Prime Blood Ironbands Chapter 7
Ironhide did not like the way Prime went off to his office and hole up in there for several hours. Something big was going on. Not long afterwards, Jetfire took off: like Ratbat out of the Pit. The slightly-still-in-command Ironhide ordered his Autobots in making sure the whole weapons system was cleared of any traces of the virus. Last thing this universe needed was human-Decepticons.
~~ Chromia was having her own challenges trying to help Jolt (from inside) with the shell casing. There wasn't much left of two bots. Jolt was taking notes as she called out what se found, "One fuel pump, the other is melted and fused to a toxin filter. So I've only got three of those in here."
And the hours ticked by. Days drag to agony and reality. Ratchet comes in and sees just a foot from Chromia sticking out of a bent armor crease. The room had been secured to only a few Bots knowing what was really going on. Ratchet comes in closer, "Hey there, Chromia. Can you come out?" It takes her a good few minutes to climb out and land in his palm. She looks tired and haggard. Ratchet takes her over to the work bench and sets her down. Jolt hands the data pad over to Ratchet with a solemn worried look. Then gives Chromia a towel to scrub off the remains of Energon, grease and sea muck off.
Ratchet looks to the list and hems and ha's. Then sets the pad down and looks directly at her, "You haven't mentioned the spark chamber." He looks between sheepish Jolt and frowning Chromia. "Jolt, Chromia, don't tell me you haven't been looking."
Chromia shakes her head, "It's not that Ratchet. I just keep hoping that I'll find it in a knee join or sticking out of an audio…. But…"
Ratchet looks down, "It's what I said, isn't it?"
Jolt answers for her, "We're about 80% sure you are correct."
Ratchet drops his face into his waiting palms, "Damn, I hate being right."
Jolt drops his hand to his superior's shoulder, "Ratchet, I know this is a blessing and curse, but at least we don't have to look too hard for it. Just everything else." Ratchet nods in agreement still not looking up.
Chromia touches Ratchet's elbow in the crease to reach his underarmor, "Ratchet, can we create a spark chamber out of something else? You know, like the pod converted my spark chamber into an incubation unit?"
Ratchet lifts his head and gives her a hopeful smirk to her tender touch, "We could always try. It's a mater of time that I am worried about. Let me see." She lifts her right sleeve to him. Very closely examining the skin and sub layers reveals, no change. He shakes his head. "This could be very good or very bad. I haven't decided yet."
She smiles and pats his elbow "skin" again, "Save my mate and my sparkling, alright? Don't worry about me."
He leans in ever so close and stokes her faces, "Sorry, no can do." She smiles at his tenderness to their friendship. "Ironhide'll have my aft if I didn't worry about you at least a little bit." Pinching his fingers together to show a smidge of caring. She chuckles with him knowing he cares as much as his spark chamber could hold.
She grasps his finger to her face, "Well if you put it that way, I love you too Ratch."
Over the next few days, Ironhide's energy level began dropping significantly. As the shoulder insignia began to get more and more metallic and solid, he began dropping off to sleep at his work station. If someone touched him, he would shoot up like nothing had happened. But Chromia noticed it, yet said nothing to Ratchet yet.
At night, they would make their way back to their roof top lair. A couple times Ironhide dropped off in the middle of their love making. She never told him, afraid it would wound his ego beyond repair. When he would drowsily come round, he would just smirk, "Mnm, so good it felt like a dream."
She could only smile and stoke his face, "Better than any dream, darling." And she would curl back into his heavy snuggly arms just before he would start snoring again.
In the morning, she would rise before him, get in a few hours work, and come back to him. She would slip back into his arms naked awaking him to what she was shorted the night before. He would more than please her with his morning desires. And then drop back to sleep for another thirty minutes before she would roust him for the day.
Curling his body around her, he nuzzles her neck, "Chromia, please, what ever happens, know I love you. I would give my life for you. I would never leave you… never."
Chromia can't speak. She knows they are being torn apart and something must be done very soon or he will die. Possibly even in her arms. Instead of saying something meaningless, she strokes his face, "Sleep 'Hide. Just sleep."
He lifts his head too look at her directly, "You need to know how much I love you since the bond is injured."
She smiles sadly to him, "'Hide, I know. I know. Don't ever worry, I know. Now rest. There are bigger issues to deal with than just us. like our little one." With that, she pushes his head back down closing the conversation. His breathing begins to slow and she knows he has slipped to sleep. She lays awake long that night stroking her mate's face and praying hard for direction.
~~ They next day had been pushed too long and too hard for his taxing body, she couldn't roust him at all the following morning. It was late into the afternoon before he was finally fully active. She smiled and lied to him that they were given a day off. Silently she was terrified by what was happening. He was dying. She knew it. She was going to loose them both if something didn't change. And soon. Time to bite the bullet.
Chromia waits until Ironhide is deep in work on his computer before she faces the issue. She comes over to Ratchet while he is talking to Optimus in a quiet corner. "Look, I don't mean to interrupt, but let's slip outside." They look back to make sure Ironhide is duly occupied, and slip outside to the dock. They kneel down to her level. She takes a deep breath and then just dives into it, "Look, we have been at this long and hard for the last week. I don't think the pod can make it much longer with out one of it's parent's energy reading. Optimus, I really don't think the Matrix can sustain it much longer." Optimus nods in agreement. She rubs her forehead in thought. Then she looks back up to them. They see she is trying to be the strong soldier, but that her spark is shaking badly. "I need your support on what I am going to do next. I don't care what you say to me, but you can't stop me. We all know that this human body of his can't hold that form much longer. I can see that he is starting to fade. He's not strong as he used to. He sleeps a lot more. He's sick, feverish and nauseous. I'm going to force him to take back the Autobot body."
"Why hasn't he tried on his own?" Ratchet asks. She turns to Optimus. He knows.
"I'm his mate. He won't go with out me. He is afraid of loosing me again." She says clearly. Ratchet turns to Optimus. Optimus nods.
"What are you going to do?" Optimus asks.
"You know," she tells him bluntly.
This time Ratchet is the one who knows. "She's going to pull a Poco, Optimus." Optimus walks away stroking his brow, he knows how that nearly did him in and he already knows what happened last time Ironhide lost Chromia. He always hoped he would never have to go through that again.
"He is going to need your support. If I'm not in harmony with him, he will see no reason to stay. He will see there is a reason to take back his body. He will do it to save our child. Then we will see if he kills me."
Optimus is silent. He is considering not just the what Chromia is planning. He is reliving his own nightmare of when Poco left him in a fit of anger taking their son. The women were doing it for the children. But more than that. They did it so the husband can do his duty without guilt for leaving the wives. He turns back to her. He can't speak. He just nods.
"When will you do it?" Ratchet says softly. He motions towards the window of the lab. Ironhide is watching them. He starts to come towards them.
"When will you be ready?" she quickly asks.
Ratchet sighs heavily, "Optimus, how much time does he have?"
"The shoulder is beginning to harden. He really doesn't have much longer."
"Alright, tomorrow after breakfast. Will that give you enough time?" Ratchet asks. She nods.
She chokes up, "You guys have been good friends to me. But I need you to side with him. I need you to protect him." Taking a deep breath she faces Optimus directly and pointedly. She is revealing that she remembers exactly what she did to him, "I'm sorry for anything I say. Please don't take it personally. But it's the only thing I can think of." Chromia could swear she saw Optimus' spark freeze. He turns his head away in shame for his own reaction to that day in the Wrecker's med bay. He almost gave into her. Her voice whispers, "I'm sorry Optimus." Now she is asking forgiveness for that day.
Slowly he turns back to her. What could he say? He was just as guilty as she. "Chromia, what will you do afterwards?" He is asking how far she will take her rouse.
Instead she shakes her head, "I don't know. Until he gets the point? Please, take care of my mate for me." Her voice is cracking.
"We will take care of him. We will take care of you too." Ratchet says.
The conversation is cut short by the door opening and Ironhide comes to them, "Hey, what's going on?" He sees Chromia crying.
"Nothing!" she barks and runs away crying. He looks up to his friends and looks very confused at her running away.
"What did you say to her?" Ironhide looks mad at his best friends for hurting his mate.
Ratchet waves his hand trying to be dismissive, "Women are crazy." Ironhide looks up to Optimus. But Optimus is keeping his face as smooth as stone even though his own emotions are trembling.
Ironhide can't read him this time. That unnerves him greatly. He looks between his retreating mate and his plotting friends. And then an instant pang hits him, "Oh my head hurts." Ironhide moans.
Ratchet raises an eyebrow. Optimus continues to walk away from them, deep in thought and trying to wrestle his emotions into order. Ironhide takes a seat at the edge of the dock. He felt like Chromia was being pulled way from him again. He wasn't sure he would survive this time. Ratchet hopes his friend with have the same strength he had so many years ago when the couple was first split.
Ironhide wasn't called that for just any reason. Not just physically was his armor tougher than many of the others, but so were his emotions. Many had seen his anger and frustration against the Decepticons, but that was no surprise. Every Autobot felt that way. Yes, he wasn't afraid to laugh at a good joke, but the soft side of him, no one had seen. Yes, two had. Orion. Orion had seen Dion's soft side. But Ironhide's soft side? Only Chromia.
{flashback} There was something about that vibrant blue cadet that shook him. She wasn't the first cadet to be enamored by his physique. He wouldn't lie, he liked that kind of attention, but he had no time for it, therefore didn't encourage it. Ironhide wasn't vane like Sunstreaker, and even that dancing Ninjabot Jazz. His job was to train the recruits and keep them alive. His race was dying and he wasn't going to happen because he didn't teach them everything to save their lives. Not on his watch!
But that royal blue one just had to be embarrassed at watching him fight, fire and move. Now that was new. Most of those ding-bots had hoped to catch his eye and slip through training or hook him for a command position. He ignored them and pushed those particular ones harder reminding them he was no pushover. But this one, Chromia had Elita told him was her name, was here for an honest reason. She wanted to be trained. She was embarrassed for showing her female-enamored side. Chromia wanted to be a tough hard soldier. Every time he caught her watching him, she nailed her targets dead on in her personal frustration at being caught in a weakness. Now that really had his attention and admiration.
And then she got that one single shot off and zinged him in the one chink he keeps replacing, no bigger than a human silver dollar. Then she finally had the guts to sass him? His spark was beyond doomed, he was finished off. For the rest of training that day he was absolutely worthless. He had to get off the training grounds or else he would ask her out. And curse Elita for that little set up that night! Oh he was burning so hot after Chromia left his quarters that even the self servicing under ice cold coolant didn't help a bit. Took him another round of moaned frustration in the wash rack and a whole box of amo at the firing range to an image of Elita's smirk to get his temperature down to a level that wouldn't trigger the emergency fire protocols in his room.
Weeks went by after graduation and he still hadn't asked Chromia out, officially. Sure they had fooled around. Interfaced oh so wonderfully in places that Elita & Optimus has christened as well as a few places those two petro-lovers hadn't thought of yet.
Several times in the mist of their moans of ecstasy, the word "love" had come out. There was no question he wanted to bond with her, but he just wasn't sure he was mech enough to be good enough for her. He knew he was a force to be reckoned with on the battle field. Many a time, he was the main target of a melee over Prime. He laughed with pride when the communication was intercepted that Bonecrusher wanted Ironhide's aft mounted on his wall for the scar across his own aft.
As much as that was a source of jokes and pride, it was also a warning. Tenderly he looked down at Chromia, his lover curled up peacefully against him. Her head tucked close to his chest, legs splayed on either side of his hips keeping him pinned down. He bent his knees, taking the pressure off the bent strut in his back with a grunt. She snuggled deeper into his chest.
"Can I see it Ironhide?" She strokes his ironclad spark chamber covering.
"See what?" He strokes a single thumb down her back seductively.
She shutters but won't be distracted, "Can I see your spark?"
He snorts amused, "Why would you want to see that black hole?"
To which she yanks herself upright, seated across his belly. She puts one hand to his throat, holding him down and whangs her fist over his spark chamber, "Don't you ever say that again!" He wasn't sure if he should be hurt or scared. "I know there is a spark in there bigger than Prime's. Probably bigger than Primus himself. Now open it!"
This time he is mad. He grabs both of her wrists and removes them from his body. Then ever so slowly rolls his body to pin her to the floor of his quarters. As tight of a careful forceful grip he has on her arms (firm not crushing) his voice matches, firm but full of love, "No." With that he rises off her and stands, turning his back to her.
"Why not?" She asks in deep need of where their relationship is going. He doesn't answer. So she stands up and comes to him, "'Hide?" He doesn't move. Stepping behind him, she slips her arms around his waist pressing her face to his proud back. "I love you."
He takes one of her hands, kisses the fingertips and guides it to slip under the hard armor to the soft armor over the spark chamber, "I love you too Chromia. And I'm afraid."
Her finger caresses the soft underarmor, "Tell me."
His head droops and completely relaxes to the soothing ministrations to her tender fingertips, "I don't want you bound to me." She sucks in a hiss of anger and her fingernails prick. He hisses back the pain she is causing.
"You piece of slag!" She growls back but doesn't move.
He tries to explain, "No! Not like that! Slag Chromia, I'm not using you that way!"
Her fingers on his hip turns him while the nails digging into the underarmor drawing blood which don't let him get away. "I know!" His optics go stock wide. She pinches into his pelvic region, just above the tender tank. "That's how well I know you! You stupid slaggard! I know you are a devoted and honest mech. I know you love me, but I guess not as much as I love you."
Blood and pain or not, he tears her hands from his body with another hiss of pain. This time he pins her hands to her side and leans in, "I love you so much that I can't bear the thought of you being bound to a slaggard like me who has a target painted to his helm. If they manage to take me down, I can't bear the thought of meeting you within the Matrix so quickly. I'd rather it was another mech who killed you in sparkbonded-death than me. I can't bear the though of my death killing you."
She snarls back at him, "And just who the Pit do you think you are?" His head yanks back at her anger. She kicks him in the knee and yanks her hands out of his grip. "First of all, who is really going to take you out? You aft head who is too stubborn to die. Second, who said I wanted to bond with you? That's just pretty arrogant of you! Third," to this she smirks completely countering her last sentence, "what makes you think your death would kill me? You know, there are some of us femmes stronger than you soft-sparked mech that can live without a mate." To that, she strides away from him with a swing to her hips and turns back, "Just so you know, you aren't as all that as your stupid mechly-ego thinks."
He gapes at her in complete awe. His quarter doors open and he finally finds his voice before she exits, "Then why did you want to see it?"
She shrugs in her own femme cockiness, "Just wanted to see if it was worthy of my mine." And she strides down the hall. His jaw drops.
So it was out there on the table. They wanted to bond, but he was afraid. And she would allow him to come to her when he ready.
~~ They still hadn't made the decision when Optimus broke THE NEWS. Optimus was sitting behind his desk on the Ark (preparing for evacuation) when Powerglide, Inferno, and Ironhide walked in. Ironhide closed the door. Optimus looked down at his desk but ordered, "Take a seat. Even you, Ironhide." That surprised him. But the men did as ordered. Optimus taps his notes, "I've been doing some planning with Alpha Trion. He refuses to leave."
The men are respectful to remain silent. Optimus lifts his head. There is grief written all over it. Something must be really bad for him to actually show his emotions. "As you know, Ultra Magnus and the Wreakers are going to stay behind on Moon Base 1 and cause havoc for the Decepticons." Everyone knows. "But he can't do it alone. A stealth team needs to stay to gather intel for him. This was not an easy decision to make. Along with Alpha Trion, Teletran One and Elita One, a list of four has been complied."
Inferno pipes up, "You know sir, I have no problem with this assignment."
Optimus gives him a lit of a grin at his enthusiasm. "I wish it was that easy, Inferno, but no. Not you." He looks around at each of them. "When I began my list, it looked for attributes. I specifically left off names."
Still the men had blank looks, they didn't see what was coming. Ironhide looks around the room. Then he comes back to Optimus and sees it. But he doesn't understand why Optimus called him in. Optimus clears his throat and begins, "It will be an intel gathering and stealth strike team. I need small but agile team. Communications Specialist and Medic Firestar, Hardware Specialist Moonracer, Weapons and Sniper Commander Chromia. Commander Elita One will lead them." Dead silence in the room.
Optimus puts a hand over the pad. There is a chime at the door. "I will give them their assignments and then you will have six hours with them. You all better be on the Ark. Ironhide, you will now be my second. Elita One's team will meet here as well and Alpha Trion will take them to the base he has constructed. Even I won't know where it is. Dismissed."
Ironhide, closest to the door, opens it. Standing in the doorway are the female stealth team lead by Elita. Ironhide had to give her kudos, her face was all command. She strides confidently inside followed by the rest of her team. The gentlemen stand giving their seats to the women. With a nod from Ironhide, Inferno and Powerglide leave the room. He heads for the door as well.
"Ironhide, stay." Optimus orders. Closing the door, Ironhide leans against it. He can see through Optimus, he needs support for what he is going to do.
Optimus looks to the women in the room avoiding Elita. Carefully he restates the mission agenda. Firestar sniffs but says nothing. Chromia keeps her eyes latched onto her commander and a smile tugs when he gives her a new rank. Moonracer is absolutely silent. Elita turns to her group and finishes up.
"We have six hours and then we move out with Alpha Trion. You better all have the mech here on time. Don't even think of delaying them. They maybe warriors, but they are hurting and just as scared as you." The women look to Optimus who had dropped his head to his desk diligently working on his notes. He avoids their scrutiny of his emotions. Elita stands up and heads for the door. "They need our support. Now more than ever. Don't let them worry about us. Give them the courage to know we can stand on our own. We can help all of them by being our best. Go. Time is short." Moonracer and Firestar look to each other. Ironhide opens the door.
The women are almost to the door when they hear Optimus stand up, "Ladies, I have the utmost confidence in your abilities. I know you will succeed. I'm proud of all of you. Please, go with the blessings of the All Spark." The women nod to their lead commander and leave. Chromia steps to the doorway trying to avoid Ironhide's gaze.
Optimus voice is strangled as he says, "Elita I need to go over these spec-"
The crash of a data pad being thrown to the floor makes Ironhide and Chromia turn around. They see shocked Optimus and mad Elita. She slams a fist into his chest, "Slagit, Optimus. Don't go all commander on me. Not now! Follow your own slagging orders. I know you're in there Orion. Because Ariel needs you right-"
Ironhide had only seen Optimus move that swiftly on a Decepticon. But that produced much different results. This strike move of Optimus' had one hand curled around Elita's rump and one cupping her head crushing her to him. But even more incredible was the way he had her bent back while kissing her. He was pushing her back against his desk taking command of the situation. Ironhide knew what would happen next he could already hear Elita releasing Optimus' armor.
Ironhide slipped his hand into Chromia's and lead her from the room closing the door behind them sealing it so only Prime could open it. From the inside. Ironhide wasn't exactly sure where to take Chromia but he knew he needed to talk to her. He needed her too. But…
Chromia pointed to the edge of one of the pools of oil beside the loading bay. They headed that way and Ironhide pulls a couple crates over for them to sit on. But Ironhide wasn't ready to let go of her hand. She taps his glove and it retracts letting her see his true red palm. He does the same and sees her gun-metal grey/silver one. With a sheepish smile to each other, he entwines his fingers with her. Her other hand slips around his waist pulling her lay her head against his chest. He wraps his arm around her shoulder holding her even closer.
"Hi." She smiles up at him.
He smiles back, "Hi. So come here often?"
She smiles back, "Only when it's been a tough day at the range. You know that weapons officer is a real pain in the aft." He chuckles. Then he lets his finger trail down her nose and touch her lips. "You know I had nothing to do with your quarters, right."
He leans in closer, "I wish you had. We could have started this sooner." And he doesn't wait another moment to kiss her. This time his kiss is soft and tender. Not at all what she expected. Not like last time, no this was so much sweeter. She reaches up wrapping her hand around the points of his helmet making the kiss harder. He let her fingers slip from his grasp in order to hold her closer.
And that's how they spent the next six hours. Hand in hand, snatching kisses and holding each other close. Yet still not ready for the bond. Their relationship wasn't ready for the depth of Elita & Optimus or even Moonracer & Powerglide.
Chromia herself is remembering the sweetness of those few hours. And when the time came, he had to be on board the Ark and get the systems primed while Optimus made last minute preparations. So Chromia helped him. It gave her a better understanding of what she will be facing with Elita. And when the time came for the women to leave, Chromia gave him one last pat on his aft. He couldn't help but chuckle. She noticed he finally got that patch to stick.
And with that, she followed Alpha Trion out around the corner with her team. With a deep sigh, Ironhide took command while Optimus finished his last minute orders to Ultra Magnus. It nearly broke his heart to see Optimus' grief as he let Elita's palm slip from his. Like he was letting her slip away. Ironhide said nothing. What could he say? It was Chromia who took Elita's arm and pulled her out of the dangerous proximity of the ready-to-launch Ark. It was Chromia who pulled Elita away so the mech-mates could do their duty. Ironhide gave Chromia a final nod and spoke to Optimus pulling the Prime's elbow, "I need to shut the door, sir." And then they were gone.