Chapter 19
-0-At the enlisted men's barracks
By the time that Ironhide made it to the enlisted men's barracks the wrath of Unicron had descended. The twins who were first to arrive could see that the two miscreants were not going to 'man up' and do the right thing.
Sideswipe whose sympathy with Epps and Lennox was greater tried to talk Sunstreaker into accepting that as sufficient.
"They're going, Sunny," Sideswipe said.
Sunstreaker wasn't having any of it. "They slagged Blue, Sideswipe. They slagged him and Ratchet and the others."
Blue who was standing beside Sunstreaker with a servo on his arm looked worriedly at the two even as he found himself warmed by Sunny's wrath.
Ironhide coming closer peered downward into the circle of Autobots to spot Lennox. "I want to talk to you, Lennox. I want to know what you're going to do about the slagging they gave Ratchet."
Lennox who was looking up swallowed hard. He felt like he was back in California walking through the Avenue of the Giants surrounded by Sequoia Gigantus trees on all sides.
Extremely pissed off, fully armed unappeased Gigantus trees.
As Lennox started to talk to Ironhide, Prowl stepped forward then turned to the twins. A look that could peel paint off walls crossed his face.
Blue and Sideswipe stepped backwards but Sunstreaker held his ground.
Blue tugged on his arm with an expression of worry compromising his youthful face. "Come on, Sunny. Let's step back and let Prowl sort this out
"Prowl?" Sunny said as he raised his voice in ire. "He's one of the targets. Prowl and Prime."
Everyone stopped their chatter, freezing in place with shock.
Prowl stared at Sunny, his expression revealing no trace of the body blow that remark made. "Step back and calm down. We'll solve this peacefully."
"They mocked you and *Prime*, Prowl," Sunstreaker said, his expression one of distaste and sympathetic anger.
Prowl unaccustomed to being defended by one of the most irritating and consistently disruptive Autobots under his command glanced around then down at Lennox who looked like a man who'd lost control of his car and was just waiting for the impact to shatter his face.
"They mocked us, they mocked you and Prime and they mocked Ratchet," Sunny said as he folded his arms in front of his chassis, Bluestreak's grip not withstanding. "Maybe you don't mind but I do."
"Who mocked me, the slaggers?"
Everyone glanced around to stare at Ratchet who had come up unnoticed in the tirade, pausing just behind Ironhide.
"I want to discuss that," Ironhide said unconsciously moving to stand in front of Ratchet. "I don't appreciate my bond being a joke."
"Who's a slagging joke?" Ratchet asked with hands on hips and anger rising in him like fog over a pond. "What the frag is going on here?"
"Alright," Prowl said trying to assert his command authority. "Everyone stand down."
"I want to know what you're going to do," Sunny said leaning toward Prowl. "I don't appreciate Bluestreak being slagged. Or our life. Or the idea that who we're with is a big joke to someone else. Who the frag are they to criticize us? We're here helping them against the fraggin' Decepticons and this is the thanks we get?"
"Sunny," Sideswipe said rolling to stand in front of his brother. "They're going to be sent away."
"So what?" Sunny said. "The damage is done. They've all heard the jokes ... they've all heard the slag. How are we supposed to trust them in combat?"
"I agree."
They all turned around to look at First Aid who regretted his remarks immediately, stepping back to the rear of the Autobot group with a self deprecating gesture of his servos.
"I agree, too," Ratchet said nodding his encouragement to First Aid. "How are we supposed to trust the soldiers if they think we're a joke? And why the frag do you find us so damned funny?"
It was finally silent as Prowl turned in a slow futile circle trying to regain the upper hand and failing. He stopped as the Autobots turned toward Lennox, Epps and Graham to stare down at them as one.
Epps looked at Lennox, then stepped slightly back to be joined by Graham.
Lennox looked at them, his exasperation on full glorious display. "What? Get up here, too!" he said.
"You're the senior officer," Graham said smirking slightly. "Lead."
Epps nodded.
Lennox licking suddenly dry lips looked up at a forest of aliens, their blue optics staring holes through his carcass. "I'm sorry. I don't know why. I don't know why some of our own people hate others of our own people for things that don't matter. I'd hope after all that we've been through that you'd know how much we appreciate and respect you. I and the two others of us here," he said gesturing to Epps and Graham who nodded pointedly, "know what you do and we care about you and your well being.
"I apologize for what's happened and we'll do our best to repair the relationship," he said glancing over his shoulder to give a heated look at Johnson and Hedges, "first by cutting our loses with the main offenders."
"That's a start," Sunny persisted. "But what about the rest of you? How many of the rest of you feel the same way? I'm not going to apologize or be embarrassed about me and Blue. We're together and we'll stay together. If you don't like it frag off."
"This whole mess started when those two slagged Ratchet," Ironhide said pointing at the two soldiers standing behind Graham.
"What?" Ratchet said. "You never told me that."
"Why would I tell you that?" Ironhide asked as he turned to face Ratchet. "You don't need to know that sort of thing."
"Why not? What if I'm supposed to fight with these two idiots? How can I know they think I'm pit spawn and how can I know they'll cover me under fire?"
"That's the problem," Ironhide said turning back to lean down toward Lennox, Epps and Graham. "I came here to discuss that. I don't appreciate Ratchet being a joke to anyone let alone someone I'm supposed to trust on the battlefield."
"Look at us," Sideswipe said shaking his head. "We're not you. We're us. This is who we're supposed to be and we act like we're supposed to act. We come from a different world. We're fraggin' metallic for Primus sake! We're not organic like you and we never, ever will be. We don't have too many of your ways but most of us have learned as much as we can about you and how you act. Some of us anyway," he said glancing with a smirk at his brother. "We did it so we can be a team because that's how we know we can stay alive and win.
"We've been a team for each other for longer than you can imagine. We deserve respect and if you can't accept how we are, especially the personal relationships some of us have because this is what we truly are, imagine how we feel about some of your slag? But I also hope you noticed that we haven't dumped on you or let it affect us in combat. No matter what you think you know about us, know that we're professionals."
It was silent a moment then Lennox sighed. "You and us, we're brothers-in-arms. I felt it from the beginning. I'd hope you understand that holds even now. The three of us, we stay here because we want to work with you, because we respect you and even more, we care about and like you.
"We turned down promotions and other assignments because we like this job and working with you. I'm sorry for the stupidity of a few. I don't want the relationship that we've built up in blood and effort to be compromised. That's why these two," he said turning to nod to Johnson and Hedges, "are taking the next plane out of here."
"And the others? The soldiers who listened and heard their slag?" Sunny persisted.
"We personally will take care of that," Graham said looking from one to the next with a deeply serious expression on his face.
"Very well," Prowl said. "We can talk further about how we can span this rift and build a closer relationship between you and us. We understand how alien we must be in some regards but that's a two way street."
Lennox nodded. "Thank you, Prowl. We look forward to it. Right now, these two are out of here." He turned to look at them. "Get packing. Now."
They turned together to walk stiffly into the building, the hoots of the twins following them.
Lennox then looked up staring into the faces of the others. "Can we do anything more now or are we okay?"
"There *is* something else. I want to know what some slagger said about me." Ratchet stepped from behind Ironhide, his servos on his hips while metaphorical smoke came out of his audials.
"Oh, Primus," Ironhide whispered softly.
"Truce," Prowl said turning to the Autobots. "Everyone, let's go and let Captain Lennox, Sargent Epps and Lieutenant Graham do their job."
They began to walk off together grumbling loudly as Prowl stayed behind to tidy up loose ends.
Ratchet walking beside Ironhide smirked at him. "So you came here to defend my honor?"
"Of course," Ironhide said, his servo moving to its normal non-combat position, the small of Ratchet's back.
"My hero," Ratchet said with a snicker.
"Of course," Ironhide said rising to the moment. "I'm Ironhide, front line berserker, Prime's go-to right servo mech and all around Chaos Bringer of the Autobots."
"I can't argue with that," Ratchet said fondly.
"Damned straight," Ironhide said with a smile as they walked together toward home.