AN: Wow, when was the last time I had a chapter out so fast? This chapter came together surprisingly quickly, probably because there were so many scenes I had fun writing. By the end of it though, I'm probably going to have most of you hating me. ^_^
Something I forgot to mention last time: Transformergirl on (also known as Lnzy1 right here on ) has kindly drawn a picture of Nolan and Aine together. Check my profile for the link. If you have a deviantart account yourself, be sure to shower her with lots of love!
BTW, you're going to come across mentions of a plane called a C-27K Spartan. It's not real, I made it up. But it's based on the C-27J Spartan (aren't I original?). I needed a plane just the right size for story purposes, but all the real ones were too big or too small. Yay creative license! :)
Disclaimer: Inspiration came from "Twin Times the Fun" by Ray of Starlight. Far as I know, Hasbro still has the rights to Transformers, and Michael Bay, the movie. But if we all ask really nicely, maybe they'll let us keep them.
Chapter 12 – Course of Action
Aine scrambled across the rocks as fast as safely possible, eyes glued to the ground searching for any and all tennis shoe prints her brother had left behind. Nearly ten minutes had gone by, and still no Nolan.
Just how far did you go?? She thought irritably. She jogged up a small incline, hoping to see her brother on the other side. Bonus points if he was done with his pity party!
Something monstrously huge unfurled with a groan and towered over her.
Aine skidded to a halt and stared up at the visage of Onslaught in abject terror, too frozen to move, to scream, to even think beyond my god I'm going to die. When the Decepticon focused his red visor on her, Aine felt like the rabbit caught in the wolfs gaze, desperately hoping that so long as she kept absolutely still, the beast would not be able to find her.
Onslaught raised a giant arm, and Aine stumbled backwards, raising her arms over her head in futile defense. But all he did was point to the ground beside him.
"Bring Elita One here. Tell her if she does not follow my instructions to the letter, the human will suffer for it."
Only then did Aine perceive what was in Onslaughts other hand: Nolan's limp form dangling in his grasp, eyes closed.
"The human still lives," Onslaught said when Aine cried out in horror. He brought Nolan over at Aine's eye level and opened his hand, so that Aine could clearly see his chest moving up and down. Onslaught curled his fingers around the body and pulled him away. "But only for so long as Elita does as she is instructed."
Onslaught took one step back for more room, sending small tremors Aine felt through her legs, before bending down and folding into himself, tucking Nolan within his bulk as he transformed into the massive six-wheeled GILA.
With a roar of engine Onslaught turned and rolled away, each wheel rolling independently over obstructions like they weren't even there.
Aine felt her body vibrate with tremors, her head feeling light and her chest hollow, as if the delayed physical reactions made them that much more intense. She just stood there, still frozen in place, for several seconds, until reality snapped back into place.
Oh god…he has Nolan! I have to get Elita!
With a quick, last look at the direction Onslaught took and the area she was in to commit both to memory, she ran back the way she came as fast as she could, heedless of the sharp rocks and brambles that scratched at her bare legs. She nearly tripped twice in her haste, but both times she regained her balance at the last minute and just kept running. The minor pain and risk of injury was nothing! So long as she found Elita before Onslaught could hurt Nolan, nothing else mattered!
"…but when I tried to cross the road, I kinda ran into Bumblebee instead. Turn left up here, it should be straight ahead."
Elita followed Aine's instructions, holding the girl out in front of her like a compass. Behind her came Jazz and Bumblebee, with Sam and Mikaela dogging their steps.
"What kind of alt mode does Onslaught have?" Jazz asked. Aine frowned as she tried to remember what Nolan had called it the first time they had met the Decepticon, but Elita (and her much better memory) beat her too it.
"Nolan had called it a GILA."
Jazz and Bumblebee's optics both dimmed momentarily as they searched the internet for the relevant information. Jazz let out a whistle.
"Now I'm really wonderin' how Onslaught got so far without anyone sendin' up red flags. That thing's huge."
"A mystery for a later time," Elita said. Aine pointed.
"Over there, on the other side of that little hill, that's where I saw them."
Elita crested the incline, with Jazz and Bumblebee stopping short on either side of her. Six sets of eyes, three human and three not, looked down at what Onslaught had left behind.
An area about four feet wide and three feet long had been swept clear of debris, and in its place were several lines of alien glyphs, thick but carefully written. Or rather, there was one line of distinctive glyphs, and several lines under that of a different sort.
For several seconds, no one said anything.
"So…what does it say?" Sam finally ventured.
Bumblebee glanced at Elita as if asking for permission before he responded. "The first line is a set of coordinates for a location far north of here. The rest is a message to Elita. He's telling her to be at the location at exactly seventeen hundred hours local time, and that she is to come alone. If she tries anything, anything at all, he will-" Bumblebee briefly paused before continuing, "-Nolan will suffer for it."
It was easy to guess that the threat had been judiciously edited for the human audience, but no one wanted to press him on it. Mikaela still muttered 'oh my god,' and sought Sam's hand with her own.
Aine gasped when Elita's fingers, originally curled up to prevent her from slipping off the smooth palm, twitched and sharply arched like daggers around the girl. Aine heard something clicking whirring behind her, and she looked back to see what. When she did, she quailed.
Elita's shoulders were hitched up, her head lowered, optics narrowed and lips pressed tight, focusing on the message with enough intensity to set the scant vegetation aflame. This close to the femme, Aine could see the concentric rings in her optics spin, whine, and click together as some mechanisms came online while others locked into place, the rich blue glow fading until it was nearly white.
Aine had seen her gentle friend fight and be angry.
But never before had the femme looked so murderous.
"Elita?"
No reaction. Aine wasn't even sure she had been heard.
A distant thunder snapped everyone's attention northward. The thundering explosion died away, and could have almost been mistaken for a natural sound, except that the sky was completely clear.
Elita's fingers curled even more around the poor girl. Without warning Elita bent and neatly dropped Aine next to Sam and Mikaela at Bumblebee's feet. Before the girl could even steady herself, Elita ran two steps down the slope and transformed in midstride, tires squealing and kicking up sand with enough force to pepper the humans nearly fifteen feet behind and above her, before roaring away in the direction of the explosion and Onslaught.
"Aw frag," Jazz muttered, before likewise following with a "Stay with the kids Bee!" over his shoulder. He squealed away right over Onslaughts message just as Elita had, pushing himself as fast as he could go before the Femme Commander could get too large a lead on him. This time the kids were able to cover their face and heads from the second sandy downpour.
Stunned silence hung over the little group as the roaring engines faded in the distance. Sam summed it up nicely.
"That is one pissed off lady."
Sports cars, Jazz quickly learned, were not meant to go off-roading. Jazz couldn't help but cringe when a particularly large rock bounced off his more sensitive under carriage – again. Not to mention, the uneven terrain and sharp dips were murder on his shocks. He could hear something groan as he thumped at the bottom of a dried out river bed and shot back up over the steep wall on the other side. Sure, Jazz wasn't exactly like a human built car, but even his special designs and improved engineering could only compensate for so much abuse! But that wasn't even the hardest part.
The hardest part was keeping up with the insane pace Elita had set for herself and her as-of-yet-unnoticed pursuer. The femme was pit-bent on catching up with Onslaught right now, getting Nolan back, and reducing the 'con to a little pile of loose nuts and bolts. But because maybachs and solstice's weren't meant to handle such uneven terrain, every few minutes Elita would have to transform and jump, run, or scale over whatever obstacle presented itself to her. Go around? Not if it meant losing 2.3 seconds! And poor old Jazz was forced to follow her nearly move for move just to keep her in his sights.
He had NO idea how the luxury car she had picked for her alt. mode was able to handle all the abuse. Actually, it probably couldn't.
Jazz tried pinging Elita's comm., but all he got was static. There was no indication that Elita could even hear him trying – not that he'd put it past her to just ignore him at this point. So failing that, Jazz tried the next best thing: yelling as loudly as his vocal processors would allow.
"HEY ELITA! HOW 'BOUT SLOWIN' DOWN A LITTLE BEFORE YOU KNOCK YOUR OWN ENGINE OUT?"
Elita vaulted over a fallen pillar and transformed again before she even hit the ground and blatantly ignored him.
What a shock.
"Frag it Elita, I know you're mad and worried, but this ain't gonna work! Wouldja just calm down and stop already??"
Elita hit the brakes and skidded to a halt so abruptly Jazz had to turn into a slide just to keep from plowing into her. Almost instantly, Jazz saw why.
Onslaughts energon radiation trail had led them to a pass with high walls. But the entrance was blocked by a tremendous rock slide that filled it almost entirely. At the top, Jazz could see the remnants of the bases of a large arch that had once spanned across the top of the pass, and now contributed heavily to the blockage.
Now they knew what that explosion from earlier was for.
"Well ain't this a kick in the head," Jazz commented as he and Elita both transformed. "So now we - HEY!"
Out of nowhere Elita pounced up as high up the wall as she could jump and was scrambling upwards with the ferocity and determination of a rabid cat, rocks and pebbles being pulled loose and raining down in her wake.
This did not bode well for the stability of the wall.
"Hey! HEY!" Jazz called out worriedly. "Please tell me you don't need me to tell you that's not-"
The jutting rock serving as Elita's handhold gave way under her weight, sending the femme tumbling down backwards on top of Jazz with a resounding CLASH!
"-safe. Oi, ow, that's gonna hurt in the mornin'. You a'ight Elita? HEY!"
Without so much as an apology, Elita shoved off of Jazz and attacked the rock wall with renewed vigor.
Okay, this is gettin' ridiculous, Jazz thought. He grabbed Elita's arm and tried to pull her back off the wall, only to have the femme rip her arm away almost instantly.
Uh uh Elita. You ain't shakin' me off that easily!
Jazz activated the powerful electromagnets in his hands and grabbed Elita's arm again in a two-handed grip. This time, when she tried to pull away, she dragged Jazz forward a step but he didn't let go.
"Unhand me Jazz!"
"Really sorry 'bout this Elita, but that's not gonna happen."
"I am your ranking officer. I order you to release me at once!"
"You outrank me, sure, but I answer t' Prime. You can't order me t' do anything here."
"I will not allow Onslaught to get away with this!"
"He already has, Elita!"
The twenty two foot femme loomed over the sixteen foot mech. "Only because you insist on halting me," she growled in a dangerously low voice. "Unhand me now Jazz, before I make you."
"I've no doubt you'd do that," Jazz said, nonplussed. "Mad as you are, I wouldn't even put it past ya t' go rock climbin' with me danglin' off your back if ya had to…right before ya fall off that dangerously unstable slope and crack your spinal strut in half."
Elita glowered down at the First Lieutenant. Jazz hurried on before she got mad enough to cut his hands off at the wrists.
"You're lettin' your emotions get t'ya Elita! Think about this for a minute: ya can't go over that rock slide without killin' yourself, it'll take hours t' go around this pass, and even if ya managed to magically jump over the slaggin' thing, you'll never be able to catch up to Onslaught anyway.
"Onslaughts alt mode is an all terrain vehicle. He can plow through and over all this," Jazz waved a hand around to indicate the landscape and quickly clamped it back, "like it was nothin'. But we don't have that luxury. The terrains too rough to drive all the way, you're not fast enough on foot, an' if ya keep up this insane transform-every-thirty-steps-or-so trick of yours, you're not gonna be able to even stand by the time you catch up, IF you manage to at all. I bet your systems are already runnin' hot, right? Frag it, I'M barely holdin' on as it is. How much longer 'till all of yours are in the red?"
Elita kept glaring, but she didn't deny Jazz's estimation. He nodded knowingly.
"I figured as much.
"Face it Elita; Onslaught won this round. We've gotta be smarter now if we're gonna get Nolan back safe."
Elita silently fumed, looking torn between listening to reason and just shooting Jazz's head off.
Her hand twitched, clenched, and with a frustrated yell she slammed it violently into the rock wall, embedding her fist as cracks spread outwards from the impact like a spider web. Small rocks and pebbles dislodged by the force rained down on their heads with pitter-patter clacks. Jazz didn't even flinch.
Elita closed her optics as she vented out hot air. Finally, she tugged her fist out of wall and slowly brought it to rest across her chassis, hand on her shoulder. When she opened her optics again, they still weren't as rich a shade of blue as they should have been, but they weren't nearly white hot anymore either.
"I understand," Elita conceded, her tone now lacking the threat of imminent bodily harm. "What would you suggest then, Jazz?"
Jazz released Elita's arm, now that he was reasonably certain she wasn't going to run off again. "First off, we'd better t' Bumblebee and the kids. Whatever we do next, they're gonna have t' hear it too."
"Very well. Let us walk back. It will give our systems a chance to cool down after this…exertion."
BANG! "You goddamn -" BANG! "- lowlife -" BANG! "- son of a bitch coward!" BANG! "Let me go or I'll chew out your upholstery and use your wires to make baskets!"
Onslaught grunted slightly as the human turned his attention from the metal walls to the softer seats, his ferocious kicks becoming more painful as they rained hard down on the circuitry and wiring hidden within said seats. The human had regained consciousness a few minutes ago, and after realizing where he was and what must have happened, almost immediately he flew into a rage, attacking his interior with the rage and ferocity of a berserker. Except for when the boy's random flailing landed on the softer seats, it was largely ineffectual.
Truth be told, Onslaught had at first found the boys reaction mildly interesting. He had seen it before, usually in young Autobot soldiers he and his gestalt had cornered or captured. Fear would be channeled into anger and aggression, turning them into far fiercer fighters and more dangerous adversaries. It was a reaction the Decepticons had encouraged in their new recruits and front-liners. Fear could paralyze, but anger could motivate action, even if all you could do was beat against the walls and yell obscenities.
The similarity was almost fascinating, in its own way.
But the interest quickly turned into annoyance. The fighting spirit was almost admirable in a soldier, but in a prisoner – particularly his prisoners - it got very old, very fast.
Onslaught banked a sharp turn that sent the human falling flat on his aft with an undignified yelp.
"My patience is running thin, human," he growled, his voice reverberating against the walls of his own interior. "Cease your useless actions now, before I make you."
The human glared toward the front. "What were you expecting, me to be the good little hostage? I've been kidnapped, I'm being held hostage, I've got a goose egg the size of a frigging football on my head thanks to you, and I know you're going to somehow use me to get to Elita. Forgive me for being completely pissed off! Oh, and just so you know, there's no way in hell I'm going to let you do anything to Elita!"
"YOU won't be doing anything, and if you do not shut off whatever you have that passes for a vocal processor off, I WILL make you regret it."
The young male snorted. "What're you gonna do, yell at me? You're too big to do much without killing me, and if you lose me you lose your leverage."
"You are alive now because there is a possibility that you will be more useful as such rather than dead," Onslaught said in a silky, dangerous voice. "But I don't need you alive to control Elita. I only need her to believe you're alive."
The human froze, and Onslaught was mildly interested to see that his had become a shade or two lighter in color.
He stood, and Onslaught tensed, ready to throw the boy to the floor again if need be. But all he did was gingerly sit in one of the seats and taking up as little space as possible. Whether this was out of fear or distaste was hard to say. But, judging from the boy's expression and notable lack of little biological fear tellers, the Decepticon was leaning towards the latter. Not that it really mattered either way.
The boy turned and looked out the narrow window, narrowing his eyes as he took in the passing landscape. Onslaught could see the gears turning in his head, taking in everything with a calculated look.
Already planning an escape? Onslaught thought, amused. Your spirit would almost be admirable, if I hadn't been so certain it was due more to stupidity.
Or, perhaps you simply do not yet understand just how trapped you already are.
Aine paced back and forth, chewing her thumbnail and alternating between glancing northward and at the yellow mech standing a little off to the side. Sam and Mikaela, as they had introduced themselves, were sitting on the ground in Bumblebee's shade, who stood over them all keeping a lookout but mostly just waiting like everyone else. Conversations had been started several times, but each attempt would survive a comment or too before it withered and died, everyone too nervous for focus for long on anything else, yet not wanting to talk about what they were all wondering lest they jinx it.
Bumblebee's head snapped around, grabbing the attention of the humans.
"They're coming back," the scout informed them. "On foot, apparently."
Everyone was now standing side by side on top of the slope and straining eyes and ears to see them. Sure enough, they could see two figures shining brightly as the sun danced across their shiny metal bodies. It actually hurt to look at them for more than a few seconds, the refraction was so strong.
Aine waited with nervous enter, wringing her hands as she seesawed between hope and dread. When Elita finally got to them, she looked at the girl, only to look away. Aine slumped. Nolan wasn't with them, and Elita couldn't look at her. Onslaught had gotten away, and he still had her brother.
Aine eyes burned as she felt tears of frustration pricking at the edges, and the fear that threatened to well up and swallow her heart whole. She heard shifting movement, and she looked up to see Elita bending down a little to look her in the eye. With Aine on top of the slope and Elita standing at the bottom, Aine was almost level with the femmes shoulder.
"Aine, listen to me: I promise you, no matter what happens, I will bring Nolan back."
Aine met Elita's earnest look before nodding a little.
"I figured you would…but thank you anyway."
"So…what do we do now?" Sam asked.
Elita looked at Jazz. "My navigation computer was badly damaged upon my landing, along with my communications and ability to tap into the human's World Wide Web. Where, exactly, does Onslaught wish us to meet?"
Jazz touched the side of his head corresponding with the human temple as his visor raised, revealing blue optics just like Elita's and Bumblebee's. His optics flashed brightly once before shooting out beams of light that, to the astonishment of his human audience, solidified into a 3D hologram: a large, topographical green grid map of Utah, spinning slowly around to give everyone a clear view of the map at every angle.
Actually, only Aine was astonished. Sam and Mikaela were significantly less impressed.
"We're about here," a tiny red Autobot symbol appeared in about the middle of the southern section. "An' Onslaught wants to meetcha...here," a purple Decepticon symbol appeared much further north, at the mouth of a valley.
Elita frowned as she studied the map. "It will take hours to drive all that way. Onslaught means to wear me out before the fight even begins."
Sam raised a hand. "Wait a sec; doesn't he have to drive all that way too?"
"Onslaughts all-terrain alt. mode can take a straighter, shorter path than the ones available to me," Elita explained. "But he too will have to push himself. I do not know why he chose such a relatively distant location."
Jazz tapped his temple, and the image zoomed a little onto the purple spot. Another tap, another zoom. He repeated this twice more until he had zoomed in close enough for every one to get a good look at the designated battle site itself. When they did, there were several groans.
The location was isolated, far enough from human activity to avoid drawing attention so long as no one set off an atomic bomb or what have you. The spot itself was a large, bowl shaped depression several hundred feet across. The only way to get there from the south was through a narrow pass exiting from the valley, a pass that could easily be observed by anyone standing across from it.
The meadow was wide, open, and offered no protection or cover. There were tall trees that lined it, but they were thick and closely placed, too closely for someone Elita's size to move through easily. They would be more than adequate to impede any attempt at escape and would only leave her vulnerable to an easy shot in the back.
"It's a box," Bumblebee noted grimly. "He's planning on boxing you in to make you an easy target. Primus, this has 'trap' written all over it in neon letters."
"If I am to get Nolan back, I will have to spring it." Elita said, with equal gravity.
"Can't you go around and get behind Onslaught or something?" Aine asked.
"That would take too much time; I would not be able to reach the location for an additional several hours. Besides, Onslaught will kill Nolan as soon as he suspects anything is amiss."
Aine flinched, but said nothing more.
"In any case, we have little time," Elita went on as Jazz shut off the hologram. "Jazz or Bumblebee, I need one of you to help me repair my comm., at least so I can engage in short range communication. That way, we will be able to continue this discussion as we drive."
Jazz raised his hand. Elita raised an optic ridge.
"Are you volunteering for the repairs?"
"Actually, I just wanted to mention that we don't actually have to drive all the way there. Optimus got a plane on standby for us, just in case."
"He did?" Elita's head jerked back slightly in surprise. "How large is it?"
"Well, he was shootin' for a monster of a plane that could carry the five of us plus you, but turns out gettin' one quietly wasn't going to happen on such short notice. But he did manage to kick the humans military into scrounging up somethin' called an C-27K Spartan. Only has a payload of about 19,000 pounds though, which will be fine for the three of us and the humans. Not so much for getting Prime, Ironhide, AND Ratchet out here for back up though."
Elita tilted her head to the side in thought. "You believe we will need them all?"
"Need them? Probably not. But they're all gonna want t' come out here anyway; Price 'cause you're here, Ratchet to make sure you're in one piece, and Ironhide for the chance to blow slag up."
Elita laughed. "That is true. The plane will be able to bring us all close to the meeting place and save us all time and energy. However, at 19,000 pounds it will not be able to carry myself, one of you, and either Optimus, Ratchet, or Ironhide, would it?"
Bumblebee slumped a little as he ran the numbers. "No, it wouldn't. So you either go with us, or go one ally short."
"Hey, hold on, can't the plane just make a couple of return trips so they can send the whole army?" Mikaela asked.
"An army cannot save Nolan now, Mikaela. This will require a more…delicate touch. Bringing everyone here, then there, would only be a waste of time and energy. I would prefer them to stay at the base and save themselves the trip."
"Well, we're not gonna be able to stop Ratchet from comin' out here," Jazz said brightly. "Primus knows he'd want to have a look at'cha before you went off on a suicide mission. Frankly, ya probably really need it by now."
Aine frowned in confusion, but when she took a second to really look at Elita compared to the mechs, she nearly reeled back in shock.
She had been too distracted up until now to notice, but now that she was really looking, at Elita, she could tell that the femme was…well, to say 'an absolute mess' would be too strong, but it was clear she had seen better days. She was covered in nicks, scratches, a few dents, traces of dirt, and a couple of weld jobs in places where the cracks had been too large. Even her optics didn't glow as brightly as the mechs, though they were hardly dim. Compared to the almost pristine Jazz and Bumblebee (though the formers finish had been tarnished a bit by the impromptu desert drive), Elita looked…she looked…
Good grief, she looks exhausted! Aine thought in shock. The only reason Aine hadn't realized this before was that it was a lot harder to see the strain in a car than in a person, at least for Aine anyway.
"…I would say there is no need, but that would be a waste of effort, wouldn't it?" Elita said dryly. Jazz grinned.
"Probably. Actually, Prime could probably come-"
"No!"
Jazz's optics flashed off and on in a blink. Everyone else was equally puzzled, and Sam and Mikaela discreetly exchanged glances with Bumblebee.
Aine took a few steps forward and pressed her small hands against Elita's calf. "Don't you want to see Optimus again? I'm sure he really wants to see you."
Elita lowered her head a little, a pained expression flashing across her face.
"It…it is not that I do not…that is, I…"
"S'alright Elita, we understand," Jazz said gently. "He will too, I'm sure."
Elita was visibly relieved. Aine was just confused. She looked over her shoulder at the other two humans. Sam looked equally perplexed, as did Mikaela. Suddenly Mikaela's eyes widened in understanding, and she pulled Sam's shoulder down a little so she could whisper in his ear. After a few seconds, comprehension passed across Sam's face too. Aine just frowned in irritation, because she herself was still in the dark.
Why would Elita want to wait, she wondered. She KNEW how much Elita cared about Optimus, how much she missed him. Even if Elita had never out right admitted her feelings, Aine had been able to pick them up like neon signs just from the way Elita spoke of him, how she talked more about Optimus than about anyone else. Why would she rather see him later instead of right now when –
Oh.
Because right now, Nolan was in danger. Right now, Elita was getting ready to walk into a fight with the deck stacked against her. Right now, there was uncertainty, danger, a mission, and risk. In a practical sense, Elita needed to focus all her attention on this immediate issue first and foremost.
On a personal level, these were no conditions to celebrate a long awaited reunion with someone you love, no matter how badly you wanted it.
But doesn't she at least want a chance to talk to him again case she doesn't-
Aine immediately stopped that train of that. That was a possibility she wasn't anywhere near ready to contemplate.
"What about Ironhide at least?" Bumblebee tried, and with a smile in his eyes added "Primus knows he's practically an army all by himself, and he'd be more than happy to prove it."
Elita chuckled in good humor. "Then I will have no choice but to disappoint him. Were I to take Ironhide, it would only be him and myself. Besides, I do not need excessive firepower. All I need..."
Elita put a hand on Jazz and Bumblebee's shoulders in camaraderie.
"…is the two of you and your exceptional skills."
"Does this mean you have a plan?" Bumblebee asked hopefully.
Elita's smile turned into a grin. "I just might."
The military base was a good 45 minute drive away, and due to Elita's still busted comm. (which, as it turned out, was too badly damaged for anyone to fix on the spot), communications between the three Autobots, and by extension their respective humans, was put on hold until they got there. If all went well, their plane would be landing a little after they arrived.
After that, Elita suspected that future chances for private conversations would range from rare to non-existent.
"May I ask a question?" she asked the girl. Aine, as per habit, turned her head to speak to the radio.
"Um, sure."
"Those 'panic attacks.' Was that the secret you were referring to yesterday?"
Aine looked slightly ashamed. "Yeah, actually. Except I didn't know they were just panic attacks, and that they weren't actually life threatening or whatever. I've never heard of them before, and I never talked to anyone about it."
"Because you did not wish to inconvenience anyone, correct?"
Aine made a one shoulder shrug. "Sort of, I guess. I kept thinking 'it's just this one time, it'll go away.'"
"Why did you not wish to talk to anyone about this? You could have saved yourself a great deal of stress and worry."
Aine starting playing with her fingers. "I guess it was because I was afraid it would change everything. Life with Dad and Nolan, it wasn't perfect, but I was used to it. I could handle it. But Dad and Nolan were butting heads almost all the time, and I was afraid what would happen if something changed. Our life wasn't exactly perfect, but it could have been a lot worse. We had a home, we were taken care of, and I knew how it all worked. I didn't want to change that."
"So you were afraid to upset the balance?"
Aine brightened and nodded vigorously. "Right! Yes, that's exactly it! It was just easier on everyone not to say anything. Besides, Mikaela said that panic attacks don't cause any lasting damage, they just really suck. So it's not like I was in any danger."
"But you thought you were."
The smile faded. "But, I wasn't, not really..."
"Aine, you sincerely believed your heart was damaged or that you were in danger of dying with any of these attacks, did you not?"
At Aine's reluctant nod, Elita went on. "You are a generous, kind, self-sacrificing person, Aine. These are your strengths, and they are rare, precious qualities in a person of any species. But there is such a thing as being too self-sacrificing. Primus knows I get enough of that from Optimus."
Aine actually giggled a little.
"You are so used to letting Nolan take the lead, you have not learned to speak up for yourself as much as you need to," Elita went on. "The people who care about you want to help you. You need not bear all your burdens alone."
Aine titled her head in thought. "This sounds kind of familiar…"
Internally, Elita smiled. "As it should. We talked about this last night."
"Oh. Right. Makes a lot more sense now, actually. So, I guess this means I need to speak up more, be more assertive, huh?"
"People want to hear from you Aine. You need not fear being heard."
"I can do that, I guess. I can try, anyway."
"I am glad to hear it. Other than all that, how are you doing?"
"Um, fine, I guess." She rubbed the new scabs on her legs. "The scratches on my legs don't hurt any more or anything."
"That is good, but that was not what I was referring to. A great deal has happened in a very short time, and you have learned…unpleasant truths in the midst of it. How are you doing?"
Aine slumped in her seat. "I…honestly, I don't know. I mean…"
She stuck her hands in her hair as if trying to hold the thoughts in place. "…it's like, it's like it's not real yet, you know? I can't wrap my mind around it all. I mean, in my head, I know it's real, but it hasn't sunk it yet as being real. I'm sorry, I'm not making any sense, am I?"
"No Aine, I understand what you are saying."
Aine let her hands fall to her lap again. "I think I'm going to need a lot more time before its all real, you know? I just can't think about it right now, not until Nolan's back." Aine's voice cracked a little, and her eyes were already filling up with liquid.
"We WILL bring Nolan back safely." Elita soothed. Aine wiped her eyes.
"The last thing I said," she said, almost crying, "was that he was even worse than Dad. Nolan hates Dad, so it was like I said I hated him too. That was the last thing I said to him Elita!"
"But it will not be the last thing you ever say to him," Elita said firmly, brooking no argument. "When you see him next, you will be able to say what you need to say. Harsh words were exchanged, by him and by you. They need not have been so painful, but they were words that needed to be said.
"The two of you will never be quite the same. But now you can grow as two people instead of one."
Aine blinked rapidly at the radical new concept. She scratched her head. "This…is a very dense heart to heart talk."
Elita burst out in merry laughter, and Aine couldn't help but smile along.
"So it is," Elita chuckled. "I apologize if I am throwing too much at you at once."
"No, no, it's fine. I'm glad we talked about all this. It feels good to get this off my chest with someone who gets it."
"I am glad to be of service," Elita said in good humor. "Be ready Aine, we are approaching the base now."
Aine instantly straightened in her seat. Intellectually, she knew they were okay, but as Elita drove up to the military checkpoint guarding the entrance, she couldn't restrain the butterflies in her stomach. She'd seen the movies too, and very rarely was mixing the military with aliens a good thing.
Her anxiety wasn't helped when she realized something very, very bad.
"Um, Elita? Why are we going in first?"
"I am the highest ranking officer present. Protocol dictates that I lead, followed by Jazz, then Bumblebee."
"So who's going to talk to the gate guy? Jazz said he's not in the know."
"That task, I leave to you."
Aine's stress indicators jumped through the roof. "Excuse me??"
"You need only remember what Jazz said, and you will be fine."
"And you don't think a fourteen year old girl trying to get into the military base is a little odd maybe??"
"You admitted yourself you needed to learn to speak up more and be more assertive." Elita was sounding far too happy about this.
"As a general concept!" Aine exclaimed in a high pitched voice. "Something to work on in the future, not right this second!"
"But what is the purpose of a resolution if you are not ready to act upon it?"
"I dislike you intensely right now," Aine managed to hiss out just as the window lowered. The army man leaned out the booth window, only to jerk back in visible surprise when he saw the 'driver.'
"How old are you?" was the first thing out of his mouth. Aine repressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"Never mind that," the soldier went on quickly. "Miss, you're going to have to turn around. This is a restricted area, especially right now."
"Um, yeah but…my name is Aine O'Connell, and I'm supposed to be here."
The man gave her a hard look. Aine wanted to shrink back, the apology already dancing behind her lips, but she forced herself to meet his look with her unwavering one.
"Call up Colonel Riley if you don't believe me," Aine said smoothly. "But there's a C-27K Spartan that'll be landing in a few minutes with priority cargo and high level security. As I recall, aside from pilot and crew only a handful of people have clearance to this party, including myself-"
Aine waved a hand back to indicate to two cars behind her.
"-and my associates, Samuel Witwicky and Mikaela Banes."
The young soldier gave Aine an odd look, which she coolly met. The man stepped back into the booth, and Aine could see him checking what was probably a list of names laying on the counter. A few seconds later he whipped his head around and stared at Aine in open shock.
"Colonel Riley, you said?"
She gave him a pleasant smile and held up the cell phone Mikaela had lent her for just-in-case situations. Flipping it open she said "I could call him up myself, if you're not comfortable doing it yourself that is."
"No, no, that won't be necessary," the young man said. Aine was reasonably certain she heard him mutter 'this is insane' before the black and yellow bar blocking their way was lifted up.
"Thank you!" Aine chirped as Elita drove away, Jazz and Bumblebee close behind.
Aine started giggling as a sense of euphoria she'd never felt before coursed through her. It felt like it was filling her entire body from her toes to her head.
"I can't believe I just did that!" she squealed.
"You did very well Aine," Elita praised warmly, pride evident in her voice. "You were confidant, assertive, and you did not back down. I am very proud of you."
Aine smiled, still a little shy with the praise, but too giddy and happy to feel overly humble about it.
"I didn't think I could do it," she admitted. "For all the two seconds I was allowed to think about it anyway. Heck, the only reason I pulled it off at all is because I wasn't trying to lie or hide anything, not really."
Aine looked thoughtfully at the cell phone. "Except for the call the colonel bit. I have no idea what his number is."
Elita laughed.
Aine lightly kicked her under the steering wheel. "I still intensely dislike you for blindsiding me with that," she warned.
"You have my sincere apologies then," Elita said glibly.
"Hey Bee?"
"Yes Sam?"
"Quick question."
"Shoot."
"Wouldn't it have made more sense for Mikaela or me to talk to the guy? I mean, we don't exactly look like Army Rangers either, but at least we're not cute 12 year old girls."
"Aine taking that duty was partially by default as Elita's charge. Since Elita One is the highest ranking officer among us, it's only fitting she take the lead. It just so happened that Aine was the one with her."
"So no could have said 'hey, you know what, let's let Sam talk to the gate guy!' or whatever?"
"Well, yes, we could have. But I suspect Elita had her own agenda for having Aine take this role."
"Ooookay then. Well, we're inside and no one's shooting at us, so she must have done something right."
The three cars rolled across the tarmac towards the plane parked in the middle of the empty runway, its nose pointed towards them and to the right, its engines just dying down. A handful of officers were standing around as if waiting for something.
From the back, a ramp lowered and as soon as it touched pavement a greenish colored search and rescue hummer rolled out. The hummer turned sharply to face the maybach, solstice, and camaro, and all four rolled to a stop with about fifteen feet between them.
Elita's door popped open, as did Jazz's and Bumblebee's. Aine shaded her eyes from the bright sun as she stepped out, but kept a worried eye on the plane crew and soldiers still standing a respectful distance away.
"Relax kid, they're on our side," a deep, male voice with distinctive metallic undertones said, and Aine nearly jumped out of her skin. Elita chuckled.
"It has been a long time, hasn't it Ratchet?" She said in pleasant greeting.
"Certainly has, Elita. A long time indeed."
As if acting on an unseen signal, all four cars transformed. Aine found herself transfixed as four unique cars became four unique individuals, no two changing in quite the same manner as the others.
No matter how many times I see that, it's always going to be unbelievably cool, she realized.
The green hummer – Ratchet – held up his forearm in front of him and flexed his hand down once. From the side of his wrist a green light shot out and widened into a flat plane that scanned Elita up and down her full length, which the femme bore gamely. Aine frowned. It seemed a little rude to just do that without asking. He could have at least warned her.
"Turn around slowly," Ratchet instructed, keeping his eyes down to a small holographic display also emanating from his wrist. Elita did so, even holding her arms out a little to give Ratchet a better look.
"Well, preliminary scans don't show anything life-threatening. But I'm still going to need to do a full diagnostic before anything. If nothing else, I can get your fragging comm. fixed already."
"There's an empty hanger you guys can use, if you want," one of the soldiers mentioned. Judging from the smart outfit and the big, colorful striped badge pinned over his heart, Aine was guessing this was Colonel Riley.
"Thank you Captain Rochester."
Or not.
"Frag it Elita, were you trying to crack your armor?? One good blow and it would have shattered, probably leaving little shards in all your seams and tearing your inner wiring apart!"
"You don't say," Elita deadpanned.
"Slag it, would it be too much to ask for a patient that wasn't trying to actively off-line themselves?!
"Quite possibly. At least I am not the twins."
"And thank Primus for that."
Currently everyone was spread out in the empty hanger in various positions of repose, with Ratchet on one knee behind Elita as he worked on the back of her shoulder, where her shoulder blade would have been had she been human. Elita herself was sitting with her feet tucked beneath her and leaning forward slightly to give Ratchet better access.
Elita had one hand up as well, partially holding a tool kit but mostly ready to catch the seventeen year old girl straddling her shoulder as she attempted to repair the comm. in the side of her head, mostly ready to catch the girl in case she slipped off.
Having Mikaela take that job had been Ratchets idea ("It'll be good practice and she can't kill you if she messes up"), though Elita herself had been slightly wary about it. But, she trusted Ratchets judgment, and Jazz vouched for Mikaela's skills with great enthusiasm.
"Relax Elita, girls' already had lotsa practice puttin' bots back t'gether," he asserted merrily. "She's already better than some nurses I knew back on Cybertron."
"Can I assume you were the one who provided her the most chances to practice?" Elita asked humorously.
"Hey, she helped put me back t'gether after Megatron tore me in half."
"What??"
"Funny story that, remind me to tell ya about it later."
After that, Elita had lifted Mikaela with her toolbox/Autobot medical kit to her shoulder and bore the twin treatments (mostly) quietly, Mikaela singing softly under her breath and Ratchet grumbling.
Aine frowned, and twisted around to look up at Jazz from her cross legged seat on the concrete floor. "Is it really okay for Ratchet to talk to her like that? Everyone keeps talking about how she's the highest ranking…person here. Isn't that, well, really rude or something?"
Jazz was sitting with his legs out in front of him, on crossed over the other, himself leaning against the wall with his hands laced behind his head. His visor was retracted, to Aine's mild relief. It was a little easier for her to talk to him if she could see his eyes.
Jazz turned his head to look down at her with a smile and a mischievous gleam in his eye.
"What, Ratchet? Naw, that's just how he show's he cares. Not even Optimus get's special treatment, and he's the Prime!"
"Be careful not to repair too much Ratchet," Elita instructed. "We do not need to alert Onslaught that I have been able to see a medic."
"I'll decide how much I'll repair," Ratchet said firmly. "I don't give a frag if you look like something Unicron spat out, so I'll let you keep the cosmetic damage. But I'm not letting you up until I'm satisfied that you won't fall to pieces after two steps!"
"Do not worry Aine, I am not that badly damanged," Elita reassured the girl when she saw the look on her face. "Ratchet is merely trying to make a point through exaggeration."
CLANK!
To Aine's horror, Ratchet had pulled a wrench from out of freaking nowhere and whacked Elita on the back of the head with it, prompting a shout of complaint from Mikaela.
"First off, I don't exaggerate, I emphasize the importance of matters. Second, that was for nearly popping out your own transformations cogs with that stupid stunt of yours in the desert. Third, I've done all I can for you now. Mikaela, how's the comm.?"
"Mixed results," she said honestly, scooting backwards. "Elita, did you land in the ocean or something?"
"A lake, actually," Elita said, faintly surprised. "How can you tell?"
"Most of the metals are all warped. I think it happened when you cooled down too fast after reentry. I think I've got your short range communications back up, but we're going to need entirely new parts for the rest of it."
"Let me see," Ratchet said, standing up and leaning over. Elita turned her head to let Ratchet examine Mikaela's handiwork. After a few seconds, Ratchet nodded once.
"Good work, good prognosis."
Mikaela beamed as Ratchet gave her a hand back down to the ground.
"So what's your plan anyway?" Bumblebee asked, Sam resting on his raised knee.
"The plane will be just big enough for you, Jazz, and myself. Which means you, Ratchet, will have to stay behind."
"Fine, but I'm taking the next flight over there," the medic grumbled. "You're going to need a real medic to put you back together again, even if I won't be able to get there in time for the fight itself."
"I will need you to keep an eye on the children any-"
"Hold on a dang second!"
All heads turned to the diminutive girl, now on her feet and looking as mad as she ever did.
"I'm not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs while Nolan's in trouble!" she exclaimed, fists on her hips. Elita frowned.
"I understand your concern, but this is too dangerous for you."
Aine did something that nearly rocked Elita – she snorted.
"Right, and you walking into an obvious trap all alone isn't? Onslaught will be too focused on you to care about anything else, and as an itty-bitty squishie," Aine held up her arms and turned around once in demonstration of her itty-bitty squishiness, "I can go places and come in closer than Jazz and Bumblebee can. Besides, when I first met these guys,"
She jerked her thumb to indicate the two smaller mechs.
"I panicked and thought they were Decepticons!"
"Hey!" Bumblebee exclaimed, visibly offended.
"My point is, how much more rational do you think Nolan's going to be?"
Jazz nodded thoughtfully. "She's got a point there. Nolan might come a lot more quietly if there's at least another human."
"Which means I should go instead," Sam said, sliding off Bumblebees leg and coming towards Aine. "I'm older for one thing, and I've already gone through worst."
"I'm not THAT young," Aine insisted, crossing her arms.
"Twelve years old is young enough," Sam countered. Aine dropped her expression of defiance for one of shock.
"What?" Sam asked.
"I'm fourteen years old you jerk!"
"Seriously??" Sam exclaimed in disbelief. "I seriously thought you were eleven, I was just guessing high!"
Aine aimed a kick at Sam, which he artfully dodged.
"That does not-" Elita tried.
"I'll go too," Mikaela decided. "I'm not a medic, but I might be enough to keep you from bleeding to death. I can be your pit crew!"
"That is a generous offer, but-"
"Aine and I should both probably go, come to think of it," Sam said thoughtfully, crossing his arms. He looked at the younger brunette. "Onslaught will probably have Nolan tied up or in a cage or something. You might need help getting him out or moving him."
"But I-"
"Am going to need every scrap of help you can get," Ratchet finished. "You don't want the firepower, so you've got to take what you can get, even if you don't think you need it."
Elita looked at everyone one at a time, from the resolute expressions of the humans to the assured and confidant – trusting – ones of the Autobots.
That the First Lieutenant, Chief Medical Officer, and one of the best scouts the Autobot army had to offer made no protests of including the humans spoke volumes of the trust they held in their abilities and courage.
And why not? They already had a chance to see what humans were capable of, even young ones.
"I am not going to win this one, am I?" Elita asked with an ironic smile. Jazz grinned.
"Nope."
"So you'll let us help?" Aine asked hopefully. Elita's smile faded.
"Aine, I need you to answer me honestly: how confidant are you that you will not suffer another attack at the worst time? Panic attacks are induced by high levels of stress, from what I understand."
Before Elita had even finished, Aine was shaking my head. "I've been thinking about that a lot. The only times I've ever had an attack was when I knew the situation was bad and I was feeling especially helpless to stop it. It's not fear that does it, its feeling trapped. So long as I can do something, I'm okay. I didn't have an attack when I met Onslaught alone, right?"
Elita considered for several long seconds. After a small eternity, she gave a nod.
"Very well. I will trust your judgment."
Aine could have cheered. She wasn't going to sit aside and let other people do all the work and talk all the risk! She was going to do her part, and make sure Nolan got back safe and sound!
"This was not quite what I had in mind when I said I wanted you to be more assertive," Elita mentioned dryly. Aine grinned.
"That's what you get for that stunt at the checkpoint!"
"And now that the inspirational Disney moment is over, how about this vaunted plan of yours?" Ratchet interjected dryly.
Elita nodded once, and suddenly it was all business.
"With the addition of the Sam, Mikaela, and Aine, my plan remains essentially the same, but will be eased with the help. Jazz, if you would bring up the map again? Thank you. First, at the designated time…"
Nolan would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. Hell, if he stopped to think about it for too long, he'd probably curl up in a fetal position and be unable to even move, let alone try to escape. It was the chance for escape that kept him lucid, kept him reasonably calm and alert against the terror that bashed against the walls of his mind.
He didn't know how long it had been since he had been taken, or how long he had been unconscious even, but it had been several hours at least. Long enough for the scenery outside to morph from desert to greener forest, and in that entire time Onslaught hadn't stopped or slowed more than strictly necessary to navigate a tricky area.
But, he was going to have to stop sooner or later. So, let's make it sooner.
"I need to go."
"…Human, I think you're gravely misunderstanding the 'prisoner' concept."
Smart ass.
"No, I mean I have to go to the bathroom. Like, now actually. Seriously, I can't hold it in for much longer."
"I'm not stopping for your comfort, flesh creature. Whatever the frag you're talking about, it can wait another hour."
Nolan frowned, and tried to come up with a phrasing that would make his 'explanation' sound as gross and disturbing yet completely irrefutable as possible.
"Actually, no it can't. See, humans have to dispose bodily waste every few hours and depending on what we last ate, it can be solid or liquid. Now, I had a big breakfast this morning-"
Lie! Nolan's stomach was almost screaming at him for sustenance.
"- so I've got a LOT of solid waste rolling around in here. I can hold it in for a little while longer, but sooner or later it's going to come out whether I want it to or not. It's a biological necessity, like breathing. It'll be disgusting, humiliating, and all over your interior."
Nolan carefully enunciated the last four words, and waited for it to sink in. When it did, Nolan felt a wave of disgust shudder through the metal walls and up the seat. Nolan had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning as he felt the GILA slow and pull over.
"You have five minutes, fleshbag."
Okay, seriously, what was with this guy and the organic-themed insults?
The door swung open and Nolan helped himself out. They had stopped along a fairly wide dirt road with tall trees along each side. As calmly as he could, Nolan meandered towards the sheltering trees.
He stopped mid-meander when he heard the click of Onslaughts roof-mounted machine gun turn on him.
"You will remain in my sights as you empty your waste tanks."
Nolan spun around and put on an expression of shock and disgust, which wasn't a far cry from how he was really feeling.
"Are you nuts?? I can't go with an audience!"
"You hardly have a choice in the matter," Onslaught countered lowly. "I am not about to let you run away."
Nolan spread his arms wide. "Where am I going to run? We're out in the middle of freaking nowhere! I'll die of exposure long before I hit civilization, and that's assuming I don't get eaten by a bear first. And, believe it or not, I DO want to get out of this alive."
Onslaughts gun remained trained on him. Nolan put his fists on his hips and looked defiantly back, pretending he wasn't scared out of his wits.
"Look, I can't relax if I know you're watching, and if I can't relax, I can't "empty my waste tanks," and if I can't go now, you're the one who'll get the worst of it!"
Nolan held up a hand and spread his fingers wide. "Five minutes. You said it yourself. Just give me five minutes behind a tree a little away from here so I can do my business in private, then I'll come back and we can all get on with our lives."
The gun remained trained on Nolan's head. The boy glared back and stuck his hands in his pockets. He didn't know how well Onslaught could read human emotions, but he didn't want to take the risk of the green Decepticon seeing his hands shake.
"Your self-preservation instincts are rather dubious," Onslaught said lowly.
Nolan felt his heart stop.
The gun painfully, slowly, turned away so it was facing frontwards again. "But your argument is reasonable. Five minutes human, starting now."
On the inside, Nolan melted with relief. On the outside, he turned and calmly walked for the trees again.
Nolan walked in a casual manner, stopping occasionally to scope out a spot and surreptitiously check if he was still in Onslaughts line of sight. The trees were large and thick, and it wasn't long until he was obscured completely by the foliage.
Nolan bolted.
He had no idea where he was or where he was going, and he could candidly admit to himself that he probably had a 98% chance of dying out here or by Onslaughts had once he realized what had happened.
Better than the 100% of death once Onslaught had what he wanted.
He never believed for a minute Onslaught would let him go once he had his vengeance, and if Nolan got away, then it would be that much harder for Onslaught to control Elita, and it just might be enough to save her.
Besides, I'm not going to die out here anyway, Nolan resolved as he slid down a grassy slope. I can't die yet. I can't let things with Aine end with an argument. I can't let Elita think I only wanted to use her. I can't let things end like this. I WON'T let things end like this. And I sure as hell won't let Onslaught get what he wants out of any of us!
Besides, he did boy scouts when he was younger, and he liked to watch the discovery channel in his rare free time, especially the survival shows. He still wasn't a hundred percent sure what he was supposed to do if he saw a bear (climb a tree? Play dead? Try to look big and yell a lot?), but he might be able to cobble enough memory together to make it out of-
A tree exploded in front of him.
Nolan screamed and fell as he tried to turn back, and barely missed being crushed by the massive pine. Thundering footsteps told him who what coming.
"You are a very foolish creature, human."
Nolan scrambled to his feet and tried to run away, climb over the fallen tree to get away, but the branches were too thick and they trapped him, slowed him down enough for Onslaught to catch up easily. Nolan had barely put his feet back on the ground before he was lifted up again by the back of his shirt. Huge fingers wrapped around him tighter than strictly necessary.
"You will regret that, human, for all the remaining few seconds of your life."
Nolan's face paled as the fingers started constricting more.
No, no, NO! I can't die here! Not like this, not like this!
"What did you expect me to do, huh!" Nolan gasped out even as black dots peppered his vision. "For me to be a good little boy and let you kill my friend when I had even the smallest chance to save her?"
Nolan had no idea what possessed him to say that, not when he wanted so much to live and NOT invite a quicker death. But to his shock, the fingers slackened and he was able to breathe again. Nolan looked up, and even with the visor and mask Onslaught had his head angled in a way that looked…contemplative?
"You make an interesting point," he said.
Huh?
"The desire to survive and escape a dangerous situation is almost universal, especially among organic life," he went on, almost conversationally. "It was illogical of me to assume you would be able to fight such an ingrained instinct. It would seem the fault lies with me then for your near escape. As such, you will not be punished."
It took a few seconds for Nolans poor, over-taxed brain to wrap around this new information.
"So, you're not going to kill me?" Nolan ventured.
"Not now at least," Onslaught said. "However, this means I will need to take new measures to ensure you will not be able to try this again."
"You're going to tie me up?"
"No. I lack the rope, and I'm not well suited for such a minute task. Besides, I have no doubt you would find a way out of such bonds. No, I have something more efficient in mind."
Nolan felt confused by this. But when Onslaught raised a hand and gently took hold of one of Nolans dangling legs between this thumb and finger, confusion morphed into horror.
"No, no, please no! I won't run away again, I swear!" he cried out frantically, struggling with all his might and trying to pull his leg out of Onslaughts grasp.
"I'm not so foolish to believe you, human," Onslaught chided, keeping a firm hold on the limb and holding it steady.
"Please don't!"
"Just remember you brought his on yourself."
Onslaught pressed his thumb down and the bone snapped.
Do you hate me yet? ^_^
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