman hung back to have a word with Jazz and Prime. No doubt relaying his findings to the mechs.
Petty Officer Doe wrung her hands together. She knew the strange anxiety she felt over the situation was completely disproportionate to the issue at hand. She was hard pressed to pinpoint the cause of her feelings but something in her gut told her something wasn't quite right. She quickly swallowed her emotions as the foreman excused himself and Jazz and Prime ambled their way back up the corridor in her direction.
Amy looked from Jazz to Optimus and back again expectantly. "Did they find anything?"
Jazz vented, "Nothin' that would explain what you heard, unfortunately. They did find a coolant leak inside the refrigeration unit that they fixed."
She nodded but continued to nibble her bottom lip in consternation. "I swear, Jazz, I heard something in there."
"Aw, scraplet," Jazz bent to ruffle them woman's hair. "If ya say ya heard somethin', then I believe ya heard somethin'. I don't doubt you for a second."
"Certainly not," Prime agreed with a kind smile. He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Perhaps we should investigate the possibility that it wasn't an equipment issue at all, that maybe it was the Allspark itself creating the sound."
Amy blinked up at the Autobot leader. If the piece of space scrap didn't already freak her out, the idea that it could be down there with her making all kinds of spooky noises would have done the trick. "Is it supposed to make noise?"
Optimus chuckled at the woman's alarmed expression. "From our own observations, it does have some ability to alter its shape, much like we do when we take on an alt form."
"No," Amy shook her head. "I know what that sounds like. This wasn't that."
Prime hummed in thought. "There's still much we don't know about the Allspark beyond what we've seen with our own optics. Who made it...where it came from..." the mech shook his head. "I'll send Ratchet down to do a follow up scan. He'll be able to compare the readings he took when it arrived and see if anything's changed since then."
Jazz nodded, "Sounds like a plan, Boss Bot. Whatcha think, scraplet?"
"That would be awesome," Amy enthusiastically agreed. "It would be nice to know I'm not completely losing my mind."
"I'm sure that isn't the case," Prime rumbled amusedly. "If you hear it again, let Jazz or myself know. We'll get to the bottom of it, as you humans say."
"I will, sir," Amy nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course," Optimus responded before turning back to Jazz. "It's getting rather late. I'll leave you two to it then. Enjoy the rest of your evening."
"Night, Optimus," Jazz bid farewell to his leader.
"Goodnight," Amy parroted.
The pair watched the enormous mech gracefully vacate the space. There was a moment of comfortable silence between them before Jazz spoke again.
"You should get outta here, too, scraplet. It is pretty late."
Amy checked her watch, "Its only a quarter after six. I don't mind staying."
"I know ya don't," Jazz began as they began their trek toward the blast doors that would lead them out into the monitor room. "And ya know I love your company but you've been pulling ten to twelve hour shifts almost all week. It's the weekend. Ya gotta rest sometime."
Amy protested, "It's really not that big of a deal. I've done twenty hour rotations while on deployment before."
"That may be," Jazz shook his head, "but I prefer the people under my command not to be stressed out, strung out, or burnt out. That goes doubly for you, scraplet."
Knowing better than to argue with the mech by now, Amy sighed. "What about you?"
"I'm gonna set a few new security parameters in Teletraan's mainframe that Optimus and I talked about while I wait on the doc to come down, then I'm callin' it a night, too." The mech assured her, "Bee's got the watch tonight so it's all good."
"Alright," Amy reluctantly agreed. She felt a bit better knowing that Bumblebee would be keeping an eye on things in the bunker when she and Jazz could not. She'd taken to spending a bit of time with the scout whenever Jazz and the twins weren't available, which usually involved watching some trashy talk show or another. Though young according to Cybertronian standards, she'd found the bot to be particularly adept at his role. It also didn't hurt that he was the most personable individual she'd ever met—quick witted, friendly, with an excellent sense of humor, and oddly adorable in an alien sort of way. It hadn't taken her long to figure out why everyone, the twins included, were so fond of the mech.
"Great," Jazz clapped his hands together before shooting her toward the exit. "Now get outta here and enjoy the rest of your evenin', Prime's orders, and if I don't see ya again tonight before ya hit the berth, have sweet dreams."
"Good night, Jazz," Amy responded, shooting him a smile and allowing the mech to herd her into the elevator. "You, too."
The trip back up top was uneventful and Amy took a fresh, deep breath as she finally stepped out into the cool night air. It was a clear night, the stars sparkling high above, as she drew the salty sea air down into her lungs before sighing it back out once again. Pushing all thoughts of the hectic week out of her mind for the time being, she began walking in the direction of the main hangar. Her intention was to cut through it as a shortcut to the smaller hangar where the twins resided.
As she neared the open doors, she spotted Mirage loitering outside. She raised her hand in greeting, waving at the mech and received an almost timid nod of recognition in return. Ever since Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had taken it upon themselves to 'defend her honor', Mirage seemed to be giving her a wide berth. She'd barely spoken two words to him since then. She wasn't sure if the mech had taken it upon himself to avoid her or if he was told to leave her alone by the powers that be, but she'd had no further awkward run ins with him thus far. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't a little grateful for that. Still, the thought that she may have caused some sort of rift between members of the Autobot team made her feel slightly guilty.
Pushing Mirage from her mind and moving along, she entered the hangar to find Ironhide still running combat drills with some of the NEST ground team. The way the mech cursed and shouted orders at the humans scrambling around his feet made her infinitely glad that she was strictly a desk jockey and immune from participating in his training. Though her relationship with the mech was much improved, his demeanor when engaged in his duties reminded her too much of the hard ass RDCs who'd ruled over her recruit division in boot camp with an iron fist. That, certainly, wasn't an experience she'd ever like to relive. Much to her amusement, however, she noted that the intimidating mech's target dummy of choice for the evenings festivities just so happened to be Sideswipe.
It seemed Sideswipe had noticed her as well, pausing long enough in his "attack" to grin and wave at her as she passed through. Amy lifted her own hand in response and, to her dismay, the interaction provided Ironhide and his gaggle of human minions the perfect opening to kick Sides' wheels out from under him and send him crashing onto his aft. Amy winced at the sound of metal clanging against the concrete floor. It didn't seem to faze the mech, though. He'd simply rolled over onto his stomach, giving her a flirtatious wink while completely ignoring Ironhide's cursing and demands for him to get up and pay attention.
Hide must have followed Sideswipe's line of sight as his sharp optics honed in on her and narrowed in not quite annoyance.
Amy had the good sense to look apologetic, mouthing "sorry" at the mech. She received a disappointed head shake in return and a gesture to "get outta here" which she immediately obeyed but not before casting a final look in Sides direction, the mech in question looking highly amused and completely unapologetic as he pushed himself back up to his wheels and brazenly blew her a kiss in farewell.
Head down, Amy pressed onward, purposefully avoiding the area that housed the techs' cubicles. The last thing she wanted to do was run into Crazy Macy, as she and the twins had taken to calling her after she'd relayed the newest intel she'd received on the woman as well as her latest conversation. Though she didn't spot the aforementioned loon anywhere, she could have sworn she felt beady, little eyes tracking her progress though the hangar but it could have just been her nerves talking. Quickening her step, she managed to make it through to the other side and back into the open air unscathed.
The rest of the walk to the twins' berth room went by quickly and without incident. Approaching the door, she entered the security code for the hydraulic opener Sunstreaker had bullied Epps into getting for him. Sides had been right in that the mech had managed to get his way before lunch was over and she was glad she hadn't taken the silver twin up on his wager. Though Sunny's methods could sometimes be questionable, Amy couldn't deny that he got results.
Upon slipping inside, she was a bit disappointed to find the room empty. She assumed Sunstreaker was still out on patrol and so resigned herself to the fact that she was on her own, at least for a while. To her, the room seemed too cavernous and too quiet without the brothers' presence in it. There had been a time not that long ago where the solitude wouldn't have bothered her. In fact, it had been her preferred state of being. Being alone was safe...or at least it had been. Now, she was hit with an acute pang of loneliness, the energy tucked behind her breast bone churning in agreement.
She missed them.
She needed something to occupy herself while she was alone. Glancing around the room, her eyes first landed on an iPad that Sideswipe had sworn up and down to her wasn't "borrowed". The mech had been good on his word to translate some of the books he had backed up his data pads for her to read. She'd have loved to have been able so sit down and really delve into them but so far had only managed to carve out a few minutes a day to read a page or two at a time. She was currently trying to pick her way through a book about a race of scheming, manipulative beings called Quintessons that had been written thousands of years ago by a mech named Atlas Scion. Though it read like an elaborate sci-fi novel, Sideswipe had assured her that the account, although fictitious, had been based upon actual events and as tempting as the idea was to curl up on the couch with the story and read, she wasn't sure she'd be able to concentrate.
Scratching that idea off her list, she let her eyes wander to the few belongings she'd brought with her to the twins' quarters. Her eyes landed on her sea bag which she'd been unceremoniously stuffing with her dirty clothes for the last week and she was reminded that she had probably should do her laundry if she didn't want to walk around naked. Deciding having clean clothes was a worthy use of her alone time, she moved to the little corner of the shelves she'd staked out for herself and hauled the pack up onto her back before she could change her mind. She'd only just adjusted the straps to her liking when the door to the berth room opened.
A welcoming smile pulled at her lips as she turned to greet whichever twin had arrived. As she did so, however, her smile dropped. Her enthusiastic greeting turned instead into a timid question. "Umm...hi?"
"The frag, Squishie?" Sunstreaker was standing right inside the door, his arms hanging limp at his sides as he glared down at her. She wasn't sure how he did it but he managed to look pissed off and hurt all at the same time. "What on Cybertron do you think you're doing?"
Amy, confused, glanced around herself, unsure of what the mech was on about. Coming up empty, she turned back to him and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean," the mech grit, "I know we all agreed to a week to see how things went but, Primus, you can't even wait until Sides and I get home to pack all your scrap up and leave? Not even going to bother to say goodbye? That's some pretty mis-clocked slag, even for a fragging fleshie..."
"I..." Amy blinked, "what?"
Sunstreaker gestured to her seabag and scowled. "You're leaving, right? All packed up and ready to go. You've met your end of the deal so you're running back to the barracks."
'And away from us', his processor provided but he refused to voice.
It suddenly dawned on Amy how it must look to him. Honestly, it hadn't even crossed her mind that their 'trial period' had come to an end. She'd been so busy and the time had flown by so fast that the status of her living situation had been low on her list of priorities and, truth be told, after a rocky start she'd become so comfortable with the arrangement that she didn't really give it all that much thought. It had all just sort of clicked.
"Oh!" She shook her head, "Oh, no, Sunstreaker...I mean, yes, I was leaving to go back to the barracks..."
The mech scoffed and shook his head, "Fragging figures..."
"To wash my clothes," she finished hurriedly. "I need to do laundry."
That gave the mech pause. He stared down at her as if she'd just told him that Prowl had an actual sense of humor. In other words, in total disbelief. "Laundry?"
"Yeah," Amy nodded. Trying to lighten the mood she added, "One of the great perils of being human. You never run out of clothes to wash. I figured I could run over there and get it done before you guys got back but I guess I was wrong..."
Sunny vented heavily and ran a hand down his face plates, beginning to pace a bit in front of the still open door. "So, you're not leaving? You're not moving back into the barracks?"
Amy frowned, concern bubbling up in her chest. "Do...do you want me to?"
Sunstreaker let out a bark of disbelieving laughter, "Primus, Squishie..." He turned to face the woman, dropping down to a crouch in order to better see her eye to eye. "You seriously still don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?" Amy's brow furrowed, "I don't understand..."
"I know you don't," Sunny shook his head. "That much is slagging obvious. Look," the mech drew air down deep into his intakes, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just, Sides and I..." He trailed off, shaking his head once more. "I know you've bounced around a lot. Scrap, so have we but, if you want to stay, I...we..." he quickly corrected, "want you to know that you're welcome...and not just because of this whole spark thing. We enjoy your company." The mech vented, looking vaguely annoyed, "And Sideswipe would be fragging impossible to live with if he found out you were gone and I didn't at least try to convince you to stay. So...stay."
"I'd like that," Amy nodded, obviously relieved. "Just so long as its ok with both of you. I enjoy your company, too. I just don't want to overstay my welcome."
"That's not going to happen." Sunstreaker released the air he'd been retaining, the tension that had been building behind his chest plates dissipating. "I think I can safely speak for my brother when I say that it's ok with the both of us."
"I..." Amy nodded. She looked up into the mech's optics and saw something in their depths that she couldn't quite decipher. It warmed her from the inside out, though, and she felt the ever present energy within her buzz in response. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I'm just glad we got all that slag out of the way. Now," he rocked back on his pedes and braced his arms on his knees, nodding toward the seabag still strapped to her back. "Give me that."
Amy's lips pursed in an unasked question but she did as he asked and shrugged off the pack and handed it over. She watched, slightly transfixed, as he stood and tucked the bag inside a gap in his armor much like a human man would tuck his wallet into a pocket.
"Come on," he motioned for her to follow as he turned to leave the room and quickly changed the subject to something less emotional. "I'll drive you over to the barracks so you can wash your clothes. If you're fast, we can probably get back in time to pick out a good movie to watch in the rec room tonight before Sides has a chance to queue up some of that badly dubbed, over the top, kung fu scrap he's been into lately."
Not wanting to question the mech but glad that one more issue had seemed to iron itself out, and easily for once, Amy hurried after him.
XXXXXXXXXX
"You don't have to stay," Amy had insisted as Sunstreaker pulled into the lot across from the barracks and parked. It was more or less dark out by the time they arrived. The only light coming from a scattering of streetlights and the Lamborghini's softly glowing instrument panel. "It should only take me about an hour or so. I didn't bring much with me."
"I'll wait," Sunny answered. "Save myself the trouble of coming back to get you. Besides, what the frag am I going to do sitting at home by myself?"
"Well," Amy pondered aloud, "what did you plan on doing sitting by yourself in a parking lot for an hour?"
Instead of answering her question, Sunstreaker vented in mock exasperation, "Get out of here, Squishie. Go do what you need to do. I'll be here when you're done."
"Yeah, ok...I'm going," Amy agreed as she climbed out of the car, thanking Sunstreaker for opening the door for her as she pulled her bag behind her. "I'll be back."
As she left, she trailed her fingertips along his front quarter panel in farewell. Sunstreaker shivered on his axels and tried to convince himself If was due to the fact she'd smeared his pristine finish with her fingerprints. He didn't even know why he bothered anymore. Denial, anger, bargaining and depression...he'd been there. He was well on his way down the pathway to acceptance. That in and of itself gave him pause. He wasn't exactly sure when he'd stopped thinking of her as 'the human' and started thinking of her as his and Sides' partner but he did know that it was much too late to reverse now. The proverbial damage had already been done.
As much as he'd love to deny it, he'd panicked when he'd walked into the berth room to find her with her possessions strapped to her back. For a brief moment, he'd felt as if his spark had seized up in his chest. The idea of her simply packing up her things and walking away was one his processor couldn't entertain with any semblance of rationality. Anger had flooded his circuits as well as an unhealthy dose of self doubt. Had they done something wrong? Could they have done something better? Was she not happy? Did she not enjoy their company? He was glad she'd chimed in when she did to clarify her actions. He'd had a particularly vicious retort on the tip of his glossa in the interest of self preservation that, if spoken, he was sure would have had lasting consequences. He was infinitely thankful that it hadn't been.
Sinking low on his tires, the mech watched the woman hurry across the street and into the building. He couldn't help but wonder at the strange course he and his brother's lives had taken. Of all the places they could have ended up, they were on Earth...a filthy planet on the far aft end of the galaxy, teeming with intelligent organic life. If anyone would have told him when he arrived that he would be cavorting with one of the natives and being all domestic...taking her to wash her clothes of all things...and secretly enjoying himself, he would have punched them square in the face plates. Now, however, he was content just to settle in, secure in the knowledge that she'd return.
XXXXXXXXXX
Amy hurried up the steps and into the building. She greeted the soldier on watch who, in turn, eyed her strangely. She supposed it was due to the fact that she'd been MIA for a week as far as the personnel in charge of the barracks were concerned. Not paying them too much attention, she headed for the stairs, completely ignoring the elevator, and bounded up them to her floor. She quickly traversed the hallway, coming quickly to her room. Fishing her keycard out of her pocket, she let herself inside.
Once over the threshold, she surveyed the room. It still appeared exactly the same as when she last saw it exactly a week ago. She hurried to her locker. Yanking it open, she pulled out a small bottle of laundry detergent and a box of fabric softener sheets. Sliding her bag off her back, she quickly opened it up and slipped the laundry supplies inside. She then took a moment to scrounge through her locker for anything else she might need to take back to the twins' room with her. She ended up snagging a couple more pairs of undergarments, an extra bar of soap, as well as a pack of bobby-pins, some elastic bands, and some shoe polish. These she also tucked away into her seabag before hefting it back up onto her back and closing the locker. She allowed herself one more scan of the room before heading back out and locking the door behind her.
The laundry facilities were in the basement of the building. Amy quickly found an empty washer and loaded her dirty clothes into it. Thankfully, she only had one load consisting mainly of uniform items and so didn't anticipate her chore taking too terribly long. Setting her clothes to wash, she hopped up onto one of the folding tables to sit and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She scrolled through her alerts, responding briefly to a text Bumblebee had sent her earlier that consisted of a funny cat meme with one of her own, before typing out a message of her own to Jazz.
'Hiya! Has Ratchet been down yet?'
The reply was almost instantaneous. 'Whatcha doin'? I thought I told ya to relax!'
'I'm doing laundry,' Amy typed back. 'Have to pass the time somehow...' She added a smiley emoticon and hit send.
'I'll let ya slide this time, lol,' came the response. 'Doc's down here now, scraplet. We'll figure this thing out. That's a promise. I'll keep ya posted.'
'Thanks,' Amy typed back. 'I appreciate it. Don't stay down there too late!'
'Hey!' The mech sent back, 'Stop stealin' my lines!'
Amy laughed to herself, sending out a quick 'love ya!' before locking her phone and sliding it back into her pocket. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. She wasn't particularly tired. She'd been sleeping well. Probably the best she'd ever slept, to be honest. Perhaps it was the warmth of the room or the sound of the washer as it spun round and round but, regardless of the reason, Amy found herself dozing off before she had a chance to even realize it was happening.
One moment she'd been all cozy in the laundry room and the next, she'd found herself standing upon the expansive plain of dark nothingness she'd hoped she'd put behind her. All those sleepless nights she'd spent tossing and turning in her bed and all those strange dreams had seemed so far away as she lay at night safely snuggled between two alien goliaths. It was almost like they'd never happened. She'd chalked it up to stress and had assumed rectifying her situation with the twins had gone far in relieving it. Yet, as much as she wanted to believe that, here she was once again.
She peered into the dark, easily picking out the light that lived on the edge of the horizon, her ever elusive and unreachable goal. Something wasn't right, however, and it took her a moment to realize exactly what it was that was off.
It was completely silent.
There was no deep, rumbling voice chattering on in the background. There was no shuffling movement beyond her limited field of vision. Save for the sound of her own breath and her heart beating steadily in her ears, there was no ambient sound whatsoever. The ambiguous, looming presence she'd come to associate with this strange place was, as far as she could tell, utterly absent. In her dream-like state, she was surprised by exactly how much this revelation bothered her.
She narrowed her eyes, squinting into the surrounding darkness, searching for any sign of her missing companion. She called out, "Hello?!"
Not even an echo sounded in return.
"Hello?" She tried again, nibbling worriedly at her bottom lip as she turned around in a slow circle. "Hello! Are you there?"
No response.
"Doe."
The sound of her assigned surname suddenly being spoken aloud had her whipping back around and, for a terrifying moment, she feared she may have actually gone blind. She froze, whether in awe or terror she couldn't tell. Before her loomed an amorphous mountain of the blackest black she'd ever seen, darker than even the surrounding darkness. It blotted out the lights on the horizon, easily as wide as two semi trailers parked end to end and easily three times the height of the gargantuan Optimus Prime. It had no discernible shape, simply a humongous black blob, but it definitely had mass. She could feel it taking up space well beyond what she was capable of seeing.
"Doe..."
The sound of her name once more spoken in the utter silence startled her out of her momentary stupor. She blinked, trying to focus her eyes on the mass, searching for some identifying characteristic. Her gaze raked up, and up, and up, finding only more blackness. She took a tentative step forward and then another. It was almost as though it possessed a gravity all its own, drawing her closer despite her better judgment.
Her tongue felt thick and useless in her mouth but she managed to utter, "W-was that you?" She swallowed audibly, her eyes still searching the darkness. "Who, uh, wh-what are you?"
"Doe!"
Her name boomed loudly throughout the blackness, sending her stumbling back with her hands clapped over her ears. Her feet tangled and she fell backwards, landing solidly on her back, just missing slamming her head into the ground. As she lay there stunned, staring into the blackness, there was a bright white flash of what she could have sworn were two eyes gazing serenely back at her from high, high up in the dark void. It only lasted for a second, however, as she was suddenly overwhelmed by the sensation of falling. She flailed, trying to catch herself, a scream tearing from her throat.
"Doe!"
Amy's eyes flew open and she found herself dangling just inches from face planting onto the floor. A pair of strong arms were wrapped around her waist and unceremoniously hauled her back up and righted her on her feet. She blinked up at her savior, immediately recognizing the concerned face that looked back. "Monroe?"
"Damn, OS2," the man shook his head and stepped back to give her some breathing room. "You ok?"
"Yeah," Amy nodded. "I think so. I guess I fell asleep."
"Yeah," he agreed. "I came down and saw you knocked out. It looked like you were having a bad dream and I tried to wake you up but you kinda..." he imitated her flopping off the table. "Sorry about that."
"No," Amy assured. "It's fine. Thanks for the catch." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "It wasn't a bad dream, per se...just...weird." She shook her head, "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you," the man motioned towards the other side of the room where a basket of laundry sat. "Gotta stay fresh."
"Yeah," Amy agreed, rubbing her eyes and hopping back up onto the folding table to sit. "I guess so."
"Hey, OS2," he moved to lean against the table next to her. "Listen, I've been trying to catch up with you..."
Surprised, Amy looked at him. "You have?"
"Yeah," Monroe nodded. "You were all laid up and I haven't seen you since. I've been by your room a few times but never seem to catch you home. I've been worried, ya know?"
"Oh," Amy smiled softly. "That's really nice of you but I'm fine. Really."
"Are you sure?" Monroe looked her up and down. "You didn't look fine last time I saw you. Shit, I know I wouldn't be fine with those big robots hovering over me all the time."
Amy snorted, "I promise you, they're really sweet once you get to know them."
He looked at her skeptically.
"They're just people, Monroe," she assured. "They may look different but they're really just extremely large, metal people. The same as anybody else."
Monroe looked unconvinced. "If you say so, OS2..." He sighed, "Seriously, though, you're doin' alright?"
"I am," Amy nodded, a smile coming to her lips. "I'm pretty great actually."
"Good," Monroe nodded. "I'm glad to hear it."
The pair quickly fell into lighthearted, easy conversation after that. As much as she loved being around the bots, it was nice...if not a bit strange...to converse with someone human again beyond the scope of her duties. They caught each other up on what was going on in their respective jobs—what they each were allowed to share at any rate and delved into base gossip both personal and professional. It was amazing what all you missed spending basically your entire day underground. If nothing else, the conversation made the time go by faster and before she knew it, Amy was folding up her now clean clothes and stuffing them back into her bag. She'd been pretty dead on about the time, too. A quick check of her watch told her she had com in in just under an hour.
"Need any help dragging that back up to your room?" Monroe had left his own clothes drying and had followed Doe back up the stairs into the lobby.
"Um," Amy paused, turning to face him. "Thanks but, uh, I think I've got it."
"You sure?" Monroe shrugged, "I got time."
"That's ok. I can get it." Amy's eyes wandered toward the doors. Outside, she could see Sunstreaker parked across the street waiting just as he'd promised. Absently, she contemplated how to extricate herself from Monroe and escape back outside without raising any questions as to why she was taking most of her worldly possessions with her. She may have also been admiring the way the streetlights reflected off the liquid shine of the mech's hood. So much so, in fact, that she completely zoned out on what Monroe was saying.
"...later if you want to come hang out," he finished.
Amy blinked, pulling her eyes away from the doors, "Sorry, Monroe. I missed that. Do I want to do what now?"
"Damn," he laughed. "Didn't realize I was that boring." He tried again, "Me and some of the guys from work are gonna get together at 8 over at the MWR to play some poker if ya want to come."
"Oh." Amy politely declined, "That sounds like fun but, I kinda already promised a couple friends we'd watch a movie tonight."
"Sure," Monroe nodded. "No worries, OS2. The offer stands. If the movie bombs, you know where to find us."
"Thanks," she smiled, "I appreciate that."
"Anytime," the man amicably agreed. "Since you don't need me, I guess I'll head back to the basement. Take it easy OS2!"
"Yeah," Amy bid him farewell. "You, too."
She waited until Monroe had disappeared back the way they'd come before turning and making a break for the doors. There was a new soldier on watch but she barely spared them a glance. She quickly pushed her way back outside and hurried down the steps. Pausing for only a brief second to make sure the coast was clear before crossing the street, she made a beeline for Sunstreaker. The driver's side door opened as she approached and, without a second thought, she slid behind the steering wheel, shifting her bag to the passenger's seat.
"See?" She was slightly out of of breath. "I told you it would be about an hour. You didn't have to wait."
"What did he want," Sunny's voice dripped with venom as it flowed through the speakers.
"Who?" Amy thought for a moment before realizing that Sunstreaker had most likely seen at least part of her conversation through the glass doors. How? She couldn't even guess. She had no idea where his 'eyes' went when he swapped into vehicle form. She wasn't even sure how any of them could see to drive, to be honest. That was a question for another day, though. "You mean Monroe?"
"Is that his name?" If he'd been bipedal, he would have rolled his optics. "Monroe...sounds like a fragging knock-off."
Amy was perplexed, "What in the world has gotten into you?"
"I don't like him," Sunstreaker answered in a low tone.
"Yeah," Amy nodded. "I got that. Any particular reason why?"
Sunny growled, "Him being a greasy meat sack isn't reason enough?"
"Um," Amy frowned. "Hi. I'm human. Have we met?"
"You know what I mean, Squishie," Sunstreaker insisted. "He's a slagging piston-headed son of a scrapheap with no respect for boundaries."
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Sunstreaker." Amy shook her head. "He came down to wash his clothes while I was in the laundry room. He asked me how I was feeling since he saw me last. We talked about work and base gossip while we waited for stuff to dry. He invited me to a game of poker with his friends which I obviously declined and that was it. I think my boundaries are pretty intact. I'm not sure exactly what he's done to invoke your wrath but while I was sick in the med bay he told me all about you threatening him."
Sunstreaker snarled, "Did he also tell you that he told his burn out friends he wouldn't mind swapping paint with you?"
Amy looked confused, "Swapping...what?"
"Interfacing." Sunny vented at the blank look on her face. "Mating. Copulating. Fu—"
"Ok!" Amy cut off whatever he'd been about to say. "I get it!"
"Good," the mech replied. "Then you understand why I told him that if I caught him mouthing off like that again that there wouldn't be enough of him left to scrape up off the ground with a slagging shovel."
"You told him what?" Amy looked horrified. "Why would you do that? He's terrified of you!"
Sunstreaker answered in a satisfied tone. "He should be."
"No," Amy denied, "he shouldn't be! I don't know what you heard but you didn't have to scare the living daylights out of him! He's never said or done anything to me that would even remotely suggest he was even thinking about something like that. He's a nice guy!"
"He's human," Sunstreaker grit.
"So?" Amy shifted in her seat. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"You're human," the mech answered in an almost exasperated tone. "We're not."
"Yeah...and?" Amy's expression morphed into one of intrigue, "Wait. Are you...jealous?"
"Please," Sunstreaker scoffed. "Jealous of that glitch?"
"Oh, my God," Amy sat up a bit straighter. "You are aren't you?"
Sunny neither confirmed nor denied the allegation.
Amy shook her head, "Well, let me put your mind at ease, you don't have to be. We're just casual friends. Even if he was interested in me like that, I'm definitely not interested in him as anything but a friend."
"Not the point," Sunstreaker fired back. "Another mech would never pursue a femme, or vice versa, if they knew they were spark bound to someone else. It's fragging disrespectful to you, to us, and to the bond. Some things in our culture are slagging sacred...or at least they were."
"Well," Amy tried to rationalize, "he doesn't know about our situation, does he? It's not like I can tell him the three of us are living together. It was just some stupid guy talk. It's nothing to get yourself all worked up over. He probably didn't even mean it and I'm absolutely positive that Monroe wasn't intentionally stomping all over your culture." She thought for a moment, her brows furrowing in thought before asking, "Speaking of culture, you mean to tell me that if a bunch of cute Cybertronian ladies showed up tomorrow, you and Sideswipe wouldn't be checking them out?"
"If you're asking whether or not we could appreciate the visual aesthetic of an attractive femme," the mech stated matter of factly, "then, yeah, sure we could. Would we be trying to get all up in their undercarriage? Absolutely not. No slagging way. It would never happen because we lo—," he brought himself up short, unable to finish the sentence. Instead he said, "Because we're in a relationship with you. Only you," he emphasized. "Understand?"
"Sure," Amy nodded. Even though she didn't doubt their fidelity, it still made her feel good to hear it spoken aloud. "Okay..."
"Look, Squishie," he elaborated, "there's an unspoken etiquette when it comes to these types of things. You don't screw around with a bonded pair...trine...whatever. It's an insult to the relationship. This thing between the three of us was still brand new and we had no idea where things stood. I was pissed off and, yeah, I threatened to flatten the fragger. I'm not sorry and I'd probably do it again if put in the same situation. Pit, even Ratchet almost caught a fist to the face plates a couple times for popping off at the manifold when he first found out we were involved. Some things are just hardwired."
Normally, Amy was of the mindset that such behavior constituted a 'red flag'. Then again, she thought of all the other people she interacted and spent time with on a daily basis, both human and bot alike. No one else seemed to raise Sunstreaker's hackles the way Monroe did. Personally, she thought it was ridiculous that an overheard, offhanded comment put the mech so on edge. It was as if Sunstreaker believed the man to be purposefully trivializing the connection they shared by implying the possibility he could become physically intimate with her in a way that, perhaps, he and Sideswipe could not.
Nothing could have been farther outside the realm of possibilities. Though she, too, could appreciate an attractive person of her own species, that's as far as the appeal went. She had no desire to seek out or pursue any type of relationship with anyone else. She didn't believe anyone could ever measure up now that she'd gotten to know the twins. For better or worse, they'd raised the bar of her expectations.
She tried to put herself Sunstreaker's shoes, so to speak. She knew she'd been emotional and confused...she still was on occasion. She thought back to her first uncomfortable conversation with Crazy Macy and how the woman's thinly veiled innuendo of wanting to "go for a ride" with them had sent a hot stab of possessiveness straight through her. At the time, she'd visualized smacking the glasses off of her face and tearing out some of that perfectly coiffed red hair. The only difference between them, she supposed, was that she'd been able to resist the urge. She could definitely understand why rules of etiquette existed for these situations.
"Yeah," Amy sighed, "I think I know what you mean."
"Good," the mech vented tiredly. "Then can we please stop arguing about this slag and go home?"
"Yeah..." She took a deep breath, mustering her courage to say what she knew needed to be said. "I just want you to know that I'm with the both of you, too. Only you guys." She shook her head. "Nothing anyone else has to say matters but, if it'll make you feel better, I'll have a talk with Monroe. I'll tell him..." she paused. "I don't know what I'll tell him but I'll think of something. In return, all I ask is that you lay off of him. Just let him be. He's not hurting anyone and I'm not going anywhere."
"I still don't like him," Sunny retorted quietly.
"I'm not asking you to. Just," Amy chuckled, slightly amused as she remembered a shaken Monroe ducking and dodging between buildings, "just stop terrorizing the poor guy. Please? For me?"
"Fine," the mech reluctantly agreed with a huff. "Are we good now?"
"Yeah," Amy nodded, feeling some of the tension in the atmosphere lift. She ran her fingertips soothingly over the steering wheel. "We're good. Let's go home."
XXXXXXXXXX
Sideswipe hummed to himself as he traversed the pathway that would lead him back to the room he shared with his brother and Amy, a playful swerve in his roll. It had been an entire week since they'd started sharing living quarters with the woman and, though things hadn't gone exactly as planned, he was of the opinion it had been a huge success. The three of them had gotten to know each other both physically and emotionally which he believed had only strengthened their bond. He was pretty sure that Amy felt the same and was feeling pretty confident that he and Sunny could convince her to extend their arrangement. Permanently, he hoped.
A content smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he paused right outside the berth room doors. There was just something about being able to come home after a long day to someone you cared about, not including his brother, that warmed his spark and sent little electric tingles through his frame. He'd come close to giving up on the notion that they'd ever be in this position. He was infinitely glad that he hadn't. It was as though being in love had opened up a whole new realm of possibilities that he hadn't even known existed. It didn't matter that his Ames was a different species. The situation may not have been perfect but, it was perfect for them and for the first time in a long time he found himself looking toward and planning for the future with hope and enthusiasm.
All he wanted to do at the moment, however, was collect his family, grab a couple cubes for him and Sunny, stock Amy up with some snacks, and settle in together in the rec room for a movie. In fact, he already had one picked out. He briefly thought what a shame it was he and Sunny had returned Galloway's projector since it would have been nice to snuggle up in their berth for a movie night but, he supposed you couldn't win them all. He shrugged off the thought and keyed in the door code. The lock disengaged with a solid click and he rolled it back on its track.
Grin widening, he stepped inside. He opened his mouth for a greeting but it died on his glossa, his expression morphing into a frown as he found the room empty. "Well, slag," he vented.
Shoulders sagging, he checked his chronometer. Amy should have been off duty over an hour ago and he'd seen Sunny earlier so he knew he was finished with whatever task Prowl had him working on. It was like Sunstreaker not to give him a head's up where he was going and Amy hadn't mentioned anything about needing to do anything after her shift was over. Sides assumed the pair were together, which was perfectly fine by him, but they'd made plans for the evening and normally would have at least let him know they were running late. As his optics wandered over the space, he was contemplating comming his brother when he made a horrific realization.
Amy's things were gone.
"What the...no." Sideswipe shook his head in denial as he moved to the shelf and started rummaging through its contents. A few things remained such as a case that contained her toiletries and an extra cover but her seabag containing all of her clothing and Primus only knew what else was gone. "No, no, no...frag!"
The mech could feel himself going into panic mode. Things had been good...great even. They'd agreed to a week, yes, but he couldn't believe she'd just pack up and leave. That definitely wasn't like her. She hadn't even said goodbye. He needed to track down Sunny. He needed to go to the barracks. He needed to convince her to come home.
He opened the private comm channel he and his brother shared. It pinged through but he didn't get a response. He tried again. No answer. And again, and again, and again...nothing.
The berth room door was flung open suddenly, Sunstreaker's frame filling the doorway. "Somebody better be dead or dying," he snapped. "Why the frag are you blowing up my comm?"
"Sunny!" Sideswipe lunged for his twin, nearly tripping over his own wheels and face planting were it not for his brother's quick reflexes. He quickly righted himself, exclaiming, "We have to go to the barracks! Now!"
"I just came from there," Sunstreaker vented. "I'm not going back, not tonight."
"You were?" Sideswipe glared at his twin. "Then where is Ames? Her things are gone!"
"Pump your brakes, bit brain," Sunny rolled his optics. "She had to do her laundry." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "She's coming. Bee caught her in the hall and wanted to show her some slagging YouTube video he found or something."
"Laundry?" Relief flooded the silver twin. He brought a hand up to his chest plates in an attempt to calm his turbulent spark. "I thought she'd ditched us."
Sunstreaker nodded. "Imagine how I felt when I walked in and found her cramming all her belongings into a bag."
Sides questioned, "So...she isn't leaving, right?"
The other mech shook his head, "Not for the foreseeable future. At least that was my understanding."
Sideswipe sighed, "Thank, Primus..."
"Sideswipe!" Amy's voice suddenly filled the space as she stepped around Sunstreaker, "You're back!"
"Ames!" Sides instantly brightened and without warning, bent to scoop the woman up into an embrace.
Amy squeaked in surprise as her feet left the floor. Her stomach summersaulted at the sudden change in altitude. Very aware that she was now dangling several feet above the ground, she dug her fingers into the crevices of the mech's armor and hung on for dear life as she waited for her equilibrium to return.
"I missed you today," the mech purred, nuzzling his nasal plates into her hair and carefully adjusted his hold to make her more comfortable.
"I, uh, I missed you too." Her voice was still slightly shaky but she was confident now that he wouldn't let her splatter on the ground and so released her death grip to settle against him. "That was quite a welcome," she laughed embarrassedly.
"I'm just happy you're here," he replied, pulling back slightly to smile down affectionately at her.
"Primus," Sunstreaker groaned, as he shuffled around the pair and removed Amy's seabag from a subspace pocket to place it on the shelf for her to sort through later. "Can you be any cheesier?"
Sides shot his brother an impish grin. "Yes. Yes, I can."
"I can't believe we're related," Sunny muttered to himself which made Amy laugh softly.
"So," Sideswipe turned his attention back to the woman in his arms. "Are we still on for movie night?"
"Absolutely," Amy agreed with a nod of her head.
"Great!" Sides' optics brightened. "I've taken the liberty of arranging seating and snacks in the rec room. And," he grinned, "I picked out a movie for us to start with."
"Frag me..." Sunstreaker made a pained noise.
"'Master of the Flying Guillotine'," Sideswipe announced. "How does that sound sweetspark?"
Amy glanced in Sunstreaker's direction and smiled widely in amusement at the anguished expression on his face, "I think that sounds perfect."
"Excellent. Come on, Sunny," Sideswipe beckoned his brother to follow as he exited the space with Amy still secure in his arms. He was perfectly content knowing she was there and that the night had already turned out even better than he'd planned.
Sunstreaker vented heavily at the prospect of sitting through another of his brother's cinematic choices but followed obediently. Truth be told, bad Kung Fu movie notwithstanding, he couldn't think of a better way to spend the rest of the evening than with the two most important people in his life. For them, he'd suffer through poor lip syncing. "Hey," he called after them. "I'll sit through that slag but then we're watching 'Carvaggio'."
End of Chapter 47
