Chapter 13: Humans Afoot
Rubbing his arm, Bluestreak tried not to twitch as Kup smacked his hand away … again. He couldn't help it. His whole form just itched, especially wherever Ratchet had given him booster shots. He didn't remember booster shots itching so badly. He knew they were important, that they didn't want him getting some kind of rust infection or other physical diseases, but did he really need like fifteen of them? Apparently, he wasn't even done yet! Frag, going in every morning for medical energon he probably was going to get more shots and who knows what else?
Luckily, Ratchet hadn't rooted around in his CPU anymore given the digital sedative, but the medic was likely going to pick at that again once the new programs settled. True, nothing bad had happened today but it looked like he was trapped on the base until his next upgrade. Ratchet had all put pried every single plate he could up, trying to give his protoform more space to expand and grow. He even removed plating!
Bluestreak had been mortified when his system finally overcame the sedative program. True, it wasn't like he was in his base protoform or anything, but this was still horrible! He could see wires and other things just clicking away below his plating. Dare he say it, he even felt chilly. There was no way he was going to be able to leave the base now, both from embarrassment and for safety reasons.
He clicked again in embarrassment, wrapping his arms over his chassis. Bluestreak tried not to rub his fingers over his plating if only to ignore the awkward feeling of the gaps there. Usually, he would be able to pull his plating in close when upset, but doing so was useless. It would just make Ratchet's work all the more noticeable. All he wanted to do was get to his room and hide out, maybe groom Scorponok since Kup was going to be on shift.
He just wanted to get to his room before anyone saw him.
And he hadn't even dwelt on the used parts issue. It made his very spark shiver in its casing.
Swallowing as he tried to ignore the haunting thoughts trying to plague him, Bluestreak allowed Kup to turn the corner before him just in case anyone was there. The green mech seemed to notice this and chuckled, "Now, now kid. No one is going to care if your plating is well … barely there."
Bluestreak whined in his throat.
"We've seen mechs missing chassis armor and with half a face walking around before. Injuries and repairs happen and sometimes take time. No mechs gonna care," said the older bot, only to stall and add, "Except maybe Bumblebee. He's probably going to laugh his aft off … well, as much as he can with a damaged vocalizer that is."
Bluestreak cover his face with his hands. This was horrible. He was really starting to regret not running off with Barricade. Then again … maybe he could hide this. Maybe he could hide this all. Ratchet didn't seem to notice anything? Right?
Trying to ignore the feel of cool air on circuits that barely felt the light of day, Bluestreak decided to concentrate on something else entirely, "Kup … umm, you've met mechs that were once Decepticons, but are not anymore? Right?"
Humming in his throat, shrugging his shoulders, the green bot admitted, "Yeah. Most notable has to be Drift. Talks funny, but seems to be a good bot. Too bad we couldn't get more Cons to turn over and stop this killin' madness. Aren't there so few of us already with the Allspark gone? You'd think their logic centers would kick in sooner or later."
Blue nodded, his optics dimming as he thought of how lonely it must be … being the only Decepticon on Earth. True, part of him honestly just wanted 'Cade to test the water for him when it came to Autobots interacting with a drone, even if Frenzy wasn't the best example, but there was also something about the black Con that so reminded him of Prowl. It was uncanny.
Gaining his reserve, the youngling asked, "If we met a Con, or I met a Con, in theory ... how could I convert him? Where would we start? In theory I mean. It's not like I know a Con or Cons that have Drones or flails that could rip through you in a nano-second. Or that have horrible, horrible blackmail that could destroy your life. Or-"Frag! Why wouldn't his mouth shut off! "Anything like that. You know … just wondering."
Kup stood there a moment, looking at the youngling with his cy-gar half hanging out of his mouth. Then, blinking his optics on an off as if finally understand the question, he took a puff of his treat and grumbled, "Well, I doubt one would just talk to yah to begin with. They are more of a kill-yah-and-ask-questions-later sort of mech. So, for the love of Primus, don't try talking to one first. But let's say, for some Primus unknown reason, one was talking all nice-like to you, the best place to start would be trying to get him to renounce his Decepticon symbol or to at least for them to come quietly. Now with Megatron gone, Primes sure the rest of the army will fall apart. We still don't know who's holding it together honestly. Either way, if they come quietly, Prime is willing to be lenient. Any that surrender would probably get a babysitter, maybe have his transformation cog disabled for a while, but Prime wants to keep mechs alive nowadays with the Allspark gone. I'd recommend, if they were willing to talk, to get ahold of Prime or a higher ranking officer to do it. Got me?"
Frowning, disliking the lack of direction, the young mech nodded, "Yeah, I understand."
Yet, before they could walk an inch farther, Kup put out a hand, stalling the youngling.
"Why do you ask?" said Kup, his optics searching the young mech's face for the answer. "This isn't why you have been acting all odd, is it? Or is this were those extra cubes are going? I've noticed you taking extra rations sometimes, kid. Even with a growing protoform, you can't be drinking that much."
Door wings involuntary twitching, his vocals a whisper to keep them for squeaking in panic, the youth murmured, "I-I'm not feeding anything ... anyone. I don't know what you are talking about."
Kup's frown deepened, a hand being placed on the youngling's shoulder. He couldn't help but note how the youngling twitched away. He kept his resolve though and asked forwardly. "Bluestreak, kid, tell me the truth."
Door wings waving in fright and irritation, Bluestreak opened his mouth and for a moment Kup thought everything was going to come tumbling out like it generally did with the youngling. Instead, those denta snapped shut with a click, the youngling suddenly weaving around him in a surprising show of defiance.
"I suddenly don't feel well, Kup. I need to lay down. We can talk about this later," said Bluestreak, his door wings twitching as his mind struggled to push new programs to the side so he could just think. Frag, there was too much going on in his head and spark. His CPU was just aching from all virus scans it was running as well as his drones programs trying to settle.
This was too much.
He just wanted to lay very, very still and forget everything for a moment.
Frowning, noting that Bluestreak was indeed holding his head as if overcome, the caretaker sighed and quickly followed after the youngling. He was sure the young-bot just wanted to ignore him, but if one of the programs wasn't settling right, it was best to inform Ratchet now instead of later when there would be a pool of energon on the floor. Plus, he needed to pry more.
"Youngling … don't walk away from me. We need to finish this conversation," groused the elder mech.
His pace still heading towards the corner, Bluestreak didn't even stall to say anything.
"Don't you dare ignore me youngling. You are still small enough for me to take you over my knee. If there is a security issue, I need to know about it," said Kup, their walk now a partial jog down the hall. This really wasn't anything new though. He had had too many younglings not to have dealt with disobedient behavior before. It was honestly expected. Some would yell. Some would act out. Some would become reclusive and sour. Others would do stupid shit just to irritate him. Some just became sarcastic about everything. He'd seen it all.
It looked like Bluestreak was a runner. Runners would do his best to ignore the situation and hoped it would go away. And in a lot of cases, Kup would let that be, especially with Bluestreak's damaged character, but not this. No. This was not something swept under the sink or couch … or however humans said it.
Yet, just when Bluestreak turned the corner, Kup ready to yell after him, the elder mech nearly plowed the youngling over since the youth was just standing there in the hall … staring.
Kup couldn't blame him. Currently their quarter's door was open and filled with a collection of mechs and humans. Optimus was standing there speaking with a human from Nest (Epps he believed the humans name was. Kup honestly didn't give them much attention). The human was currently covered in dirt with a hard hat outfitted with a light on his head. There was dirt everywhere … and Bumblebee was currently helping Ironhide rip up some metal flooring to reveal the ground beneath. Scoroponk's den to be a little more specific.
Bluestreak's wings hiked up unknowingly. T-they had found out, had they? He hadn't felt any panic on the drone's side of the bond, but that didn't mean he hadn't been found out. Frag, frag, frag!
Yet, all of that panic fell to the way side when Bumblebee's blue optics turned to look at the other younger. He stared for a moment before a long staticy laugh suddenly erupted from his vocals. All worry about his drone was pushed to the way side as everyone looked up at Bumblebee and then him. Smokescreen nearly laughed as well, covering it up as he tried to make his engine cough; Optimus merely shifted uncomfortably and had to reset his optics; while Ironhide merely sighed and whispered something about sadistic medics.
Bumblebee, in reaction to every other mechs' reactions, just laughed harder, falling into his caretaker's shoulder as he roared harder, his vocals nearly shorting out.
Bluestreak … was mortified.
It was the kind of feeling that made running away with a drone and living forever alone on a desert planet not seem so bad.
Optimus, catching onto the other youngling's discomfort as he pulled his plating close ineffectively, took a step forward and smacked Bumblebee in the back of the helm. The yellow youth immediately buzzed in irritation as he rubbed the back of his helm, looking to Ironhide for support.
Ironhide merely chuckled as he ripped up another metal plate, gruffly replying, "Don't look at meh. You deserved that one, and you better hope Hatchet doesn't find out you laughed at his handwork. You're next checkup would be anything but pleasant."
Rolling his optics, caring little about Ratchet, he asked in a series of clicks and whistles why Ratchet had mutilated him. Bluestreak, knowing the other was trying to make up for his earlier laughter, merely shrugged. Instead, his optics worriedly looked over the scene before him. He swallowed hard ready to ask what was going on when he already knew.
Kup beat him to the punch.
"So why you all here? Destroying our berthroom? The kid was about to tell me something then lay down."
Bluestreak's plating clung tighter if that was possible, catching the hint loud and clear.
Optimus sighed, looking at the mess for a moment as he watched Epps turn on his hardhat's light and gracelessly jump into the flooring Ironhide had just pulled up, gun in hand. Everyone was still for a moment before the human called back that there was nothing down here … just some shredded blankets … and strangely, kid's toys like a volley ball and a giant ball of yarn.
Bumblebee and Ironhide shared a confused look, but said nothing as the human continued to crawl deeper.
Waving at the mess, Optimus admitted, "We didn't want to bother you in the med bay, but apparently there has been a breech in our security. As Ironhide so accurately quoted it, 'We have a bug problem.' Not of the Insecticon kind or … scraplets." Everyone cringed at the word, "More like a drone. A fairly big one."
Kup stood there a moment, almost confused as he repeated his questions, "Well, that's troubling Prime, but that still doesn't explain why you are ripping up my floors."
Epps, strangely popping out of a nearby grate, offered the answer as he tried to dust himself off. "Well, it seems buggy has taken a liking to your side of the base. Even made a 'nest' ppff … get it NEST?"
The Autobots all stared.
Epps laughed awkwardly at the bad joke and the new department he had just been made part of. He instead nervously dusted himself off again for a moment and continued, "Anyway, it seems you and the Hatchet are better than bug spray. I couldn't find one tunnel leading towards your quarters and there were virtually no tunnels leading to the repair shop, I mean repair bay. Most of them seem to centralize around here actually. Don't know why."
Bluestreak sure knew why and desperately he pinged for his drone again. He almost visibly sighed when he got a purr back through the bond. It was then that he instinctively knew … that Scorpy was stealing children's toys from their backyards. He didn't know if he should thankful that he had somehow made a kleptomaniac out of his drone with the few toys he put in the den, or not.
Either way, he sternly told his drone to stay away.
If the little fragger would listen.
Optimus merely nodded, his engine rumbling, "Well, a drone generally means a Decepticon is near. They cannot survive long without one. We'll have to send out rounds and see if we can stir them up. Its likely Barricade and the missing drone, Scorponok."
Epps frowned at this, but said nothing as the mech continued.
"Regardless, I feel it is an incentive to move and set up a far more permanent HQ. Secretary of Defense John Keller as kindly offer us resources from Sector Seven. It is probably best to do so now before the rest of the Autobots show up or the two … trouble makers," said Optimus as he threw a gaze at Kup and Bluestreak, wondering how to break it to the mech that his old youngling was coming back.
…
In an office in Washington, Seymour Simmons found himself sacrificing something he held dear. His pride. Oh yes, it was a bitter pill to swallow and it was also that nasty cherry medical flavor that everyone hated. Then again, that could have just been the lausenges he had been sucking on earlier. Either way, it stung.
"Sir, I know you want to replace Sector Seven with this … NEST … program, but-"
"I believe I already have disbanded Sector Seven, Agent Simmons. In fact, I don't know why we keep coming back to this. Or how you keep coming back either," said Defense Secretary Keller as he gave Simmons a critical gaze from across his dark wood desk. That man was a like a parasite. He just couldn't get rid of him. How did he keep getting in here? How did he still have clearance? Keller wanted to know.
Shrugging slightly, the agent admitted, "It takes time to transfer personnel and horrible government secrets. It just doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to transfer resources."
Keller resisted the urge to groan and rub his temples in irritation. He needed to get rid of this man. True, Simmons had his place, but it wasn't in Sector Seven. Sector Seven was gone as far as he as concerned. Plus, if the program was no longer around, then they could have reasonable deniability if something horrible turned up like another frozen alien robot.
Ugh, alien robots. He really didn't want to deal with this anymore, but someone competent had to. He didn't want that fool, Galloway in Intelligence, to get control over the situation. He would make this a political nightmare and might even cause an interplanetary dispute.
Or war.
Yeah, it would turn into the war.
Sighing, Keller dwelled on Tom Banachek's parting words before he retired. Well, it was more like disappeared off the face of the Earth, but who needed the details to haunt you at night? He would never forget the man's parting words though. They still made him pause from time to time:
'Earth and Cybertron are forever intertwined, Keller. Have been for a long time. It almost seems that they had been entwined from when the world began. We can't escape them and they couldn't escape us. It's best to just face that we are stuck with them.'
Well, if that didn't keep you up at night, what would? Either way, Keller took the words to heart and was trying to keep in the good graces of the Autobots. He had all but given NEST all of Sector Sevens resources including: front company's Sectors Even and S7 Industries, properties and oddly enough … property on the moon. He didn't want to know. Didn't care to know. Either way, Optimus was happy to have it, mentioning something about a space bridge and building a base on the moon property.
He … almost didn't want to think about it.
Regardless, he just knew he had one more resource to deal with: Simmons. From what he could tell, the man was slightly unhinged and knew way too much about the NBEs (as he liked to call them). It probably had something to do with his family being involved with the department since Sector Seven began. Personally, Keller thought that their genes must have suffered too much radiation from the Cube because Simmons was a special kind of … something. Well, if anyone would know about it or how to deal with crazy-caused-by-Allspark-discharge, it would be the Autobots. After all, they just reported to him that there was a ship of 20-30 Autobots coming to Earth. So he could get two birds with one stone. The Autobots could watch Simmons and Simmons could watch the Autobots.
Now, who to keep them from killing each other.
An idea taking root, Keller suddenly agreed, "You are exactly correct, Simmons."
Simmons, almost falling out of his chair, suddenly asked, "I am? … I mean, yes. I am. Of course. So, about Sector Seven-"
"Is still being disbanded, but you are right. Personnel are a valuable resource … even if they are … odd," interrupted Keller as he placed his palm on a secret palm-reader under his desk, a cabinet opening from the nearby floor. He then turned around, noting Simmon's interested gaze as he grabbed a file. He then slammed a file on top his desk. The file, give the picture of Simmons paper clipped to the front, was obviously his. It had enough paper in it to weigh three to four pounds and just as much red and black ink.
Simmons, despite himself, smiled nervously. When had the old man gotten ahold of that? He was sure that he had destroyed all copies. Unless, he got ahold of Tom's secret copy. He had never been able to find that man's secret office.
And there was a secret office. There had to be!
"So, what to do with you?" continued Keller, sitting there with almost a smug expression.
Simmons, taking the question in stride, simply said, "Give me a pay raise and a secret island with that hot chick from the Hanes commercial. The one wearing the polka dot undies. You know what I am talking about."
Keller stared for a moment, before shaking his head to try and rid himself of the horrible beach image. "I was thinking something more of … a test run."
"A test run? What kind of test run?"
"The kind where I get another agent to babysit you as you babysit giant robots," said the man as he threw another file on the desk, this one carrying the picture of a husky African American man that didn't seem to know the definition of a smile. "Say hello to your new partner, Agent Fowler. He is one of the few official liaisons assigned to the Autobots. He's basically a glorified babysitter. He might need help though. The Autobots have recently informed me that they will be adding about 20-30 to their rank sometime soon … and they also want to build a base on the moon."
"W-wait, wait, what?! You did not just say that you making me a giant robot babysitter?" said Seymour as he almost dropped the file on Fowler. He had barely gotten past the part that the man had been a US Army Ranger.
"Yes, that's basically what I just said," said Keller as he put something new on the desk, a badge. "Welcome to NEST. Don't fuck this up … and give me those Sector Seven badges I know you've been hoarding. I still don't know how you have been getting in here."
XXX
Paw07: I noticed I haven't given any limelight to the humans in this story. None really. Not even Miles who I was fond of in the first movie. Anyway, the politics behind Sector Seven and NEST have always been kind of fuzzy for me, but I consider this tale a kind of alternate time line after the first movie. I will be throwing in a slight mix of Transformers Prime and hints of the later movies. I might even go back and throw in some little scenes to hint at the development of NEST and the subplots that keep adding themselves. Personally, since the Autobots are holed up near the Hoover Dam, I can only presume that this is only a few months since the first movie.
My timeline is shifty so stop looking at it.
Anyway, I love Simmons. Love his character to death. I don't know how he wormed his way into this fic, but he's there now. My personal favorite idea ever, is a team up for Barricade and Simmons. Don't know why, don't care why … it must happen in this tale. And maybe Frenzy can come too.
Okay, rant done. Honestly, this story has never had so many author notes. XD