Itty-bitty chapter to get Hyperjump's viewpoint out of the way. There'll be another, longer one in an hour or so.
Chapter 14: Hyperjump's POV
I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder. "Uhh…goway…" I muttered. Wanna go back to sleep.
"Hyperjump, wake up."
My optics fluttered open to see a slender face with blue optics. For a moment, I thought it was Skystorm, but then I realized this femme was significantly older, with a hardened expression I had rarely seen even on Decepticons.
"Riella?"
"Yes," the Autobot scout commander hissed. "Wake up. We need to talk."
I forced myself to sit halfway up. "What's wrong? Is it Skystorm?"
"Partly," Riella sighed. "And partly you. You told her my son killed your mother."
Well, she gets right to the point, my fogged processor realized inanely. "I just…told her the truth."
Riella frowned. "Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. That's not my problem. I do not know what really happened, and the odds are I never will. What I want to know is, are you going to hold this against us, or not?"
"I…" I didn't know what she was asking. "I don't…are you saying I should forget it?"
"No," Riella growled. "What I am saying is that what is done is done. Accepting that is up to you; but no matter how much you like each other, I cannot allow you near my daughter if you choose to hold a grudge."
"Uhh…okay…" I blinked as I realized what she had just said. "Wait, are you telling me she likes me? I don't…I never…"
"I know." Riella's face softened for just a second. "Believe me, I know. I have a sparkmate. But – " her expression hardened again "- that does not mean I can just let things go their own way. If you hold a grudge against Bumblebee, you will hurt Skystorm. Do you want that?"
"…No. I never want that."
Riella nodded. "I did not think so. In that case, I should let you – " She broke off sharply, head jerking up. Before I could ask what was going on, an alarm went off, and every light flashed red.
"Red alert. Decepticon attack." I now knew why she'd reached the rank of tactician and scout commander quickly, something my father had commented on before; she was icy calm in the face of a crisis. "I will be back. Stay here."
With that, she was gone.