v.v; I would beg for ya'll's forgiveness on how bloody long it's taken me to get this out, but well... yeah. RL crap, ad a steady writer's block... but oh enough of that...
My thanks to my beta, Khalthar. You are awesome.
BTW Thank you everyone that is reading this... I just noticed that this story has almost reached 25000 views. That shocked me when I saw that. Thankyou! TuT The rest of thanks are at the bottom of the page.
Word count is in at 1996 words.
Chapter 22: Define Defiance
~x~
~Jazz~
~x~
"Ya think he's gonna run outta hot air anytime soon?"
"Hmm... I doubt it." Crescent commented as the huffing and spitting bureaucrat passed by their observation place once more arms flailing in the air amidst his tantrum.
"Ah'm surprised with how well Judy 's taking his fit."
"Oh trust me she's waiting for him to breathe before starting in on him."
"-and furthermore If you say so much as a whisper about this to anyone-"
"Now hold on a minute. Do you really think I'm that much of an idiot? Look here mister I'll have you know that just because I am a woman doesn't mean I'm a freaking gossip. And if that is what you're insinuating well then I'll have to introduce you to my Ex."
"Just what the hell would your-"
A certain titanium bat cracked on the table while she took a sip from her bottle of water. Galloway's eyes widened as he glanced from the bat to the woman before opening his mouth-
"Here's your coffee sir, sorry it took me so long, I had to brew some more." Cassie said sweetly as she startled the man.
"Uh... thank you Artemis..." Galloway said as the girl leaned in.
"I would suggest you that you diffuse the situation as soon as possible and do it gently sir. I really doubt she's the kind to take it easy on you if you piss her off." Cassie said before pulling away. Judy who had been glaring hate at the man paused to shoot a brief look of confusion at her niece. Cassie winked as she made her way out of the room.
Galloway swallowed before giving Judy a smile. "I didn't mean to irritate you Mrs. Wittiticky."
"It's Witwicky." She said in a near snarl.
Crescent snickered.
~x~
~Cassie~
~x~
Cassie sighed as she leaned against the wall of the hangar. Galloway was such an ass... He had insisted on having his new on base intern serve him coffee... i.e. Her. She more than half hoped that the moron wouldn't take her warning and her aunt would give her bat a good long and very thorough work out… but seeing as there was a decided lack of vocalized anguish she figured that he must have had at least one grain of self-preservation.
Pity.
"There you are."
Cassie glanced up to find Sideswipe poking his helm out of the hangar. He was frowning down at her. "Nice dress."
Cassie stuck her tongue out at him. The silver mech chuckled as he sat down and leaned against the hangar. "You probably shouldn't hang around me. We don't need to blow my cover after all."
"Galloway's gone. The aft offered a lot of money for your aunt's silence and bolted for his copter before anyone could blink." Sideswipe snickered.
"Figures." Cassie muttered as she pushed herself away from the wall. "That guy is a snake. A dirty bureaucrat that has only power and spite in his eyes."
"I saw how pissed Judy was with the way he was looking at you."
Cassie raised a brow. "I'm surprised that you weren't mad for how he was looking at me."
"You were in character."
"You could act like you care." She said as she walked around him and heading inside, she almost made it in when a silver hand blocked her path.
"Hey where do you think you're going?"
Cassie frowned up at Sideswipe before replying. "To the med bay. I was gonna go check in with Ratchet and see it- hey!" She yelped as she was scooped up by Sideswipe. "What gives?"
"Last time I checked that Con was in the med bay and I don't want you anywhere near that monster." Sideswipe growled.
"Sideswipe he's not a monster."
"Yes he is. He's killed thousands of mechs. Killed dozens of innocents, he and his kind have done all of the worst things you can imagine and then some! He's evil."
"And you haven't killed anyone? Can you say with a clear conscious that your hands are free of blood, free of guilt? Sideswipe, I know that you guys are in a war but you can't keep looking at everything as black and white. Yes he's a Decepticon, yes he's killed, but so have you. Barricade's asked for the Bot's help because he's trying to help that sparkling. If he was truly evil he wouldn't even have bothered with saving her."
"Hmph. That doesn't mean that he's a fragging Prime."
Cassie let loose an irritated sigh. "Sideswipe..."
"Cassie." Sideswipe said in a mockingly similar tone.
She glared up at him. "Put me down. Now."
"Not until you tell me that you will not go to the med bay while he's there."
"Um... Ya know the last time I checked you weren't the boss of me." She growled up at him.
Sideswipe's grip tightened. "I am your guardian. I think that should make you want to listen to me."
"Some guardian you are." Cassie hissed at the pressure. "You fight with me all the time, try to kill me with my fear of fast driving, and I've managed to get kidnapped on your watch."
"Well if you weren't so reckless then I doubt that any of that would have happened."
A deep chuckle had both of them snapping their heads to gaze upwards at the regal blue and red Mech standing just on the inside of the hangar doorway. "I find that statement rather amusing and very ironic coming from you of all mechs."
"Sir?" Sideswipe raised an optical ridge.
"Are you okay Cassandra?"
Sideswipe glanced back at the girl tightly clenched in his grip who smiled a grimace up at Optimus.
"Yeah I'm good. Though I was hoping to go see Ratchet in the med bay."
"Perhaps you should run along then." Optimus smiled at the girl as Sideswipe gently put her down. Cassie quickly walked past Prime before turning around and briefly to flip Sideswipe the bird.
~x~
~Sideswipe~
~x~
Sideswipe glared at the femme who smirked as she made the crude gesture. He watched Cassie's retreating form up until Prime moved to block his view. Sideswipe looked back up at Optimus, who met his gaze with a tired one of his own.
"Sideswipe."
Sideswipe shifted uneasily. "Sir... How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough." The Prime said as he moved to stand next to the silver frontliner. "Miss Cassandra was very astute with her summary."
"Forgive me if I'm not that easily convinced." Sideswipe growled. "You know just as well what the Con's have done. Saving the life of one sparkling isn't enough to redeem that fragger."
"But it is a start." Optimus said quietly.
Several minutes silently passed by between the mechs before Optimus put a servo on his shoulder. "Don't take your frustration out on your charge. She was only doing what she thought was right. And besides," Optimus paused as he gave a quick amuse smile. "I do recall you and your brother being called reckless more times than I can recount."
~x~
~Barricade~
~x~
"-gging glitch! When was the last time you even had a maintenance check done?! Look at this grime! Did your fragging creators never teach you about proper hygiene?!"
Barricade winced as he was berated by the medic, the upper set of his optics clenched in pain from where Ratchet had whacked him over the helm.
"Well I wouldn't exactly call the 'car washes' the squishies have a deluxe wash rack." Barricade grumbled under his venting.
A wrench met the black and white's helm once more as Ratchet growled, "I heard that."
"Good. I meant ya to,"
Ratchet's engine growled at the barb before he turned and snatched cube of mid grade from one of the cabinets. "Here! No feeding the bitlet from your lines until your levels are back above eighty percent. You're barely functioning at thirty percent. If it wasn't for the sparkling I'd put you under until I could give your systems a decent overhaul. She can be bottle fed low grade until you're feeling better."
"Corona."
"Hm?"
"Her designation. It's Corona." Barricade said quietly as he glanced over at the sparkling. "I found her in an abandoned warehouse, clinging to one of her fellow newsparks, both were so tiny, so fragile... and energon deprived."
The faintest of smiles flickered across the medic's faceplates, not going unnoticed by Barricade. "I suppose I don't need to check over your guardian protocols."
"Heh. I may be a Con but I was an enforcer. It's kind of hard to dismiss the protocols pertaining to sparkling protection and guardianship."
"I recall seeing the programming a time or two. However most enforcers don't bond with their temporary charges."
Barricade vented heavily. "It wasn't my intention... It just happened."
"Hm..."
~x~
~Cassie~
~x~
Cassie walked into the med bay to see Ratchet smiling at the little sparkling. She had to admit, the little thing was adorable, and she couldn't help smiling at the little bot. Meanwhile the sparkling was ignoring the rest of the room's occupants completely, because her attention was solely on Jazz. Jazz wasn't even being close to serious either. He was clicking, and chirping, laughing, and making all kinds of sounds. The sparkling chortled loudly, causing the older bots to pause in their discussion to stare at her.
"What is she laughing at? Corona isn't paying any attention to us." Ratchet frowned.
"I think she's focused on Jazz." Barricade said quietly. "Cassandra said that she can see him."
"She is. He's doing… well... Jazz what in the world are you doing?" Cassie asked with raised brows, she just had to ask because he now making some of the weirdest noises she'd ever heard.
"Ah'm speakin Cybertronian gibberish."
"Cybertronian gibberish?" Cassie asked with a shake of her head. "What's that?"
"That is our equivalent of making baby talk to sparklings. If Jazz is doing that, then it's no wonder that she is paying no attention to us, because he would be far more entertaining at the moment." Ratchet answered quickly.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm starting to like the little tyke." Crescent grinned from her position on the berth near the sparkling.
Cassie did a double take as she stared with wide eyes at her twin.
"What?" Crescent raised a brow as she noticed to look Cassie was shooting at her.
"I think I'm going deaf... Did you just say what I think you did? Miss I'll hate kids for the rest of eternity? You actually like her?"
"Yeah I do. I mean she's not drooling all over everything." Crescent said with a shrug and a grin.
"Okay, so you've got a point." Cassie mused before frowning in thought. She then turned to Ratchet. "Wait. Do sparklings drool?"
"No, they don't. If they get too much energon, that might come back up in a mild purge… or vomit as you might say, but they do not drool." Ratchet lectured.
"Okay… so let me get this straight. She's cute as a button, she doesn't drool, and she doesn't make messy diapers?"
"Nah! Sparklin's don' do tha' stuff."
"Sparklings don't do either of those things!" Barricade snapped before cringing. "Thank Primus for that."
Cassie couldn't help it as she turned to her sister with a wide grin. "What's not to like?" Cassie asked with a happy squeal.
"Oh Primus help us! I think you just lost that sparkling." Ratchet told Barricade softly.
"Femmes." Barricade muttered with a roll of his optics.
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