An: From here on out the story more focuses on relationships than it does on action. Give it about three or four chapters, then the action will pick up again. Promise.

chapter six

Optimus sat on the hill in the back of the base. The Autobot leader enjoyed using the small uprising of land to keep an eye on the entire base. The entire compound consisted of twenty square miles that the military used to use for war games and practice bombing rounds. Now it had a few buildings set up for human use – two for bunking and showering, one for eating and washing clothes, and one as a rec room. The Autobots had also constructed two massive jet-hangar sized buildings for meeting with humans and resting/recreation during rainy days all on the city side of the complex. The rest of the land was completely bare for other, more combative means.

But not today. Today he could see Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe holding races around the buildings. As far as Optimus could tell, Epps, O'Connell, and Jones were involved in that one. Epps was probably the one who instigated it. In one of the Autobot buildings, Ratchet and Stringer were currently reviewing different medical procedures. Apparently the young human woman planned on being a doctor when her time to leave the military arrived. Closer to Optimus and a good distance from the buildings was Ironhide and Anna Lennox, and from the looks of things they were comparing weapons. Why did that not surprise him?

How many times had Will told them Anna was shaping up to be a human version of Ironhide? Optimus had thought he was joking at the time. Apparently not.

"Good view."

Optimus glanced down and was mildly surprised to see Sing standing beside him. The Asian man had taken a liking to the Autobot leader. It was unusual, but Optimus allowed it. "I like being able to keep an eye on my soldiers." he said simply. "Why are you not with the others?"

"We're mingling." Sing said, and Optimus had the impression he was quoting someone else. "More like Jazz and Epps are trying to see who can piss off the Twins first. And of course, Jones and O'Connell have to get in on the action."

"I thought they were racing." Optimus said, turning his optics back to the three mechs.

Sing laughed. "I think that was the idea. Jazz just happens to be getting chased rather than raced, but I don't think he really cares."

Optimus chuckled. "No, he doesn't." That was the Jazz he knew and loved, the fun-loving mech who couldn't take anything seriously, not even his own death. The day six months after his resurrection that Jazz had made a snide comment regarding his death at Megatron's hands, Optimus had known that his soldier would recover. For a while, he had wondered if he had done the right thing, bringing Jazz back.

"Stringer's found a kindred soul in Ratchet." Sing added. "Like Lennox said, she's the only one who knows how to work the first aid kit. She kinda became our unofficial medic, and she takes her job just a bit too seriously." He glanced up at Optimus. "From what I gathered from the Twins, Ratchet has a knack for throwing things at his patients."

Optimus nodded. "The Twins don't seem to care that their mortal, just like the rest of us." he explained. "So when they come into the med bay for the third day in a row, Ratchet likes to remind them about it. He gets – I believe the term is annoyed – very easily."

Sing laughed. "The term we use is pissed off."

The Autobot smiled. "Our term is slagged off."

Sing nodded. "Good enough for me." He sat down next to Optimus. "You know, for being such a cool, level-headed person, you have a crazy group of soldiers here."

"I could say the same thing about you." Gently, so as not to hurt the human, Optimus picked Sing up and placed the man on his shoulder. At Sing's look, he added, "Now I can see you when I talk to you. So how did you end up with them? You don't seem like a combatant, not like Will and Anna."

Sing shrugged. "I'm not. My parents are poor immigrants who work a jiffy store. We didn't have the money for college, and for a human, it's either college or the military if you want to make something of yourself. So I chose the Marines."

Optimus nodded carefully. "Do you regret it?"

"No." Sing gestured at the soldiers in the base. "They're closer to me than my own family. You get in enough firefights with someone, you learn things about them that no one else knows. We know each other. To be honest, we kinda freak out the other teams."

"Why?"

"In the battlefield, you got a lot of officers shouting orders. It gets confusing, but that's the only way to do it." Sing explained. "With us, we don't shout. Lennox looks at us, and we know what we have to do. I know that if I call for one of them, they'll be there. If I get pinned down, all I have to do is call out for someone, and next thing I know I got cover to get out of there." He shrugged again. "We all went through basic together. We're one of the few teams that have never been split up too often over our term. I mean, Lennox got sent out for a few months without the rest of us, but even she doesn't work very well without the rest of us."

Optimus nodded, considering. "I'm assuming 'basic' is your training?"

"Yeah."

"We did not have a basic, like you call it. We found each other at varying times during our war. But after a while, we just simply do not work well unless we are working together." Optimus sighed. He intended to say more, but a sudden explosion drew his attention to Anna and Ironhide. There was a small smoking spot on the ground, and Anna was sitting on her butt laughing. Ironhide was simply watching her with no small amount of amusement. Suddenly, he could hear the conversation, and Optimus almost groaned.

"Do it again!"

"You should have told me you were unstable on your feet. I would have moderated the blast radius."

"Forget that – that was fun! Do it again!"

"It seems that Ironhide has found a new playmate." Optimus said dryly. "I fear for the future of your planet."

Sing exploded into laughter. "You and me both, Optimus." he chuckled. "If the 'Cons don't destroy us, those two will."

Optimus seemed to smile at him. Oh yes, he could like Sing very much.