Hi everyone! School is out! I'm so sorry about the long delay. To make up for the absence, I'm uploading two chapters today. I wanted to get these two out together because I really, really want to get to chapter 39. You'll all see why later! Please review and tell me what you think!
As always, I own nothing!
~Mel
Over two weeks had passed since Sideswipe arrived on the base. After his arrival, the weeks had gone by at a relatively quick pace. Nothing of much importance had taken place, and by this time, the base was fully operational. All of their equipment had arrived and been set up (especially including the shock guards), communications had been set up with countries around the world in case of Decepticon attacks, and everyone at the base had fallen into a familiar routine. Everyone knew their place and their job to help the base run smoothly. NEST was in business.
After the initial fear of Ironhide had worn off (the troops had still come to fear him, but they now knew that if he wasn't bothered, they wouldn't be injured), Alise had gotten to meet some of the recruits. Most had apologized for their behavior (even if it wasn't them who did it), but some had still tried to come up to her and ask her on dates or private walks around the island. Every one of their requests she politely declined, saying that what Ironhide had said was completely true. She did have a 'boyfriend,' and he would gladly crush any man who would try and get too close to her. She didn't mention the later part, however, not wanting to scare them or make them avoid her. She just wanted to let them know she was off the market.
Sideswipe was becoming quickly settled at base. After he had taken the silver Chevy as his vehicle form, Alise had noticed some changes in his bipedal form. One of the most obvious differences was his color change from black to silver, but she also noticed that his form seemed different. His legs seemed longer than before, and his shoulders became broader. He also obtained a pair of hands, only at the cost of his now retractable swords shrinking about a foot and a half in size. Quickly becoming a 'nuisance,' (the word used most by Ironhide to describe the bot) he had already pulled a number of pranks on both the Autobots and soldiers.
Alise seemed to be the only one who had escaped being a victim of his pranks. She didn't know whether to be surprised or not, because she had gotten to know Sideswipe over the last two weeks and had though she would make his list of people to prank. However, as the days passed, everyone but her was falling victim to him. Not that she minded, though. She would be perfectly happy with not being scared shitless on night patrol or have the sprinkler systems suddenly go off during training sessions. Getting to know him better, Alise had grown to like Sides. He may have been immature and egotistic, but he was a good person all together. If she had to classify him in her odd Autobot family, he'd have to be the brother that never grew up. He was certainly good for a laugh, because while his pranks were annoying sometimes, they were always funny.
Sides had found himself liking the little female also. He didn't know what to think of her at first when he learned of her relationship with Bumblebee. To him, she was just a human girl to happened to work at the base and he couldn't see why Bumblebee had grown attached to her. It didn't surprise him, though, that out of all the Autobots, Bumblebee was the one to get involved with a human. He was a good mech, and he was always empathic and curious about other species. But it still took Sideswipe by surprise that it happened at all. However, after talking to Alise during their off time, he found the girl to be intelligent and funny in human terms. He could then see why Bee got attached, and why Ironhide and the other 'bots and humans were so protective of her also. And oddly enough to him, he found that he was feeling the same way.
The second Friday after Sideswipe came, Alise was awakened from her sleep earlier then she would normally get up by the sound of a plane flying over her room. She wasn't used to the Friday morning noise yet because it had only occurred once before, but she wasn't scared when the noise woke her, her realizing what it was immediately. The plane Unity, the smallest of the three cargo planes on the island and the one that brought the soldiers to the base, flew to California every Wednesday to load up with supplies and came back every Friday morning. Lennox told her that first morning that they needed to keep making the trips every week because the base couldn't store many supplies. It was already overcrowded the Autobot's equipment they had saved and brought to the base, and the basic human necessities like food ran out quickly.
If she would have been back at home, Alise wouldn't have gone back to sleep after hearing the loud and startling noise. However, after seeing she had another hour and a half before she normally awoke, she closed her eyes and quickly fell back asleep. She had spent the previous night talking with Bumblebee, as usual, and she was still tired from the late night. The two had talked every night since her arrival, always at the same time of 10:30. Everyone on the base knew that she was not to be bothered after this time, knowing that she on the phone with him. Not that anyone would have the chance to disturb her anyway. Ironhide still slept outside the hallway to her room every night, making sure she was safe.
He wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself, but 'Hide wasn't just watching over her for Bumblebee anymore. He honestly wanted to make certain she was safe. She had grown to truly become like a sibling to him, and he would protect her the same as one of his Autobot brothers in arms.
That morning, at the early hour of 6, Alise went through her normal routine of preparing for the day (today wearing a navy blue dress with a slight sleeve) and then walked outside. As usual, it was hot. However, the air conditioning wouldn't come on for another few hours. The AC was a necessity on the base due to all the electric equipment, but since the maintenance staff agreed that it would save more energy to only use it when necessary. That meant it wouldn't come on until 10:00 am when it really started to boil. Until then, everyone, both human and Cybertronian alike, would have to suffer with the heat.
She walked over to where Ironhide stayed every night and after a short and simple 'good morning', the two drove over to the center of the base. Alise got out of the Topkick and stepped onto the ground below. While 'Hide was transforming behind her, she noticed that the demeanor of the base seemed different. The base was always full of activity and life, and the soldiers' happy attitudes made the place have a homey feeling to it, even in sad times. But today, the room was brimming with an odd amount of energy, especially for this time in the morning. She watched as soldiers walked by them, their faces radiant with happiness and large smiles housed on them. A few even had tears in their eyes. Alise was now very curious to know what was going on.
With Ironhide walking behind her, Alise started to walk in the direction where some of the soldiers were coming from. The closer she got, she noticed that they were all exiting the lounge. Her curiosity peaked; she looked around the corner in the large Autobot sized doorway and saw that all of the computers on the one side of the room had a soldier occupying them. There were webcams attached to the tops of the screens, and all the soldiers seemed to be talking to them.
The computers weren't used since she arrived, and she was told that the soldiers couldn't use them for security reasons. So she was confused to see this change, and her face scrunched in puzzlement. Suddenly, one of the soldiers waved at the screen, and then after a moment he got up from his seat. Alise recognized him immediately. His name was Diego Cruz. Alise didn't know it at the time, but he was the soldier who understood her very explicit Spanish string of curses at the Hoover Dam. They were introduced formally about a week ago, and Diego liked Alise because she was the only one on base who spoke to him in his native language. In fact, whenever the two spoke, it was only in Spanish.
As Diego started to walk to the doorway, Alise got his attention.
"Diego!" she called, her mind making its automatic transition to Spanish. He looked up at her and smiled and quickened his pace.
"Hey, Alise," he said when he reached her. Then he started to speak in his native tongue. "How are you?"
"I'm good," she said with a laugh. "You?"
"Really good, actually." There was lingering smile on his face that Alise didn't miss.
"Hey, what's going on? Everyone looks so happy, and not that that's weird, it's just... I've just never seen everyone like this."
Diego laughed. "It's webcam day." There was a pause. Alise's face scrunched in confusion, and he laughed again. "There was a special day back at the base in Qatar when we could talk with our friends and family over webcam. It was always on the third Friday of the month. Each family who wanted a webcam got one just for this day. The webcams get connected and each soldier gets an hour."
"That's great!" Alise said. All the soldiers needed time to talk to their families and she was glad they were getting it. "Who were you just talking to?"
He laughed again. "My mom and my brother, Leo. I really miss them."
"I bet you do," she said sympathetically.
"Yeah, that's an understatement," he nodded to himself. "You have anyone waiting for you back home?"
She nodded. "My parents are deceased, and I'm an only child," she said. "But the people I've been living with for the past few months before I came here are like my parents and I love them a lot. And their son Sam is like the brother I never had."
"That's good." He paused for a moment and smirked. "And I hear you have a boyfriend..."
She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Why is everyone so interested about him?" she exclaimed with a laugh.
Diego laughed also. "You're a beautiful girl, Alise. Everyone's wondering who holds your heart."
She laughed again and placed her hands over her face to cover the blush that was currently covering her features. Then there was a rough noise from above her. She looked up to see Ironhide standing over the two of them. She had almost forgotten about his presence. By the look on his metal face, she could tell he had been translating their conversation and understood ever word that the two had exchanged. He was looking down at Diego, and he cringed under his look. Then he bent over to directly face Diego and then said one sentence in Spanish in a deep tone that made Alise jump.
"Well tell them to stop, wondering."
Diego's eyes grew wide, and his breathing stopped. He swallowed loudly at 'Hide and then his eyes turned to Alise. He backed up a few paces, still looking at her.
"I'll catch you later, Lise," he said to her. She gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded. He then turned to 'Hide. "Ironhide," he said simply, before walking away. Alise watched him as he walked away, and she noticed that after he was a few yards behind them, he started to quicken his pace. When he disappeared from view, Alise turned to 'Hide and crossed her arms.
"That was mean."
A smirk came across Ironhide's face, and he gave out a chuckle as he stood up.
"I was simply spreading a message."
"You didn't need to scare him! Diego's nice."
"Either way he'll certainly-"
"SIDESWIPE!"
The loud yell was what cut off Ironhide off mid-sentence. The voice was unmistakably Ratchet's. After his yell, the base seemed to turn silent, and the two turned their heads towards the source of the noise, which was coming from the med-bay. Ironhide quickly grabbed Alise and carried her to the large room. When they came within a few yards of the entrance way, they saw Sideswipe run out of the room in front of them at top speed. The two stopped, and watched as Ratchet started to chase after him, a large wrench in his hand. Ratchet suddenly stopped, and then with incredible accuracy, threw the wrench at Sideswipe and hit him exactly on the head, a loud bang emitting. The silver mech fell to the ground, landing on his face. However, he simply stayed down, laughing hysterically.
"SO HELP ME PRIMUS, I WILL SEND YOU TO THE PIT MYSELF!" Ratchet yelled at him. He was pissed. Before either Alise or Ironhide could comment, Optimus appeared from around the corner, Lennox at his feet.
"What happened?" Optimus said quickly, searching the area for a threat. Ratchet turned to the Prime and huffed.
"This glitch put Hydrochloric acid in my cleaning solution!" he bellowed. When Optimus heard this, he let out a sigh and shook his head. Above her, she heard Ironhide let out a quiet chuckle.
"What does he mean?" she asked him quietly, as Ratchet started to go off on Sideswipe once more as Optimus stood by and watched. Alise couldn't help but notice how scary Ratch looked when he was angry.
"Hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive substance," Ironhide explained. "If not diluted, it can dissolve metal and burn human skin."
"Isn't that dangerous?" she asked, worried for a moment about Ratchet.
"To earthly metals yes, but to Cybertronian armor it is simply irritating. A similar affect I believe would be fleshy skin reacting to what I believe you humans call... itching powder?"
Alise, now realizing that Ratch wasn't in any danger, laughed. 'Hide joined along with her, not being able to contain his amusement anymore himself. Optimus looked over at the two and gave them a warning glance, however, he had a grin on his face also, one that he was trying to hide with little affect. Ratchet was still going ballistic and after another moment or two of chewing out Sides's ears, he stormed back into the med-bay, mumbling about rust and itching. Alise also noticed that he started to scratch almost violently at his armor, much to her amusement. When he was gone, Optimus turned to Sideswipe.
"Sideswipe," he said calmly, his voice as deep and diplomatic as ever. "We need to discuss your pastime activities."
Sides, standing up from the floor and still recovering from his mind-numbing laughing, nodded at the Prime. "I figured as much," he said unworriedly, and then the two started to walk out of the med-bay area, Optimus leading the way. This left Alise, Lennox, and Ironhide in the area.
"I'm glad you guys came," Lennox said to them, walking closer to the two. Ironhide bent down slightly and placed Alise on the ground so she was facing him directly. "I wanted to get you, Lise. I have a little surprise."
"Surprise?" she asked. "What would that be?"
Lennox laughed. "Follow me."
'Hide and Lise trailed behind Lennox and were surprised when he led them to exactly where they were minutes before. He took them into the longue and over to all the computers. Most of the soldiers had cleared out by then, the only others being two lone troops, both sitting at opposite ends of the row of computers. The two glanced up at her and 'Hide as they came forward, and then returned to their previous conversations. Lennox sat her down on one of the middle computers. Ironhide took a spot on the wall behind her and sat down noisily. She watched as he activated one of his cannons and then began to examine it and make sure it was in working condition. Then she turned back to Lennox as he hit a couple of buttons on the keyboard and the screen lit up.
"Give it a moment," he told her, and then he started to walk away with a grin on his face.
"Will?" she called after him, but he didn't turn back. So she just watched the screen for a few moments, and nearly jumped out of her skin when a ding! sounded from the speakers and two faces appeared on the screen. When she quickly realized who it was, she caught her breath, and her eyes started to swim with happiness.
"Oh! There she is!" Judy shouted on the screen, some tears already running down her face. Ron laughed aside of her.
"Judy? Ron?" Alise asked, elated. "What are you two doing?"
"Lennox left this webcam with us before you left," Ron explained. "He said that they let all the soldiers and workers at the base contact their families once a month. So we attached the webcam to the laptop. It took us a little to figure out how to work it, but here we are!" he added with a laugh. "You look really surprised."
"I am!" she exclaimed. "I had no idea about this!"
Judy laughed. "Oh, it's so good to see you, Lise! We miss you so much!"
"I miss you all, too," she said happily. "Where's Sam and Bee?"
"They went out a few hours ago. They should be home soon, though. William told us we'd have an hour. I'd hate for you to miss them!"
"Me too."
For the next half an hour, Ron and Judy had filled Alise in with everything she'd missed during the few weeks she had been gone. Nothing much had really changed, however. Mikaela was still coming over regularly, the two of them were doing well, and Sam and Bumblebee always seemed to have something up their sleeves.
"Oh, they were so upset after you left, hun," Judy commented at one point. "Neither of them really talked for a few days. All they did was stay in the garage and mope around! Sam came out eventually, but Bumblebee didn't want to really do anything. It was depressing being around them!"
Alise thought her heart was going to burst when she heard that. She missed her bot and her brother so much.
However, after a long and humorous conversation with the older Witwickys, Ron and Judy turned their heads at the same time and smiled.
"I think Sam and Bumblebee are home!" Judy all, but sung. "We'll talk to you next time, Lise. It was so good seeing you again!"
"You, too, you guys," she said calmly, but her heart was racing. She was going to get to see Bee and Sam! "I love you!"
"We love you, too, Alise," Ron said with a smile. "Now go talk to the boys. They're gonna love seeing you."
"Alright! Bye!"
Judy took the laptop that the webcam was attached to and she brought it through the house and outside into the garage. When she arrived inside, she hid the laptop behind her for a moment and Alise was facing the door to the outside.
"Hey, mom," Alise heard Sam say lazily. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest she was so excited. "What's behind your back?"
"Oh, nothing," Judy said slyly. "Just someone who wants to talk to you."
"What?" Sam said, confused. Alise then heard a chirp from the background, and she put her hands over her month in anticipation. Judy then turned the screen, and Alise was then facing the two. At first they housed confused looks on their faces, but suddenly and almost simultaneously, realization of who she was dawned on both of them. Bee let out a high pitched chirp and Sam let out a "Holy shit!"
"Samuel!" Judy scolded him. "Language!"
Sam rushed to her and took the laptop, smiling widely at her through the screen. Lise heard the sound of the garage door closing, and she assumed Judy had left.
"Lise!" he laughed.
"Miss me?" she asked jokingly, a wide smile crossing her face. Sam laughed.
"You have no idea!" he said excitedly. "Man, it's great seeing ya, Lise! Not much is has happenin-"
Suddenly, Sam's face disappeared and the screen showed the quick moving of the background. Alise heard Sam protesting "Hey! Hey!" when suddenly she was greeted with a large glowing blue eye.
"BEE!" she exclaimed happily, tears leaking from her eyes. She quickly realized that Bee must have taken the laptop from Sam. The eye visibly brightened and blinked. However, she couldn't see any other part of his face. She laughed. "Bee, move the screen back! I can't see your face!" Bee held the screen out farther in front of himself until she was able to see almost his entire face. A bright smile was looking back at her. Just seeing him again made her heart beat fondly. He gave her a small wave and she laughed, giving him one in return.
"Hey, hey, that's enough!" she heard Sam yelling in the background. "You get to talk to her every night! This is the first time I'm seeing from her in weeks!" Alise laughed at him.
"He has a point, Bee," she said to him, though she reached out to touch the screen where his face was. He smirked at her.
"Well, tec-chnic-cally, (static) this is the first (static) time I'm (static) s-seeing you, too," he told her slyly. She laughed loudly.
"This is true!" she said, still laughing.
"Okay, this is not happening!" Sam continued. "Bee, give me the laptop!"
Bee rolled his eyes in Alise's direction and she gave him a small laugh. Then Bee suddenly reached down and grabbed Sam off-screen, and after a startled noise coming from the boy, he placed him on his shoulder. Alise could now see the two in the same frame.
"'Better?'" Bee voiced to him. Sam nodded.
"Yeah, much." Sam then turned to Alise on the screen with a smile on his face. "So what's going on an ocean away?"
Alise chuckled. "Not much. It's mostly just been getting the base in order over here. Other than that I'm usually with 'Hide over here." She gestured over towards him behind her with her thumb. She moved her head as Sam and Bee craned their necks to see him.
"Hey, 'Hide!" Sam called over through the screen. Not even looking up his work on his cannon, Ironhide simply grunted as a reply. Sam chuckled. Bee, however, continued to look at 'Hide. After a moment, he looked up at the screen.
"Don't short a fuse," 'Hide said to Bee through the screen. "I've been watching over her."
Alise, realizing that they were talking through the com-link, turned back to the screen towards Bee.
"Bee, if you keep asking 'Hide to watch over me, he's going to get annoyed with me, go postal, and then use me for target practice."
As Sam started to laugh on his shoulder, Bee's eyes glowed for a brief moment before responding.
"'He better not,'" he voiced lowly. Ironhide chuckled behind Alise.
"You're not that bad, girly," he said to her. "In addition I've contributed too much effort into keeping you in one piece to take you out by my own hand."
Alise laughed. "I'm glad to be reassured, 'Hide."
"Is S-sides-swipe behaving?" Bee asked 'Hide. He chuckled.
"More or less. He's still got a few loose bolts in that processor of his, but besides a few pranks, he's been descent."
"Good."
"Wait," Sam interjected. "Who's Sideswipe?"