An: Look! More plot! (laughs) Here we go!
chapter thirteen
Lennox really didn't like being in DC. For one thing, the place was simply too darn crowded. Without the escort her team was given, traffic was horrible. Even Ironhide had grumbled about it, going so far as to offer to blast their path clear with his plasma cannons. Lennox had laughed outright at that. Right now, though, parked in front of the Pentagon and getting ready to pay a visit to the Secretary of Defense, all humor was gone. That sick feeling was back again, in full force, warning her to take Ironhide and just run while she still could. With a sigh, she reached for the door.
"Anna." Ironhide's voice stopped her. She glanced at the dash. "I don't like this. Something isn't right."
She nodded. "I know. I feel it too." She turned her focus to the building. "Something is going to change now. Keller's gonna start the turn."
Ironhide didn't have to ask what she meant. While Optimus was reluctant to believe it, Ironhide himself had no problems imagining the humans turning against them. The humans, but not Lennox. "And where will you stand," he asked quietly, "when that turn comes?"
Lennox grinned. "Right here, 'Hide." she said. "With you and the rest. Optimus isn't the only one who adopts wayward soldiers." She flashed him a smirk and slid out, closing the door behind her. Ironhide couldn't help but feel a smug sort of satisfaction. It was always rewarding to be proven right, even when there was no doubt. As Lennox walked inside, Ironhide raised Optimus on the radio.
"What's going on over there?"
His leader's response was not reassuring. I'm not sure. Ember and Bale called in the humans before us. Something is wrong though – Sing is angry.
Ironhide couldn't help but snort. "Sing? Angry? Didn't know he had it in him."
Optimus seemed to chuckle at that, but the sound was strained. Neither did I. According to Jazz, it seems that Epps is rather annoyed as well. The others are tense.
"When will you find out what's going on?"
Probably around the same time you do. I believe these two events to be related.
"Swell. That's just slagging great." Ironhide turned his sensors to the building, keeping tabs on Lennox as she was guided into the inner chambers by several Secret Service agents. "Let me know if something happens and I need to get Anna out of here in a hurry."
There was a brief pause, and for a moment Ironhide thought he was going to get a lecture about not harming humans, or at least a warning to not be rash. To his complete and total shock, Optimus' reply was grim and dark.
Affirmative.
/-----/
"You called for me?" Lennox asked, making an effort to keep her voice polite. Three Secret Service agents stayed in the room with her, Keller was staying behind his desk, and off to Keller's right was a small, ugly man she knew was called Galloway. Lennox might as well have been meeting with the President himself.
Keller nodded. "I figured you would have worn your dress uniform, soldier."
Lennox couldn't help the look of disbelief that crossed her face. "There wasn't time. New Autobots just arrived – we were heading back to base when I got the call." She restrained from mentioning just how many had arrived, or that Ironhide had been the one to bring her in. Right now, she wanted him to admit what information he wanted first.
Keller nodded again, considering. It was Galloway who shot off the question first in a clipped tone. "We have a few questions for you regarding the Autobots and their position on the base." He held a file in his hand, and this time Lennox couldn't stop the disgust that curled her lips for a brief second. She hated paper-pushers. They made it so much harder for her to do her job.
"Ask away." she said blandly.
Galloway shot her a look before opening his file and reading off some sort of paper. "In your opinion, have the Autobots been considerate of the humans at the base?"
"Yes."
He exchanged looks with Keller. Keller chose to clarify the question. "We received word that Ironhide confronted Ember and challenged her authority. Do you wish to restate your answer?"
Lennox frowned. Just what were they – oh. That. "I pissed Ember off and she decided to hold a meeting outside in the rain." she said dismissively. "Apparently that's not common practice with the Autobots. I'm sure Ironhide was simply trying to determine the purpose of it. This is the first I've heard of it." Actually, she was fairly sure Ironhide had done no such thing. The Autobots, as a rule, avoided Ember like the plague when they could. If he had gone to anyone about that, it would have been to Bale, who was considerably more tolerant than Ember.
Even if he had, Lennox thought darkly, there wouldn't have been anything left of Ember to tell the tale. "Anything else?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice as flat as possible.
Galloway returned to his list. "Have the Autobots ever threatened a human on base?"
"No." More like they threatened themselves, with the way the Twins kept harassing Ratchet. It was a wonder the medic hadn't reformatted them into toasters.
Once again, there was a brief glance shared between the two. Galloway kept going. "Have they ever proved a threat to the humans on base, intentionally or not?"
"No." Honestly, where was this going?
Keller interrupted Galloway. "Thank you, Lieutenant. You may go now."
Lennox saluted, turned and walked out. As soon as she was gone, Galloway turned on Keller. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "I thought you said she would make the perfect spy!"
"That's what I thought at first." Keller muttered in return. "Look at her. She's got too much of her father in her – she thinks they're allies. She's nothing but a liability to us now." He straightened up. "When we seal them away for good, we'll have to seal them away as well. Every last person on her team."
/----/
Lennox quickly climbed back into the cab of the truck. "Well that was an odd conversation." she murmured, allowing Ironhide to take control as they left the parking lot. "So what's going on at the base? You're awfully quiet."
Ironhide hesitated, unsure. "I have been ordered to not return to the base." he said softly. "The others are being placed under 'house arrest', as Stringer put it, and are no longer permitted to leave the base. Optimus told me to stay away as long as possible. They even brought Bumblebee to the base, although Sam is putting up one pit of a fuss to hear Sideswipe put it." There was a long silence as both soldiers digested that information.
"The Autobots are confined to base, but what about the humans?" Lennox asked finally.
"The humans are still free." It was odd, using that term to apply to the control a group of organics had over massive transforming Autobots, but it was accurate. Optimus would never harm the humans, even if it meant freeing himself from their captivity.
Or would he?
Lennox nodded decisively. "Then let's get back to base." Ironhide started to protest, but she cut him off. "Those are our soldiers in there. I'm not in the habit of letting my men face their enemies on their own." Ironhide considered for a moment before relenting.
"I hope you know what you're doing." he murmured. "I don't want to lose you."
It was as close as the gruff weapons specialist would come to admitting that he felt something for the woman, and he was rewarded with her smile. "You won't." she assured him. "None of us are going anywhere. Let's just hope we can talk some sense into Bale before the Decepticons decide to attack again."