Temerity
Part 4-Reunion
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. They belong to Hasbro and Takara. I am merely taking them for a short spin.
"Sometimes solutions aren't so simple,
Sometimes good bye's the only way."
--Shadow of the Day, Linkin Park
Temerity-Unreasonable contempt of danger; extreme venturesomeness; rashness.
Prowl bit back a retort. Sometimes, the humans could be. . .annoying. How many times did he have to explain no, they didn't need to scramble fighters? They thought he was a human soldier with the call sign "Prowler" stationed at a remote watching post in Nevada. In the weeks since his arrival to Earth, he had developed a decent rapport with the humans at NORAD, but sometimes, like now, their paranoia was something he didn't understand. If he said the bogey, as they called it, coming down in his neck of the woods, was not any danger, why didn't they believe him?
Prowl snorted in annoyance, letting frustration take over, but only for a second. Might as well let Optimus know what was going on.
:Optimus:
There was a pause.
:I know. Come to ops, or go outside?:
:I'll meet you outside:
Prime met his second in command out on the base's old tarmac, where he found Prowl staring into the sky.
"Do you want to kill Kup, or can I?" Prowl said.
"We can leave that to Ratchet," Prime said, watching as the shuttle grew larger as it got closer. "You know, I bet they can see that thing in Las Vegas."
The shuttle was completely lit up, much to the annoyance of both bots.
"Maybe Kup needs all the light to land because his sight has finally gone?" Prowl said.
"Prowl, I bet he outlives both of us," Prime said.
They stopped talking as the landing gear groaned and squealed into position, and the shuttle set down with a resounding boom and clang of metal, shaking the ground.
"Prime, I think you're wrong. Ratchet won't kill him. SecDef Keller will have all our heads when he hears about this. I bet the scientists in Colorado are registering this as an earthquake," Prowl said.
He gave his leader a sidelong look, but Prime wasn't paying attention. The loading ramp was lowered, and the bay doors on the shuttle were open.
". . c'mon Blue, get the lead out. . ." Sideswipe yelled, shoving the other mech down the ramp.
That was followed by a strangled yelp as Sunstreaker punched his twin in the back of the head. Before Sideswipe could retaliate, Kup kicked the red twin in the aft, sending him rolling down the ramp, landing in a heap at Prowl's feet.
Sideswipe picked himself up out of the dirt, a huge grin on his face.
"Hey Prowlie, did you miss me?" Sideswipe said, suddenly enveloping Prowl in a hug.
Optimus smiled, then suddenly found himself getting his own hug from Sideswipe and Bluestreak. Sunstreaker shot Prowl a grin, clasped hands with Prime and got out of the way for Kup, who was finally down the ramp.
"Oh lad, I thought we'd lost you," Kup said. "I'd almost given up all hope, and then we got your message. . ."
Again, Optimus found himself in a bear hug, this time from Kup.
"Come, old friend. I have much to tell you," Prime said, arm around his old teacher and friend, drawing him inside.
--
"Where's Bumblebee, Jazz, Ironhide?" Bluestreak asked as they walked.
"Bumblebee's with his human family, and Jazz and Ironhide are both in the med bay," Optimus said.
The twins exchanged a look with Blue.
"Are they all right?" Kup asked.
"Jazz I'll explain about later, and Ironhide's still there, I think, because Ratchet is drawing out his stay on purpose," Prime said. "Prowl, take the others to see them, Kup, come with me. There's something you need to see."
Prime made sure they were out of earshot of the others.
"Hot Rod's here," Optimus said.
Kup snapped as if he'd been hit.
"What? How?"
"He showed up alone, unannounced almost two Earth weeks ago, in bad shape. Ratchet almost wasn't sure he could save him, but he's doing better now, getting stronger every day," Prime said. "That's not all. He said he was on the Vector."
"If he said he was, then he was," Kup said.
"You knew?"
"I don't want to get into it right now, but it fits," Kup said. "Can I see him?"
"Yes," Prime said, leading him to Ratchet's quarters.
"Let me go in first," he said.
Kup nodded.
Optimus found the young mech sitting up, staring off into space.
"Hot Rod, I have someone to see you," Prime said, looking back, beckoning Kup.
Hot Rod shuttered his optics several times, as if he wasn't sure he was seeing what he was seeing.
"Kup? Am I dreaming?"
"No lad," Kup said, walking over to the berth. He sat down beside his friend, who grabbed him, burying his head in his chest.
Kup met Prime's optics. :I'll meet you later:
Prime nodded, leaving the two alone.
-----
7 a.m. found Lennox and Epps clearing the first of many rooms on base. An annoyed, angry Keller called earlier, wanting to know "what the hell was going on out there?"
The big tipoff something was up was the huge shuttle sitting in the dirt just beyond the edge of the tarmac.
"Do we really have to keep him on speaker phone once we start this?" Epps asked, stifling a yawn.
"Unfortunately, yes," Lennox said, dialing up Washington. "Lennox here, sir. Yes, um, well, we're looking at a ship parked on the tarmac. Do you want us to take a look? No? OK, we'll start inside the main hangar then."
The two soldiers walked in silence, checking ops, the rec room, and finally deciding to take a look at the med bay.
"Wow," Epps said.
"What is it?" Keller crackled over the phone.
"Sir, I think they're. . .passed out drunk," Lennox said. "These are energon containers, right Epps?"
He took a whiff of one of the empty containers.
"Oh yeah, that's it sir, and there are three unidentified Autobots here also," Lennox said.
One, gunmetal grey and had a form resembling Prowl's, was curled up on a berth next to Jazz, Prowl out cold on the floor by the same berth. Ratchet was passed out facedown at his desk, surrounded by empty containers. Two other mechs, one yellow, the other red, were leaning against the wall, shoulder to shoulder, in recharge.
"Is everything all right?" Keller asked.
"Right as rain sir," Lennox said, trying not to laugh, seeing Epps had his digital camera out, snapping shots.
Lennox covered the phone with his hand. "What are you doing?"
"Bumblebee's gonna want to see this," Epps said.
"That's all you better do with those shots," Lennox said.
"Sir, I'll leave Epps here in the med bay. Optimus and Hot Rod are still unaccounted for."
Lennox left, headed for the living quarters. He checked Prime's and Prowl's, finding nothing. In Ratchet's, he hit pay dirt. Prime was asleep at the desk, head resting on his arms. On the berth, sat an unfamiliar Autobot, back leaning against the wall, Hot Rod curled against him.
"Sir, everybody's accounted for but Ironhide," Lennox said.