HT sat down for a second, then started packing. She would undoubtedly tell someone. He could stop by the rec. room and get the last few cubes he needed before leaving. It wouldn't matter if it was more than he was assigned. If anyone objected, he'd just shoot them and be done with it. He sighed, and picked up a datapad. He flipped through it quickly, almost tossing the journal away. Until something caught his eye.
It was a picture from the football arena. The entire group was standing proudly at attention, even as Klutch had painted them as crimnals. Alpha was beside Hammertread, smiling up at him. He shook his head and threw it in the wast-basket.
then went and retrived it. on second thought, I don't want anyone reading my personal journal. he thought.
Alpha sighed. She looked around and then spotted Omega.
"Whats' up sis?" Omega asked.
I can't tell him...
"Tell me what?"
Alpha jumped. "Damn our powers!"
Omega laughed.
"I can't tell ya..."
"Then I'll search ya."
"Oh no you won't!"
"Try and stop me..."
He quickly stuffed the rest of his things into subspace, and the energon cubes, and gave the room one last glance to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He glanced at the TV. "Nah. I'll rig my monitor on the ship." he thought. He turned and walked out, clicking on his comlink.
"Prime, this is hammertread. I need to speak with you, sir." He reminded himself to keep a respectfull tone of voice, if even temporarily.
"Prime here." came the reply. "What is it?"
"I thought I would notify you that I'm leaving."
"Are you sure that's wise? You are welcome to stay with us. How will you survive on your own?" asked the Autobot leader.
"I've been meaning to ask you about that." the tank said as he walked. "I allready have a few cubes of energon stored away, but I was assigned ten more." he stopped himself from saying hat he wanted to, and instead said. "I was hoping I could also use those, until I can find a way to support myself."
"And how do you intend on doing that?" came the questioning reply.
Hammertread quelled his rising temper of r the 20-questions routine. "I'm not sure yet."
"He's leaving?" Omega asked from where he was on top of his sister.
The two had wrestled and Omega had dipped into his sister's mind. alpha winced, "Yes?"
"but...how? Why? I mean..."
Alpha sighed, "Don't know, Brother..."
Omega tightened his grip on his sister's wrist, which where pinned above her head, on accident. "Damn him..."
"Ow..." Alpha deadpanned.
"I'm sorry, Hammertread, but it would be unsafe for you to leave. The Decepticons are still a major threat, and there's no telling whether or not they may have allready found your ship." Prime stated over the tank's comm.
And what if I want them to find me!? the tank yelled in his thoughts.
Maybe I want to join them!!
"I have the freedom of choice. I leave of my own free will." the tank replied, knowingly using the Autobot leader's own words against him. On the other end, Prime sighed.
"Very well. But I cannot allow you to take any more energon than you have. We are allready running low on reserves. "
HT glared at his comm. "And what if I try to take it?" he dared.
Prime was obviously trying to keep his tone even, but said simply "Hammertread, you may have been a Decepticon in the past, but you have allready shown that you can act peacefully. Please, do not imply that you would forcefully take what we would be willing to give you if you were to stay."
Hammertread had almost reached the rec. room.
If you decide to leave..." Prime was looking for the right words to say "May I ask why?" he said simply.
Alpha and Omega looked over at Hammertread as he walked into the room.
"Hi." alpha said plainly from where she was under her twin.
"you...how could you leave?!" Omega snarled, but yelped as Alpha kicked him.
"What was that for?"
"Shut up! Now he thinks I told!"
HT gave his comm. a look. "I would rather not reveal my reasoning." he said.
Prime paused a second. "All right. But if you are leaving you must at least give your word you will not rejoin the Decepticons. I would regret for us to become enemies, after all that has happened."
HT thought for a second. Technically, the word of a Decepticon wouldn't count, and seeing as he was allready created as one, how could he 'join' something he was created a part of.
"Okay." he made himself sound reluctant, but truthfully was just trying to end the conversation.
"I have some packing to finish.. I'll be in touch." he said, eying the two siblings.
"Prime out." It sounded like the leader nodded.
HT went over to the dispenser and started getting cubes.
both twins watched him. They looked at each other and then Alpha yelled "GET THE HELL OFFA ME!!!"
Omega yelped and fell off his sister. "Alright, alright, sorry!"
Alpha huffed and dusted herself off as she stood up. She looked at Hammertread and frowned, sighing.
Omega simply turned around and shot the mech a bird.
not to self: break that mech's fingers once I leave. Hammertread thought wryly, catching the mech's reflection in the dispenser's front panel.
He had gotten five cubes and counting, when a familiar voice sounded from across the room.
"I heard that!" Alpha huffed, "And don't you dare touch him!"
Omega turned around. "What did he think?"
"Omega, I'm taking care of it."
"Bite me, Alpha! I can take care of myself."
"Oh lord he we go..." Alpha huffed.
HT smirked and got five more, wondering where the rest of the Ark-bots were.
Alpha sighed as her brother walked over to HT.
She grabbed him and threw him back. "Aww not ya ain't. If anyone's gettin' in a fist fight, it's gonna be me!"
"...Why can't you be a non violent femme like most of them?" Omega sighed.
SMACK!
"Ow!"
HT leaned against the dispenser, pressing the button every so often for another cube, sipping one as he watched the fight amusedly.
Well, I may not have to scrap him if she's gonna do it for me. he chuckled in his thoughts, not caring if she heard or not.
Alpha looked over him. "I heard that! And I am not scrapping him...anymore than I normally would..."
Omega huffed, "I heard that!"
"Good."
Omega growled.
Alpha rolled up her sleeves, but stopped. "Wait...why are we fighting?"
"Becaue we're twins who have to share the same mind and we're total opposites?"
Alpha went to respond, but had nothing. "Oh screw it."
"So, um, how long have you been here at the Ark?" Cap pressed the 'mute' button on the tv.
Terra thought about it. "A week."
Cap nodded, waiting for her to start a conversation.
"Why?"
Cap shrugged. "Just wondering. Hey, you wann a go see what's gonig on down in the rec. room?"
"sure." Terra shrugged.
"We'll be back. Try not to break the N64 while we're gone." he glanced at Beacon.
"Like the last two."
Terra flew with him to the rec room. She blinked at what was going on. "Huh?"
Cliffjumper walked into the rec room and blinked. "Wha'?"
Hammertread swallowed his sip of energon, and stowed another cube. He pressed the button for another one. He looked at Cliffjumper, then at the fighting twins.
"They had a disagreement." he shrugged.
He quickly stowed the cube he was drinking along with the new one, and silently willed the machine to go faster. Well, at least three Autobots wouldn't be able to stop him.
If he had to leave in a hurry, that was. Which, he didn't think he would have to, the way things were right now.
"We're only fighting because that...traitor is going to leave and join the Decepticons!" Omega yelled.
Alpha gasped. Her jaw dropped. "WHAT? You did not read my mind again!"
"Ha!" Omega countered, "I guessed, but you confirmed it."
"Oh !" Alpha cursed. "Dammit!" She smacked her forehead over and over again. "Frag, frag, frag..."
Cliffjumper narrowed his optics and looked at Hammertread. "Why do I believe them?" He asked, folding his arms. "Or at least Omega..."
Alpha hung her head. "Ah..."
"Now, now." Hammertread said calmly stowing another cube. "I gave Optimus Prime my word I wouldn't join the Decepticons." he stated, hitting the button. "And if I want to leave, I can do so of my own free will.
This is the next to last cube. hurry up, stupid machine! the tank thought.
Alpha looked at Ht and gave him a deadpanned look that said "Nice try, bud."
Omega growled and folded his arms. He took a step towards the tank, but fell. "Ow."
"Whoops...sorry." Alpha grinned.
Cliffjumper glared at Hammertread. "Again...why do I not believe you?"
Terra merely blinked.
Cap edged around her. "You're leaving? why? we got it great here." he shrugged, motioning to the room.
Hammertread waited for the cube and pressed the button. last one. he thought.
Alpha nodded. "Listen to Cap."
Omega huffed.
the tank turned his attention back to the dispenser, and grabbed the final cube.
ten less than I intended, but I'll have to make do. he thought.
"Heard that." Alpha deadpanned, knowing it really didn't matter.
Omega kicked his sister's leg.
"Ow." Alpha deadpanned again.
Cliffjumper glared at the mech and folded his arms.
Alpha sighed, shaking her head. She looked at Omega for support, but her twin was siding with Cliffjumper on this one. He didn't trust Hammertread either.
The tank decided to see just how many more cubes he could get before things got too bad. He hit the button, hoping his luck wouldn't run out. Until the next mech entered the room.
Alpha looked behind her.
Prime glanced at Hammertread.
Alpha groaned and facepalmed. "You're doomed, HT..."
Hammertread glanced up, and did a double-take.
"I thought I might find you here." Prime started. Hammertread took the cube from the dispenser and sipped at it like that was why he'd gotten it.
"What? I wanted one before I left." He headed for the door. Prime nodded and moved aside to let him pass.
"I was hoping I could convince you to rethink your decision." he said as the tank passed.
Hasmmertread instead transformed and rolled down the hallway, accelerating moderately, so not to arouse suspicion as to why he was hurrying.
Alpha looked at the ground and sighed.
Kit popped out of her room and then yelped, jumping back in as HT passed. She watched him go.
"Uncle Hammertread?" She asked softly. The sparkling looked at her mother, confused.
Alpha shook her head.
Omega growled, "Prime, he's going to rejoin the Decepticons!"
Prime looked at Omega. "He gave me his word he would not. What makes you think otherwise? do you have any solid evidence to back up your accusations?"
Omega pointed to Alpha.
Alpha wince,d "Uh uh. Sorry, bro. You ain't gettin' me to talk."
Omega growled. "You know as well as I do that the very thoughts you read from him were 'What's the word of a Decepticon worth? How could I rejoin somethig I was built as?'" He growled, folding his arms.
Alpha turned her nose up. "So?"
Prime shook his head. "It may have been a stray thought, Omega. But until you have any more evidence to prove what you're saying is true, I have no choice but to let him go."
Cap, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "Yaknow, he has been acting kinda broody lately. Not ta mention he took enought energon with him to power his entire ship for a month."
Prime looked at him, then at the dispenser, then at everyone standing around. He knew he didn't need to say anything. It seemed their judgements had allready been made. "I'll go try and talk to him." Prime nodded and left.
"Hey! If you do...tell him I said nothing willingly and he had better not be a Decepticon or I'll rip his optics out." Alpha said, smiling softly though she was really worried about him.
Omega scoffed. As Prime walked away, he was tackled by Alpha.
"OW."
Prime shook his head at the ruckus that sounded as he left as the twins wrestled. He transformed, and rolled down the hallway, trying to catch up with Hammertread before he got too far.
Kit jumped onto the back of Prime's cab and rode with the leader.
Alpha punched her brother in the face.
Omega grabbed her truck bed, which was on her back, and yanked it.
Alpha let out a yell of pain and pulled on his wing.
Terra blinked. "Do they do this often?"
Prime pulled over. "I'm sorry, Kit, but you have to stay here.
Cap shrugged. dunno, I guess." he went over to the dispenser next to the one HT had used. Prowl would probably want to do a count of how many cubes were left, to determine exactly how many the tank had taken. He handed one to Terra, and sat down on the nearby table edge to watch.
Terra plopped down next to him and drank it. "Thanks..."
Cap smiled at the wrestling duo. "Think we should break it up?"
he grinned at Terra, shuddering as the bat used her fangs to drink the energon. There was just something about that that was kinda... creepy.
But that might have been just because of their late-night Dracula movie last night. And Cable waking him up moaning "I wwaaant to driiink youuuur blooodddd."
He had screamed and puched the car before Beacon could flip the light on.
he had not been as amused as his teammates. obviously.
Terra noticed his look and pulled her fangs out. "Sorry..." She said, putting them away. She drank normally, though it took a lot of concentration. She smiled at the mech.
the tank chuckled nervously, and finally explained about the movie and early-morning prank.
Kit shook her head. "No! I'm gonna find out why Uncle HT's being so grumpy and why he almost hurt mommy!"
"...What do you mean.. almost hurt Alpha?" Prime asked, really wishing he hadn't. Before the sparkling could answer, he added. "Kit, if Hammertread is acting on his violent tendencies, it is too dangerous for you. Stay Here." Prime said.
Kit covered her mouth. "Nothing..." She said. The sparkling then ran towards Hammertread in beast mode.
She ignored Optimus and ran faster. "Unlce Hammertread!"
"Kit, wait!" Prime excellerated to catch up to the tiger cub.
Hammertread ignored the pleas of the sparkling, and accellerated slightly, rounding a bend.
Kit ran faster in beast mode. She looked up at him. "Uncle Hammertread, Pwease!" She used her little girl voice.
Terra nodded. "I see..." She said, smiling. "Well...I won't do that anymore than...around you..." She said, drinking the energon cube normally.
Cap laughed. I suppose it'll be funnier later when I look back on it. heh." he gave her a shrug. It's okay."
Terra smiled a bit. "Thanks..." She said, but then put her cube away. "Actually...I'm not very hungry right now..." She sighed.
Cap nodded, watching Alpha and Omega fight. "Hey, you guys might wanna stop it now. Prime went to talk to HT." he said.
Hammertread sighed. "Go away." he called. But he did slow down ever-so-slightly.
Kit whimpered, "Pwease, Unlce HT!"
Hammertread spotted Prime. "Go Away! Both of you! You told me I could leave, Prime. And now you want to chase me down for what? so you can drag me back into your miserable brood!?" the tank snarled speeding up.
Prime pulled up to Kit and opened his door. "Get in. If we are going to catch up to him we'll have to move faster than you can run."
The semi turned and started going off at an angle from where Hammetread was going.
Kit nodded and climbed into Prime's cab.
Hammertread noticed they were no longer behind him. hm. maybe they gave up. he thought.
Prime kept going, even though they were traveling at an angle away from the tank.
Alpha perked up from where she was under her brother and her copies were yanking him away. "What?" She asked, wiping the energon from her dented cheek.
Omega growled. He kicked away the copies. "Whatever..."
Alpha rolled her optics and spat out some mech fluid.
"Why can't you just be a normal femme and get into trouble all the time?" Omega asked, but was kicked across the room.
Terra blinked. She looked over at him and, when Cap wasn't looking, edged closer to him. She didn't like fighting.
Cap knew he'd just sdaid the wrong thing. "Uh... yeah.. um, he said he was gonna um, radio him." he nodded. He glanced over, noticing Terra was sitting closer to him. "Well, I'm getting tired. I'd better get some fuel before I fall asleep." the mini tank streatched, and draped one arm around the back of Terra's chair, hoping no one would notice. He picked up his cube and took a long drink.
Alpha nodded. She looked over at Omega, who was in a crater in the wall that was shaped like him. "Hmph. Not too shabby."
Terra noticed. She looked down and smiled a bit.
"Yaknow, Ratchet's probably gonna have a hissfit when he has to repair that." the tank noted, watching Omega fall catroon-style out of the imprint.
He grinned at Terra. "So, miss I'm-not hungy, whaddya wanna do now?" he asked in a joking tone.
Alpha grinned. "So?"
Omega groaned.
Terra shrugged. She looked around.
Cap shook his head. Well, I don't wanna be here when he sees it." he stood up.
"sees what?" came the voice from the doorway.
Ratchet looked at Alpha, Omega on the floor, and the Omega-print dent in the wall.
"what the Frell did you do!" he he demanded harshly.
"well, gotta go." Cap grabbed Terra's hand and led her towards the door.
Terra yelped and ran after Cap. She grabbed him around then waist and flew him away from the rec room.
She hated mad medics. She HATED them. A distressed look was on her face as she flew.
Omega yelped. He disappeared.
Alpha replicated and the real one ran.
"get back here!" he yelled at the twins.
"whoah-ah!" Cap yelled as he was lifted in the air. he wrapped his arms around Terra, trying not to look down.
Kit swallowed and watched.
Hammertread made a wide circle and headed back to his ship, completely forgetting Prime allready knew where it was. Prime noticed Kit watching Hammertread dissapear into the distance out of his driver's side window.
Prime rounded a bend and crested a hill. There was a small mountain up ahead. He just hoped his co-ordinates were right.
Kit pawed the window weakly. "Where's Uncle Hammertread?"
"He'll be here soon enough. His ship should be close by." Prime said, pulling up to a group of trees at the side of the mountain (which was, really, more like a large hill).
Kit nodded. She was REALLY worried about him. "Hope your right, Unlce Op..."
Sure enough, they rounded the bend, abnd there was... an indentation where HT's ship had been. But it wasn't there. Tiny bits of yellowish-grey metal marked where the sip had ben wrenched free of the rock face it had crashed into, and the cave it had been imbedded partially into had collapsed.
"Oh no." Prime swept the area with his scanners, picking up a trail where the small lightweight shuttleship had been dragged.
Kit whimpered. She jumped out of Prime's cab. "Where is he?"
"It seems he has moved his ship. But he left a quite visible trail..." Prime stopped and thought. "Perhaps.. he doesn't want to be bothered, but there's not enough of a trail to follow." (he knew he was lying, but he could not interfere with someone's life, if they didn't want his help.)
"If Hammertread wants out help, he will contact us. I'll have the Autobots keep an optic out for him. Just in case he has decided to join the Decepticons. (He almost said rejoin the Decepticons, but stopped himself.)
He may have been created one, but he is not one now. Prime thought. Therefore there is no re-join, simply join the Decepticons. No matter what Cliffjumper and the otehrs think. he thought. He opened his door. "Come on. There's nothing more we can do for him. It's time to head for home." he said.
He remembered the time Cliffjumper had accused Mirage of being a traitor. He was wrong. Perhaps it was simply that Omega and alpha believed him now? no, he refused to believe them until he had evidence to support it.
Kit shook her head. "No...I'm gonna find Unlce Hammertread..." She said, bounding into the forest after the trail. "I will talk to him..."
"Kit..." Prime started, but she was gone. He turned on his radio.
"Kit, come back, please. I don't want to have to send Alpha after you."
Terra landed and dropped him. She started to fly away. "I'm sorry." She said quickly.
"Hey, wait!" Cap went a couple steps after her.
Terra stopped. She looked at Cap and landed, swallowing. She fiddled with her hands. "What?" She asked softly, looking at him.
"It's... It's okay." Cap looked at the ground. "I'm just.." he looked up. "I'm scared of heightsPleaseDontTellAnybody." he blurted.
Terra blinked. "I won't..." She said, taking his hand, "I promise. Don't tell anyone I'm scared of medics and I won't tell anyone, I mean..."
Cap blinked, then grinned. "Sure." he squeezed her hand gently, and they walked towards the rocks where the 'Bots would sometimes hang out outside the Ark's entrance.
Terra smiled and then followed him
Kit whimpered. She continued running. "I don't care!" The sparkling growled. She looked around.
"Hammertread! Uncle Hammertread!"
"Well, well, what have we here?" a high-pitched scratchy-sounding voice said. A winged shadow fell over the tiger cub Starscream smirked at her, and reached down...
Hammertread reached his ship, which had been relocated under a natural cliff face behind a waterfall. Just barely big enough to fit his tiny ship into. he stomped in and shut the hatch, shaking off the mist from the falls.
"Ah. It's good to be home." he said, flopping into his seat at the control console. He propped his feet up, and turned on a monitor. He had had to relocate the ship's external cameras, and waterproof the wires so they wouldn't short-circuit, but it had paid off. The Autobots would never think to look for his here.
A silver flash caught his optic, and he sat forward, zooming in slightly.
"Starscream." he said.
Kit screamed, but it was cut off when Starscream grabbed her. She tried to kick and scream, but the mech held on tight. She whimpered, but then bared her fangs and growled.
"Lemme go..." She growled, trying not to show how scared she really was.
"ooohh. Feisty little femme, aren't you?" Starscream teased. She screamed again, and the jet winced.
And he though his voice was high-pitched. He held onto her with one hand, and aimed his armcannon at her with the other. "My null ray should take care of your noisiness!" he fired at her.
Hammertread watched. Then ran for the exit hatch.
Kit screamed as the attack hit. She whimpered and when limp in his hands, optics clicking off.
HT reached where starscream was holding the limp sparkling, and stopped short, ducking behind a tree.
"Let her go." A voice behind the seeker said.
a female voice.
Starscream knew that voice from somewhere. He turned around slowly, but no one was there.
"Hmmpf!" Nice trick, Autobots!" he scoffed. But there was not a sound around. Except some far off birds.
"I said, let go of Kit." Starscream whipped around, coming face-to-face with a semi-translucent femmeseeker. His optics went as round as dinnerplates for a second.
"You don't scare me." he spat. "You're just a hologram." He swept a hand throught the what-he-thought-was-a-mirage, and recieved a cold tingling, like mild frostbite, on his hand.
He took a step back.
"You're... you're..." He glanced over her shoulder. Jade cocked an optic ridge, smirking.
Hammertread watched from behind his tree, debating on whether to show himself or not.
Starscream took off, still holding Kit. The jet watched him.
"Hmm, that could've gone better." she noted. She took off after him.
Hammertread watched, following them in tank mode on the ground.
Kit whimpered. She shook her head and opened her optics. "Huh?" The sparkling looked down. And screamed.
Cap took a seat on the rocks beside Terra. "I didn't know you could carry another mech. Yaknow, not all fliers can do that." he said.
"I'm strong." Terra said, flapping her wings. "I was created to be strong..." She sighed and flapped her wings, "That's why my wings aren't metal. They rely on my muscle strength...which was...strengthened during the experiments..." She said, looking fowards and no feeling on her face.
Cap looked at her with concern, but decided not to ask about it. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. He nodded. "Heck, Beacon can't fly more than 5 hundred feet up without freaking out." he snickered.
"And he was created a flier. He always wanted me to go "skydiving" with him, whatever that is." he rolled his optics.
Terra giggled. "Poor guy..." She said, sitting back.
"SkyDiving is when you jump out of a plane with a parachute that activates by itself." She said, tucking her legs under her.
Starscream swept his sensors behind him, getting nothing... but he could see the shdow creeping up over his cockpit.
The jet did a spin, and purposely dropped kit. The ghost-jet did a nose dive, going straight through her.
"sh!" Jade swore.
"Kit Wake up!" she yelled.
Kit shook her head and realized she was falling. The sparkling whimpered and tried to grab something, but there was nothing to grab on TO. She whimpered again and swallowed as the ground got closer.
"Help me, Mommy...Unlce Op...Unlce Hammertread..." She whispered/whimpered.
Hammertread sped up. He got right under the falling tiger cub, and realized "I'm a tank. I'm not soft and cusiony." He spotted the nearby pine trees.
"But I am big and brute." He shouldered over three trees, laying them in a triangle, hoping the bristles between them would be enough to cushion her fall.
He watched a cloud of dust rising in the distance. "I'd better leave before I get blamed." he transformed and rolled down the hill, out of sight, not looking back to see whether the tiger cub made it safely or not.
Kit yelped and hit the trees. She groaned and curled up in pain. Sitting up and looking around, she tried to find out who saved her. She smiled brightly upon smelling Hammertread.
"Thank you, Unlce HT!!" She yelled, hoping he could hear her, but quickly crawled out of her landing spot.
"Kit!" Prime yelled, running over to where the sparkling was crawling out of the trees.
"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly. He looked at the trees, wondering how they got there, then up at the sky, then at Kit.
The wispy figure of a jet turned completely invisible and turned to follow Hammertread.
"Really? Why would someone want to do that?" he asked.
Terra shrugged. "Don't ask me."
"Really? sounds like a heck of a way for humans to get over their fear of height." Cap chuckled. He yawned (even though yawning was a purely human habit) and stretched, putting his arm around Terra. He knew it was faked, and just smiled sheepishly at her. He would have blushed, had a robot been able to. When she looked at him he quickly pulled his arm back. "...sorry." he mumbled, looking at the ground.
Terra grabbed his hand as he pulled it away and put it back where it was around her. She smiled, blushing visably, and then looked away. "It's okay..."
Cap blushed even more
Terra looked away and blushed again.
"So, what sorta stuff do you do for fun?" Cap asked Terra.
Kit looked at the mech and ran over to him. She nodded. "I'm okay. Twisted ankle and singed fur at the most." She explained, "Starscream's null ray." She said, smiling. "Uncle Hammertread saved me."
Prime looked over across the valley.
Kit grabbed his hand. "Let him be, Uncle Op...please? If anything, I can talk to him, but I know that he won't talk to you..."
"I can't let you go out on your own, Kit." Prime said.
Hammertread rounded a corner, and looked back to make sure he wasn't being followed, then transformed and stepped through the waterfall.
"Please, Uncle Optimus! Uncle Hammertread won't hurt me! He saved me!" Kit pointed to the trees.
"Yes, but the decepticons may still be nearby. and we don't know for sure where he may have moved his ship to." Prime stated. Then he got an idea.
"Perhaps if Alpha wishes to go with you. Then, You may go looking for him." He clicked on his comm line.
Kit smiled. "Okay!" She nodded. "Call mommy already, Uncle Optimus!"
"Prime to Alpha." he waited for her to reply, looking down at Kit, who was fitgeting impatiently.
Terra thought about it. "...I don't really...have fun..." She muttered. "Well, I wasn't allowed to at the lab, anyways..."
Cap raised an optic ridge, then glanced around to make sure nobody was around, then asked quietly, just in case. "lab?"
Terra squirmed. "Well...I...I was a...Decepticon experiment...created and lived most of my life in a lab..." she muttered. The femme pawed at the ground with her golden talons.
Cap's jaw dropped. "You were... what?" he seemed utterly shocked that the Decepticons would do such a thing.
"That's horrible!"
Terra winced. She squirmed again. "I know..." She muttered, "Well...I guess now I do, but back then...that was the only way of life for me so it seemed...normal..."
Alpha's head popped up from under her brother. "Alpha here! Hang on. Git off!"
A thud was heard and Omega hit the wall of their room.
"Thank you. Now...Alpha here, Prime."
Kit bit her lip.
"Kit wishes to go looking for Hammertread. I'm taking her to the repairbay to make sure she is unhurt, but it is unsafe for her to go out on her own." Prime said.
What he didn't say was that Kit had been grabbed by Starscream, and dropped a hundred feet or so.
Alpha nodded. "Gotcha Prime. I'll be there in a second." She said before a bang was heard. "Make that a minute..." She cut her comm off.
Kit snickered and covered her mouth. She knew what was going on. "Unlce Omega blew up something of mommy's again..." She giggled.
Cap nodded. He took her hand. Well, youre gonna have to learn to have fun, then." he got up.
"ever played football?" he asked.
Terra smiled a bit. She shook her head. "No."
"It's where someone throws you this thing.." he pulled out a brown oval shape with laces down one side.
"And run a few yards to cross a line on the field over there." he pointed to a meadow, where lines had been marked out, between two pines. "Before the opposition can tackle you. It's a lot of fun." he tossed the transformer-sized football in the air, catching it.
Terra nodded. "Sounds like fun." She said, smiling.
Cap led her out to the field.
"Now, once I toss you the ball, you have to go past me to get to those trees.But I have to count to five so you have time to get past. " the tank grinned and crouched.
"Ready?" There was a mischevious sparkle in his optics.
Prime shook his head and transformed, opening his door for her to get in. "Do you really think you can track him by scent alone?" he asked, driving away, and heading for the ark's repairbay.
Kit nodded furiously. "I can!"
Alpha was dragging her brother, who was covered in injuries and scorch marks, into the med bay, when the two go there. "Come on, Kitten."
Wheeljack looked up. Hang on, almost done." he ran the scanner over the sparkling one more time.
"well, at least you didn't fall on your head." he joked, earpanels flashing blue in silent laughter at the cat joke.
Hammertread shook of the most of the water and stepped back into his ship, and started putting his stuff away.
He steepled his fingers together. Megatron wouldn't want him back with only his meager offering of 40 cubes of energon... he needed something else. Too bad Starscream had grabbed Kit before he could get to her.
"No." he answered himself, confident no one could hear him. "I can't take the kid to Megatron... but someone else..." He picked up a datapad, with pictures of different people at the Ark that had been taken during his stay there. He stopped at the one of Driveby, and he sighed.
"If only I could. We could finally be together again." he threw it back onto the console.
Behind him, the ghost-jet vanished into thin air.
Alpha sighed. She shook her head. "What happened to you?"
"...Nothing?" Kit tried.
Alpha groaned and threw her brother onto a table as she shook her head, "Kitten..."
"Nothing you or Unlce Ratchet or Unlce 'Jack can't fix." Kit grinned.
"She was attacked by Starscream, and dropped from several hundred feet." Prime answered. "someone used several trees as a cusion for her. She seems to think it was Hammertread." he added.
Ratchet walked out of his office, hearing the commotion. "What's going..." he spotted Omega. Then looked at Alpha.
"I don't even weant to know." he grated, going for his toolbox. He muttered something about them being worse than the twins.
Alpha huffed, "I heard that! And techincally, since we are twins..." She then looked at Kit.
"It was him, Unlce Optimus! I know that scent anywhere!" She said, looking at him.
Alpha patted her head.
Ratchet glanced at the pair with a halfway-annoyed look.
Prime looked up, glancing around.
Terra nodded.
He tossed the ball and let her pass him, jogging after her, grinning as widely as a predatory cat.
Terra smiled and ran a bit faster, wings flapping.
He waited till Terra was three quarters of the way down the field, and leapt at her, trying to catch her legs.
Terra yelped and fell. She giggled upon hitting the ground.
Hammertread typed in his message, along with his communication frequency, then hit "send"
the message read:" I am interested in joining you. I will make it worth your while.
Hammertread."
that should get your interest. he thought, leaning back and waiting.