Chapter 32
-0-Daily Senior Autobot Staff Meeting
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:: indicates intercom and/or internal conversations
{ } indicates bots speaking Cybertronian languages to each otherwise
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Ratchet sat at the conference table leaning on his elbows with a trace of black paint still here and there. The look on his face discouraged comments.
Ironhide sitting beside him with one servo gently rubbing Ratchet's back grinned like a self-satisfied bear.
Wheeljack with a perturbed expression on his own face sat across from them alongside his boon companion and fellow scientist, Perceptor.
Jazz chatted with Prowl who looked especially radiant this morning while Optimus Prime on an internal comm line conference call sat at the head of the table like the paternal figure that he was. He commed off then leaned forward to grin broadly at all of them, these who were his surrogate family and drinking buddies.
Internal speculation pinged around the table as all of the mechs present considered their CO and his second including Arcee who breezed in apologies flying to take her place as well.
Prowl looked beautiful.
Optimus looked immensely happy.
Hmm...
Prime dispensed the speculation right away when he told them that Prowl and he had bonded the night before. The congratulations could be heard down the corridor.
Ironhide who was grinning like a genitor slapped Optimus' shoulder. "Now you get to know what I've known for eons, you poor sad fragger."
Laughter erupted and finally, at last, they were back on task.
Prowl unaccustomed to being the focus of personal attention about his person pulled himself together and began the agenda points. First up, prisoners in the brig. Prowl presented the facts.
"Good thing you think ahead, Optimus," Ironhide said shaking his head with disgust. "I would've fragged him. Good thing you sent your first missus. Springer is a good hand."
The room erupted in laughter and hoots.
Ratchet shook his head. "I wouldn't have sent Kup. Great Grandpas oughta be in recharge that late at night."
More guffaws, even from Prowl.
"Do you suppose they will complain, the new humans that is?" Perceptor asked with a slight frown on his face.
Prime shrugged. "I do not know. I can imagine they will. I do not think they were sent here to become allies and friends. I feel something less savory." He glanced at Jazz. "Anything on this group yet?"
"Yes," Jazz said leaning forward. "Jason "Jase" Daniels is the grandson of the current United States Senate Majority Leader, William Daniels. He is not a friend of ours. His family is very prominent in conservative politics and they have a great influence in the neoconservative movement. To cut to the chase, they won't be allies. Apparently, Intel-Martin has financial interests in a number of war-related industries includin' munitions. Some of them, Altadyne and Paraception are the ones lobbyin' hard and fast in the government to get access to our technology."
Prime sat back considering that news. "They will not get it but continue."
"Ole Jase is a graduate of good schools, adept at makin' influential friends and isn't here for the good of the order. Nothin' he does is pointless. He's here for the technology and I'd consider him a spy. Until the intel changes I wouldn't consider him otherwise."
Prime agreed. "The others?"
"They're long time employees of Intel-Martin, have been in and out of war zones all over the world providing protection to commercial and governmental interests and the like. They have a bad record, Optimus. Todd has against him several allegations of murder in Iraq, shootin' civilians for 'fun'. There's drug and alcohol atrocities as well as allegations of abuse and forced prostitution among underage sparkling mechs and femmes floatin' around out there about Intel-Martin and these mercs."
They sat in silence a moment reflecting on the idea that Decepticons weren't just limited to Cybertron.
Then Prime leaned forward resting on his elbows, his digits laced together as he considered what he wanted done about all of this.. "I want them to be watched. I want to know if they snoop, if they chat and who with. I want them on someone's sensors at all times. They are forbidden to come here and I want it spread to the troops that I will personally intervene on their afts if they even so much as speak to these people. They already have shown a disposition to fight and make trouble. We will not be the ones who start anything. Get the word out." He sat back, his rage only slightly mollified. "What has Mirage been up to, Jazz?"
"He's been listenin' in. They're pretty low brow and disgustin', Prime."
"Have him spend his time monitoring them. That is his main assignment and he can choose his times," Prime said.
Jazz agreed. "I will."
It was silent a moment as they processed the information.
Then Arcee spoke up. "I'm sorry that I was late but I had a great conversation with an Air Force Sargent, one in traffic control. She's sympathetic to us especially since the new humans arrived and is open to being a help to us, especially in alerting us about civilian plots and plans."
Prime glanced at Arcee. "Tell her we are happy she is so kindly disposed but tell her that we do not want her to compromise her oath or her ethics. I do not want her to get into trouble and I do not want our allies, the soldiers, and the military to think that we are acting behind them to compromise their people."
Arcee nodded. "I'll make sure it's going to be 'innocent' between us... sort of a femme-to-femme thing." She smiled. "I don't expect any of you to understand." She winked at Ironhide, one of her best friends over the eons and a fellow pranker.
He grinned. "I don't understand Ratchet. Femmes? Oh, Primus..." he said shaking his head.
That brought a moment of teasing and chuckles, then Prowl continued. "The mystery of Barricade and Bumblebee is next. I have no ideas what led to that fortuitous circumstance. First Aid did all the proper diagnostics and scans. They didn't implant anything."
Ratchet agreed. "I went through the data ..." Then he halted a moment with a frown. "Just a moment please." He commed Med Bay internally. :Ratchet to Med Bay:
:Med Bay, First Aid:
:First Aid, where is Bumblebee? Did you discharge him?:
There was a moment of dead silence as he looked around. Then he was back.
:Uh, no.: .
There was another moment of dead silence as First Aid tried to calculate how mad Ratchet was going to be with him.
:Ratchet … there was so much chaos, I forgot he was here:
"Frag," Ratchet muttered. "Ratchet to Ops Center."
:Ops Center, Red Alert:
"Patch me through the entire Autobot comm system both audio and internal, Red."
Prime watched with a grin forming on his face, leaned back.
Ironhide who was still rubbing Ratchet's back moved his servo like he touched a hot stove. Grinning at Prime, he also leaned back to wait.
:You are go, Ratchet:
"Thanks, Red." Ratchet took a moment to gather his thoughts, then sat up straight, his expression one of intense aggravation. {I want your attention} he said in NeoCybex, their common language. {I'm giving Autobot Bumblebee one breem to materialize in the Conference Room off Ops Center or I'll personally dismantle his little carcass and make belt buckles out of him for the soldiers. Do I have to come and get you, Bumblebee? Don't make me come and get you. GET YOUR AFT IN HERE! NOW! Ratchet out}
All over the base, humans listened and wondered what the strange metallic sounds were. They knew someone was speaking their alien language so no one would know what was said but no one listening who wasn't a car understood it.
Sometimes, life on Diego Garcia passeth-ed understanding.
Like right now. Eth.
The halls of the Embassy reverberated with the Wrath of Hatchet as the internal comm lines of every Autobot in the solar system including Cosmos who was bringing the latest shipment of supplies from outside the orbit of Pluto heard it. They all cringed, then shook their heads in pity. Bee was done for they considered and a couple of them taking pity began to search for him.
"So while we're waiting for Bumblebee is there anything anyone can deduce from this strange occurrence?" Prime asked spreading his servos in a gesture of confusion himself.
"Barricade doesn't give up kills," Ironhide said. "This puzzles me. He said that Starscream wanted you to know that he was to hurt Bee and not kill him. He was to tell you about this. It's personal for Screamer and I don't know why it would be, although the little fragger can be annoying," he concluded with a smile.
Prime grinned. "We can not know until we see him. Both of them."
-0-Sunstreaker and Bluestreak, Sideswipe, Hound and Trailbreaker in the Rec Room goofing off
They listened and laughed as they sat around the Rec Room shooting the breeze. It was too hot to train and too hot to shoot, so they sat together talking about the last millennium or so to catch up. Sunstreaker listened to Ratchet remembering through a haze that Bumblebee had shown up at the party the night before/ He considered where he might be now. He rose as Blue caught his servo. "Where you going?" he asked.
"I have an idea where Bee is. I'm going to get him," Sunny said with a wink.
They watched him skate quickly out and across the tarmac. "Bee is done for if he doesn't get to that room," Hound said as he leaned against Trailbreaker's shoulder. "Ratchet will make canisters out of him."
"Don't worry," Bluestreak said sweetly. "Sunstreaker will find him."
And he did.
A pile of rubble that was called Bumblebee ...
"Bee?" he called having crossed the tarmac, jumped the electrical fence to land gracefully, then ripped down the beach to the place where the party took place. He looked around. The burned out fire pit, the depressions in the sand where they had sat and danced, it was all still there. So was a yellow aft covered with seaweed sprawled on the sand, obscured by a series of rocks and drift wood that had collected on him from the surf over the course of the night.
Grinning with amusement, Sunstreaker knelt to touch Bee's ped. He was still offline and over energized. Sunny rose and put his servos on his hip assemblies. He shook his head with a smile on his face. "Fraggin' mini-cons."
Then he had an idea.
-0-At Ops Center, the conference room
Just before one breem was over, Sunstreaker skated to a stop before the door of the conference room with Bumblebee slung over his shoulder. He tapped on it as Arcee got it, staring at him with surprise and amusement. Stepping back, she made room for him to enter and lay the mini-con on the table next to Ratchet who looked at him with a frown.
"He was still at the beach," Sunny said, his expression and optics as innocent as a newly separated sparkling. With a nod and a grin, he backed out to flee as fast as he could.
They stared after Sunstreaker, then all optics landed on Bumblebee. They then shifted to Ratchet who was still staring at Bumblebee with irritation.
"Ratchet, if you would do the honors," Prime asked as he suppressed his own grin.
He looked at Prime then shifted to subspace the antidote to overindulgent stupidity. He stuck it into Bee's neck none too gently as everyone present flinched in sympathy.
Bumblebee roused then sat up on the table to look around with a bleary optic. "Hi," he said to Prime, smiling until he looked up to see Ratchet standing over him, servos on hip assemblies and fire in both his optics. "Oh."
"Oh, my aft! WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT A PARTY AND WHO LET YOU OUT!"
Prime intervened assuring Ratchet that he could have the mini-con after the meeting so Ratchet sat down only partially placated, his optics fixed on Bumblebee who sat on the table with forbearing.
"Bumblebee, we need to know what happened between you and Barricade," Prime said.
Bee looked at his commander and father figure with a fearful optic. He spun around on the table, sliding off to take a seat on the other side away from Ratchet. "I was going to Denver to meet with Arcee to do the initial scouting. I believe I was followed from Sam's home by Barricade. He has a new alt vehicle mode and I didn't catch on. I think he also has a way to dampen his signature."
"Preceptor, I would like you and Wheeljack to explore that concept and let us know what you think. I know it is not a lot of information but if they have new technology that allows them to get close to us without detection, we need counter measures," Prime said.
The two agreed.
"Continue, Bumblebee."
"I picked up on him after we were 500 miles out from Denver and I couldn't shake him," Bee said. "He and I are matched pretty well. But he sent his blades after me when it looked like he wasn't going to catch up and I was leaking energon for miles. It was only a matter of time. I was so dizzy I finally slid off a bend in the road."
"He came down to talk to you," Ironhide said.
"He did and he kicked me a couple of times. He's still mad about the time I cleaned his processor when I first drove Sam around," Bee said grinning slightly at the memory of the first time he met the Allspark, Sam Witwicky. "He said that he was told not to kill me, just hurt me good. Then he said that I was to make sure that you knew that Starscream ordered it and to let you know and understand that," he said looking at Optimus with a quizzical look.
"He didn't saw anything else?" Wheeljack asked.
"No," Bumblebee said.
"Hmm. Well, you can go, Bumblebee," Prime said. "Go to Med Bay and stay there. You are not discharged until Ratchet says so," he said glancing at Ratchet who agreed. "We do not take chances with ourselves, Bumblebee. You need to follow procedures because they work to keep us all safe and functioning."
Bee nodded with a shamefaced expression on his face. "Yes, sir." He arose and walked around the end of the table pausing in front of the door as he looked at Prime. "I meant to get there. I truly meant to. I didn't want anyone to get wounded because I wasn't able to get there."
"We know, Bee," Prime said covering his mouth with his servo.
Bee then walked out as the door closed behind him. He didn't understand why the sound of intense laughter filled the conference room when he left. He just felt terrible so he went to Med Bay distraught. He climbed on a med berth and lay facing the wall, his back to the world.
Behind him he heard footsteps but he didn't care. Then a soft voice spoke to him. "Bumblebee?"
He looked over his shoulder at the discomfited face of First Aid.
"Bee? Why do you have glyphs on your aft?" First Aid asked.
For a moment, Bumblebee stared at him without comprehension. Then he hopped down to walk in a circle trying to look.
First Aid taking pity brought a mirror.
Then Bumblebee saw it.
"For a good time, comm Bumblebee. He won't remember nothing later on."
He looked up, the fuzz lifting on his processor. "Sunny," he said grimly.