Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.
HUNTERS MOON
Chapter 1: Just Another Day
Knock-knock-knock!
"Hey! Wake up sleepy-head! It's past eight already!" John shouted from the other side of the door. Stirring from his sleep with a grunt: Ashley gaped his mouth wide open, and yawned with a deep lion-like groan as he stretched his arms and legs out, and curled his tail up and around his side. As he propped himself up on his elbows and sat upright he suddenly picked up the scent of food, and a lot of it. "What the-" he scrunched his face up in confusion; but stopped when he looked down at the floor, "-Hell? ..."
Scattered everywhere on the floor, where dozens and dozens of empty food wrappers, tin cans that looked like they had been ripped apart, bones left over from pork, beef and lamb shoulders and leg joints, and several chicken carcasses that had been picked clean of every speck of flesh. After staring at the mess in bug-eyed amazement for a moment, Ashley let out a long tired sigh as he held his head in his hands: "...Not again" he grumbled under his breath.
"Okay, you've slept long enough: now it's time to-" His father stopped his tracks as he let himself into the room, and noticed the mess. For a moment he didn't know what to say; but Ashley saved him the trouble as he looked up at him with a mixed look of embarrassment and worry.
"Dad: I think I need to see Ratchet" he reluctantly admitted.
Elsewhere, several thousand feet above the desert:
"How's she looking from down there?" Majestrix asked over the comm
: Nothing: can't even pick up the discharge trail from the thrusters: the FSLDC's working perfectly: Wheeljack replied
"Excellent..." the Prima smiled as she switched to a different channel. :Major, I'm lowering the rear ramp: you're clear to jump:,"Copy that," Major Lennox replied over his comm.
After over a month's work of remodeling, upgrades, and additional repairs: the Black Solstus was finally ready to return to duty as the Autobot's new stealth-class battle cruiser. Compared to her days as the 9's HQ, she was much smaller, and much more streamlined: but still outdid the Ark by over a hundred feet in length, and could easily outrun Omega Supreme. She still retained her Decepticon profile and design, only now she had full-spectrum light distorting camouflage field projectors at her disposal: allowing her to completely disappear from sight (as well as radar and scanners). Today was her third test flight; and the purpose of today's test was to check the performance of the landing ramps, the one's near the stern of the ship, right under the main thrusters. And this proved to be the perfect opportunity for Major Lennox and his team to get some high-altitude parachute jumping practice done (as well as have some fun with their newly issued wing-suits).
As the giant ramps lowered down and locked into position, the men all stepped closer to the edge; the rushing of the wind past the door frames stimulated their adrenaline levels to rise, with a buzz of excitement swelling in their guts: leaving most of them grinning like little kids who were about to go on the world's biggest roller-coaster. When the safety light overhead turned from red to green, Lennox gave the order to jump, and one by one the men stepped over the edge of the platform, spread their arms and legs, and let the wind catch them like falling autumn leaves.
"This is so fuckin' awesome!" Epps shouted out in excitement
"I know, right?" Lennox beamed as he maneuvered into position: the men all followed suit until they were all aligned in a V formation; and together, they glided northwards, riding the air as they soared over the mountains and vast arid land below.
"Wow, those new wing-suits really work" Novastar smiled as she watched them from several thousand feet above.
"I thought it was some new parachute design or something, I didn't think they'd literally use a wing design for actual flight" Skywarp frowned, before lightening up a little: "...Still, I have to admit: for an organic with a terrestrial-based design, they glide okay"
"Well, they are a pretty adaptable species: if they can swim as good as a sharkticon, I don't see why it would be completely beyond their capability to learn how to fly if they needed to (even if it was by artificial means)" Novastar reasoned as she pointed her nosecone downwards, descending into a giant cumulus nimbus cloud. "Changing the subject: are you sure this is a good idea? You're mother's right below us, and if she catches us together like this, it'll be both our wings" Skywarp voiced his concern as he flanked her left wing.
"As far as she's concerned, we're both trying to catch the Black Solstus's camouflage out, by both Autobot and Decepticon means: and thus far we've not succeeded. All that's left to do is to check the rear ramps are suitable for air-born landings and take-offs... Besides, it's not like we're actually doing anything up here, is it?" she teased.
"No, I suppose not..." Skywarp replied in an equally playful manner, "Then again, there's always that high altitude test Que wants us to run on that new gadget of his"
"Exactly, so don't worry: we'll be fine" Novastar smiled inwardly as she banked to the right, and dropped down out of the clouds: Skywarp followed her lead as she headed towards the Black Solstus.
Down below, in the base's armory:
"Ah hell, the Black Solstus is up an' running and we get maintenance duty" Danny sighed as he checked his inventory list. "She'll be flying other time's you know? It's not like it's a one-off" Tom replied from where he sat on the end of the giant bot-sized cannon: cleaning part of the barrel. "Yeah, It's just that it would've been cool to be the first, you know?" his red-headed cousin replied.
Tom was about to say something else, when the sight of Velocity entering the room with Morri on her shoulder drew his attention. The blue femme strode over to the bot-sized table they were on, and let her passenger down gently. "Thanks: that's three jobs I can check off my duty roster for today" Morri smiled up at her as she walked over to Danny. "Where've you two been at?" he asked, "Shifting the new deliveries in hanger's 12-B, 12-C and 6-H: the fork-lift truck was down for maintenance so Velocity said she'd give me a hand" she replied.
"Oh it was nothing," Velocity waved off, "Besides, I heard Deathshot was in the armory today, and I really need to talk to him..." she said as she looked around the room. "Talk to me about what?" Deathshot replied flatly as he peered around a shelving unit.
"Oh, um?...Do you mind if we talk somewhere else? It's-, kinda personal" Velocity sheepishly replied, beckoning him with her finger. Though his face told her he wasn't interested, Deathshot (ever the polite gentlemech) obliged, and followed her outside into the corridor.
"What is it? I got a lot that needs doing before lunch" he stated in a flat monotone. For a moment Velocity seemed to struggle in trying to find the right words: before finally replying "...Actually, I was kinda hoping you'd be free for lunch. You see: there's some things I'd like to talk to you about; things I've-, been contemplating a lot these past few weeks, and until now haven't had the courage to talk to you about face to face...Listen, I know we've never really gotten along, but this is important, and I'd be very grateful if you could just hear me out..."
Deathshot just stood there with his poker face not budging an inch: on the one hand, the unsure submissiveness in her voice told him she wasn't lying...but still...
With a reluctant sigh, he replied: "...Fine: I'll be there". "Wonderful," she smiled, "see you there then" and walked off back the way she came. Deathshot walked back into the armory: only to see Tom and Danny standing on the table, grinning like a couple of idiots.
"No" the sniper stated flatly
"What? But we haven't even-"
"NO" he stated firmly; not in the mood to engage in any banter, he resumed his work: but this time, at the opposite side of the room, well away from everyone else. Beckoning Danny and Morri to follow him, Tom climbed off the cannon and down to the floor, joining Arcee and Moonracer in one of the adjoining storage rooms: once the door was shut and he knew his guardian was well out of ear-shot, he let out a long frustrated sigh: "What the hell is his problem?! Since when did a date become such a big deal?!"
"It's not a date" Morri corrected matter-of-factly, "She just needs to talk to him about some things"
"Like what?" Danny asked
"I don't know, I didn't ask" Morri replied with a mother hen look
"Considering how she treated us when she first arrived: it had better be an apology" Tom frowned
"I think she's been trying to make amends" Arcee's blue self threw in, "She's been quite passive since that whole thing with Longrange blew over: maybe she's began to see reason?" her pink self threw in.
"I have to admit, she's been more engaging these past few weeks" Morri pointed out, "Helping me out here and there: I think she's trying to prove herself to get into D's good book"
"Yeah: but why you? She's not offered to help us with anything" Tom pointed out
"I asked her about that the other day. She said she wasn't so sure you guys would be as 'approachable' as me" Morri replied
"And you believe her?" Danny asked
Morri thought about it a moment: "...I don't know" she replied frankly, "She's a little, 'peculiar' at times, but I'm inclined to think it's her lack of being a 'people person' that makes it tricky for her to make friends" she reasoned; "In any case, being a one-time arse-hole's no excuse for not giving the benefit of the doubt"
"So why's D being so ridged about it?" Danny asked
Morri paused, "...I wish I knew..." she admitted, "...But I got a feeling there's some history between them...Maybe she just wants to finally resolve it?"
A little while later, in the med-bay:
"And you've been having these 'night-feasts' for-, how long?" Ratchet asked as he scanned Ashley's chest.
"Couple of weeks now: it started not long before Darren's cousins first arrived on the base" the twelve year old hybrid admitted sheepishly
"Well, at least now we know where all the food in the mess kept diapering to; Bloody hell Ashley why didn't you say anything?!" his father huffed
"I wasn't sure, okay!" Ashley shot back; "I wasn't even aware of it (to begin with). First there was the bad morning breath, then the indigestion at breakfast: I only started finding the wrappers and packets in my room a few days ago; it didn't occur to me until yesterday that I'd been unconsciously piling on the pounds!"
"And then some" Ravage threw in: "You've put on nearly twice you're original body weight. Surely you're organic system's are not that depleted?"
"I don't know" Ashley shrugged, "I sure as hell don't feel any different"
"Well whatever the reason, it could well be something to do with your altered biology," Ratchet replied as he sent a data-burst of his scan results into the med-bay's central mainframe computer: while simultaneously typing in the commands to bring up the results. "Considering your body mass is now ten times greater than when you where completely human, it's possible you're new body requires-..." but the medic suddenly stopped: staring at the monitor for moment, before leaning in to read the data more carefully. Ratchet's sudden shift in attention wasn't lost on the others, as Ravage stood up and demanded: "What's wrong?"
"That's just it," Ratchet replied, "I don't know if this qualifies as 'wrong'"
Baffled by his response, Ashley and his dad climbed off the birth and made their way to the medic's side: as Ravage simultaneously jumped up onto the desk to get a better look at the computer screen. As he read through the data, he flicked an ear back in confusion. "What is this supposed to be?" he demanded.
"The results of the scans" Ratchet replied as he leaned back from the screen, "When I created the DNA scanner to keep an optic on the 'chromosome-latching nanites' I also installed other scanning functions to check the development of all the other nanite-based cells in Ashley's body...this was a scan I did two weeks ago" he pulled up a micro cross-section photo of Ashley's hemogon, "...and this is your hemogon now..." he added as he pulled up another cross-section photo.
Ashley stared at the latter picture in confusion: unsure what to make of it: "But-, what is it?" he asked bemused.
"This..." Ratchet pointed to, what looked like a large cluster of bright blue cells, flowing amid the hemogon cells, "I first noticed this particular cell a while ago; at first I thought it was some by-product of the organic-energon process in your gastric system: the same principle by which vitamin D is the by-product of ultraviolet irradiation in the skin. But when I analyzed it, I found it didn't do anything, it was completely dormant: no mitosis, no processes of any kind; nothing. And yet, you're body has been producing more and more of these mystery cells, from the previously dormant rear double lobes in your brain" he explained.
"How long has this been happening?" John asked concernedly
"Two weeks ago the cellular count was barely zero point three percent, today's scans show their at near at ninety eight percent"
"What?! And you didn't tell us?!" John exclaimed
"I didn't want to rush to conclusions without first getting all the facts!" Ratchet shot back, "Between the Lambo and Chevy twin's antics and the recent annual maintenance check-ups, I've not had the time necessary to extract a sample and perform a full cellular biopsy" he explained in a calmer tone, "I'll take a blood sample now and get started. But don't forget, since only you and a select small number of others outside this room actually know about Ashley's true condition, I can't afford to do anything that's going to cast suspicion among the other Autobots"
"Since when has idle gossip ever fazed you?" Ravage asked in a droll, slightly sarcastic tone.
"Any other time I couldn't care less what everyone whispers about: but with the possibility of a mole being on the base hanging over all of us, gossip is the last thing that needs spreading around right now" Ratchet huffed as he prepared a small syringe.
"That reminds me: why the hell did Galloway have to call Bishop back to Washington?" Ashley changed the subject, "I don't see how he could be the mole?". "It's not an interrogation" Ratchet replied as he stuck the needle in Ashley's arm and filled the syringe with the glowing red hemogon, "It's just a formality the Pentagon needs him to attend: since he's in charge of the running of the base this whole conundrum falls squarely on his shoulders. Accountability is what they need from him, and apparently it can't be done over a live webcam"
"Yeah, but even so-" Ashley thought aloud
"Even so, they still have to be sure..." John laid a hand on his huge shoulder, "And getting back to the subject at hand: when will the test be done?" he looked up at the medic.
"Tomorrow afternoon at the latest; in the meantime, don't go too far" Ratchet gazed down at Ashley with a mother hen look. "Yeah whatever," the hybrid waved off nonchalantly as he got up and jumped off the desk, "Catch ya later dad" he called over his shoulder as he strolled out the door on all fours with his tail high in the air like a contented cat.
His father couldn't help but smile as he watched him disappear down the corridor: "Much like yourself when you were his age, hm?" Ravage asked offhand, as he sensed John's feelings of nostalgia ripple across the front of his mind for a brief moment. "I wasn't one to listen to doctors much either. As long as I was told I wasn't going to kick the bucket anytime soon, anything else really didn't matter..." But the smile faded as the reality of the here and now came back to mind, "...But: saying that. I know he's gotten used to being-, 'different', but even so, the seriousness is starting to grow boring on him, to the point it's becoming blase...I'd prefer it if he were a little more worried about this" he thought aloud.
"He is worried about it" Ravage replied: "I sense his unease of the unknown every day; he just doesn't want you to worry too much: for fear it will eat you up from the inside out"
John looked at the panther, a little taken aback: "...Why hasn't he said anything?" he pressed him.
"Because he thinks that if he confides in you about it, you're going to assume the worst; and somehow, he may be right" the panther offered, "I've sensed you're fear too: and as a creator, it's double the concern for you because of your parental obligations"
"I couldn't call myself a father if I didn't" John stated frankly
"True. But for this; I would recommend that you reassure him you're both in the same place: and equally worried. He knows in the back of his mind that you know in your own way: but even so, there comes a time when those suspicions have to be validated with words, and not just simply implied"
John paused a moment as he thought about it: "I'll talk to him about later...by the way," he glanced at the panther with a suspicious look, "How deeply do you read everyone's minds?"
"Only what comes to the surface. Believe me; you don't have to probe too far to learn what you need to know..." Ravage smiled as he bounded off the desk and paced out the door, "It's a question of how disciplined your focus is, and not letting idle thoughts run away" he added.
Elsewhere, in the training room:
"This time, you're MINE!-" Firefly bellowed as she took a running leap; her guns flared to life as she attacked her target and went in for the kill...
"Oh really?" Ironhide casually glanced sideways at her as he grabbed her by the throat cables, and with a solid pitcher's throw, hurled her against the wall with hardly any effort. The young femme barely had time to reboot her gyroscopic sensors before Kup aimed his cannon right at her face, and let out an annoyed huff of disappointment: "Now, care to tell me why you're dead?"
Shooting him a disgruntled look, Firefly got up and dusted herself off as she put her guns away; too peeved to want to give an articulate answer.
"He asked you a question youngling, where did you trip up?" Ironhide pressed her, as he strode up alongside: letting his sheer bulk tell her he was in no mood for her attitude. Letting out a frustrated huff through her vents, Firefly reluctantly admitted: "...When I forgot to scan your systems for the cable-to-piston ratio"
"When you forgot to scan my systems for the cable-to-piston ratio," Ironhide repeated, trying to drive the point home: "It doesn't take a lot for an opponent to turn the fight in their favor, and if they've got the strength to do a better job than their guns can, they'll do it! Scanning them for any and all inherent weaknesses is mandatory, before you engage!" he sternly stated
"Seriously kid," Kup offered, "How can you expect to return to active duty, if you keep running in half-cocked like this?"
Firefly didn't reply, and simply dropped her gaze to the ground.
"Look, we ain't doin' this for kicks, you're in training for your own good, as well as everyone else's!" the ancient Autobot warrior pressed on her, "This is the fifth time in as many days you've failed this basic exercise alone, what does that say about you?"
"It's not my attitude that's the problem, it's my tolerance for being bull-slagged around like this that get's my diodes!" Firefly shot back; bristling with annoyance, Ironhide was about to rip her a new one, when Kup moved between them to stop him. "Perhaps a break is in order? We've been at this since sun-up, maybe we should cool off and try again later" Kup suggested. Deciding she wasn't worth it, Ironhide stormed out of the training room, muttering a string of cybertronian curses as he left; Kup was about to follow after him, when he stopped and glanced at the younger femme with a stern gaze: "For the record, it ain't our time you're wasting, kid. You keep this up and you won't be an Autobot, let alone anything else. You might wanna think about that the next time you give us ol' timers a hard time" he stated as he turned and left the room. After the huge sliding doors slammed shut, Firefly let her shoulder's go slack as she let out a frustrated sigh.
"You know, he does have a point" Jetfire's voiced echoed out from above.
"Wha-" Firefly spun around, and spotted the old seeker sitting on part of the elevated platforms (the ones used as part of the full-scale battle simulations) like a raven; getting up from his perch and stretching out his limbs, he jumped down with a sharp CLANG!, and wandered over to her side. "...How long have you been there?" she asked.
"A little while, I came off duty from the brig twenty minutes ago; thought I'd come and check out how you were doing. Seems like you still haven't quite mastered the concept of respecting your elders" he observed
"...I just don't get it" Firefly admitted, "I know how to fight, I've fought loads'a times before; so why's this so fraggin' hard?"
"All younglings your age think they know everything there is to know: it ain't nothing new" Jetfire offered, "You're at that age your discovering the freedoms of being a grown-up, coupled with the care-freeness of what's left of your lingering sparkling-hood. But you don't want the responsibility that comes with being an adult"
"I guess? I don't know" Firefly shrugged "To be honest; I don't see what's the point of this? The war's over so why carry on with training at all? It's not like the humans can put up much of a fight (if they turned on us) they'd be totally out-gunned"
Jetfire let out a long-drawn sigh before replying: "Youngling, if there's one lesson I've learnt the hard way, it's that you never underestimate anyone: regardless of their size or physical capabilities. True, humans and their technology are 'primitive' in a number of ways; but I've seen their courage and spirit in action, and I have no doubt, they could wipe us all out, if they so choose to... And besides, just because the Allspark and Cybertron are gone, doesn't mean the war's over. As far as the Decepticons are concerned, now that the objective for the fighting is out of the picture: this is the time when old scores are settled, old dept's repaid. And every drop of spilt energon avenged in full; post-war is as risky as live combat itself, and we have to be sure you can measure up to the demands that those circumstances call for"
"Yeah, I get that-" Firefly tried to explain: "-Do you?" Jetfire stopped her in her tracks, "If you really understand the value of these training lessons, then why do you resist?"
Firefly didn't know, and thus, found she couldn't drum up a valid enough excuse.
"...Take it from an old pro youngling," the old seeker sighed as he laid a hand on her shoulder plate, "Just suck it in, and go with it: you'll get through it"
"But-, what about Ironhide? He hardly ever listen's to me: he's a complete slag-head!"
"It's his job to be a slag-head: he wouldn't be as good as he is if he wasn't" Jetfire smirked, "...Still: I'll have a word with him, let him know what it's like from your point of view. Though you'll have to forgive him; us ol' bots? When you get to our age, the memory of youth is but a glitched piece of data in your memory banks: we can sometimes forget you actually need time to learn stuff"
"...Thanks" Firefly replied with a small smile
"Ah don't thank me, just stick to your training and don't give him such a hard time, okay?"
"I'll-, try" she replied sheepishly
"Alright, now off you go" he gestured to the door. As they both left the training room, Firefly saw her sister's approaching: obviously looking for her.
"Well? How'd it go?" Bluebird asked eagerly. Although she wasn't as peeved off as before, Firefly still wasn't in the mood to talk, and with an apologetic look, simply walked away in the other direction. Knowing that was her more polite way of saying 'I don't want to talk about it', the three sisters's approached Jetfire.
"How did she do?" Bluebird asked concernedly: the seeker simply gave her disappointed look, and sighed.
"This isn't good" Tangostar sighed, "That's the fifth time in as many days!"
"She knows that," Jetfire replied, "She just hasn't learnt the full meaning of patience yet: and I can't say Ironhide's making it easy on her"
"Well, when she get's eaten up by an Insecticon, she better not come crying to me" Veebee stated as she folded her arms.
"It's not a question of just 'wising up' on the spot and finally 'getting it': she needs incentive; something that'll knock some sense into her. Though, considering her stubbornness and defiance, I can't think of anything that would sway her" the seeker thought aloud.
"I don't want to see her fail" Bluebird sulked
"Neither do I; like I said, she just needs some incentive" Jetfire assured her.
Some way down the corridor: as Firefly slowly walked along, dragging her heels, as familiar face came bounding down the corridor like a cat high on catnip: "'FLY!" Lizzy beamed with joy, "You finally outta training? I've been waiting for you all morning!"
Lizzy was someone Firefly had wanted to see all morning, and with a renewed sense of positivity, Firefly scooped up the teenage hellion in one hand and smiled: "Me too, let's blow this place: I need to go for a drive" she replied as she transformed, collapsing into her altmode while simultaneously maneuvering Lizzy so she came to sit in her driver's seat (a fancy little parlor trick they'd picked up from watching Sam and Bumblebee), much to the teen's delight. And together, they sped off.
Elsewhere on the base:
"Well, today's session has been an engaging one: and I'd say we've made some real progress" Portia smiled as she opened the door of her office, letting Crystalwing and her children file out into the corridor. "Indeed" Crystalwing smiled back, before dropping her gaze in ruefulness "Though, it would've been a little more complete if-..."
Through their telepathic bond, the siblings all knew who she was talking about, and shared their mother's disappointment; "This is the third appointment she's missed this week" Acidwing pointed out.
"Maybe she just forgot the time?" Sparklestar threw in
"Oh she knows what time she's supposed to show up, she just doesn't want to come anymore" Acidwing replied sarcastically.
"I have to admit, this has been rather tardy of her: once is forgivable, second time around is questionable, but three times? She's doing it deliberately" Shiningstar offered sheepishly. Extending her telepathy outwards like a sonar ping: Crystalwing scanned every mind on the base, until she soon spotted who she was looking for: the mind of the individual in question sensed her, and so moved further away to avoid her. "She's in one of the storage hangers on level three; I'll call her back" Crystalwing said.
"Actually, perhaps I better talk to her; if she's in one of her moods she may not want to be so engaging with you" Portia pointed out.
"Fair enough, we'll wait here" Crystalwing sighed
After transforming her legs into her abdomen, Portia scuttled off along the ceiling; "Wait! I'm coming too!" Shiningstar called after her as she galloped after the spider femme: "Suit yourself, but I doubt she's going to be a good mood" Portia pointed out. "Considering all the attitude she's given us these past two weeks, she'll be one to talk if she say's anything about us again!" the blue and white sphinx frowned as she kept pace.
Ten minutes of traversing the maze of corridors and one elevator ride soon brought them to their destination; one of the larger underground hangers, filled to the ceiling with tall stacks of crates and other large containers. And sitting atop one of the larger containers, right near the back of the hanger: Shadowstar was lying on her side, facing the wall, seeming unconcerned about her uninvited guests. Jumping down from the ceiling onto a large broad crate, Portia stood there as Shiningstar jumped up to her side.
"Let me guess: I missed another appointment, didn't I?" Shadowstar sarcastically drolled, deliberately rubbing it in; Shiningstar frowned in annoyance, but said nothing; she wasn't going to let her sister have any ammunition for another fight. "Third one this week; this isn't good Shadow', and there's nothing to gain from this show of defiance" Portia stated in her usual cool, professional manner.
"Who said I was being defiant? I simply got bored" Shadowstar stated, flicking her tail back and forth in annoyance.
"Shadow, this isn't some debriefing on how to handle a new weapon; this is for your benefit. As well as ours" Shiningstar pointed out
But Shadowstar didn't reply
Thinking back over the last few weeks: Shiningstar, for the spark of her, couldn't understand why her sister was still being so difficult. Integrating back into her family's telepathic bond had been anything but easy: while she allowed the direct link to be re-established, she still kept her mind closed up and inaccessible. Now, whenever her mother and siblings telepathically communicated back and forth between one another, she was like a shadow without a master amid their presence: still there and noticeable, but trying desperately to remain concealed and untouchable. After what went down between her and Ashley, Shiningstar thought she would've learnt something by now, and the psychiatric therapy sessions with Portia should've driven the point home even more. But for some reason that was beyond her knowledge and understanding, Shadowstar still refused help, and refused to see sense even more.
"You do realize that if you continue this trend, I'll have to report it to Majestrix" Portia added
"Fine" Shadowstar replied nonchalantly
"Shadow' this is pointless. We both know that returning to the bond is the only way you'll get better: why are you still closing yourself off like this?" her sister demanded.
"Seriously? You're still asking why?" Shadowstar sarcastically stated.
Knowing full well what she was referring to, Shiningstar frowned in the upmost annoyance; her mother sent soothing waves of reassurance down the bond, and told her it wasn't worth it; "Fine. You want to keep believing that? Go ahead: I'm not wasting my time on you if you're going to keep displacing your anger like this" Shiningstar growled: leaping off the box, and angrily pacing out the door.
"Well, if you miss tomorrow's appointment-", "-Save it," Shadowstar interrupted Portia. "I'm done with your tiresome lectures: you and mother can go blow it out of your exhaust pipes for all I care. I just want to be left alone" she added in a cold tone. Knowing she wasn't going to sway her, Portia let out a disappointed sigh, and quietly left the hanger. Shadowstar swivelled her ears as she listened to her sister and therapist walk down the corridor in silence, heard the bot-sized elevator ping, open up, and close again as they left the level.
Listening all around, she relaxed as the whole level was completely enveloped in silence, not a sound could be heard, save for the gentle whirring of the air ventilation system...
...And the soft sound of giant footfalls quietly approaching the door...
Her ears pressed back against her head in annoyance, and her tail flicked faster as the stranger approached her from behind.
"What do you want now?" she growled in annoyance.
Sometime later, in the command center:
"I take it the inspection went as planned?" Bishop asked through the main monitor.
"Thus far; the guys from Washington said the data was substantial enough: in any case, no evidence of duplication could be detected in the software, and the hard-drives show no evidence of tampering" Epps reported
"That's good: at least the B-class files are all secure, now there's just the rest of the base to go through" the Colonel sighed
"I don't get it sir, why'd they have to call you back to Washington? It's not like there's been anything direct goin' down. That'd be the last thing the mole would attempt to do" Epps asked offhand
"I know: it's a redundant theory to me too; but you know what the top brass are like when it comes to accountability on the commanding officer's part: it's just a few more days of asking questions and useless paperwork, and I'll be right back before you know it. In the meantime, have the inspectors been prying into the restricted sectors of the base?" Bishop asked
"Thankfully no, I think they know those areas are out of bounds, but still: they've been taking their sweet time with this whole inspection. As if somehow, we're all to blame"
"It's just a pressure tactic to try and catch you off guard. Stick to your assignment and answer their questions. They'll be gone by lunchtime anyway. Bishop out" the colonel replied, before the live feed went offline
Turning back to where Optimus and Majestrix were standing behind him, Epps looked up at them with an unsure expression, and asked in equal uncertainty: "So? Now that this is the last day of the inspection, how do we try to root out the mole?"
"I've been working up some scenarios with the simulators, but it won't be a hundred percent guarantee" Majestrix offered
"Ultimately, it will fall to Major Lennox to search among his team for the perpetrator; this is a tough decision, I know. But right now, we have very few other options" Prime stated in a grave tone, "Where is Major Lennox anyway?"
"Gone to lunch" Epps replied
At the same time, outside the base:
In the cool shade of the hangout, away from the base and the annoying antics of the Chevy and Lambo twins; Bluestreak, along with his charges, were enjoying the lunch hour with Trailbreaker, and his respective charge Darren, and all seven of his female cousins: along with Skywarp and Novastar, who had both volunteered for babysitting Jay-jay for the afternoon. As the midday heat beat down on the dry dusty ground, the humans all flopped around in idle boredom: until the sound of heavy footstep's grabbed their attention, and Ironhide appeared with Will and his daughter Annabelle sitting on his shoulder.
"Yo Will!" Darren smiled, "Park it here dude!" pointing to the bolder next the Bluestreak.
"Don't mind if I do..." Ironhide smiled as he sat down next to the young gunner, and let his charges down so they could find a seat.
"What brings you guys out here?" Max asked as she sat upright
"Lunch," Will smiled as he handed Annabelle her lunchbox, and he opened the brown paper bag he'd been carrying, "And trying to avoid the inspectors"
"Those guys still haven't left yet?" Darren raised an eyebrow
"Should be leaving at one today, though judging by the way they've been snooping around, I think leaving is the last thing on their minds" the Major frowned as he tucked into his BLT baguette.
"As long as it means we don't have to stay cooped up in that base anymore!" Roxy huffed
"Yeah, being a 'classified person of interest' sucks" Rosy concurred in equal displeasure, to which the rest of her sister's voiced their agreements.
It had been two weeks since the Ainslie girls had moved onto the base: and contrary to everyone's expectations, their prior attitudes had changed somewhat. After the night of their near-death experience with the Tranquility Stalker, the girls had seemed to have learnt some much needed valuable lessons: for instance, they didn't argue as aggressively or frequently as before; of course there were the occasional sibling rivalries here and there, but for the most part they were seeing eye to eye on a lot of things, where as compared to before, when they would look for any excuse to have a go at each other. Roxy and Max in particular were much more at ease with one other: the whole 'frenemies' concept was lost on everyone (save a handful of individuals who were street smart) and for the most part, the girls maintained their 'standoffish' approach to one other, even though they didn't beat the crap out of each other anymore (which was still rather confusing to say the least).
Their attitude towards everyone else on the base had pacified too, Roxy had learnt to not speak her mind so brazenly (90% of the time at least), and Max, for her part, had tried to make amends to those she hurt; it wasn't an easy learning curb, and the first week had been awkward to say the least (with everyone of the opinion she was still not trustworthy). But when Lennox saw she was really trying, he decided to lighten her burden by burying the hatchet, and the two of them were cool with one another: and by extension, the subject of her burglarizing his home wasn't brought up in open conversation again.
However, it hadn't been so straightforward in every regard: Lizzy was still as zealous as ever, and with Firefly of a similar mentality, the two of them together had become the most dreaded paring since the Lambo twins. However, being in the company of fellow pranksters like the Lambo and Chevy twins had led to a somewhat unexpected outcome. Like placing a young wolf pup in with a pack of older wolves, the 'more dominant' pranksters, had put the teenage hellion and her partner-in-crime in their place; in as much they didn't attempt anything as ambitious as the failed prank that caught Majestrix out again, and they learnt the hard way that you never play a prankster at his own game. Still, nothing of any great concern had gone down, and with Firefly in training more often than not, the two troublemakers hadn't caused as much trouble as they had liked.
But with the possibility a human mole being on the base hanging over NEST like a dark cloud; it wasn't all fun and games for everyone, the humans in particular had been feeling the atmosphere of doubt and suspicion. Who could it be? The commanding officer? The guy who had your back in a fight? The guys you play poker with when off duty? It could be anyone: and while the NEST troops were trying not to let the air of suspicion lead to a witch-hunt, it was hard to ignore the reserved sense of doubt and second guesses; the what-if's and the maybes were starting to grow. But with two weeks of inactivity from Barricade and the other cons, and no other incidences of any kind: everyone was tempted to let wishful thinking tell them it might be just a fluke. But the events of two weeks ago, always brought reality back into perspective; and so, as the Pentagon's inspectors went about their work, everyone was left to wonder, why? And who?
"That reminds me, how the hell did you guys managed to sneak out here without being seen anyway?" the Major shot them all a weird look
"Uh, hello? Teleporter sitting right here" Skywarp pointed to himself in a droll tone
"Oh, yeah right..." the Major realized, to which everyone couldn't help but giggle; "Anyway, what're you all doing out here? Did Sideswipe put another rotten egg in the vents again?"
"Nah, just needed to be reminded of what fresh air actually smells like" Max drolled
"Come on, it hasn't been that boring while the inspectors have been around? You had that DDR dance-off with Miles and Glen yesterday" Will pointed out
"Yeah, right up until Roxy made a comment about Sunny's aft, which he took as a personal challenge to his stamina, and he broke the damn machine when he tried break-dancing at three hundred RPM's a second" Darren drolled, shooting Roxy a reprimanding look.
"What? I wasn't even being serious: it's not my fault the guy can't take a joke" she retorted defensively
"Well? The day before that, you made a water park out of the wash racks" Lennox offered
"Yeah that was fun, until Allie challenged Warpath and Hound to a cannon-ball diving contest" Jeanie pointed out, "Splashed me and Rosy clean outta the pool, and flooded half of the second level" Chelsea added
"Huh, I wondered why the floor on that level was wet" Ironhide suddenly realized
"Look, the base is impressive and you guys have some pretty cool stuff to play with, but we didn't expect to do so much in two weeks. Now, I don't know what's left to do?" Jeanie stated
"Easy for you to say, I've been busting' my ass doing chores as part of my parole" Max retorted "Not that I'm complaining: but it ain't all fun an' games for all of us, okay?"
"Sorry" Jeanie sighed, "Kinda forgot about that"
"Why don't you take some time off?" Will suggested; at that, the girls all sat up and stared at him in slight surprise: "Huh?" they all echoed
"Well, I've been talking to Prowl, and he tells me you've been doing real good at your parole: so good in fact, that as a reward, you can have tomorrow and the day after off" the Major smiled
"What?" Chelsea blinked in surprise; "The whole weekend, off?" Max gawked
"That's what he said"
"SWEET!" Chelsea fist-pumped the air. "Wow, thanks" Max smiled
"Don't thank me: though, Prowl's too modest to accept compliments let alone thanks. Just report back to him on Monday and it'll be good enough for him" Will added
"Cool, the whole gang's back together for one weekend. That still doesn't resolve our boredom issue" Roxy deadpanned
"Why don't you try something new?"
"Like what?" Rosy raised a quizzical eyebrow
"I dunno, camping?" Will shrugged
"CAMPING?!" the sisters and cousins gasped,
"Yeah! We go camping all the time back home! It's loads'a fun!" Annabelle beamed"
"Camping? You mean like: out in the wild, no indoor plumbing and wiping yourself with a leaf camping?!" Roxy asking, hoping it wasn't true.
"Well? I wouldn't go as far as that, but the no indoor plumbing part, yep"
But before Roxy, Rosy and Max had a chance to voice their disgust, Jeanie beat them to it: "That sounds awesome! We've never been on a proper camping trip before"
"We've been camping before; we could show you how it's done" the Waineright twins chimed
"What's a 'camping' anyway?" Sparklestar asked as she came bounding over the boulders and bounced up to Bluestreak's side, "I dunno what it is but it sounds cool!"
"Can I go too daddy?! Pleasepleasepleasepleeeeeeaase?!" Annabelle begged as she bounced up and down on her behind.
"I wanna go campy!" Jay-jay beamed: "Well if Jay-jay wants to go, I better go too" Hailey said; "That means we go too" Bluestreak smiled up at Skywarp, "Wait-, what do you mean 'we'?" the seeker shot the gunner a weird look, "Well, your her co-guardian, that means you go too" Bluestreak smiled, realizing her was right, the seeker folded his arms and huffed in annoyance, to which Novastar lent him a sympathetic look and a pat on the shoulder.
"You guys are going camping?!" Lizzy beamed as she poked her head over the top of the cave, and gazed down at the taken-aback crowd below
"Apparently: and you're not invited!" Roxy shouted up at them
"Aw why not?" Firefly sulked as she popped up next to Lizzy
"Because you two will ruin it somehow!" the elder Ainslie sister deadpanned
"No we wouldn't!" Firefly retorted stubbornly as she grabbed Lizzy and forward-flipped over the edge of the rock-face, landing square on her feet in front of everyone; "Come Roxy! We never been camping before! I promise we'll be good!" Lizzy pleaded
"HA! If I had a dime for every time I heard that from you, I could'a bought my own tropical island!" Roxy scoffed
"Take them with you" Ironhide threw in nonchalantly
"What?"
"A few days camping makes for a good character-building exercise" the weapons expert stated matter-of-factly; "You just want her gone so you can treat Chromia to a romantic weekend" Will deadpanned, shooting his guardian a knowing yet cheeky look. "Yes" Ironhide admitted, "And, having a break from you two you would be a nice reprieve" he added in a droll tone
"So? That means no training for a full two day?" Firefly asked, Ironhide simply looked at her as if to say: 'yes, it does'. "SWEET! When're we going?!" she eagerly asked the humans.
"Hang on: do we even know where we're going?" Chelsea asked
"Not to mention equipment, we ain't got nothin'!" Rosy added
"Wait a minute, you don't have to pitch up at the end of the earth or take the whole base with you just to go camping" Will offered, before the girls had a chance to panic
"Okay. Then what do you suggest?" Roxy asked
"Alright: there's a spot on the western side of the reservoir, south of the rattler gorge: it's just ten miles from the base, and if you need help, there's a guard-tower several clicks away who can keep an eye on you. And don't worry about equipment, we got enough of it back at the base. Sound good?" he offered with a smile. As the camping party began going into further detail on the subject, Trailbreaker leaned down to Darren and asked in a hushed voice: "You okay with this?"
"Meh, I don't see how they could screw this up" the teen hacker shrugged, "Besides, any two days away from them is a good enough break; besides, what's the worst that could happen?" he smiled up at his guardian
Meanwhile, back on the base, down in the rec-room:
As he watched the flow of bots and humans in and out of the canteen area, Deathshot was just about to comm Velocity, when said femme arrived with two cubes of energon in hand. She placed one down in front of the sniper, and took sip of her own.
"I was beginning to wonder where you'd gotten to," he asked nonchalantly
"Sorry, I had some details to wrap up" she offered with a smile, "In any case, thanks for coming"
"Almost didn't..." the sniper replied: the displeased tone in his voice wasn't lost on her, and she knew he wasn't keen on this; "What do you want from me?" he added, getting straight to the point.
Velocity paused a moment, before replying in an honest tone: "Nothing...Just, a chance"
"A chance?" he raised an optic ridge, "For what?"
"To make up for past mistakes..." she sighed, "Deathshot, a lot has changed since end of the war, and: we've changed too, for the most part...I know what went between us-, before, was wrong; and since then I didn't do much to improve on it. Including, the way I treated everyone when I awoke from stasis; and especially your charges"
"That's an understatement" he coldly replied
"Please, I'm not asking for forgiveness; and knowing you I know you're not the type to forgive anyway" she pleaded softly, "All I'm asking for, is that I have a chance to start over, try and atone for my mistakes and do better on my choices. Is that so much to ask for?"
Deathshot gazed at her for a moment, as he contemplated what she was saying, and what she was really thinking...
I know you're not the type to forgive
Those words stilled his mind for an instant, as he recalled his life as an agent of the 9; back when he was that mech that showed no mercy to anyone, or wouldn't forgive even the slightest indiscretion. After all his years of suffering and self-torture, and the lifetime he'd spent seeking redemption for past sins, was he so arrogant to hold onto a past grudge, that he was willing to dismiss the present? And not let bygones be bygones? For all he knew, maybe she really did have a change of spark? Who was he to say who was capable of learning right from wrong?
With a small sigh, he replied in a lighter voice: "No, it's not". Velocity smiled in thanks, and took another sip of her cube. "Listen, Ashley's going on a night-time training exercise with Ravage; would you like to come along? We can talk some then" he offered
"I'll be there" she smiled, she was about to say something else when a beeping sound emanated from the side of her head: "What? Already?" she said offhand, before heaving a sigh of frustration.
"Something come up?" Deathshot asked
"Yeah, I gotta go, sorry" she apologized
"Don't be, I'll see you tonight, okay?"
"Okay; later" she waved goodbye: left her cube on the side, and headed out the door; leaving Deathshot to contemplate their brief encounter...
...Some way down the corridor, well out of range of the rec-room, Velocity slowed her pace, and a small sly grin crossed her lips 'It's coming together nicely' she thought to herself.
A few hours later, in the equipment and supply department:
"Okay, I think that's everything" Allie checked her backpack
"Everything, everything?" Jeanie interrupted, as she handed Allie her sleeping bag
As the rest of the party checked and double checked their equipment and supplies; Ironhide pulled Firefly aside for a privet chat: "Now look, while I have no gripes with you going off into the wild for a few days. I want you to take this opportunity to think seriously about the training and where you're heading with it: I don't push you 'cuz I get a kick out of it, it's so you'll learn how to go into battle and not return as scrap metal. And if you truly want to be an Autobot, you've got to be willing to go all the way to the limit, cuz I can tell you right now, the enemy won't be returning any favors" he told her; for once (and somewhat to his surprise) Firefly didn't argue back, and simply nodded. "Just-, think about it, okay?" he added.
"So? Everyone ready to go?" Bluestreak smiled, to which a resounding yes, went around the room.
"Okay then, off we go" the gunner smiled as he lead the way out of the hanger, out into the desert with the humans forming a line, with Skywarp bringing up the rear.
"Think she'll contemplate it?" Will asked from where he'd been standing behind his guardian's foot
"I doubt it" he grunted as he folded his arms, "But still; I couldn't call myself a good trainer if I didn't impart some level of wisdom"
"She'll be fine" Jetfire said as he poked his head into the hanger; "In any case, something's got to give with her eventually, just give her time: you'll see"
"You said that about Sideswipe, and how old is he now?" Ironhide drolled, to which the look of all-knowing wisdom on Jetfire's face fell flatter than a popped balloon, "Good point" the seeker deadpanned. Ironhide's own deadpan look only grew sour when he heard his charge trying to stifle his giggles behind him.
Meanwhile, aboard the Black Solstus:
"I just don't know what to do with her" Crystalwing sighed, "its bad enough she wouldn't open up during the sessions, but now she refuses to attend at all"
"My sympathies are with you Crystal'" Majestrix sighed as she went about her work, "But my ruling on Shadowstar still stands, if she does not attend the therapy that has been prescribed, she will go back in the brig. I'm am truly sorry my friend, but the safety of the base must come first, and if she tried to attack the humans once, I won't take any chances by letting her have another opportunity to attempt it again"
"I know..." Crystalwing sighed ruefully, "I just don't understand why she's doing this? And it's not like Portia and I have many other options at our disposal"
"I know, but you have to admit, these are exceptional circumstances: and where there the necessary data on such a dilemma, we might have a more accurate picture on our range of choices" Majestrix replied
"True enough" Crystalwing replied as she left the room; at the same time, Blackshot entered and presents a small collection of data pads to the Prima. "The data you require on the test flight?" she said
"Ah yes," Majestrix replied as she took the pads off her and flicked though the data on each one, "I trust the sensors collected everything?"
"Everything. Except the primary data on the flight schematics, I kept those off of Teletran's network...just in case" the black femme replied in her cool professional manner; Majestrix looked up at her for a moment, before replying: "Under the circumstances, that was probably a wise idea"
"In case of prying optics? ..." Blackshot suggested. Majestrix stopped reading, and turned to face her SIC face on: "Would I be inaccurate in assuming you feel justified in some small manner?" she asked in a dubious tone.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't. A faction of humans has acquired our technology and learnt how to use it; that doesn't bother you?" Blackshot asked
"Of course it bothers me, but what bothers me even more is how they acquired the data in the first place!" Majestrix retorted
"That's moot, but don't you think it's a little too convenient that it's the humans who are conducting the so called 'investigation' for the mole, if there ever was a mole in the first place?" Blackshot frowned,
"Of course I'm aware of that, and so is Prime" Majestrix replied
"But, then why didn't he say anything when the inspectors first arrived?"
"Because his hands are tied, as are mine" the Prima sighed in frustration, "Under article twenty seven of the Alien/Autobot Cooperation Act: if any human organization or faction separate from the United States Military force acquires cybertronian technology without expressed permission of the Autobots, the Pentagon and Presidential Administration is obliged to investigate and apprehend the humans responsible...We don't get a say in the matter, because they fear our means of investigation might lead to a breach of national security, (as if we don't know how to hide in plain sight)"
"That's not very reassuring" Blackshot replied, "'any human organization or faction separate from the United States Military?' What is there to say the military might not be behind it some way?"
Majestrix stared at her in surprise; somewhat taken aback that she'd suggest such a thing.
Elsewhere, somewhere amid the southern Sierra Mountain range:
"Lord Chumley sir, we've just had confirmation from CaerusTech: the Decepticons are inbound and will be making planetfall tonight" a man with a British accent replied as he poked his head into the tent
"Ah! Excellent! Bang on time!" Lord Chumley smiled as he readied his weapons
"Very good; what are your order's now sir? Only, these 'other' chaps out here are starting to get a little twitchy"
"Tell Berkley and Higgins to ready the 'honey trap': can't go hunting without leaving the traps unbaited, can we? And tell the lads top start preparing for the 'first phase' of the hunt; we're going to need to keep our wits about us, considering who our target is. Tell them to move the equipment out and start setting it up at the designated key locations: I'll be along shortly to oversee phase two"
"If I may be so bold as to ask, what is phase two sir?" the man asked
Chumley turned and looked at him, and smiled: "Like I said Rollins: If you want to catch something, you have to bait the trap"
Hello again! :D Sorry it's been a while, but I got hung up on a particularly tricky crochet project; but it's all did & done, so now, back to the story! :D
A/N: Just a small note to keep in mind, while this story picks up from where Lemons and Cherries left off, are are some aspects of this story that pick up from after After The Storm, so just in case some parts here and there don't make sense, you might want to go back and read that story to get up to speed :)
Hope you enjoyed, & please remember to R&R! :)