Snowflakes
He never thought he would see his home on the rime of a snowflake.
Disclaimer - I don't own Transformers Prime, which is property of its rightful owner.
Snowflakes by Skyhope.021
Part 13 of Dangerous Ride Series
28~11~2021
Despite the scarce time I have, I still keep writing in every moment I find to do so. I know it's been a while since I had an update on Hunters and Dark Side, I haven't let them down. It's taking me little longer due to duties, but I'm working on them.
About this story, it's almost competed, thus, there will be monthly updates (probably less. I'm sorry it's so long but it's because I still have many other things between hands).
I was concentrated making things when I adverted it was snowing outside. Then this fleeting curious idea just crossed my mind like a shooting star, so I made this story upon it. Of course, as it's usual in me, while I developed it it took an unexpected turn I hadn't think of.
It was just a flash, but enough to awake my mind. It brought me a beautiful memory of winter mornings, cold yet delicate, silent but gorgeous. I would love to share this story through my eyes, and I truly hope I can take you there. I may not be able to fully show you the landscape I see in my imagination, nor the smells or the sounds of that charming quietness around me as I write this. I won't probably be able to describe the way it makes me feel at all, but I'll try my best to draw you the most faithful picture out of words.
Enjoy.
Snowflakes
1
The dark haired woman descended unhurried down the yellow painted stairs, her long cream-colored winter coat in hands. She hadn't been aware of how time had flown away, and her watch already gave eight o'clock in the evening. Perhaps it was time to return back home.
Nurse Darby had had a long shift that day, and her body had begged for a well deserved rest. Yet, despite the tiredness, she hadn't been sure she wanted to go back home. She much more preferred the warm company of the Team Prime members in those cold days than the solitude of her empty house. It was thus she had contacted the old medic for a pick up.
By the time she had exited the hospital, she had found the azure motorcycle already waiting for her. As soon as she had her helmet on, and her hands on the handlebars, they had both got on the move. June was glad she didn't have to drive on her own. She was really exhausted, but she wasn't the only one.
The way back to Autobot headquarters had been calm, but had taken them little longer than usual. The nurse had noticed the femme wasn't driving as fast as any other times she had picked her up. Only when the gate opened and the entrance tunnel lead them to the main hall did she realize about it.
It was one of those rare yet unique days.
The main hall was deserted, quieter than never before. There were no Autobots in sight, not even the old doctor was at his usual post. His computer showed no liveliness but the global scanner, always working to detect the slightest Decepticon activity.
June had descended off of Arcee and, after thanking her, she directed her steps towards the platform, where the kids already awaited. The femme shortly stood on her wheels and then transformed, stretching. She vented deep, her optics shut for a moments, before finally opening them to meet the dark haired woman's gaze.
"I guess today we won't have the pleasure of keeping you as company." June commented softly, leaning on the handrail. She could read through the dimmed look of the cybertronian in front her. Her son's guardian, in return, smiled faintly. "Retiring for the night, Arcee?"
"Sure I am." The azure femme silently confirmed with a nod. "You will have to excuse me, but it's pretty late on Iacon…" She added, beginning to walk away. "… And my systems are long in need of some recharge."
"Good night, partner." Her protégée, who had left his homework and had walked up to his mother's side, wished her. "See you in the morning."
"See you on a couple days… Partner." She replied confidently, waving a servo vaguely. That was her last reply, before disappearing inwards the base, leaving the humans on their own.
The afternoon had gone on without much hustle and bustle. The kids had been mostly focused on their doings, and there wasn't much word exchange. Jack had been concentrated on solving his physics exercises, while Rafael, had dove himself into his research project he had been assigned for the school.
Despite June's suggestions to take advantage of the time, Miko hadn't touched her books. Instead, she had decided to spend the afternoon illustrating heroic Autobot warriors on her sketchbook, battling evil Decepticons. From time to time, she proudly showed her art to them, explaining the scene vividly.
June had managed to stay awake for most part of the afternoon, but sat on the sofa as she was, and the long shift she had had, she had finally succumbed to her tiredness, falling asleep. Jack, noticing it, grabbed her coat and covered her carefully not to wake her up. He stared warmly for a moment, smiling, and then returned to his homework.
A hand on her arm and tender whisper had waken her up. June blinked repeatedly, trying to guess where she was, lightly disoriented. She focused in the figure before her and recognized it was her son, who was telling her it was getting late. He was right. Her watch already marked ten to eight. She yawned discretely and, leaving her coat aside, stood up from the sofa.
"We should get you home." The woman stated, now fully awake. She was aware it would take them a while to get back to the town. "Raf, your parents will be worried. Let them know you're with us. If they call, pass them to me." The youngest member of the Team nodded in agreement, picking his phone out. "Miko, please, text your host parents to let them know you'll be lightly late."
"Already did!" Miko shouted genuinely. "They don't expect me to come home. I told them I would stay with you." She explained, showing the nurse her phone, before dropping her suggestion, enthusiastically. "We could spend the night here in the base, with our 'Bots!"
"Although it sounds like an adventure, that won't be possible." June denied serenely, though making her point clear. "You three don't have where to sleep here, nor comfortable clothes for doing so. You didn't even have dinner, and that's something important I'm not allowing you to skip." She stated motherly. "Come on, tidy up. I'm taking you home."
June gave a look around, trying to organize the situation, when her son brought a issue she hadn't taken into account.
"Mom, where did you park the car? I can't see it." Jack asked, suddenly noticing the lack of transport. His mother's blue eyes widened in surprise as it suddenly hit her.
"Of course… Arcee brought me." June raised a hand to her forehead, shutting her eyes for a moment. She let her hand down, locking gazes with him, her mind rushing to find a solution. "Any idea of how are we gonna get back home?"
"What about the ground bridge?" Miko took a step forwards, signaling with a hand the arches arranged in series in front of them.
"No!" Rafael immediately told her around. "Ratchet says we should not use the ground bridge unless it's an emergency. You know what happened last time there was a failure." He reminded her, adjusting his glasses.
"Oh, come on, that was just because there were two opened at the same time. It's not like we're gonna face a cybertronian zombie again…" The pink haired girl mimicked before waving unworried.
"Ground bridge failure? Cybertronian zombies?" June raised an opticbrow shocked, unsure if she had heard well.
"Ah… Long story, mom. We'll tell you any other time. Now we need to figure out this situation." Jack hurried to dismiss the topic, as he didn't want to alarm her. "Walking through the desert at this hours is not a good idea. We don't posses any vehicle, and ground bridge is out of question. I don't even think it would be wise to disturb the Autobots while they're recharging. It wouldn't be fair." He pondered, silencing for a moment, before he drew his conclusion. "Since it doesn't seem like we have any other available option, I think we're stranded here, so we may not have other choice than staying in the base for the night."
Miko shouted in enthusiasm, with Raf grinning by her side, while June stood thoughtfully.
"What about Fowler? Maybe he could do us the favor." The nurse considered, tempted to take her phone out of her jacket's pocket. "I don't know what else could we do…"
It was then when some silent steps made them turn their attention in the corridor's direction.
The crimson mech strolled unhurried into the stance, an energon cube in servos. He vaguely noticed the humans, and with lazy strides, he approached them. He came to a stop somewhere near the platform, where he directed them unworried look. The dark haired woman turned to face the newcomer, a relieved smile in her face as she locked gazes with the dimmed optics of the giant.
"Knockout." She greeted, resting a hand on the handrail.
The mech did not immediately reply. Instead, he left the almost empty cube aside and took his time to idly stretched. He extended his frame in all his length, his dangerously sharp claws reaching out for a moment, occasionally leaning to each side as his tingling plates aligned back in place. He puffed his chassis up all he could, intaking air under his armor, before letting them drop down back to a natural position. Satisfied, he smiled content, reopening his now brighter optics to look at his companion.
"Morning." He returned the greet, grabbing his cube in servos and taking a long sip from it, emptying it dry. Once he was done refueling, he shortly studied the humans, and hummed amusedly. "You look like you're in a situation, don't you?"
"Not gonna lie, we are." The nurse admitted, explaining to him their current predicament. "I didn't brought my car, and everyone seems to be recharging. We are grounded here with no means of leaving the base." The cybertronian let go an playful chuckle, leaning a forearm on the handrail.
"Hmm, you may wanna say I am your perfect solution, huh?" He teased, remarking his words. His optics narrowed, though his smirk widened, obtaining a head shake from Jack. "You're fortunate Kaon holds a different time zone." He waved a servo theatrically, before resting his helm on his forearm. "So, where may I have the pleasure to take you to?"
"Would you take us home, please?" June asked.
"With pleasure." The crimson mech nodded shortly, straightening up.
"Ugh, Doc Knock!" Miko immediately complained. "You ruined our night adventure! We were supposed to stay in base!"
"Ah! No need to thank me, Archnemesis. I'm always pleased to knock any plans of yours down." The mech bowed elegantly, directing her a playful look as he walked few steps backwards away form the platform, getting a huff from her. He chuckled amusedly.
"You're cruel." The girl stated, emphasizing her words by crossing her arms and directing him a scowl. She knew he was just messing around.
"No, I'm not…" He tilted his helm and replied with a soft tone, acting innocent. "… But please, don't blame a former Decepticon for, from time to time, bringing some of his old habits back." He side shrugged. "They are hard to get rid of…"
He planted in front of the entrance and he left himself fall backwards, gracefully motioning his T-cog to change him into his alt mode. By the time his tires met the ground, he had completely transformed, both his doors and the trunk opened for his passengers to get in.
The kids gathered their belongings and walked down the yellow stairs, the grownup woman after them. They placed their things in the trunk before entering in. Miko and Raf occupied their seats at the back, while Jack sat at the front, next to his mother, who took her place at the steering wheel. Knockout closed his doors in a swift movement and proceeded to make few checks on himself. Once satisfied, he secured his them, ready to leave.
The mech started his powerful engine up, of which loud roars reverberated over the hall. The gear level ghostly moved backwards, shifting cogs in place, and then he slowly let go of the brake, making a clean exit. The crimson sports car smoothly rolled into the tunnel, and when the main gate slid open to grant him access, he accelerated into the dusty desert.
Light was already scarce. The only trace of sun left was a purplish reminiscence in the horizon, over the deep blue night sky, covered in thick clouds. It was difficult for a human to see in such darkness, but not for him.
His tires soon left the sand and incorporated into the asphalted path, now lit by his headlights.
"Knockout." Rafael called out, getting the cybertronian's attention. "How is it that after all this time among Autobots, you still use Kaon's circadian cycle?" He asked intrigued, adjusting his glasses. The mech did not reply right away. Instead, he took a moment to check the new words on the human databases, making sure he got the right meaning of it. "I mean, why not following Iaconian time zone?"
"As you might already know, Raf, not all Autobots are from Iacon. Neither all Decepticons are from Kaon. Despite the time spent on this planet, each of us still stick to our original home city's time zone. Thus not all the team follows the same schedule." The cybertronian began, his voice sounding animated. "It's kinda advantageous strategy. It allows us to have, at least, one member always alert."
"About why don't I use their schedule… Well, there are too many jours of difference between the team and myself…" He continued. "… If I tried to catch up with them in the little time I've been hanging around, I would probably end up unsetting all my main systems' configuration, and I don't think Ratchet would be pleased about it. Neither would I, truth said." He snickered. "That's the reason why most nights, speaking in cybertronian terms, I find myself all alone running the place on my own."
"And why does it sound like trouble?" June replied, crossing her arms and frowning playfully at the steering wheel.
"Oh, you would not doubt me falling again into mischief now, would you June?" His come back was swift and carried an implied tricky tone as he played along. He obtained no spoken response from the nurse, who diverted her gaze to look through the window, discretely grinning. "Although street racing is kinda appealing, specially having a circuit so close, you have nothing to fear for. I haven't sneaked…"
The first water drop, out of the sudden, impacted on his windshield with a soft tap, making the crimson mech become mute in expectancy. Another one followed it, and soon thick downpour showered over them as they advances under the stormy dark clouds. The sound of the water meeting metal filled the ambience, creating a smooth symphony conducted by the rhythmic moves of the windshield wipers.
"Seriously!? I just buffed my finish!" Knockout's bothered complaints came out of the speakers as he talked over the rain. "Argh! If there's something I hate more that anything else in this world is this substance you call water, and now is coming up down heavily…"
"Says the cybertronian who loves being washed! Come on Archnemesis, is just water." Miko teased as a pay back, leaning forwards and grabbing the headrest of the driver's seat. "Stop whining, Doc Knock, is like a… Giant washing tunnel, but without the soap!"
"Actually, raindrops are created by water molecules condensing over a microscopic dirt particle that confers them some weight, what makes them fall down to Earth due to gravity." Rafael explained accurately, a grin in his lips.
"Thanks Raf for the interesting fact, it makes the whole situation much better." The grimace was noticeable on the crimson car's unpleased voice. "You know? You might be all cozy in there, but I'm getting soaked, and I don't like it."
"Don't worry, Knockout…" Jack rested a hand on the door handle by his right. "… We'll dry you up a when we get home."
"Appreciated." He grunted. "At least I'll expend the night at cover, I hope." He silenced, suddenly noticing the dark haired woman playing with his radio controls, bringing it to life. "Excuse me, may I ask what you're looking for in there, June?"
"I'm looking for local newscasts." She informed him. "Rain here is something unusual, even in winter. I would like to know how long will it last and what to expect for tomorrow's forecast." The dial number finally came into the screen. "Ah! Here it is!" She smiled, leaning back on her seat.
"… Cold front recently moved in, carrying clouds over Jasper. Heavy precipitations will be expected until Thursday. The cyclone, which brought chilling wind, will remain in the area for a week, causing a temperature drop below thirty-two Fahrenheit, with a maximum near forty." The newswoman resumed as they all listened attentively.
"…We recommend wearing overcoat, and we suggest to have an umbrella by your side as it will become a close friend this days." The presenter kept going on, her tone changing now into a more vivid one, though Knockout wasn't listening to her anymore. "Conditions are settled, and it is highly possible snow makes its appearance sometime over twilight. Town of Jasper could be waking up with a white winter this year, but only time will tell. This was Janet reporting Jasper's weather cast for local…"
June turned the volume roulette to her right, switching the radio off. Not a moment later, joyful laughs filled the ambience as kids celebrated it. The only one who remained silent was the mech, whose attention was focused on other more important matters.
It had gone unnoticed for humans, but he had realized he had a serious problem between servos, and he was beginning to feel wary about it. He would have to be extremely cautious now.
Darkness and water curtains never made a good combination when speaking of visibility. He had no clue if the town was anywhere close, or if there were any other vehicles nearby, and that was something he did not like a bit. He no longer had a clear view of the road, and soon twitched his passing beams into his fog lamps, in a vain attempt of making himself visible for other drivers. The game had just change and he now had to maintain all his senses alert. Though visibility was not the only problem he had at the moment.
The sheer amount of rain was becoming something of an issue. Due to the relatively flatness of the landscape, water found no way out of his path, and ground was soon saturated, unable to absorb any more of it. The asphalt turned into a few inches deep pool, making water splash at his sides as he went by.
His tires were not like the human made ones, and allowed him more resistance, maneuverability and a better control over the unfavorable conditions. Yet, it didn't mean he was out of danger, and he wasn't willing to take any risks.
If there was something he had learned during his years on Earth was weather was never something predictable. He had had enough scares in the past involving it, and it had granted him a precious knowledge he could use at the moment, but definitely didn't want to repeat any of his previous experiences.
Aware he now carried passengers, and the unexpected situation, his instincts impulsed him to progressively reduced his speed.
"It's being ages!" The dark haired boy replied, smiling content. "I can't barely remember the last time we had white holidays, mom." He laughed.
"Are we having snow?" The youngest boy's eyes brightened in enthusiasm, bringing his hands close to himself. "I've never seen snow before!"
"If we're lucky enough, we will Raf." June grinned, turning her head to look at the kid at the back. "It doesn't usually snow here, but when it does, I can assure you it leaves the most spectacular landscapes." She directed then to the Japanese girl. "You might want to get your camera ready, Miko. There will be plenty of good shoots to take."
"Sweet!" She launched herself forwards, briskly. "I sure will take lots of…"
"Miko, stay put!" The crimson mech growled, never letting her finish. The caving felt into icy cold silence.
"Dude, what's wrong with you?" The pink haired girl finally retorted back, not understanding why she had been scolded for. "It's not like I'm doing anything!"
"Hate to be the buzzkiller, but while you're all having fun in there, I'm having a situation here." His angered voice came to them strong through the speakers. "The rain's already putting it hard for me to see anything half a metron ahead. I'm blind driving. What's more, I'm having troubles keeping some grip under my tires." He paused for a click, adjusting his rear mirror to reflect his Archnemesis onto it.
"Unless you want to make it worse and provoke an accident, I would strongly suggest you to properly sit on your seat and stay put." He hissed menacingly. "That's my last warning before I pull you into the trunk, and I can assure you it is not all that entertaining. You may ask June about that."
The nurse frowned serious, recalling the time she had been kidnapped by that precise sports car, but, sensing it was not the right moment to quarrel, she did not bring it up. It was her son who interviewed for her.
"Miko, better do what he says." Jack decided to cut it up before it became an argument. "We will have plenty of time to talk about this later."
"Fine." The young Wrecker huffed, crossing her arms annoyed, but did as told. The Japanese girl pushed herself backwards, letting all her weight fall on the seat. It was in that moment that Knockout's biggest fears became true.
A/N
By the way, I'm just thinking aloud. I know is about budget for episodes, but every time a character does not show on an episode, or shows up almost by the end of it, and there's footage inside the bases (Outpost Omega One and the Nemesis), I can't help to think they are recharging, so that's why they don't show up.
Dunno, I just wanted to share my thoughts.
Also, is the first time I write a forecast news, and it was funny pretending to be a meteorologist.
