EDIT: This chapter has been edited for stupid mistakes. (growls) Please reread this so the rest of the story makes sense.
chapter twenty-one
Bumblebee idled quietly in his spot in the parking garage while the other humans and the Autobots made arrangements. The Witwickies were asleep in his cab, just where he wanted them. Safe and secure. Even little Rachel was asleep in her mother's arms, and Bumblebee couldn't help the warmth that flooded his spark at that thought. The AllSpark wasn't lost, after all. Just changed. He wondered how that would affect her future, then decided that, for tonight, it didn't matter. There were more pressing things to worry about. He tuned in on the other muted conversations around him.
"We need to change clothes as soon as we get the chance." Epps was saying, leaning against Jazz's hood. "Military fatigues are going to be a dead giveaway as soon as we get out of here."
Lennox nodded. "That will be second on the list. First thing is to get our weapons clean. We're going to have to fight sooner or later, and I'd rather not do it with gunked-up weapons. That's embarrassing." Ironhide chuckled at that. Lennox flashed him a smirk and continued. "I'll take weapons duty. Stringer, can you and Epps get on the clothes? I'm not sure if we actually brought any civilian clothes with us or just a spare change of fatigues."
"Oh, we brought civilian." Stringer said. "Amazing what you can grab when you're basically running on autopilot. But yeah, we'll get everything straightened out."
Lennox nodded and turned to Jones. "Keep an eye on the outside. I want to know if anyone tries sneaking up on us. When Epps gets changed, he'll take your place so you can change as well." Jones nodded and slipped away, rifle in hand. Stringer and Epps were already digging out their bags, passing the weapons and cleaning supplies to Lennox and separating the clothes for themselves. She turned to the Autobots. "Now we need to do something about you guys."
"I guess a collection of sports cars would be rather obvious." Jazz murmured.
"Actually, Optimus is going to be the only problem." Glenn said suddenly. "Him and Mirage. I mean, Prime has a custom paint job and no one drives Formula-1 race cars just for the sake of it."
"I can cloak myself." Mirage said thoughtfully. "I can extend the same protection to Prime as well, if I need to."
"It would be for the best." Optimus said slowly. "Sing, you should probably stay with one of the others."
Sing jerked in surprise. His shock and refusal translated clearly through the spark-bond, and he could feel Prime's calm reassurance as clearly as Prime could feel his panic. "It really wouldn't do for you to mysteriously appear from an invisible vehicle." he said quietly. Sing glared at him for a few minutes, still clearly reluctant. "I will follow you. You know I will."
He sighed. "Yeah, I know."
"Uh, Sing?" Epps said suddenly. "Since when did you have blue eyes?"
Suddenly everyone fell silent. Lennox turned her focus to Optimus and Ratchet who were parked side-by-side, a weapon held absently in her hand. "That's what Ratchet realized." she murmured, and to Prime's relief she didn't sound angry. "The spark-bonds are changing us."
"Yes." Prime said softly.
"How much?"
"Not enough to change your human shape." Ratchet answered for him. "Right now, the only obvious physiological difference is your eye color. Other changes may occur, but we can't really be sure. Now, though, your scans no longer show you as human. They register you as one of us."
"Isn't that what we are?" Sing pointed out.
"Yep." Stringer agreed from the pile of clothes. She was already getting changed. "That's what we are."
"We didn't want to alarm you when we had more pressing problems to deal with." Optimus said, drawing the conversation back to himself. "So far, there are no scans that indicate you will have physical changes, good or bad. We will let you know if that changes. I promise you that."
Lennox nodded slowly. "I'm holding you to that, Prime."
"You can."
"Okay, so once we get changed and weapons cleaned, where are we going to go?" Sing asked. "Something as big as the Ark is going to draw attention, not to mention there's only so many places on Earth it can land."
"It's not going to land." Wheeljack said. "Jetfire is going to keep it in orbit. We'll meet it there."
"How?" O'Connell asked. "In case you haven't noticed, humans don't do well in no oxygen, no heat areas like space."
"No. We will put you in our chest cavities." Sunstreaker said. "That way, you'll be protected. They're designed to carry anything and everything that is precious or easily broken."
"Somehow, I don't think you guys make anything that's easily broken." Jones muttered.
Hound shrugged. "Wheeljack's inventions."
"Hey!"
"There is one thing I would like to know before we get moving, while we still have time." Ratchet said suddenly. "What has Lieutenant Lennox so protective of her soldiers, especially Stringer?"
For a long moment, there was silence. Epps was the one who spoke first. "We were sent on a special ops mission in Russia." he said slowly. "Things went from bad to worse in a hurry. Lennox had to make a call – either some of us got out, or none of us. She made the right one."
Lennox refused to look at anyone. "It cost us."
"Not quite." Stringer said cheerfully. She glanced at Ratchet, bracing herself for what she knew was coming. "I got shot on the way out. Technically I died for about a minute before the medics were able to bring me back. Lennox was there when I 'died', but one of the higher-ups forced her away. She never got word that I was all right. She found out once we all got back stateside."
"Lennox took it hard." Jones said quietly.
Shock rippled through the Autobots, but it was Jazz who spoke. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's seen the other side." he quipped. "You know the Hatchet ain't gonna let you out of his sight now."
"Can't be any worse than what Lennox did when I first got out of the hospital." Stringer said with a laugh.
"Which was?" Ratchet asked, his voice reasonably calm.
"I followed her around like a bloodhound." Lennox said without shame. She flashed a smirk. "I don't think I quite believed she was really alive."
"I'll believe it."
"Enough of that." Ironhide said, drawing the conversation away to safer waters. There would be plenty of time later to deal with Lennox. After all, she wasn't the only Autobot with a hero complex. "Once everything is ready, we're going to need a more defensible position to hole up in until Jetfire gets here."
And once again everyone was focused. For the moment.
/----/
AN: I know I promised action, and I'm sorry! You'll get it next chapter, scout's honor. Thing is, I hurt my leg in karate about three weeks ago now, and I just had surgery done on it yesterday, so I'm not in the best of moods. That and this chapter hates me. It really does. So please just take it as it is, and hopefully this will be the last crappy chapter. It's about the only chapter that I'm not happy with so far.