Maelstrom Chapter 31
Conversations in the Kitchen: Chapter 2 B
Author's note: This story is part of a LONG series called Maelstrom. It is strictly Gen. 1 - sorry, but that was all that was out when I started writing back in the late 1980's. It began as a fan-publication so the first chapters are in the form of a comic book! If you have not read the nine original Maelstrom Comics and the preceding text stories, I strongly suggest you do. This is a complex universe. They can be found at http// illmatar. deviantart. com (I have put double spaces between the URL here or FF . Net eats the link.) The comics and art which accompanies this series are there...and believe me I am a better artist than writer.
Most chapters of this series contain strong language and violence. Rated M for adult themes! Really! Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Critiques adored! This scene contains strong language, violence, and sex.
Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Story and OC characters are mine. Critiques adored!
Maelstrom 31
Conversations in the Kitchen
Chapter 2
Getting to Know Everything About you
Part B
Conversations in The Kitchen Chapter 2
Part B
Continued from Part A!
"I'm a mutant." Lancer told them bluntly. "My body stores and releases energy. I blasted the glass as I went through it."
They stared at her as if they had no idea what she was talking about.
"A what?" Carly finally managed.
"A mutant. A genetically aberrant human. My nervous system runs on much higher energy levels than a flat-line human. It allows me to absorb and release power at will, in pretty much any form and intensity I like, within limits."
"She a walking battery," Rodimus quipped. "And I never need to look for a flash-light when she's around."
"There was a moment of silence while they digested this. They remembered her white, glowing eyes, and the flare of energy up Rodi's metal leg. "How much energy?" Magnus asked cautiously.
"It varies depending on the type, and how much I have stored, but I can absorb on average of about thirty direct hits from your average Autobot blaster. That's if I'm storing it all. If I'm using the energy for something, like say, to blast back, I can go on indefinitely. There are limits to my reserves of course, so I usually try to conserve if I don't have a reliable source to draw from." She demonstrated by arcing a small lance back and forth between her hands.
"Cool!" Hot Rod said with enthusiasm. He sat down at the table with his chair backwards. Spike had never wanted to smack him so badly before.
"Ah...of course," Magnus said facetiously. She made it sound like they encountered energy-absorbent humans on a daily basis. Foul Play wondered if the Decepticons in Lancer's dimension were as disrespectful of humans as her own people were.
Lancer then found herself trying (with difficulty) to explain exactly what a mutant was. It shocked her a bit. In her home universe mutants weren't commonly seen, but only because the Jabez usually got to them young. They were prevalent enough to be the focus of everything from serious newscasts and scientific studies to cheesy talk-shows and tabloids. From the way talk constantly swirled over "the mutant problem", everyone was an expert on human evolution, and what exactly constituted a human being. It had been the lack of such debate in the local paper which had helped Lancer and Rodimus decide the Jabez probably weren't active in this dimension - or at least they weren't guiding human breeding to produce mutants. To be confronted with people who didn't have any idea of what it meant to be a mutant was a new experience for Lancer. She and Rodimus did their best to explain things without going into the Jabez hand in fostering mutation.
"Um...Is that why, you ..err..." Carly started, and then trailed off.
"Turned into a gruesome Exorcist reject? No. Well. Not directly anyway." Lancer said, and she went on to describe the details of her possession. By the time she was done even Magnus was shuddering.
"It...it invaded your mind?" he asked, the tremor in his voice resulting more from old memories than just the idea of her possession.
"Claudia..a friend of ours...always classified it as a psychic rape. I think its an apt comparison," Rodimus said gravely. Marissa noticed Lancer's white-knuckled grip on his fingers.
"The whole demon shape was my fault in a way," Lancer went on. "I was just a dumb kid, and to me mental invasion meant demonic possession. If you grow up on Earth, watching B-movies on Saturday afternoons, that's the first thing you think of. Since the entity was feeding off of my fear and pain, it did what it could to frighten me more. Warping my body into what I was imagining was just its way of torturing me. Now, when I'm similarly frightened or upset, my body changes, even though the entity itself was destroyed."
"Th..that's horrible." Foul Play said, looking at Lancer with real respect and compassion. Lancer smiled at her, knowing as Foul Play couldn't that she had left the ranks of the Decepticons forever, in her heart at least.
"It's OK, Foul Play. When you have friends to help you, you can overcome just about anything. It took me a long, long time to really put it behind me, but I did because I had people who were willing to stand by me through it all. I still find it amazing they put up with all my crap for so long. I am rather easier to piss off since I was possessed, and for some reason no one tells me I'm beautiful when I'm angry." She smiled at her mate who sent mushy nonsense back at her until she giggled a little. He looked pleased with himself.
"Doesn't it hurt?' Marissa asked, remembering too well how the bones in Lancer's feet had popped when they both blurred together and split apart. She also remembered the talons pushing their way violently through the skin, and didn't even want to think about where the horns and tail were coming from.
"A little, but my more mundane mutant powers give me a lot of control over nerve impulses. I can block a significant portion of the pain."
"Not all of it though," Rodimus said, giving her fingers a squeeze.
Lancer shrugged. "Anyway, I fought a very long time for control over this reaction. I have it pretty well locked down. I can do it voluntarily if I want to, but every now and then I change whether I like it or not....usually when I'm frightened, hurt , or angry. Even then I'm usually in control of myself, but in its most profound state, I can go berserk. It takes extreme provocation - like a bad battle, or say incredibly vivid memories of my mate being viciously tortured to send me over the edge, but I'm really not myself when that happens. It's usually best to give me space when it does. I can get really violent under those circumstances. Are you sorry yet that you didn't let us escape at the start?" Lancer tried to keep her voice calm and frank, although she couldn't really hide how uncomfortable talking about this made her.
The humans, long used to associating demons with the worst evil, did their best to accept this explanation calmly. It wasn't easy. Carly in particular had a hard time getting past the demonic appearance, and she and Spike also worried about Daniel's safety. Hot Rod and Foul Play thought it was rather interesting to meet a human-transformer, and were more interested in the physical manifestations than anything else. Arcee thought it was just ugly. Ultra Magnus thought back on how the Quintissons had made him into what they wanted by messing with his head, and the similar danger he sometimes presented to those around him. Magnus the Killing Machine. He remembered only too well the time he'd spent in darkness, snarling like a beast, Optimus' initial distrust and accusations, and the inquisition which followed the incident with Sideswipe.... He shuddered in sympathy, knowing the kind of fight Lancer must have had getting herself under control, and the kind of self-doubt she must have suffered. At least he now understood why she wasn't afraid of HIM.
Springer made a mental note to never ever ever get on her bad side again.
"Which reminds me!" Marissa said suddenly. "HOW DID YOU KNOW RODI WAS FLASHING? We didn't hear anything, and you were.. err.. fanged-out and through the window before Rodimus went Autobot!" She couldn't help but feel smug that she'd caught them red-handed, even if they still tried to deny it.
"Well, um...you see," Rodimus said, deciding life would be more peaceful if they gave Marissa what she wanted, "Lancer and I, well, we have this sort of telepathic link, and well...we can read each other's minds." He gave them his best grin, as if that would help it go down easier.
Hot Rod got dizzy.
"What?" asked Magnus, trying to ignore Marissa's gloating smile.
Lancer and Rodimus looked at each other and sighed. "Do you want to explain it or shall I?" Rodi asked tiredly. Hot Rod shook his head, to Rodi's amusement...the kid kept nearly fainting, but he was getting over it quicker every time.
"You," Lancer said.
"Figures. Um...well, its sort of like a constantly open channel on a very private frequency. The most major difference between our link and say, inter-Autobot radio is that for us, it takes more effort to shield the other OUT than to keep the lines open. Also, it isn't affected by distance. It would be easier to explain if you knew something about telepathy, but you don't have that many mutants here."
"You can hear each other's thoughts," Spike stated flatly.
"And share sensations, which is good sometimes, but bad if either of us is hurt or sick," Rodimus explained.
"You've got a woman in your head all the time?" Magnus said dryly. "You poor thing. No wonder you're so screwed up."
Marissa smacked him on the arm. Lancer sent a small bolt of electricity at him and numbed his left arm from the shoulder down.
"AH-HA!" Magnus said. "So that's how you got away! I'm finally understanding your name too!"
"Is that how you kept him still during his flashback the other night?" Marissa asked at the same instant. Magnus tried not to let the mention of his "spell" upset or embarrass him.
"Yeah," Lancer said with a smile. "You're right on all counts."
"True!" Marissa said. "Nerve pinch my ass! And I wasn't even wrong about those silent arguments either! Sign language indeed!" Marissa had completely gotten over all the repeated shocks through pride in her powers of observation. She turned towards Magnus. "I told you I wasn't crazy."
"Oh...you were right, but you're still crazy." Magnus said, arching an eyebrow at her.
"Is that how you kept Rodimus still this afternoon?" Arcee asked, remembering only too well her fear he would thrash the way Magnus did.
"No," Rodimus said softly. "She could do it if she had to, but she didn't. My memories don't include being able to move at all." He paused, and sighed. "I was completely bound and helpless, and my flashbacks lock my limbs accordingly."
"And you knew," Marissa said, looking at Lancer, "even before he went Autobot on us, and changed."
"Yes," Lancer said, noticing how uncomfortable Magnus in particular looked. (Spike and Carly hadn't really gotten past the whole "demon" thing yet, and Springer was clutching his head as if to stop it from spinning. Arcee and Foul Play were just digesting everything, and Hot Rod didn't look like he was following much of anything yet.)
"What's wrong Magnus?" Rodimus asked.
"I don't think I could take that. No time to yourself...no secrets at all...Isn't it distracting?"
"She knows everything Magnus. Absolutely everything....and I'm GLAD." Rodimus said, locking eyes with Magnus earnestly.
X
X
X
The table got a brief run-down of the reasons for Rodi's flashbacks. Hot Rod managed not to faint, but somehow managed to look sicker for it. He gave his uncle a desperate look, and Magnus tried to calm him with a look which said "We'll talk later." Hot Rod settled back, trusting his uncle, but still very disturbed. He couldn't decide whether it was concern for Rodimus or fear for himself, but he sure didn't like the sound of what happened.
"Bright light?" Spike asked, when they finally got down to the actual trigger.
Rodimus nodded. "I was on an examining table, being...examined," was all he said or needed to say. "It was stupid of me to relax in the sun. Like I said, it's been a long while since I've been in a situation where I could really drop my guard. I guess I've forgotten how."
"It's that bad?" Spike asked, having difficulty imagining any version of Hot Rod not remembering how to have a good time.
"Well, lets just say we never go unarmed for a very good reason OK? The bounty on Lancer's head alone could buy someone a small, private planet. Our resident bad guys find us both... erm... annoying, and with the link between us, even if one of us is somewhere safe, the other usually isn't, and the stress is shared between us. We can't really afford to relax completely. Besides, I'm the boss now, and it keeps me busy. I haven't had this many days off in years, and even then there was always something that simply had to have my glorified, personal attention." Rodimus ended with a sarcastic, self-deprecating snort.
Hot Rod shook his head. All he knew was every senior officer he respected had undergone some kind of trauma, and he was seriously reconsidering any future moves up the ranks. If being an adult meant this kind of pain, Hot Rod would be happy to stay disrespected and young.
"Is your position why you were taken?" Magnus asked, concerned as always about the safety of his nephew and brother. Anything similar was happening to Optimus or Hot Rod over his very dead body.
Rodimus shrugged. "Indirectly, I suppose. I don't think the Jabez really cared who they got, but it was actually a Quint that nabbed me. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was a deliberate choice - my fighting and leadership styles are too chaotic for the Quints to predict easily, and they found me a pain in the diodes." Rodimus said with a feral grin.
"They aren't the only ones," Springer muttered under his breath, just loud enough for everyone to hear. He gave Rodimus an oh-so-innocent smile when the older man glared at him.
"I think they were very glad to be rid of me," Rodimus went on as if Springer hadn't said anything.
"Ah," said Marissa, "I'm sure they aren't the only ones in that either!"
"Gee, I wonder why I wanted to get away from your dimensional twins? I'm so very glad to end up here so you guys can make up for the abuse I'd be missing from home." Rodimus said snidely. The scattered snickers around the table weren't quite as strong as he'd hoped, but at least they didn't seem to have become completely uncomfortable with each other again. The impromptu "meeting" broke down a bit, and everyone tried to adjust to all this new information. Hot Rod asked Lancer to "put up the horns" for him, much to Carly's dismay. Lancer smiled a bit to herself...her transformation had never bothered her mate either, although he'd had other things on his mind when he'd first been introduced to it. Foul Play came over to watch as well as Lancer showed him her altered form. He seemed delighted, tugging on her horns, testing her nails and talons for sharpness, and mostly playing with her tail. He tugged on it, and laughed when she wrapped it up his arm and pulled him off balance with it.
"COOL!" he exclaimed. "I bet you use that in a fight!'
"True enough," Lancer said. "Ouch! Hey! It is attached you know!"
"Oh. Sorry. Check it out Foul Play! It's warm and everything." Hot Rod said enthusiastically.
"Oh fine! Just pass me around why don't you!" Lancer laughed as Foul Play took hold of her tail and watched it twitch in her palm.
Foul Play looked up at Lancer suddenly, with the sharp, suspicious glare of a Decepticon. "You've been using this on us during training haven't you?"
Lancer smirked. "Testing someone's balance when they are expecting it doesn't count for much," the assassin said.
Foul Play's eyes narrowed. She didn't disagree, but she was having very vivid memories of not only the falls she had taken, but of her consistent, repetitive landing point. Hot Rod. Foul Play had enough respect for Lancer's fighting skills to assume that Lancer could make them fall any way she wanted them to, so why would she send them into each other? Suddenly alert for manipulation, Foul Play analyzed her response to being tangled up in her sparring partner again and again. She doubted it was accidental, and she doubted Lancer was unaware of the response it brought out in Foul Play's body and mind.
The humanized Decepticon didn't know about Hot Rod, but she knew her own uncomfortable yearnings were heightened with each collision. Not that she'd really been aware of them until this moment. Why would Lancer do such a thing? Foul Play couldn't imagine, but as people began leaving the kitchen to collect their thoughts, the young Decepticon did the same. She spent several hours delving into her heart, and trying to fathom the actions of her teacher. If Lancer was mated to Rodimus, an older version of Hot Rod, why would she encourage Foul Play's attraction? If it wasn't encouragement, then what was it? There was only one thing that became clear to Foul Play during this time of soul-searching, and it gave her no comfort at all. She wanted Hot Rod. Badly.
The day went slowly, and everyone retreated to calm down and digest what they'd learned. By evening though, the younger crowd was showing its resiliency by returning to mayhem-as-usual. Hot Rod was back to shouting at his video games, and after a while of hanging tentatively at the door, Foul Play joined him. Lancer and Rodimus were resting against each other on the couch and watching Hot Rod's game. Foul Play gave Lancer a long, suspicious stare as she sat down. Lancer was worried for a minute that the day's events had made Foul Play afraid of her, but then the mutant noticed the very careful distance Foul Play put between herself and Hot Rod when she sat down. Lancer smiled to herself, and settled back further into Rodi's arms, making it ever so clear how content she was to be there. Rodimus sighed, and rolled his eyes.
Why do I suddenly feel like I'm part of an ad campaign? Fresh meat on sale here! Rodimus sent to his unrepentant mate.
Because you are! Now quit complaining and try to look sexy! Lancer ordered.
OK. Just remember ....You asked for it! Rodimus sent. The torment he heaped upon her got cut short when the rest of the adults wandered in, talking about Lancer's transformation.
"She was growling. That was the first thing I noticed." Carly said. She and Spike were still obviously rattled. He held her hand while they sat on the other section of the couch and drank his coffee. It was a hot day, but he drank his coffee anyway. Marissa thought about saying maybe he didn't need the caffeine (he was still trembling with unshed adrenaline) but changed her mind. Even Spike could look a bit dangerous if pushed far enough, and Marissa had a feeling he was teetering on the edge right then and there. Magnus was sitting on the love-seat and bent up the cushions with his weight. He had crushed the stuffing in the last few months to the point that it conformed comfortably to his body and no one else's. The cushions didn't even lay flat when the chair was unoccupied anymore. Marissa knew Spike intended to charge Optimus for new furniture, but right now he was staring at his deformed cushions like an obsessed psychopath. Thank goodness Rodimus and Lancer weren't blatantly destroying anything right now....Spike wouldn't even look at them yet.
"The transformation messes up my vocal cords," Lancer said with a sigh. "It gets worse as I get angrier, like everything else. It's when I can't even growl anymore that I'm out of control."
"Lancer, you make it sound like you only growl when you're fanging!" Rodimus said with a snort. "The truth is guys, she growls all the time just for the heck of it. She's just been censoring herself since we've been here." Lancer stuck her tongue out at him.
"I noticed the feet," Marissa said with a shudder. "You must be hell on shoes, Lancer."
Lancer smiled. "You will notice Hot Rod and I share a tendency to be bare-foot."
"Uh-huh," Magnus said. "I did notice that. What made you notice her feet first Marissa? It took me forever to get past that tail, and I only noticed it because she used it to lift Springer. The first things I saw were the horns and the eyes."
Spike and Magnus were unnerved by the way the three women suddenly perked up and stared at each other. Lancer smiled a slow, self-satisfied smile. It was a terrifying sight. The snickering which followed was even worse. How could they laugh at a time like this? Worst of all (for Magnus) was the lop-sided smirk Rodimus was aiming his direction. It gave Magnus the sinking feeling he was about to be very sorry he asked. Whatever it was, Rodimus didn't have to look so damned smug about it, and Magnus felt the same horror he felt whenever his nephew went around looking that pleased with himself. That expression never meant anything but trouble.
Marissa opened her mouth to answer him, looked at his sour face, and began giggling uncontrollably. She calmed herself with visible effort, drew in a breath to speak, and ended up back on the floor. Magnus gritted his teeth and vowed that he was going to remain calm for this one. Just because the EDC Captain was a puddle on the carpet didn't mean HE had to dignify whatever nonsense put her there with a response. Magnus nodded to himself. Let Rodimus arch an eyebrow at him. Let Lancer smirk. He would prove to them he was above whatever treachery they had in store. No one got the better of Ultra Magnus!
Marissa crawled back up onto the couch and tried again, but ended up just shaking her head helplessly and pointing at Lancer.
"You want me to tell him?" Lancer asked innocently, knowing full-well that was exactly what Marissa wanted, but needing to tease the EDC Captain just a little more for her reaction. Marissa nodded vigorously, and fought to at least still her laughter enough to hear Lancer, and Magnus' response.
"Well, Ultra Magnus, Marissa was on the floor because I told her something about her twin that rather...um...surprised her."
Magnus nodded his understanding, and once more resolved to show no reaction.
Lancer grinned. Anyone who knew Magnus at all could see that resolution all over his stern face. "Magnus, in our dimension Marissa is pregnant with Ultra Magnus' twin sons."
The room fell into stunned silence yet again.
Hot Rod and Foul Play gaped up at Magnus who was suddenly standing over them.
"LOOK OUT! HE'S COMING DOWN!" Foul Play shrieked. She and Hot Rod scrambled for minimum safe distance as Magnus swayed on his feet.
"AHHHH!"
"CATCH HIM!"
"Catch HIM?"
*THUD*
"Oh, boy."
"My coffee table!"
"Prime owes me. He owes me so bad."
X
X
X
Magnus came to slowly to find a circle of faces surrounding him wearing varying shades of concern and amusement.
"W..what happened? I feel like Optimus just ran me over again!"
"Again?" Rodimus asked, but no one answered him.
"Lancer told you that Marissa's twin is going to have twins and you passed out."
"Ahh..." Magnus said sagely, and passed out again.
"At least it isn't me this time," Hot Rod observed.
"I just can't believe I've seen something that made him laugh and something that made him faint all in one week!" Foul Play said.
Rodimus smirked at his mate, and dragged his spread fingers down through the air. "Score ten, Lady Assassin!"
"It was nothing, really," Lancer said with blatant false modesty. "I just had to report about them... Marissa has to carry them!"
Magnus opened his eyes again with a groan, seeing a similar circle of faces with slightly more amusement to go around. This time though, he remembered how he'd gotten there. His eyes met Lancer's as she stared sweetly down at him.
"I really don't like you," he told her. She merely blinked at him - all doe-eyed innocence. "Twins?" he asked incredulously, sitting up with extreme caution. Marissa's hands supported his back. "They are having t..twins?"
"Scary isn't it?" Rodimus said.
"Almost as scary as the thought of you having children at all!" Magnus snapped crankily. They'd gotten the better of him again, and it was time to start thinking of revenge. From the grin on Rodimus' face, the red-head wasn't too worried. How annoying.
"What I find most amusing," Rodimus said, not about to let that testy look go unanswered, "is the way Magnus meekly submits to whatever Marissa tells him. She gets away with saying and doing things Optimus wouldn't dare try! Normally, she's typically right, and he knows better than to argue with her, but since she's been pregnant she's been getting more and more...um...demanding, and he still won't argue with her."
"Well," Lancer said in defense of her friend,"you know what it feels like to be pregnant. How would you react to being the size of a barge at seven months?"
"Hey! I'm not blaming Marissa! I just think its funny how he says 'Yes, dear,' and shuffles off to do whatever she wants!" Rodimus laughed.
"My twin is obviously a wimp," Magnus said coldly.
"You're right," Marissa agreed. "Hey? Could you get me something to drink?"
"Sure. What do you want?" Magnus said.
"Iced tea will be fine," she said, giving him a small kiss as a thank-you. She leaned back on the couch and smiled smugly as they all watched him get up and go to the kitchen.
"Oh, you're good," Rodimus said in plain admiration. Spike and Carly sat starched with amazement. Hot Rod's eyes couldn't have gotten any wider, and Foul Play had her mouth hanging open.
"The worst part about this," the ex-Decepticon said, "is that no one will EVER believe this!"
It wasn't until Ultra Magnus came back in with the iced-tea in a glass (complete with lemon wedge) that the room lost complete control and laughed at him. He handed Marissa her drink, and put his hands on his hips, and his best "Pissed off commander" look on his face, and demanded to know what they were laughing at now. By this point even Lancer was holding her gut and roaring, and Magnus' attempts to intimidate them into behaving only made things worse. He threw his hands up, and stood there wondering when exactly he had lost his ability to glare people into submission. Even Hot Rod was ignoring his sour face, a new and unacceptable development.
It was Rodimus who finally took enough mercy on him to let him in on the joke. Of course, Rodimus simply had to do it by imitating the last few moments of conversation.
"Our Magnus does whatever Marissa wants!" he said, spoofing himself.
He stood up and mimicked Magnus' expression exactly, even folding his arms and standing next to the seething City Commander as he did. "Your Magnus is obviously whipped...er..a wimp!" he growled. Then he sat down on the couch and lounged seductively, "Get me a drink you hunky man you!" he simpered, batting his eyes. He hopped back up, bowed his shoulders, and said "Yes dear." Then he shuffled off towards the kitchen, but only made it as far as the door-frame before he lost all semblance of control. He clutched the door-frame for support, but ended up on the floor.
Marissa was howling, Hot Rod and Foul Play were clinging to each other, and poor Spike was wiping tears from his eyes. Magnus hid his face behind one hand, and stood there. Eventually they figured out he was laughing a little too, but was trying to hide it.
He looked at Marissa with an accusatory glare that somehow still managed to seem amused. "You set me up, you traitor!"
"Well," Marissa said with a grin, "You asked for it!"
"Besides," Rodimus said, "unless you've been pregnant, you have no idea what's it does to your mind. At least I was able to warn my Magnus in advance, and he's just using good survival skills in dealing with her."
"There you go again! Talking like you know what's its like yourself!" Spike snorted. "Come back to reality and wallow in ignorance with the rest of us Rodimus!"
"He does know Spike!" Lancer said, still giggling a little.
"What do you mean, he knows what's it like to be pregnant?" Carly asked indignantly. "He may have fathered your two girls but he doesn't have a clue about pregnancy! I don't care what you've told him!" As a recent mother, this subject was one Carly took very personally.
Lancer grinned. "You forget our mental link, Carly! Do you think I endured nine months of enforced idleness, morning sickness, back aches, swollen ankles and labor- false and otherwise without letting the perpetrator suffer with me? He missed the ride during my first pregnancy, but I made sure he got the full dose during the second! Believe me! You are looking at the one man who really does know!"
Rodimus smirked.
"The disgusting thing is that it hasn't dissuaded him in the slightest!" Lancer continued.
"I think it's the coolest thing, ever,"Rodimus said. "I keep trying to convince her to give it another go but she just hits me whenever I suggest it."
"Be glad I don't do more than hit you! It's too soon, and I can't keep up with the ones we have now! He never lets up!"
This time the laughter was at Rodi's expense, not that he cared. "I can't help it," he said. "I love my kids. They're like magic!"
"Yeah, well, the magic is the result of long, boring months of maternity-leave for yours truly," Lancer said, "and if you remember, you barely survived the last time! I'm surprised you want to go through it ever again!"
"I know when to duck, when to sympathize, when to say "Yes Dear!" and when to run like hell! Who do you suppose taught Ultra Magnus?"
Lancer snorted skeptically, and everyone else took turns teasing him. Somehow they all sensed Ultra Magnus had had quite enough for one day. He flopped back down in "his" love-seat and said, "Well, at least I don't have to worry about that!"
The laughter took off again. One of the doors upstairs banged open. Springer's irritated voice floated down "Keep it down will you?! Some of us are trying to...to..you know!" The door slammed shut.
X
X
X
Foul Play didn't know what she planned to say, but she knew she wanted... needed to talk to Lancer. The former Decepticon wanted something, and she was used to just going after what she wanted, but she was afraid. She had never wanted anything quite like this before.
Since realizing she was attracted to Hot Rod, Foul Play had become somewhat obsessed. She couldn't stop brooding over the pitfalls she felt surrounded her and separated her from him. His family. Her past. And yes, even Lancer. Foul Play was fairly certain of what HIS family would do if they knew a Decepticon had designs on the heir-apparent - namely shoot her. Then again, Ultra Magnus had protected her from the other's bullying...then again that didn't mean he wanted her with his nephew. Still, his lack of overt aggression gave her hope. Even Springer seemed to laugh with her more than at her these days. She didn't even want to think about Optimus and Elita, so she didn't (much). They seemed so far away anyhow. Somehow the Witwicky home seemed to be a universe to itself, far away from the war she'd lived in all her life.
She shuddered a little. Life with her fellow Decepticons seemed like a bad, if familiar, dream right now, and she was less sure by the day she could ever dream it again.
That was why she both needed and dreaded talking to Lancer. What if Foul Play was only imagining that Lancer was encouraging them both? Then again, the mutant was an outsider the Autobots had accepted as their leader's mate. Lancer knew a lot about Rodimus too, and could maybe lend some advise on how to approach his young twin. But maybe that was a potential problem too - would Lancer be angry if someone besides the assassin's own twin went after Hot Rod? Would she mock Foul Play's desires? Would she help a Decepticon?
Then there was Hot Rod himself. Bare-footed, grass stained, totally clueless Mr. Video-Games. How in the hell was HE going to react?
All of this was doing quite a number on poor Foul Play's stomach as she approached the kitchen. She paused just outside the door, thinking that they hadn't noticed her yet, listening to Rodimus softly cursing their scattered teleporter. She leaned against the wall and tried to summon her courage for a few minutes. The cursing stopped.
She was trying to think of a plausible excuse to get Lancer to talk to her in private when Rodi's face poked out of the door unexpectedly.
Caught plotting against him, and taken completely by surprise by those silent feet, Foul Play yelped guiltily. (Since when are Decepticons guilty over planning lies?)
"Foul Play?" he asked. "We heard you come down the hall...is something wrong? Do you need something?"
If he was at all suspicious (as she would have been) it didn't show, and for some reason what came out of her mouth was completely unlike what she planned to say.
"Umm I just wanted to talk to Lancer but I can see you're busy so nevermind it wasn't important forget it!" she stammered in one long breath. It was bad enough she had to start talking like ANY cursed Autobot, but even if she did why did it have to be Blurr?
Rodimus blinked in surprise, and his eyes twinkled a little with amusement, but he didn't outright laugh at her. She couldn't believe it.
"Ah..." he said, "I see." Now why did that neutral expression make her feel like he was smirking? "Well, I think I need to go stretch my legs a bit anyway." Off he went down the hall before Foul Play could say another word. Catching Springer and Hot Rod in the hall on the way to the kitchen prompted an unusual spurt of pure Rodi mischief. He whacked them both on the head as he passed, and teased them into chasing him out of the house.
Continued in Part C