Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.
HUNTERS MOON
Chapter 11: Aftermath
The following morning, NEST Base, 9:54am:
"So when's he supposed to get here?" Miles frowned as he took a swing of his orange juice.
"Ten o' clock: and from the sounds of it, he's really pissed" Jazz frowned in equal displeasure.
"Considering he bypassed approval of the NSC and managed to get onto the classified access list, just so he could visit the base? I'd say that qualifies as being uber pissed" Cliffjumper added.
"Seriously? ..." Miles stared at him, to which Cliffjumper simply nodded. "Aw man, this is gonna be shit..." the blond teen drearily deadpanned as he slumped against his guardian's leg.
The event's following Prime's rescue had come and gone with relative straightforwardness: upon returning to the base Ratchet saw to Optimus's wounds, and treated them accordingly; along with the other Autobots and humans who sustained injuries during the mission. Prime was then discharged, and allowed to return to active duty: after which, he was brought up to speed on what had transpired during his abduction.
But what followed afterwards, was anything but straightforward...
Prime had barely been back twenty minutes when Galloway contacted the base, angrily demanding an explanation as to what happened. Apparently, the situation in Washington had blown out of proportions: with the Pentagon and the Presidential Administration panicking back and forth between one another over the kidnapping, information had become mislaid, miscommunication led to misunderstandings; and by the time Prime contacted the Pentagon to explain the situation, both the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Administration were at a loss to discover that Prime had already been rescued (by his own people no less...).
Something was clearly out of place, and it became evident that someone hadn't relayed all the facts to them.
As if the confusion was already enough to deal with; the Autobots were even more dismayed when a communication from Washington, informed them of Galloway's immediate impromptu visit to the base. Apparently, to give them a shake-down on the importance of 'adhering to protocol'.
This made no sense at all: and had left both Prime and Majestrix in a less-than approachable mood.
As they watched the black cars pull up to the inspection point at the main entrance gate, Jazz transformed and opened his driver-side door for his charge: "Let's get this over with" Miles sighed as he got in, and let Jazz drive him back to the base.
The silver Pontiac made it to the command center in double quick time: and as the black cars drove down the cliff-side road, into the gorge alongside the three ginormous cybertronian ships, and parked up alongside the human-sized entrance; Major Lennox was there to greet the guests. Unsurprisingly, Galloway was the first to get out of the central car, and stride his way up to the entrance as if he owned the place.
"Director Galloway," Will greeted him in a less-than chipper tone, "What an honor: I'd love to show you around, but you gotta be on the classified access list-
"-I am now" Galloway rudely stated as he flashed the said document in the Major's face: "Presidential order, Major. I got a message for your classified alien space buddies! You guys made a mess of this whole operation"
'We made a mess?' Will thought incredulously; he did a good job of hiding his disdain for the bureaucrat, as he followed him into the base, tailed closely by the other gentlemen who'd accompanied him: "Tell me. Is he here?"
"He's waiting for you in the command center, as is General Moshower" Will replied as he led the way.
A ten minute walk soon bought them to the heart of the complex, where every bot that was on the rescue mission stood waiting. Watching and waiting with them, their human friends and charges gazed down from their perches on top of the bot-sized computer terminals, and the top-most walkways that ran along the ceiling, while the human soldiers, stood near the bot's feet on the ground floor.
Had Galloway not been so wrapped up in his own bureaucratic ignorance, he would've sensed the austere mood hanging in the atmosphere. The most agitated of which, was emanating from Majestrix, as she stood brooding by the main terminal; watching the human as he took a moment to gaze up in awe at these strange beings: who until now, he'd only ever heard about in classified reports, and voices over the live webcam meetings.
"Will; I take it he's there?" General Moshower asked over the live webcam feed.
"He is, General: we're now ready to proceed" the Major replied
"Good, because I want to know: just what the hell happened last night?" the General frowned.
"A botched rescue mission, that's what happened!" Galloway fumed as he turned his attention to Majestrix: "I told you: we had the situation in hand. We were preparing to secure Prime, when suddenly you stepped in and made a mess of the whole damn thing!"
"A 'botched rescue mission?'" Majestrix replied sarcastically, "Really? I hadn't noticed; as far as I could see, we were the only one's there"
"That's because you beat them to the punch" Galloway shot back, "The whole point of a black-ops recovery mission, is to remain hidden, and you damn well can't do that with a bunch of giant alien robots coming in and shooting up the place! And with dinosaurs?! I mean, what the hell were you thinking?!"
"What were we thinking?" Majestrix echoed in disbelief, before she lost it: "WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!" she roared as she charged Galloway, bending all the way down to meet his eye-level, "-What were you thinking by not telling us that the Hoover dam was already occupied?! And by your own military no less!"
"Whatever you saw, it wasn't what you think," Galloway snapped back, "We had reliable intel that the place was shut down, stand-by sleeper-cell only: whoever you encountered, they sure as hell weren't ours!"
"Then how do you explain the satellite photos of the army convoys going into the base? The data from the Bureau of Reclamation's power-management department, indicating the power consumption? And the signal jammer's positioned at the base of the dam?" Prowl pressed him.
"Not to mention the fake bomb threat popping up on the bypass, just as we rolled in: kinda convenient timing don't you think? Making sure no civilian witnesses were around" Jazz added
"And further more: where did those weapons come from?" Majestrix's tone turned darker, "Because I certainly don't remember giving you, or anyone else carte blanche to use our technology as you damn well please!" she added as she stood back up, allowing her brother to step in.
"I'm not obligated to explain anything to you" Galloway frowned in a dark tone, "You broke protocol and stepped over the line, when I specifically told you not to; for that alone, I can have your diplomatic immunity revoked, and have all of you confided to the base indefinitely"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degree's, as the Autobots all gazed down at Galloway and his entourage, with a royally pissed-off look in their optics; the human soldiers too were half temped to give him a piece of their mind: but as John cracked his knuckles, Prime blocked his path with his foot, and glanced down at him with a knowing look, telling him to hold back. John acknowledged him with a discreet nod, and stayed put as Prime approached the bureaucrat, and kneeled down beside him with an unwavering look of stern annoyance.
"...But you won't, will you?" Prime stated, "My troops acted in accordance with our protocol, the protocol both our people's agreed upon when the Alien/Autobot Cooperation Act was drafted: and for that, there is no punishment. Yes, my Autobots and the human members of NEST disobeyed you're orders, but only because you failed to provide the necessary intel, pertaining to the location of my captivity. If you and you're 'black-ops rescue team' already knew of my location, why did you not see fit to share that data with us sooner? Or better yet, why did you want to keep my troops in the dark about 'Project Broadsword'?"
A heavy silence hung over the command center as Galloway glared daggers up at the Prime. Everyone watched as the two of them stared off against each other, and although Galloway never replied, the bead of sweat slowly running down his left-side temple told as much, that he knew whatever he offered in the way of an explanation, was going to be heavily criticized (or in all likelihood, disbelieved altogether). Finally, he did the only thing he could, and simply stated in a reluctant, almost bitter tone: "...As I've already said. I am not obligated to explain anything to you. I will speak to the President about this, and I can assure you, this matter will be resolved..." he turned to leave, accompanied by two of the NEST troops; and once the doors were shut and sealed, a collective wave of outrage and incredulous disbelief sounded from every bot in the room.
"Okay, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" Roxy exclaimed angrily from her perch on Veebee's shoulder, "I mean, seriously! That was the 'official shake-down'?!"
"Thank you, Miss Ainsley," General Moshower replied in a deadpan tone, "I was listening in, so don't get too wound up, okay? You ain't the only one who's pissed off at this outcome"
"The fact you hardly uttered a word, can only mean you're as much in the dark about this as we are" Majestrix thought aloud
"That's putting lightly," Moshower stated, "For the record, Hoover dam was reinstated as an active base: but I only just found that out, right after you got back" he told Prime, "Someone bypassed our approval to reopen the former Sector 7 base, and somehow, managed to procure the necessary funds to stay active, while remaining off our radar. At the same time your guys left to retrieve you, Galloway put in an application for the classified access list, a list that even I'm not qualified to apply for, unless the country is in a state of national emergency. He not only bypassed the NSC's approval, but got the confirmation back in less than an hour..."
Everyone stared at the main monitor in surprise.
"I don't know what the hell he pulled to get that, but I can only surmise it wasn't above board" Moshower added in a serious tone,
"Does this mean that an official investigation can be undertaken now?" Colonel Bishop asked.
"We'd be fools if we didn't demand one; but NEST can't take the lead on this, it would only arouse more suspicion from the Administration: and I'm sorry to say, that whole thing with the mole threw up a lot of dirt in their eyes, and lot of scuttlebutt as to the reliability of the unit" Moshower sighed in reluctance, "But fortunately, we here at the Pentagon can call the shots on this, and are gonna have an independent party look into it"
"Isn't that risky?" Prime asked sceptically
"If it were anyone else it would be, but I've met this person before, and I know for a fact they're on the level. If anyone can find anything fishy going on, they can. I'm sorry I can't disclose more, but that's way it's gotta be"
"Understood" Prime discreetly nodded, "But, on that note: did you have time to read my report?"
"Which part? The one where you described you're kidnappers? Or the outline of Mr Witwicky's conspiracy theory? ... Yeah I read it, and both prospects are scary if their true: but without solid evidence of either one, I'm afraid you've got nothing but theories"
"But what if we can offer any plausible theories, as to where and what potential evidence there could be? Would that help?" Bumblebee asked anxiously
"As helpful as that would be, I'm afraid the President, as well as the rest of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are somewhat of a more speculative opinion: without confirmation as to the reliability of said evidence, I'm afraid it's your word against whoever's responsible"
"But we know Galloway's in on it somehow, surely you can see that!" Bluestreak pointed out
"I'm not disagreeing with you there: but until any evidence is found to confirm our suspicions, he's innocent until proven guilty"
"So that's it? We just sit here and do nothing? After all that's happened?" Sideswipe exclaimed
"That's pretty much the gist of it. I'm sorry Prime, but we gotta follow protocol on this one; aside from the President we got too many other people breathing down our necks, and bringing a 'non-existent' Pentagon-sanctioned black-ops unit into the mix is only gonna stir up more trouble. Black-op's on Black-op's disputes are never easy to keep track of, and even less reliable when something is out of place"
"I understand General" Prime nodded, "But, you will keep us informed of any developments?"
"As and when they happen: you have my word on that. Moshower out" the General replied, before the webcam feed offlined, and the general's face disappeared off the screen.
As the other Autobot's started to talk among themselves: Prime looked over at Majestrix with a vexed look; heaving a deep breath through her vent's, she came up alongside Bumblebee and Trailbreaker, and discreetly whispered in their audios: "Come to my ready room, both of you, bring your charges; and don't breath a word of this to anyone"
Nodding in acknowledgement, but not quite understanding what was going on, both Bumblebee and Trailbreaker looked at one another anxiously, and then over at Majestrix as she left the command center via the other door on the opposite end of the room. Glancing over at Prime, they both saw Optimus hunched over Bishop and Lennox, having a privet conversation.
Twenty minutes later, aboard the Black Solstus:
The dark interior of the ship was a little creepy, even in the daytime when the sun was shining through the windows: the shadows seemed to be as gloomy as during the night time. As they sat around the long holo-table in the center of the ready room, it sort of looked like a scene from a Victorian horror story; with Majestrix seated at the head, in a large throne-like chair, gazing over the assembled Autobots and humans.
"*Ahem*" Sam cleared his throat, "Pardon me, but who're we waiting for exactly?"
"That would be us" Ravage growled as he and his brother's slipped out of the shadows, and climbed/jumped up onto the table.
"I take it you got away alright?" the Prima asked with a raised optic ridge.
"Do you even have to ask?" Buzzsaw sarcastically replied; Majestrix coolly let the insult slip, and got to the subject at hand: "...So? What have you to report?"
"The whole place was completely incinerated top to bottom: no residue, even microscopic traces were practically all gone" Ravage stated in a disappointed tone.
"But the explosives were carefully laid out; the blast destroyed everything inside the complex, and yet the base-structure of the dam was left untouched" Lazerbeak added
"That pretty much jives with what we heard on the encrypted military frequencies" Crystalwing stated from where she sat further down the table, "When the first investigation teams arrived early this morning, they couldn't find anything that even hinted at who this 'Project Broadsword' might be. There was evidence of several escape tunnels on the lower levels of the complex, but they'd had detonation charges planted around the entrances, blowing them up and sealing them off once the humans got away"
"So what are they doing at the site now?" Darren asked from where he sat on the table, next to Trailbreaker.
"Well? Not much really. The explosion burnt everything away, even the main infrastructure: power, water, hardware. With the exception of the power plant on the surface: the whole place is pretty much a write-off as far as the humans are concerned" Crystalwing explained.
"But they are taking steps to make sure no one comes back; there are guards posted at the main entrance and remnants of the tunnels, all of whom have a direct link to the Pentagon; and as we scanned the US military defense network: we detected a distinct rise in the number of fire-walls and protective software around their more sensitive faculties. It seems their taking this quite seriously" Ravage added
"...What are you thinking?" Sam asked Majestrix, as she leaned back in her chair with a look of deep thought in her optics.
"...I'm thinking..." she thought aloud, "This whole Insecticon attack and kidnapping was a farce...Everything that has transpired since the night before, was carefully crafted for one purpose, and one purpose only. To send a message to us, stating that whoever is behind all this; they can get us whenever they want...Whoever they are, they have announced their intentions loud and clear, that they are ready for us, and are willing to take us on"
"At the risk of sounding completely dumb, how can you be sure of that?" Bumblebee asked
"It's elementary; look at what happened and what didn't happen. If this 'project Broadsword' really wanted to make sure we didn't find Prime, they wouldn't have hidden him in a place we already knew of, and which was vulnerable to an aerial attack. And if they had the means to weaponize our technology, it stand's to reason they would've had the means to detect any potential intruders, or escapee's" she explained
"You think my escape wasn't a lucky fluke?" Ratbat frowned in suspicion
"Hardly: a complex that held my twin brother in cryo-stasis for nearly a century, not being equipped with the necessary means to detect Cybertronian life-form's inside and out? How odd does that strike you?" she asked him with a raised optic ridge.
"...I see you're point..." Ratbat reluctantly admitted as he thought about it.
"But where did Chumley fit into all this? If project Broadsword had the means and the manpower to take on Prime, why didn't they just go after him themselves?" Trailbreaker asked. "And what if he tries to take Prime again? Or any one of us for that matter?" Bumblebee added worryingly.
"Now that I think about it: I believe it's highly likely Chumley was hired to be a smokescreen; if Broadsword had gone in all guns blazing, we would have deduced right away that it was a military outfit. But with a mercenary like Chumley calling the shots, it leads us to surmise that a cadre of rouge solders with stolen Autobot technology were the ones responsible...That being said: Chumley's a good tactician, and doesn't strike me as the type to push his luck...Call it a long shot, but I don't think we'll be seeing him again"
"But by using those weapons, haven't they availed themselves already? That's kinda counter-productive if you're trying to keep a low profile" Trailbreaker pointed out
"I believe that was part of their point; it doesn't matter if the weapons gave them away or not; they made their statement that they have them. And as long as we do not possess a sample to offer as evidence, they simply remain as a speculative footnote on the reports" Majestrix frowned
"Then maybe that's where we should start? Draw them out into the open, engage them, and in the confusion try to nab one of the weapons: if they're really Autobot/human hybrid weapons-tech, a reverse-engineering disassembly in the lab with Que will confirm that" Darren threw in.
"As proactive as that sounds, it's better in theory than in practice..." Optimus explained, as the memory of his capture came back to mind, "Those weapons: they didn't just stop me, they put me down. And due to its unstable nature, there's no one effective means of shielding from stasis energy. If we go into battle against those weapons, we would be taken out before we had a chance to defend ourselves"
"And the very fact they were able to make those weapons throws up even more questions..." Majestrix added, "Stasis energy is highly temperamental to handle: even Shockwave couldn't effectively weaponize it; so how do a bunch of technologically primitive organics manage to accomplish what no cybertronian scientist could, in over four million years of war?"
"There is something far deeper to this, than what it looks like at first glance" Prime thought aloud, "The weapons, the mind-controlled Decepticons, the former Sector 7 base being reinstated without the Pentagon's approval: and Galloway...Something big is going on, and we're being deliberately kept in the dark"
An uncomfortable moment of silence passed, before Bishop cautiously asked: "So? What are you proposing we do? We can't go against Moshower's orders to get involved with the investigation, and with Galloway keeping us stuck between a rock and a hard place: I'm afraid there's not a lot of options open to us Optimus"
Prime looked around the table, at his Autobots and human friends: heaved a resigned sigh, and coolly replied; "...We will adhere to Moshower's orders: he may be under pressure, but he's never given us reason to question his logic; he's a capable general, and I respect him as such...But Galloway? I'm afraid this recent incident has cast his reliability into serious doubt. I am sorry, but I do not trust him"
"So we go after him?" Darren asked
"Not directly," Majestrix explained, "We have to first find evidence of any doubt or deceit on his part; I have no doubt that Galloway pulled some dubious strings to get approval to the classified access list in such a short amount of time, and if indeed it wasn't above board, there must evidence of some kind somewhere that will point us in the right direction. That, will be you're task Darren: dig around the 'World Wide Web', and see what you can find. Report only to me or Optimus, and if you require additional personnel or resources, see me when we're done here.
"Sure thing" Darren nodded
"Sam," The Prima gazed down at the Witwicky boy, "Do you still trust you're instinct on this?"
"Definitely" Sam nodded confidently
"Then, both you and Darren will work in tandem; this will be an unofficial 'information-gathering' exercise: and unless something irrefutable is found to suggest something really is going on, this is to remain only between us, and strictly off the record... Major Lennox, Colonel Bishop: as the leader of the NEST field units, and commander of the base: I wish to state that if this little 'reconnaissance mission' goes astray somehow, or if anything where to happen that would put the human troops in harm's way. I will take full responsibility, I asked Sam and Darren to undertake this assignment, and as such, any blame or any failures will be directed to my door; no one else is to be reprimanded for an action of my choosing" Majestrix stated.
"That's fair enough: but there's no guarantee, if this fails and we get found out, that we might all have to share the blame" Bishop pointed out, "However, I am as eager to find out exactly what's been going on: so mom's the word as far as I'm concerned...I'll make some call's, try to call in a few favors: but I can't make any promises".
"I thank you Colonel" Majestrix nodded respectfully, "But I'd rather keep this small and discreet, the fewer people who know of this the better: and until we find something that warrants Moshower's attention, that's the way it will stay: understood?"
"Yes ma'am" the Colonel replied
"Then unless there is anything else to discuss, this meeting is adjourned, and as far as you're all concerned, it never happened" Majestrix stated as she got up to leave the room; as everyone else got up to leave, Darren ran along the table, and jumped off: latching onto her thumb and grabbing her attention as she lifted him up to her face. "You said I could have additional personnel" he stated
"Correct: you have someone in mind that would be of use to you?" she asked
"Actually, more than one," he sheepishly replied, "Do you mind if we discuss this in privet? There're some reasons I need to outline, so you'll better understand my logic in choosing these 'particular' people..."
With a discreet nod, Majestrix wandered over to one of the privet computer booths in the far-end corner of the ready-room, and locked the door behind her; as Trailbreaker waited patiently, the others were left to wonder what the secret conversation was about.
Later that day, mid afternoon:
"Man, I can't believe it's been twenty four hours" Max sighed tiredly
"Feels way longer" Allie thought aloud in a contemplative voice
"Hard to believe you can squeeze so much craziness into one day and night, huh?" Tangostar weakly smiled.
"If that's how tense it gets at the worst of times round here, we really gotta start paying attention and keep our heads in the game" Chelsea thought aloud, to which everyone bar Roxy nodded in agreement.
"Far be it from me to ask a stupid question: but are you still brooding over that Galloway guy?" Jeanie asked offhand
"What do you think?" Roxy frowned sarcastically, no one replied as they deadpanned at her: "...Yes I'm still pissed, I've dated hipsters who make more sense than he does: I mean really, where the hell does he get off on telling you guys what and what not to do? We get kidnapped by giant bugs, Morri nearly died, Prime got swiped and nearly chop-shopped, and he say's we shoulda been declared MIA?!" she glared up at the femmes.
"He's a bureaucrat Roxy: they all think they know how to run things. He's just a pencil-pusher riding the President's coattails; don't let him bug you" Jeanie offered
"Hm, well" Roxy sighed as she raised her Styrofoam cup of coffee, "Here's to the pencil-pushers, may they all get lead poisoning"
"Amen" the girls and femmes replied.
"I'll drink to that" Darren added as he and Trailbreaker strolled into the room, with a laptop tucked under one arm.
"Finally, where've you been all afternoon?" Max asked
"Talking with Majestrix: you're in"
"What?" Roxy snapped out of her broodiness, and stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"She'll let you assist me and Sam with the 'information-gathering'"
"Nice!" Jeanie smiled
"BUT!-" Darren was quick to hold up his hand before they all got excited, "Only on one condition, and it's strictly non-negotiable"
"...Okay" Chelsea nodded, wondering where this was going.
Darren dropped his gaze momentarily, as he tried to find the right words to explain: "...There's a lot riding on the investigation: the brass, and a lot of other people near the top of the political food chain are already raising a stink over it; and worst yet, we don't know what the Pentagon might turn up, if anything at all, and even then, it's only going to raise more speculation and suspicion...Long and short of it, we don't have the luxury of screwing this up, and even if we find something, the way in which we handle it will be just as crucial. So the one condition is: if we're going to do this together, we're going to do it right; focus, keep your wits about you, and don't go chasing after problems where there aren't any...But more importantly: I know how pissed you all are at how this whole thing was handled by Galloway, hell I'm pissed too; but revenge can't be the driving force behind this. There's a fine line between digging up dirt on someone, and digging yourself into a hole you can't get out of; remember, everyone on this base relies on everyone else for their survival, and what we do (or don't do), could affect NEST and the Autobots if we get caught or screw up somewhere...If you feel this might be too much for you to handle, you can decline now and the issue won't be raised again: but if you choose to help me and Sam on this, you have to follow my lead, my instruction, and don't go making assumptions on what you don't know; I'm not asking for much, only that you listen, and trust me"
The girls all looked at one another, then back at Darren: "I don't see anyone else heading for the exit" Roxy casually replied
"Fair enough," Darren nodded, "But don't don't go stating the obvious okay? It only adds insult to injury"
"Fine by me, just as long as I can use my fists if things get dicey again"
"If and when" Darren emphasized, "Hopefully, never"
"One question though," Rosy asked: "How did you managed to convince Majestrix to let you let us help you?"
"Wasn't easy," Darren smiled weakly, "But I explained: that after everything that happened over the past twenty four hours, with you, with us, with everyone: having additional help is better than none, even if you're not techies"
"Hey, I can work a computer!" Rosy protested
"You know how to open you're emails and download cookie-infected kitty videos: and that's about the gist of all you can do Rosy" Darren pointed out, before he lightened up, "But, I guess you're never too old to learn how to defrag a hard-drive? So if you're willing, I'll teach you a few tricks okay?"
"Sweet!" Rosy smiled
"So where do we start?" Jeanie asked
"Just-, go to the security hub and go in terminal booth three, Sam and Bee are waiting for you in there, they'll brief you on where we'll be starting first; oh, and one last thing, don't tell anyone about this; this is strictly under the radar so mind what you say when you're off the clock, okay?"
"Yeah yeah, don't get your brain cells in a twist" Roxy waved off
"What about us?" Bluebird asked
"You're guardianship of the younglings remains unchanged, and you still have to report to me: until such a time Prime deems you fit to conduct you're assignment without supervision" Trailbreaker replied
"Fair enough" Bluebird shrugged
"But we still get to ride shotgun, right?" Rosy beamed up at Veebee
"Please" Roxy scoffed, "Beauty before youth"
"Don't you mean age before beauty?" Chelsea thought aloud
"Yeah, you're the oldest!" Max laughed, to which Roxy smacked her upside the head, "Oh bite me!" she snapped.
"Just go," Darren pointed to the door as he rolled his eyes, "I'll catch up in a bit: me an' Trailbreaker gotta discuss some things..."
As the girls and their guardians left the room, Darren snagged Max by the arm, "Wait..." he pulled her aside out of earshot of the others, "Remember when I said it might be a good idea for you to keep you're hacker skills under wraps?"
"I was wondering when you were going to ask" she smirked
"I thought so," he smiled slyly, "Which is why I went fishing around my privet collection, for this..." he handed her the laptop he'd been carrying; it wasn't much different to his own, but it the slight differences in style and design were noticeable: "...I bought this at the same time I bought my old one; I tweaked a few things here and there on the mother-board, and threw in some customizations for good measure. It's not new or fancy, but it'll do what you need it to do"
For a moment, Max started at the laptop in stunned silence: "You- ...You got this for me?"
"Well? I just don't want us to end up bickering over who gets to use the main server, so it makes sense for you to have your own, so all you have to do is just plug it in" Darren thought aloud sheepishly.
"...I've never had my own laptop before" Max blurted out,
Darren blinked in surprise: "...Really? You never even stole one?"
"Didn't get the chance..." she smiled sheepishly, "...Thank you"
For a moment, Darren was taken aback by the look of genuine honesty and thankfulness that lit up her face; it was something he never expected, not of someone so stubborn and reluctant to share their feelings. All these years, and it takes a laptop to bring out her lighter side; as he thought about it, Darren couldn't but smile.
"It's okay" he replied, "Just-, don't go trolling Roxy on company time, okay?"
"Heh, deal"
"And don't think you can start playing on it right away" Darren explained as they both walked out the room, "I've gotta see exactly what you can do first, so if there's any gaps to fill, we can fill them in where needed". As the two cousins continued to chat, Trailbreaker turned his attention to Bluebird: "By the way, how's Firefly? I haven't seen her since this morning"
"Oh, she's got training two minutes" Bluebird replied sheepishly
"Seriously? Did Ironhide clear it with Ratchet?" the black bot blinked in surprise
"I don't know..." the blue femme replied anxiously, "...I just hope he's not in a bad mood..."
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the base:
"I wasn't scared mom, honest: I mean, yeah it was kinda weird, not being able to sense our bond, but I wasn't scared at all" Sparklestar explained as she sat atop her mother's shoulder-plate.
"And I'm very proud of you sweet-spark, for being so brave: but not being able to sense you like that? It's very scary for me, okay?" Crystalwing sighed anxiously as she stopped in front of the training room.
"Can I go and play with Annabelle and Violet now? Anny promised me she'd teach me how to cheat- I mean, win at go-fish!" Sparklestar perked up as she spotted said human's approaching from the other end of the corridor with Hailey and Jay-jay in tow.
"Of course sweet-spark," Crystalwing smiled as she carefully plucked her off her shoulder, and placed her down on the ground, "Just be sure to come to the rec-room at five for your energon; now have fun"
"Anny! Violet!" Sparklestar called to the youngsters as she bounded towards them in excitement.
'She's just like father: even being separated from the bond hardly fazes her' Crystalwing heard her son Obsidian, whisper down their bond, 'maybe? It's not such a bad thing? She wasn't scared after all'
'I know' Crystalwing replied anxiously, 'but only because Morri provided a grounded point for her confidence: the others too from what Max described; if it had been different, she would have been scared'
'Do you know that for sure?'
'...No; but I don't want to find out...And anyway, I'm more worried about Shadow right now. I haven't seen her since we got back, but-...'
'I know, I sense it too; she's not pushing us away this time'
'But she's not letting us completely in either. I think-, she's trying to think some things over at the moment: just give her, her space, hopefully she'll come round this time'
I hope so mother...' Obsidian sighed as his end of the bond faded away, leaving Crystalwing alone in the corridor: watching her youngest daughter and the human younglings, and one flyer-sparkling playing along one of the raised walkways that ran over the main entrance to the training room.
Deciding to distract herself with some much needed energon, the femme took her leave, and headed for the rec-room.
Meanwhile, inside said training room:
"...Aren't you supposed to be with your sisters?" Firefly asked Lizzy
"Eh, figured I'd give 'em a break from me: after the way that douche Galloway pissed us all off earlier, I'm probably the last person they wanna hang around with" Lizzy sighed as she dangled her feet over the side of the mezzanine, where the control terminal for the training room's battle simulator was situated.
"Yeah, figured my sisters would wanna get on with their stuff too" Firefly sighed, "Besides, I wanna do this, and get it right this time...I just hope Ironhide and Kup are in a better mood today"
At that moment, the entrance doors slid open: but as Firefly took a deep breath, and braced herself for the hard-lined discipline of the Autobots two most grittiest warriors: she was taken aback at the site of Jetfire strolling in instead.
"Oh, off duty already?" she asked, thinking he was here to watch the training session again.
"Just got on actually, and I'm glad to see you're on time for once" the ancient seeker smirked as he rested one hand on his hip-plate, and leaned against his walking stick.
"Huh? But I thought-, aren't you on guard duty in brig?" Firefly raised an optic-ridge.
"I don't know if you've been down to the brig as of yet, but it's currently out of service thanks to Grimlock: Wheeljack reckons the basic repairs alone will take a couple of weeks, at best. So until that's sorted, I've got something else to be getting on with. Namely, training you"
"What?" Firefly went wide-eyed, "But-, what about Ironhide and Kup?"
"Eh, Ironhide's got enough on his plate with helping Prime, so I sweet-talked him into letting me take over you're retraining; and as for Kup? Well, the old geezer could never say no to my secret stash of high-grade/diesel blend: besides, you were getting the best of him anyway, so he didn't put up much of an argument (although, he was too plastered to say much anyway)" Jetfire smirked
"...Why? I mean-"
"-Why am I taking a chance on you, youngling?" Jetfire gazed down at her with a shifty, knowing look; he could just tell her that he overheard her and Lizzy having their little spark-to-heart moment: but somehow, that just didn't seem right. Some things are meant to stay only between friends, and despite the fact they were trouble, Firefly and Lizzy had become the best of friends; and so, Jetfire straightened himself up, and in a somewhat (but not really) serious tone, told her: "...Considering you're behavior over the course of this exercise, one is tempted to say that you're beyond any form of redemption, in your actions as well as you're temperament; one could even say that you need to be sat down and lectured on the importance of discipline, respect, and dedication to the Autobot cause. Even yesterday, Ironhide was half temped to try it himself..."
Firefly merely sulked as she dropped her gaze in disappointment, until Jetfire added in a lighter tone, "...But, that was yesterday, and given what's happened over the past twenty four hours: I'd say you're experience is lecture enough..."
Firefly looked up at him in surprise.
"Listen, it's one thing to learn how to fight in a training simulator, but no matter how well you recreate the conditions, it's never a substitute for the real thing...There are not many rookies that have encountered Insecticons, and lived to tell about it: I don't know what happened in the hours you were held captive, but whatever went on, somewhere amid that tense situation, you did something right, and it's the reason you're not dead" he explained.
As she thought about, all of it: from start to finish, there was only one reason she could think of: "...I listened to Morri" she blurted out
"That's a start," Jetfire smiled, "And dare I ask, but are you willing to listen to me?"
Realizing he wasn't putting on the same hard-lined 'up-in-your-face-plates' attitude as Ironhide or Kup did: but rather, a more understanding, more open kind of approach. Firefly smiled, as a cautious sense of optimism began to creep into the back of her mind: "...Yes..." she replied confidently.
"Good" the seeker nodded as he took up a fighting stance, "First things first: let's see how well you can hold up you're defense"
As master and student started sparing, they were oblivious to the gap in the doors: through which, Optimus Prime and Majestrix both watched with a sense of satisfaction. "I guess a change of trainer was what she really needed after all?" the Prima grinned; "That, and coming close to death tends to put one's priorities into perspective" Optimus concurred.
"Maybe that's how we should have trained all our rookies? Teach them to fight, whilst at the same time scaring the spark out of them" she teased
"I cannot say that's the soundest way to teach respect of one's enemy?" Prime deadpanned
"But the results would be most effective, and it would cut down the smart-mouth attitudes considerably" Majestrix smirked
"Only for a certain percentage," Prime gestured to the Lambo twins as they both strode on by. Sideswipe was bragging about how he took one of the Insecticon's down single-handedly, while his brother looked like he just wanted to throttle him. "...True" Majestrix sighed reservedly, "Still, there's always room for one more near-death experience" she smiled slyly.
"You are most wicked, sister" Prime sighed wryly as they both stepped away from the doors, allowing them to seal shut, "But still, at least that's one issue taken care of, and I'd be most surprised if I find her in my office for the umpteenth time"
"Sometimes, some problems just sort themselves out," Majestrix smiled with a shrug
"PRIME!" Grimlock bellowed as he came storming down the corridor with his Dinobots tailing close behind, pushing everyone out of the way.
"Unlike some..." she deadpanned bitterly as her smile turned into a sour scowl.
"I was hoping we'd talk again" Prime addressed the Tyrannosaurus, "Now that the Insecticons are no longer a threat. There is the issue of you and you're troops storming my base and removing the prisoners from the brig: that has yet to be addressed"
"Forget the flyers, you owe me!" the giant beast growled as he stared the prime down.
Optimus blinked in surprise, "I owe you what, exactly?"
"Compensation! For depriving me of my meal!" the Dinobot leader angrily bellowed, "We chased those bugs across an entire galaxy, only to watch them blow up in flames! With not even so much as a carcass to pick clean!"
"And how is that my fault?" Prime pointed out, having a rough idea of where this was going. By now, most of the other Autobots and humans had stopped to see what was going on; and as the crowd grew larger, they made sure to keep a safe distance from the Tyrannosaurus.
All but Annabelle, who was watching from the nearby walkway, stood the closest: behind the Tyrannosaurus's rear end, just out of his line of sight...
"The circumstances were out of our hands, it's hardly anyone's fault!" Prime added.
"Except for the humans!" Grimlock growled, "They're the ones responsible for this whole mess; and even now, they regard you as a whipped turbo-fox; why not set an example and lay a few of their troops to waste?"
"And just what would that accomplish?" Majestrix stated as she folded her arms,
"It would show those whelps who's in charge on this dirt-ball planet!" Grimlock angrily replied, "But what would you know? You've gone soft in the CPU; you've hardly got the brass-bearings to do what needs to be done"
Glaring up at the beast, neither Optimus nor Majestrix could be asked to deal with the Dinobot's anger-fueled stupidity, and so Optimus sternly stated: "...Listen, I don't care for your petty slights: I have an army to run, and as my subordinate, you are obliged to follow my orders; I will not be swayed nor put off by your childish taunts any longer. Whatever you think you have in mind, I'm not interested..."
As Prime and Majestrix both turned and walked away, Grimlock was left standing there: a little taken aback at first (these sorts of discussions tended to end with him and Prime beating each senseless), before his short-minded arrogance got the better of him. As his temper began to boil over, the other Dinobots quickly backed up and disappeared out if sight (along with everyone else), as the Tyrannosaurus branded his teeth, and angrily began stomping towards the Prime and Prima.
"HEY! DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOU'RE BACK ON ME YOU-
-HEEAAY!" A tiny female voice stopped the Dinobot leader in his tracks, and made him look behind for the source of the sound:
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size! Ya big meanie!" Annabelle brazenly called out as she readied her Autobot medal in one hand, and slipping under the railing on the walkway, jumped down onto the behemoth's back, and fired the medal's in-built laser beam right into his optic. The shot blinded the monster as he howled and thrashed his head about in pain: and as Annabelle held on for dear life, she spotted a sizable gap between his huge back and thigh plates, and so going on her own intuitive, promptly maneuvered along to the gap, and slipped inside, like a weasel down a rabbit hole.
The Tyrannosaurus stopped, as he suddenly felt something crawling around under his rear plates: but the brief moment of confused silence was soon cut short as Annabelle started firing her laser around the inside of the Dinobot's leg. Both Prime and Majestrix stood staring in dumbfounded shock as the giant beast started to thrash, kick, and bang about all over the corridor, destroying the walkways and knocking sizable holes into the thick concrete walls as he tried to shake the little human loose from her footing, but it was no use; wherever she was inside his leg, she'd wedged herself in good and tight. It was only then that Prime and Majestrix snapped out of their stupor, and realized Annabelle was in serious danger. They both looked at the Dinobot, then at each other, nodded, and ran head-long at the panicking beast.
Without a word, Prime punched the Tyrannosaurus upside the jaw, knocking his balance off and landing him on his side: Majestrix then pinned him down with one foot, as she unsheathed her wrist-sword, and jammed it between the back and thigh plates; and then with a flick of the wrist one would use to open an oyster, the plates parted, and she slipped her one free hand inside. After feeling around, she soon felt soft flesh between her finger tips, and gently pulled out a very dazed Annabelle, who then flopped over in her palm as she gasped for air.
"That's what ya get for pissing me off, lizard lips!" the four year old stated dazedly, before flipping back onto her front, and throwing up over the side of Majestrix's palm.
"Nice..." Majestrix grimaced in disgust
"Is she okay?" Prime asked concernedly
"Oh she's just peachy," Majestrix deadpanned, "Which is more than I can say for him" she gestured to Grimlock, as thick clouds of black smoke started to rise up from the gaps in between the thick armored plates; a clear indicator of internal damage. The crippling effect of which manifested further, as the Tyrannosaurus found he couldn't stand up.
"Wha-, what the frag happened?" he growled angrily as he tried to regain his breath, "What did that thing do to me?!"
"I kicked your ass from the inside out!" Annabelle stated as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "Nobody wails on Optimus Prime! Especially big bullies like you!"
"Yes, thank you for assistance Annabelle" Majestrix deadpanned as she stepped away from the now pissed off Dinobot.
"You little parasite! I'll crush you-
CLANG!
Grimlock didn't get the chance, as Prime slugged him in the jaw yet again.
"Oh, and I suppose you're going to let it have another try?" the beast smirked mockingly up at Prime; but Optimus, much to Grimlock and Majestrix's confusion, simply smiled and stated, "You know? I might just do that"
"Pardon, brother?" Majestrix raised a quizzical optic ridge.
"Come again?" Grimlock deadpanned dryly.
"Actually, what we have here is a unique opportunity for some long overdue 'leveling of the playing field' (as the humans would say). Everyone, including your Dinobots, ran away, and I doubt there are very few if any, who stayed within audio-shot to listen in on the action..." Prime smirked as he squatted down next to Grimlock,
"What's your point?" the Dinobot frowned impatiently.
"My point is: getting you're aft handed to you in such a crippling fashion, is not likely to happen often, even by me; and at first glance, one would surmise that this indeed, it would appear to be the work of my cannon, that somehow, managed to get a lucky shot right between you're plates, " Prime gestured to the smoking aft plates, "...So, in all my merciful fairness, I am going to give you a choice; I'm willing to cover up the precise details of this little 'altercation', and let you pass it off as one of our many skirmishes that got out of hand: on the condition that you're bid to drum me out of the rank of High Commander ceases here and now. Because if you don't? The alternatives will be that everyone will know exactly what happened: that you got your aft handed to you, by a human youngling, with nothing but a thermal laser to boot; and I doubt you're pride would let you recover from such a humiliation. So? What's it going to be? ..."
The Dinobot leader stared at Prime in dumbfounded silence; he knew Optimus was smarter than him, but he never thought he'd stoop to this level to get one over on him. As Annabelle watched with gleeful delight, Majestrix felt proud. For the first time in a long time, she was quite impressed with her little brother: his usual 'straight bullet' way of doing things was okay in terms of outlining the morality of the Autobot cause, but it never allowed him to get 'down and dirty' (in a sense): but to see him threaten Grimlock with humiliation? She couldn't help but let a sly smile cross her lip plates.
Realizing he wasn't kidding, Grimlock's blank stare screwed up into an ugly bitter frown: "...Fine. But I still I hate you..." he growled through his teeth.
"I don't mind, just as long as you don't take any liberties and push your luck with the humans: whatever grievances you have, you don't take it out on them: am I clear?" Prime added sternly
"Transparently..." Grimlock seethed as he picked himself up off the ground, and started limping in the direction of the med-bay"...But remember, you can't watch them all the time. Everybody has to recharge eventually"
"Even you!" Annabelle called after him. She was about to try and climb out of Majestrix's palm, when Optimus got back up and stood over her with his arms folded, giving her that same look her father gave her when she'd been naughty.
"Oh don't look at me like that, I just did you favor" she stated in a sassy manner, as she folded her arms and puffed out her chest.
In a way, she was right: but at the same time her recklessness couldn't be overlooked; but, this was Annabelle, and if anyone was a pro at getting in the last word, it was her (as only a stubborn willful four year-old could). Prime sighed reservedly as he pinched the bridge of his nose-plates: "Just-, don't tell you're creators about this" he waged his finger at her, "That's a whole other trouble I don't need"
"Like I was gonna say anything anyway" Annabelle smiled; she loved it when she got her way: "Besides, he needed to be shown whose boss around here"
"That would be me" Prime deadpanned
"Oh, yeah" Annabelle suddenly realized sheepishly.
"Look: in future, leave the trouble makers to me alright? I've had enough to worry about over the last twenty four hours with the Insecticons taking you, and then trying to make sure everyone stayed away when Chumley came after me. Don't put yourself in harm's way for me youngling: I can take care of myself just fine" Prime stated in a softer tone.
"You weren't fine when that Chummy creep kidnapped you: and we weren't fine because we knew you weren't fine" Annabelle replied in a slightly more sombre tone: "Just because you know how to kick ass, doesn't mean we stop caring about you, you know?"
Taken aback by her words: and the courage that seemed to be embedded in them, Prime couldn't help but ask: "...Tell me Annabelle, when the Insecticons took you and the other younglings, and you all realized you were in great danger: were you scared?"
"Well? Yeah, I was scared, we were all scared. But, being scared is like getting an owie when you fall over: just cuz you cry doesn't mean it'll go away. It's like that night in the other universe, when me an' Mizuki ran away to go find the Autobots when the bad men came to steal the other kids in her neighborhood. I was scared all the way, and I really wanted to go home; but that wouldn't have stopped them. All you can do is: get up, and get on with it, you know?" she replied frankly.
For a moment, Prime had no words to describe the reverence he felt towards this tiny little girl before him; such a depth of courage and determination: and an understanding of the world he never expected of one so under-developed, but at the same time, meeting it head-on with an openness of mind few rarely acquire at such a young age. But then, that was the beauty of childhood: a carefree innocence, untainted by the trappings of adulthood, and the conditionings that came with it. Whatever Will and Sarah had done to allow this strength of character to blossom, he made a note to praise them for it (as well as remind them not to leave their daughter unattended in future).
"I understand..." he smiled warmly, "Now, you better go and find your friends: Majestrix and I have to get this place cleaned up" he added as he allowed her to jump into his open palm, and place her down on the floor.
"Okay, bye-bye!" Annabelle smiled as she skipped off to go and find Sparklestar and Violet; as the two siblings watched her disappear down the corridor, Majestrix couldn't help but sigh: "...She's certainly going places"
"She's just like her father," Optimus thought aloud, "Such a strength of mind and will: so rare to see in one so young"
"Just like Eclipse, when she was her age" Majestrix thought aloud nostalgically, "She was so stubborn, and yet so determined to see her challenges through to the end..." she turned to Prime, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Perhaps? We are not so damned on this world, if humans like them are born into every generation"
"The good ones are always the hardest to find: few and far between; but always a breath of fresh air to the spark..." Prime smiled, "Hope has been a precious, frail thing among our kind for so long; now you see, why I believe we need them, if anything, to remind ourselves that there's so much more to life than the darkness we surrounded ourselves with...It's humans like Annabelle, Morri, Will, and so many others: that give me hope, that our people can be saved"
"...For once brother, I agree..." Majestrix nodded, before she suddenly remembered: "Speaking of which, how is Morri?"
At the same moment, inside the human medical unit:
Voices, darkness, pain: all colliding together in a dark blurred mish-mash of memories; all vying to try and surface as her consciousness began to slowly come around.
The forest
Running along the boulders, up out of sight of the mystery army
Being grabbed by the back of the neck, and dragged up the slope
Shadowstar
Pain, something sharp struck her across the back of her neck
Falling, hitting her head on something hard.
Drifting in and out of darkness
Voices, Autobot voices, five of them, but who?
One, a femme, she sounded familiar...
"Don't worry, I'll tell them she put up a good fight"
Velocity
Morri gasped as her eyes flew open: she remembered the woods, Shadowstar dragging her up into the forest, letting her go, and then-
Nothing but a blur of colour, movement, and drowned voices...except for one...
Looking around, she was alarmed to find herself lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a life-support machine with an oxygen mask over her face.
What had happened? Looking at her hands, she saw no injuries: she bought her hands up to her face, and felt nothing: but when she gently ran her fingers over the side of her temple, and felt the stitches in her flesh, she gasped in horror. Feeling down the back of her neck, she was more horrified to feel the stitched-up wounds running diagonally up her shoulders and neck: deep and raw and throbbing.
Suddenly, the bot sized door at the foot of her bed opened up, and Velocity cautiously peered in: "Morri?!" she gasped in surprise.
Suddenly, Morri felt the pit of her stomach drop as a wave of fear shot through her system, something was different: wrong; this femme who had been her friend, wasn't that same femme now. And as she approached the bed and kneeled down by her side: the warm caring smile on her faceplates did nothing to calm her down.
"How are you feeling? We've all been so worried about you: Deathshot has been absolutely-
"-You were there" Morri breathed in a threatening tone
"Wh-what?" Velocity blinked in surprise.
"In the forest, when I was attacked and knocked out; you thought I was out, but I was still awake" the brunette tried to shuffle to the opposite side of the bed, trying to get as far back from the femme as possible: while Velocity just stared at her in confusion.
"Morri, what, are you talking about? I wasn't anywhere near-"
"-What was it you said? 'Don't worry, I'll tell them she put up a good fight'?"
Velocity stared at her blankly.
"...Don't you dare lie to me," Morri venomously spat, the heart monitor beeping faster as her stress levels rose, "...I trusted you, and you were willing to let me die up in those mountains? ...I don't know who the hell you are, but you better be gone and off this base by the time I'm up and running" she threatened.
"...Morri" Velocity pleaded with a hurt look in her optics, "...I'm sorry..." she sobbed.
But in the blink on an eye, the femme grabbed Morri's right shoulder with her clawed fingers, and held her upright tightly; Morri hissed as the pain forced her to keep still, while Velocity dug her claws in deeper: "Sorry that you didn't die up there..." Velocity smirked in a sultry yet menacing voice. The sudden shift in her tone and character alarmed Morri even more as the femme bent right down, until they were both face to face.
"It would've been most convenient for me: but, you are Deathshot's favorite after all, and I couldn't bear to see him torn up over you're death: so, you were lucky in that regard..." Velocity smiled as she tugged the human by the shoulder, electing another hiss of pain: "Now, the thing you have to understand, is that me and Deathshot? We have a history together. Oh I'm sure he gave you 'his' version of events, but the truth, I'm sorry to say, is a little more, 'complicated'. See, when we were together, we had something quite special, something, not many couples have; he knew how to please a femme like me, seduce me, interface with me..." she purred threateningly as she gently ran a finger down Morri's front, right down to her groin, and gently stroked the inside of her thigh to emphasize the point, (much to the human's shock)"Those were the happiest days of our lives: but then the war deteriorated, and we just seemed to 'drift apart'; but now? The war's long behind us, and we finally have a chance at being together again"
"You leave him out of this!" Morri angrily hissed.
"Oh, I'm afraid you've got it backwards" Velocity smirked as she tightened her grip, "I'm afraid it's you, that has to be left out of this; see, two's a couple, but three's a crowd. And I'm sorry, but, you just can't give a mech like him what he needs the most: not what a femme like me can give him,any night of the cycle, any time he needs to be satisfied..."
"You're insane!" Morri growled,
"Perhaps, but at least I've got my priorities," the femme chuckled mockingly, before turning more serious: "Now, I won't kill you: but you will not go blabbing that cute little vocalizer of yours, especially not to him. I finally have a chance to get my Deathshot back, and I will not have a little organic standing in my way. So you are going to be a good girl, and gradually phase yourself out from our lives; because if you don't, I'm going to make life for you and that little family of yours, quite difficult: and if you think I'm kidding..." she smirked, "Well, let's just say, threats are just like promises: don't make them unless you intend to carry them out..."
The sound of footsteps approaching the room suddenly got both their attention.
"Sounds like you're cousin's back already" Velocity sighed in disappointment, "That would be my cue to disappear; do think about it, and remember, I am a sniper, I'm never further away than this..." a small compartment opened up below her wrist, and a small thirty five millimeter bullet fell out into Morri's hand. But before the brunette could stop her, the femme activated her stealth mode, and disappeared from sight: leaving a shocked and horrified Morri, alone in the recovery room
The bot-sized door opened up, and Jazz walked in with Tom and Miles. All three stopped in their tracks when they saw Morri awake: and staring at them as if she'd seen a ghost.
"M-Morri!" Tom blurted out in a mix of surprise and happiness as he ran up to her, and gently pulled her in for a hug, as Jazz and Miles both approached the birth in a giddy sense of happiness, Morri simply stared at the door over Tom's shoulder, and watched as it gently opened, and closed ajar by itself. Velocity was gone, and Morri, didn't know what to say or do, but stare off into space, as her mind did a full one-eighty...
"Dude! Go get D! And get Danny and John too!" Miles told his guardian, who was out the door like a shot.
Later that day, early evening:
"Are you sure you're okay? You don't want you're stitches to come out prematurely" Deathshot said as he tucked Morri in for the umpteenth time
"For the last time D, I'm fine!" Morri sighed in frustration as she tried to wiggle loose from under the sheets. "The drug's doing it's thing, so there's no pain, alright? I'll be out of here soon enough anyway" she reassured him.
"Girl, we've been worried about you all day, so let the guy have his moment okay?" Glen threw in as he sat near the birth eating the grapes that Rosy bought (or rather, plundered from Botanica's privet garden).
"I was most worried for you Morri; to see you online and well, brings a great relief to my spark" Optimus stated
"Besides, that was quite a knock to the head you received, and until the doctor's satisfied you're one hundred percent okay, you're staying put" Bishop added
"Okay folks, visiting hours are over: the patient needs her rest and the cleaner would like to tidy up the mess" The doctor stated as he gestured to the door.
"Well, I must be getting back, there's a mountain of paperwork that's not going to get itself done. Lennox?"
"Coming," Will replied, "You just concentrate on getting better, okay?"
"Defiantly: see you later Will..." Morri waved good bye, as the Major and the entourage of visitors filed out of the room, until only Deathshot, Tom, Danny, John, Sam and Darren were left. When the door closed shut, Morri turned her attention to Sam and Darren: "So? You said you had something you like to bring me in on"
"It can wait until you're better, the doctor's gotta do another CT scan to confirm you're okay" Sam waved off
"I'm okay" Morri insisted, "I just- can't remember who attacked me is all; everything up until that one moment I remember, after that, it's just-, blank" she lied, being careful to keep cool.
"That still qualifies as minor brain-damage, even if it's only one brain-cell that got mislaid" Deathshot insisted, "Please, you must take this more seriously youngling" he pleaded.
Looking up at him, and seeing the concern in his one optic, Morri couldn't help but sigh as she gently pat him on the hand: she knew he was just trying to make sure she was comfortable and safe, after the worry and dread he'd endured all afternoon, she couldn't blame him for being overcautious. And deep down, she felt awful for putting him to so much worry; along with the rest of her family.
"...It can wait" Morri smiled, "Besides; I'm tired after all that excitement" she sighed as she lay her head back down on the pillow.
"Then in that case, we'll leave..." John paused as he heard the sound of Wheeljack running hell for leather towards the recovery room, the scientist burst in through the door, looking like he'd just had the shock of his life: "QUICK! It's Ashley! You gotta get back to the med-bay right now!" he blurted out, and quickly dashed back the way he'd came.
Gawking at one another in alarm, nobody wasted a second as they flew out the room. Deathshot scooped Morri up in one hand, and followed the others as they ran at break-neck speed to the med-bay. Once inside, they made a beeline for the isolation ward, where Ratchet and Que were standing by the door: with a very out of breath Wheeljack.
Ratchet bent down to try and stop John, as he tried to push the bot's hand's out of the way: "John wait! Stop! I have to explain!-". "Let me through! Let me see my son!" John grunted as he pushed through the medic's hands, and slammed the open button on the keypad.
The doors slid open, but the sight that greeted him, took everyone by surprise...
"Dad..." Ashley smiled
"What-..."
"Ashley?!"
"...Oh my god"
"What the hell..."
It was Ashley, alive and well...and human. Exactly as he was, before he was transformed; every detail of him was just as it had been: except for his left eye. The skin around the orbital socket was a pale grey, more like living metal than flesh, and the sclera of his eye was jet black, with the iris a bright vivid red, and underneath, was a small tattoo-like marking, in the shape of a cybertronian glyph.
Everyone stood at the door, not quiet believing what they were seeing. Morri patted her guardian's hand, prompting him to put her down: and she weakly climbed out his palm, and stood up on her tired legs, Ashley slowly moved towards her, before running at her, and wrapping his arms around her in the biggest hug he could muster.
"I'm so happy you're okay!" he blurted out, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.
"Me?" Morri returned the hug, "Forget me, look at you!"
"I'm back!" he grinned ear to ear
Overcome with emotion, his father, his cousins, even Deathshot joined in the hug as he lifted them up to his face, and let them hug his cheek: and for the longest time they all just embraced each other. A family reunited, and whole again.
But outside their bubble of happiness, the scene around them was quite different, all the bots in the room stood staring at Ashley: unable to compute the fact he was human again; at the entrance to the med-bay, Optimus and Majestrix stood staring in a mix of shock and disbelief, along with the other humans and bots who were standing there in bewilderment.
"-Oh wait, you haven't seen the best part!" Ashley wriggled out of the 'cuddle pile' and jumped back down to the floor
"The best part?" John echoed
"Yeah, check it out! ..." Ashley smiled; suddenly, a bright red aura encased his entire body as the hemogon in his system lit up from under his flesh, and all at once, he shot up to over twelve feet tall and bulked out, with dark armor morphing from out of his skin, his tail sprouted from the base of his spine, complete with its bladed tip, and his fingers and toes reformed into his long sharp claws. His ears grew longer, his third optic-like eye opened up in the center of his forehead, and his features morphed into an older version of himself. The whole transformation sequence took less than a few seconds, and when it was over, he stood there proudly in his hybrid form, only this time, the armor covering his whole body was much darker, a sort of charcoal black with a vague aubergine purple iridescence, while his whole front was a pale pewter greyish-purple. "...I can transform! Now I can be both human and hybrid!" he grinned with giddy excitement.
But everyone else, was considerably less enthusiastic...
Glen fainted and dropped like a stone, Prowl's processor glitched so he keeled over too: Que looked like was about to flip out, while the rest of the humans and bots just stood there, gawking in stunned shock.
"...What? Too soon? ... (Maybe I should've thought this through a little better)" Ashley added sheepishly, realizing that perhaps, this had not been one of his better ideas.
And thus, the day has come full circle: and with only an epilogue left to do, the forth chapter of our saga comes to a close :)
And for you all you Soundwave fans out there, I can promise you the next installment is going to be good ;)
Hope you loved this roller-coaster ride sweet-things: please remember to R&R before clicking off, and see you next time!